I loved being a preacher’s kid, but didn’t plan to become a minister myself.

As an undergraduate Economics major, my goal was to climb the corporate ladder and thus was thrilled to receive a job upon graduation from what was then the largest company in the world. I worked there for three years, but soon discovered it was the wrong place for me.

As I began to pay attention to how the happiest times each week occurred when present with fellow members at a local Presbyterian Church, I came to understand that God was calling me into the ministry. In the forty years that followed–four for training and thirty-six as a Minister of Word and Sacrament–I never second-guessed that decision even on the hardest days.

Instead, during pastorates in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, I was blessed to lead worship and preach regularly. I was honored to be invited into the hardest and happiest moments of parishioners’ lives while serving alongside faithful members, officers, and staff. I made a priority of responding to human needs outside church walls, too, starting a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in one community, Christmas Day meals to homebound seniors in another, and shelter for homeless neighbors in two of the towns. I strove to make church a safe place to talk about the most difficult issues of our time in respectful ways. In all of those moments, my life was enriched and my faith deepened in more ways than I can possibly count.

Since retiring in August of 2023, I am finding joy in everyday moments with Lori, my wife and best friend, our two wonderful children and their amazing spouses, and our four perfect grandchildren. This chapter of life gives me the chance to read more and travel to new places while also deepening–if that’s possible–my devotion to a particular baseball team and one 19th century President.

You will hear more about each of those passions as I share accounts of how God has been at work in ordinary and grace-filled ways. I look forward to hearing your stories, too.