Lead Pastor of Redemption Gateway

Favorite quote:"They had baseball before you were here, and they'll have baseball when you leave. You're not that big of a deal." (Richard "Itch" Jones, my college baseball coach)

Tell us about your family

I met my wife, Molly, during my first week of college at the University of Illinois. We were married in December 2001 and moved to Arizona in June 2002. We have two daughters, Abby (4) and Caitlin (2).

What do you do for the church?

My primary responsibilities include leading with vision, preaching, and developing additional leaders to serve our growing Gateway congregation.

What hobbies/activities do you enjoy?

I love watching sports (especially college football), getting lost in a good story or movie, dating my wife and daughters, talking about God and ministry, and exploring new places and cities. I'm also kind of a wannabe foodie who likes hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

What excites you about Redemption Church?

The vision to reach the city with gospel centered, outward focused churches is a very compelling one that will reach many people for Jesus and also attract some excellent leaders. I'm also excited about partnering with some wonderful leaders who I trust and have great friendships with. I am convinced it will help all of our churches be stronger and will enable us to reach many new people with the gospel.

What's a good book/movie you've read/watched lately?

Some recent books include Leadership as an Identity by Crawford Loritts, Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath, and You Can Change by Tim Chester. Toy Story 3 was great, but I'm getting a little sick of it after watching it 10+ times with my daughters.

Given the choice between a vacation in New York or a vacation in Yellowstone, which would you choose and why?

New York, hands down. I love exploring big cities, and New York is one of the few that I haven't been to. I loved living on a college campus because of the life there, and I think big cities are similar.

If you could meet one historical person (besides Jesus), who would it be?

I think it would be pretty interesting to speak with Lazarus and find out the rest of his story. A close second would be the inventor of corrective lenses. I would thank him because I would be unable to function without my contact lenses.

What's one album in your music collection that would surprise those who know you well?

"Mirrorball" by Sarah McLachlan. I love simple piano and beautiful female vocals.

Whats the worst job you've ever had?

Data entry job for a publishing company. I made endless lists of the names of files on different CDs that had information on them. Mind-numbing.