Writing a page about yourself is an interesting exercise. What do you tell people about yourself before you lose their attention?

There’s the obvious stuff. I serve Jesus as Lead Pastor of Bay Area Church in League City, Texas. I’m a graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Seminary, and Liberty Theological Seminary where I earned a D.Min for my work in discipleship and family ministry.

There’s some good stuff. I love all kinds of people. I love my Christian brothers and sisters. I love Jewish and Muslim people a lot. I’m convinced God put that love in my heart. I’m into hiking and kayaking. I love a good adventure. I am an author and influencer having written Relentless Parenting: The Crucial Pursuit of Your Teen’s Heart (co-authored with my wife), Shift: What it Takes to Finally Reach Families Today, and The Legacy Path: Discover Intentional Spiritual Parenting . I am a contributing author for Recalibrate: A New Measure for Family Ministry and Family Ministry and the Church. I often have the honor of speaking to others about life, family, and walking with Jesus. I’m a pastor at heart, by design and by calling. I am glad God allows me to serve in that way.

There’s some bad stuff. Every day isn’t a great day. I’ve been through some challenging things in life and leadership. I know what it is to be let down and to let others down. I’ve experienced post-traumatic stress. I know anxiety. I know the consequences of sin. I sometimes struggle with God. I want to be more compassionate. The good news is, God loves me anyway and is constantly drawing me closer to Him like a Father to a son. His grace shown to me through Jesus is enough but life isn’t usually easy.

There’s the best stuff. I married my high-school sweet heart Angela. We love each other and are committed to each other for life. We have three beautiful daughters who are walking with Jesus. The oldest two have given me the honor of contributing lots of money to Texas A&M University, their mother’s alma mater. All three are amazing in unique ways and each have their own story to tell.  We have one dog named Hoyt. It’s a funny name for a dog, I know, but it fits him. We live in Houston and we love it. Don’t let those “arm-pit of the United States” jokes fool you. Best city ever.

And then there’s what’s in my bones.

I want people to know the Jesus of the Bible. That may not seem earth-shattering coming from a guy like me. I’m convinced many people have misconceptions about what Jesus is like. American evangelicalism can misrepresent Jesus. Our Greek way of thinking distorts his person and methodology. I lead Israel study expeditions each year to help people know the land of the Bible, its people, and the culture and context of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, the disciples, Paul, and of course, Jesus. If you want to know Jesus, you need to walk a mile or a hundred on the ancient paths he walked. If you want to know what Jesus is like and you are from the West, you need to learn to think like an Easterner. The Bible is filled with pictures pointing spiritual desert nomads like you and me to Jesus who is Living Water. It’s in my bones to help people drink deeply of Jesus, the Living Water, and find restoration for their souls.