My Past
I grew up on a ranch in Napa, California. Yes, I had to milk the cows before I went to school and feed the pigs and chickens when I got home. It was not a big full-blown ranch, however, my Dad grew up on a 600 acre ranch in Auburn, CA, and duplicated as much of that experience as he could on our property. We did raise our own beef.
As a kid I never thought I had a prayer of becoming a professional athlete. In fact, I literally survived in sports through my Jr. and High School years on the coattails of my older brothers Ed and Larry (also gifted athletes) who matured at a much younger age than I did athletically.
All five of us (I have two sisters also, Kathy and Suzi) knew there was not money available to pay for college, so we each did whatever we could to get a scholarship. To my, and everyone else's, surprise I ended up with several full scholarship offers to play football. Ultimately I selected the college I felt would give me the best opportunity to mature and succeed. I chose BYU. I am not a Mormon, but I really enjoyed my experience there (1973 to 1977). I caught the beginning of BYU's extraordinary string of exceptional quarterbacks and the beginning of what would become a long run of successful teams. I earned All American honors and went on to play professional football as an offensive tackle for Hank Stram, protecting Archie Manning, with the New Orleans Saints.
After my brief stint in professional football I became a pastor, serving in the San Francisco Bay Area, Estes Park, Colorado and finally in Portland, Oregon. During those 10 years in full-time ministry I enjoyed the privilege of speaking at chapels for the San Francisco 49ers, Giants, and the Oakland A's, as well as speaking at many seminars, camps, retreats, etc. Teaching and motivating others is one of the greatest gifts God has given me and I thoroughly enjoy it.
In 1988-89 I went through an excruciating divorce. Suddenly everything in my life was totally upside down. Through that experience - including the miraculous events leading up to my meeting, getting to know (we dated for 7 years) and ultimately marring the love of my life, Melinda - God proved to me, powerfully and personally, His life saving love, mercy and grace! My life, from that moment on, is a living testament to God's enormous ability to heal and renew. I had experienced these amazing attributes before and even taught others about them, but for the first time they became real to me. | 
