Paul’s Testimony
I grew up in a Christian home and have enjoyed a godly heritage going back multiple generations on both my mom's and my dad's side of the family. My father and mother met at Bible college. Through my growing up years, my father was an associate pastor of youth and music at a couple of different churches. He then served on the faculty of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota through my high school and college years and beyond. I am very thankful for the blessings of a godly family.
I prayed to receive Christ at the age of 5. I was baptized at the age of 6. My elementary school years were in and out of public and Christian schools. When I was 14 at a winter retreat at Hume Lake Christian Camp in California, I committed my life to serving the Lord. I remember this event because I was sitting in the middle of 500 high school students at this retreat. I felt like I was sitting under a spotlight and that the speaker that night knew me personally. I discovered quickly that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me so I stayed after the service and prayed with my youth pastor committing my life to serve the Lord. That night, my faith became my own--not just the faith of my family. I'm thankful to say that since that night, I have sought the Lord's direction for every event of my life.
Shortly after this, my family made a major move from San Diego, California to St. Paul, Minnesota. As a high schooler, that was a very hard time in my life. I was forced to make a dramatic change and I struggled with the Lord asking a lot of "why" questions. I never outright rebelled, but I did let my heart get hard and I know there was some youthful bitterness toward the Lord. I don't think I was aware of what was happening until later in my life because I kept much of this inside while still walking with the Lord.
In the early 80's as I was finishing high school and while going to college, I attended Grace Church Roseville in Roseville, Minnesota. In those years, Grace Church held annual missions festivals. It was common at the end of the missions week to have an alter call for people who wanted to make their lives available to the Lord should He call them into missions. I think I went forward three different years.
Since I had made this commitment, my soon-to-be fiance, Roxanne, was asking a lot of questions about this. One time when she was at home in Davenport, Iowa before we were engaged, she visited with an older woman who was a missionary visiting her church. Roxanne asked her advice since she was seeing that I may be called into missions, and she did not feel that she was. Roxanne wanted to know if she should marry me. The woman told her that she did not need to worry about it at that point; Roxanne just needed to know if she was called to be my wife. The rest the Lord would make clear in time. Roxanne accepted this and we were married after my sophomore year. (Roxanne had graduated with her four-year degree.)
During my college years, I spent my summers on summer staff at Camp Forest Springs in Wisconsin. My first summer after my freshman year, 1983, I was a counselor. I had the summer of my life spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially. I went back the next year as the men's senior counselor. At the end of that summer Roxanne and I were married. In 1985 we led a teen wilderness/missions trip from camp to Canada and Alaska. As soon as I graduated from college in 1986, we went to Camp Forest Springs for the LTD program. LTD is a year-long internship in Christian camping ministry. We actually spent two years in the program. During the second year, the executive director asked us to join the missionary staff, but he wanted me to go back to school for some business courses.
I returned to Northwestern College in St. Paul (where I had received a Bachelor's degree in Ministries/Christian Education & Recreation) to take classes in business and marketing. I nearly completed a minor in business. From there the Lord led us to Wheaton College where I completed my MA in Communications Research and Strategy. After that we raised our support and joined the missionary staff of Camp Forest Springs in 1991.
It was while I was at Wheaton that God revealed my hard heart and broke it. I was taking a class on the life and teaching of Jesus. During that class, we were required to read through the Gospels four times. I can't really explain it, but late one night as I was reading in Luke, I began to weep. In that moment, I remember thinking about the Body of Christ--the Church and having my view changed so that I saw it as a living organism rather than just an organization. My view of and involvement in the church has been completely changed. Since that time, we have been involved in a church plant and I have served several terms as an elder in our local church.
Through the years, my walk with the Lord has continued to grow through fellowship in the local church, Scripture memory, Bible studies, and mentoring relationships. I remember at one point several years ago telling my wife that I sensed that God was calling me to a higher level; That I needed to throw off things that hinder my relationship with the Lord. Though I don't win every battle, I strive to live a life worthy of the calling I have received. Ephesians 4:1-3.
