I grew up in a small town in Iowa called Hudson. My parents are Christians, and we were always faithful in our church. They also taught me how to make wise and moral decisions, which is a skill that has served me well. Even though I never rebelled against church, I didn’t understand what it looked like to walk with God daily, and I can’t say that I was really living for Jesus. Instead, my focus was having what you might call “The American Dream.” I wanted to get a good job, make money, marry a pretty wife, and contribute to society. I went to college at the University of Northern Iowa, and majored in Computer Science. The weekend before classes started, I went to the “new student bash,” where I met a 5th year senior named Jason Savage. Jason invited me his Bible study, and I reluctantly agreed, hoping to make some friends. For the first time, I met other guys my age who were passionately seeking after Jesus Christ. I knew that if I was going to call myself a Christian, my life needed to look different.

With these guys, I began to both study and memorize God’s Word and apply what I learned to my daily life. As I filled my heart and mind with truth, God began to work in my heart to seek Him first instead of seeking to advance myself. My sophomore year, I had the opportunity to be a student leader with the Navigators. This meant that I led a small group Bible study of younger guys and helped them begin to walk with God. At the same time, a staff guy named Nate took me under His wing and personally helped me grow in my relationship with God. We spent time in the Scriptures together, prayed together, and shared our faith together. Because of Nate’s investment in me, it was natural for me to begin helping the guys in my study in the same way. Over time I began to realize the strategic value of investing my life in helping college men come to know Jesus and walk deeply with Him. College is such a pivotal time in a person’s life. Students are away from home for the first time and making huge life decisions about their career, their spouse, their faith, and their life objectives. What a critical time to be involved in the lives of people! As I neared the end of college, God worked on my heart to desire to labor on campus full time. My wife Jessica and I have been on staff with the Navigators for 5 years and pioneered the ministry at Northwest in the spring of 2004.