a pastor, husband, father, ultra-runner & then some other stuff

It occurred to me while changing the 33rd diaper of the day that I’ve always been drawn to challenges. Whether running ultramarathons, starting a church, or raising triplet boys alongside a teenage daughter, I tend to choose the harder path. It has made life an adventure, and I look forward to what God still has ahead.

Growing up in Atlanta, I came to faith in Christ during high school and later headed to Davidson College. My freshman year I “practiced” football, but by my sophomore year it was clear I was better suited as a tackling dummy. Around that time, I sensed a call into ministry and began serving with Young Life.

Through Young Life and getting plugged into a church plant in Charlotte called Warehouse242, I discovered that a relationship with Jesus goes beyond knowledge; it is something to be lived out day by day.

After college I married my college sweetheart and stayed in Charlotte, serving on Young Life staff and as a youth director at a 200-year-old congregation. From there we headed into the “wilderness” of New Jersey to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. Through late-night poker games and flag football, I discovered the power of men sharpening one another and praying for each other. And with a bit of pride, my daughter’s birth certificate still announces that she arrived in Trenton, New Jersey.

Gratefully, after those three years, I returned to Charlotte in 2007 to serve another 200-year-old congregation, First Presbyterian Church Charlotte.

It was during this chapter that God truly tested our resolve. My wife and I told God we wanted two children. He granted two pregnancies—but still gave us four children. Today we are blessed with three strong triplet boys alongside our older daughter.

By 2013 I began to realize I had idolized comfort and security over Christ. As those heart idols were exposed, I sensed God calling me, like Paul, to leave the stability of an established church and step onto the mission field as a church planter.

Through F3 Nation, I also saw a deep need for men to be equipped to live out their faith in their places of influence. That conviction eventually led me to pursue a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Leadership from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where my research focused on masculinity and leadership development.

All of this converged in 2014 when I felt led to launch Waypoint Community Church in Charlotte. Our aim is simple: to draw people one step closer to Jesus and challenge them to go one step further in mission.

That is where the journey continues today. And we remain eager to see what the next paragraph will hold—because the road goes on forever and the party never ends.