–My favorite thing about Venture is how much it challenges me to follow Jesus. I have been working with Venture since 2004 and have been Venture’s pastor since 2006, and I think that I am growing and learning as much or more than anyone. My staff team, our volunteers, the people who come–they ask hard questions and make me really think about faith and life.

–My favorite things are my family, Hebrew, ice cream, college football, and music (in that order, except in the Fall when football overtakes all but family). The most wonderful people on this earth are my wife Kristen, and my four children, Abigail, Eliza, Anna, and Benjamin. I love to talk to Kristen and hear her thoughts about life, the Bible, friends, and football (of course). And I love playing with the girls and Benjamin because I can become Captain Hook, Aslan, Prince Phillip, and Darth Vader, all in the span of about 30 minutes.

–I love Hebrew. I read the Hebrew Bible every day. I love it so much that I got a Ph.D. in it. I love to read about who God is and how he is sovereign and how he loves his people, and to try to figure out what all of that means for my life.

–As far as the ice cream and college football go, those are pretty self explanatory. (Though I should say that my football team is Auburn. I also love fantasy football, except for the fact that I can’t beat Chris Bender. I’ve lost to him 13 times in a row. I’m not kidding.) My love for music has recently been revived by Stephen (see below) who has challenged me to listen to a lot of different music than what I am used to (including Radiohead, Iron & Wine, and Wilco, among others).

–All in all, this is a great place to learn to follow Christ, how to love others, how the Bible impacts our lives, and how to serve. It’s fun to be a part of what God is doing here.