Born into a loving home, I was taught all the traditional values of a Catholic family. Baptism shortly after birth, catechism through grade school, first communion, confirmation and marriage were all natural rights of passage. Even with these sacraments being administered, I still longed for more but did not know what that ‘more’ was. Finishing high school, obtaining college degrees, I would land my first real job in the metro Detroit area. Married to my best friend and college sweetheart, Paula and I waited to start our family until we moved back ‘north’ out of the city life. Continuing in the Catholic church, we would baptize our three, now young adult sons, Isaac, Justin and Sam. The sudden loss of a job in 2002 would shift the path of our lives and land us in Gaylord, a town neither of us ever saw on our radar. That longing for ‘more’ would translate into a brief departure from the church and eventually put us square in focus of the teachings of Jim Mathis @ Efree circa 2003. Able to overcome that first service culture shock that countered most of our previous teachings, we listened, we got the then younger boys involved, we became active in a life group and other activities. Having served on the Youth Advisory Committee, acted as a Senior High youth counselor, driven bus for several years, led the online hosts, and served as an Elder for 6 years has been a life-changing experience. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t rush into any decisions and sometimes Paula just doesn’t appreciate this. We became members at Efree in 2018, though we have called this our church for nearly two decades. Baptized of my own accord with the Senior High in the spring of 2013 was a pivotal moment. That ‘more’ was my personal relationship with Jesus and I am grateful to have found it through Efree. Trusting that I will meet Jesus face-to-face one day in Heaven provides me unwavering confidence to lead by the best Christian example I can here on earth.
