My journey with Christ began when I
was a freshman attending a new high school outside of my home town. My parents
gave me the opportunity to attend Immanuel High School, in Reedley, CA. This is
a private Christian school and though I wasn’t raised a Christian, and we
didn’t attend church; they thought I would get a better education. It turns out
I got a whole lot more than that.
It was shortly after I started there
when I met several men that would change my life. God blessed me through men
like Ken Jensen; who stepped up as a spiritual father for me. Though I was
friends with his sons, he became much more than just my buddies’ dad. I also met
my youth Pastor’s Jack Clubb and Rob Michaels; real Men of Jesus. They were men
who challenged me, encouraged me and fanned the flame of Christ in my life. I
was more than blessed to attend a Christian school, stocked full of men who
taught me much more than math and science.
Years later I found myself sitting
in a corporate leadership conference; amazed at how the people in the
conference were so excited to learn how to become better leaders. They were
soaking it all up, sharing their hearts, and getting extremely passionate. It
was all to go back to work Monday morning to sell cellular phones. After almost
a decade in the corporate retail world, I was saddened for the people inside
the conference who were giving everything they had to this cause. My heart was
broken however for all of the other Christian men out there; whom I knew would
never see an investment made into their growth like the one my company was
making in me by sending me to the conference.
That night I went back to my hotel
room and God took it a step deeper. He forced me to think about where I would
be if it were not for men like Ken, Jack, Rob, and all the others that had
impacted my life. I knew the answer to that question. I wouldn’t have even been
around to attend that conference. I knew then that I needed to go out and not
only do for other men what they did for me, but to help grow men who would do the
same for others.
The world needs men who are
following Jesus Christ so they can follow in their footsteps. We need men to
learn from. We need men with wisdom, boldness, love, and the integrity it takes
to stand up and teach another man. Men of Jesus are a must and we have a
shortage of them. That’s why I've chosen to make Men of Jesus my passion and mission.
