Hello! I praise God today for His work in my life. I grew up in a very religious home and am very thankful to my parents who instilled in me Christian morals and the importance of church attendance. I went to a parochial grade and high school (St. Bernards of Breda!) and attended one year at Creighton University.

Although I was highly religious, at the age of 20 and for the first time, I also realized I was totally “lost.” I had “bottomed out” in life. I had no purpose or direction, I was drinking heavily and church was a thing of the past. By God’s providential hand, in the loneliest months of my life, the Good News of Jesus Christ was shared with me.

A girl by the name of Deb, with whom I car pooled to work, started sharing verses from the Bible that talked about the love of God and His great plan of rescue for sinners. I particularly remember her quoting Ephesians 2:8,9 - “For by grace are you saved through faith, it is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; so that no one will boast.” Those verses blindsided me!

All my life I had been trying to live up to this moral standard, to prove to God and hope that I was “good enough” to merit heaven. Deb then quoted Romans 3:23 - “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In my own strength I knew that I was falling short of God’s standard. For the first time I was faced with the thought of surrender to God, trust in Christ and His finished work on the cross as payment for my sins and entrance into heaven. It was not my works but the work of Christ on the cross!

Several months passed after hearing this truth when one beautiful summer morning, while driving across the Saylorville dam, I pulled off onto an overlook, got out of my car and onto my knees. I confessed to God I was a sinner, I acknowledged I was “lost” and I asked Jesus to be my personal Savior, take my sins away and change my life! Praise God he has done just that!

Since that day my life has been in the process of change and the desire of my heart is to please God with my life! Several changes that have taken place since the day of my salvation: Deb, that girl who first shared Christ with me (but would never date me) is now my wife and God has blessed us with 5 children (23, 21, 19, 17, 15)! At the age of 33 God “called” me to full time ministry. In 2005, Saylorville Baptist Church called me as a “church planter” with the result being “Lakeside Fellowship” in Polk City. To God Be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done In Me and For Me!