Well, here I am, beginning a new journey in the life for which I was purposefully created.

After a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force, I have embarked on the life I was called to at a young age. I retired from service to my country in April of 2015 and started a journey of service to the King of Kings at the very same time.

The story, however, is a little more complicated than that… isn’t it always?

I heard Jesus calling me to be a minister and to take care of His flock (John 21). I was 17 when it happened. I was purposed for Kingdom work! I was called. I was marked.

I was lost.

I had no mentors and didn’t yet know how to still myself to hear from God clearly. So, I made a lot of life decisions on my own. I sought council but didn’t really get good input from many I asked. I did get some good advice from my grandfather about a college to attend. I caught a glimpse of the first stepping stone; Grand Canyon University with a Christian Studies major!

That lasted as long as my first class in Church History. It was dry. It was dull. It was about a bunch of dead guys, and it was boring. I was lucky to finish with a D.

I was a bomb. What was I doing? I certainly didn’t belong there. I made a huge mistake!

So, I changed my major to Drama. Oh yeah, definitely a good choice. A perfect fit for a quirky personality. Who needs advice? Not me! It was definitely a leap with both feet.

But you see, God doesn’t make mistakes. He has a purpose for me. Regardless of where I turned or what I do, He never leaves me. He is always working out His plan for my life.

And that was when I met her. It was like I had known her my whole life. She was kind and full of compassion. She was passionate and dramatic. She was made for me and I for her. She was, and still is, amazing! Of course, that meant I needed a job to support my beautiful bride and new family. College was just going to have to wait for a little.

So, I enlisted in the Air Force. The military had always been good to my family. I was third-generation. It was kind of a family tradition. They had good benefits with some pay. And it was only temporary, right? Until I could get settled and move into my purpose in ministry.

The years came and went. Our family grew by three more. But God didn’t release us from military service. It was a training and proving ground. There was discouragement, setbacks, and challenges at every turn. But those are stories for another time, and they aren’t mine alone.

After 20 years, and a revitalization of the call to ministry and our faith, God allowed us to quit our service to the kingdoms of this world. He has called us onward into a renewed purpose in His kingdom. And we are stepping out, boldly, into that for which He has purposed us.

This is the beginning of our new path. This is the start of a new adventure.