Out of the Coast Guard

AUGUST 1975

I went into the Coast Guard addicted to drugs and a destructive way of life. I left the Coast Guard a new person ready to go into full time ministry.

After College (4 years, 3 different schools), and 2 Masters (M.Div.) and M.A. in Cross Cultural Studies, I became a missionary teacher in Africa for 5 years and then a pastor for 10 years. After being a pastor I have been an adjunct professor for three local Christian universities.

Counting the cities in which I have established residency, I've lived in 23 cities, 4 countries and have attended dozens of churches through my journey. I've met the most amazing and gifted Christians and I have met the wierdest. But all in all, my Christian faith was formed in the Coast Guard with the help of friends and enemies. Those years and the lessons I learned were rarely easy and often came came with struggle and pain, but grateful for the people I met during the four years I spent in the Coast Guard for they were the ones who helped form my faith.

Ray - who taught me how to witness and through his honesty helped me grow even when I didn't want to.

Brian - who led me to the Lord and showed me how God can use someone.

The churches I visited - where Christ was made real through so many different kinds of ministries and personalities.

My brothers and sisters - who becoming Christian in very possitive ways went against Christian peer pressure to conform to the group.

Pastor Rentz and his wife - who invited me into their house so many times.

Manny and Danny - who loved to have fun (something I did so little back then and I needed so much during the last year and a half in the Coast Guard).

The people who prayed for me.

And so many more.