I surrendered my life to Jesus at the age of 30 in my dad's living room after he preached the gospel to our entire family (5 siblings, 2 brothers in law, my 79 year old grandmother) in the living room of their house in Salina, KS. My mom & dad had been separated after 23 years of marriage, gotten saved and reconciled to each other and then called a family meeting to share the good news with all of us. We responded, my wife and I along with most of our family in May 1977. I have been following Jesus wholeheartedly since then.
I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965, serving two tours in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969. Upon returning, I married my high school sweetheart, attended aircraft aviation school, and worked in sales nationwide. In 1979, I left corporate life to start an insurance agency, running it for 22 years before selling it in 2001. Concurrently, I contributed to church planting and mentored young men in Christian leadership. At 58, I transitioned to full-time ministry, founding a church in Platte City, Missouri in 2004.
I first became involved as a Community Group leader at NCS 6 years ago. Both my grandsons Isaac & Seth Martin were students at the time. I started my first Community Group with seniors and it seemed like I’d gone off the deep end. This was a very humbling experience as I was really challenged personally by this group. The next year I was given the 8th graders as my grandson Seth was in that class. One of my greatest joys was when Isaac, a senior, helped me co-lead this particular group. What motivated me to serve is the joy of helping mold young men to look and act like Jesus in their everyday lives. You have to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer only.
My role as a community group leader involves reinforcing the Word of God and the school’s directions along with sharing my life with them and discussing how to walk out in real time being obedient to the Word of God. I have been very blessed in being able to baptize several of these young men over the years and this is a real joy.
Staying updated on the needs of the boys is a matter of communication in an ongoing dialogue - texting and emailing them with scripture verses and then hearing back from them about it. Really the best part is being with these guys outside of school - watching them play and compete in their sports and watching them walk out godliness as they do so even when it is difficult. They are developing godly character as they live it out in real time and in real situations.
I pray that my witness and example will continue to speak to these young men long after I’m gone and they’ve headed out the door to fulfill the dreams that God has planted in their hearts.
