"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." — Psalm 127:1

There are few places where God has shaped me more deeply than in my own home. Long before I was entrusted with leading worship or shepherding volunteers, He entrusted me with a wife to love and children to raise. Whatever leadership I bring into the church has first been refined around our dinner table, in bedtime prayers, family devotions, difficult conversations, laughter, tears, repentance, forgiveness, and the ordinary rhythms of family life.

When Angi and I married, we committed ourselves to building a home with Christ at its center. We have never believed that faithfulness means perfection. Like every family, we have known seasons of joy and hardship, growth and grace. Through every season, we have found Him to be faithful. Again and again, He has reminded us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness and that His purposes are often accomplished through the very circumstances we would never have chosen for ourselves.

Loving Angi with Christ-like love has been, and continues to be, one of the primary ways God is shaping me. She is my closest companion, my greatest encourager, and my partner in every season of ministry. Her love for people, her hospitality, her pursuit of Christ, and her steadfast faith continually challenge me to become a more faithful husband, father, and leader. Whatever ministry God has entrusted to me has always been strengthened by His gift of Angi.

Together we have sought to build a home where our children know they are deeply loved, where questions are welcomed, where repentance and forgiveness are practiced, and where following Christ is woven into the ordinary moments of everyday life. We have tried to be intentional parents, recognizing that our children ultimately belong to God before they belong to us. Our role is not to shape them into the people we wish they would become, but to faithfully steward, disciple, and encourage the unique people God created them to be.

God has entrusted us with four wonderful children: Valor, Honor, Selah, and Trinity. Each of them possesses a unique personality, different gifts, and their own story of God's work. One of our greatest joys has been watching them discover ways to serve the Church alongside us. Music has become a shared language within our family, and each of our children has developed musical gifts and regularly participates in worship and ministry. Seeing them move from simply watching ministry to actively serving Christ and His people has been one of the greatest privileges of our lives.

Our children are one of the clearest testimonies to God's goodness in our marriage. Not because our family has been without struggles, but because God has been faithful through them. Watching Him patiently form each of us has strengthened our confidence that He truly completes the work He begins.

Looking back over the years, I can honestly say that my wife and children have been God's primary instruments in shaping me as a leader. They have taught me patience, humility, sacrifice, perseverance, gentleness, courage, and dependence upon Christ in ways that no classroom, conference, or ministry position ever could. They continually remind me that leadership is not first demonstrated on a platform but in the quiet faithfulness of everyday life.

When people ask about my ministry, it's natural to think about churches, worship services, productions, concerts, or songs. I am deeply grateful for every one of those opportunities. But if you were to ask me where God has done His deepest work, my answer would be simple:

Home.

Because it is there, in the ordinary and often unseen moments of loving my wife and raising our children, that He has most faithfully taught me what it means to follow Christ.