Ask About Pastor Steve

Wow! I almost wish I hadn’t asked for your questions about me. You all really want to know details of my life. Most are general enough. Those are easy. Some are fairly intimate details which I’d readily share in my CONNECT small group. Since an Internet Blog is a personal, private venue (that was a joke….), I’ll answer those also. One person (and you know who you are) asked a question that I will not answer… in this venue. He can make an appointment and I’ll gladly address that topic too.

Just tell us about you. Where did you grow up, go to school, etc.?

I grew up exactly where you found me last year, in Southern California. Most of my life was spent in Fountain Valley, a small city (53,000ish) just inland from Huntington Beach, Surf City USA. I spent almost all my free time at the beach, Lifeguard Tower 5 on City Beach (much better than the State Beach) just south of the pier. I ate way too many Taco Bell Encheritos (a cross between an enchilada and burrito) and occasionally a Jack-In-The-Box taco (the greasiest, cheapest fast food poison on the planet and one of Shawna’s favorites). I was not a board surfer; I was a bodysurfer. “Don’t ride a board. Be the board!!”

I started school at Fountain Valley Elementary, then moved on to a private school in Newport Beach, called Carden Hall. I went to Servite High School, an all-boys Catholic school (for the education only, since I was raised believing faith was a coping strategy for the weak). I attended UC Irvine and Eastern Oregon University before getting my BS in Organizational Leadership from Biola University. I received my Master of Divinity, concentration in Evangelism and Discipleship, from Talbot School of Theology. Way too much education and probably not done yet. I believe leaders are life-long learners and there’s lots more to grapple with!

Tell us about your family.

I’m desperately in love with my beautiful and wonderful wife, Shawna. She’s my very best friend and my companion in all that life presents. We have two lovely daughters, Courtney, 15, and Jessica, 13 on June 3. I won’t share more about them since teen-aged girls embarrass easily. I’ll just say that they are homeschooled and I’m very proud of both of them.
Back in California, I have a mom and dad, who have been divorced since I was in high school, and two younger brothers. My mom’s family is primarily in Colorado and of Italian (maybe even Armenian) descent while my dad’s family is mostly still in Germany. All of my grandparents are deceased. Sadly, we are not a close family.

Why would you leave California for Pennsylvania? Are you insane?

Hmmm. Two unrelated questions. Let me address the second, first. “Yes, slightly.” You see, I used to think that I had life all figured out. Then the Lord gave me a good shake and opened my eyes. Now, things that used to make sense to me seem like foolishness and foolish things, like leaving California for Pennsylvania are just crazy enough to be from the Lord. I guess I’ve spent a little too much time in Jonah to say “No” when God makes something very clear. Besides, California is a nice place to visit, but not the “ideal” place to live. Oh sure, you know you won’t suffocate because you can actually see the air, but, to experience breathing in its fullness, you need to spend a little time in Lancaster County, especially right after the farmers have sprayed liquefied pig feces on their fields, “to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.”

How is your family adjusting to life in Lancaster County?

Very well, all things considered. Sure, they miss In-N-Out Burger and Rubio’s (Baja fish tacos), but we found decent Mexican food in a couple places. Last week we drove to Lancaster for Taco Bell! (In California, Taco Bell was within walking distance of our home and it was our whoops-we-forgot-to-take-something-out-for-dinner contingency plan.) Certainly, we are working toward developing relationships here and one regret we have is the family (church and biological) whom we left on the west coast. But our first winter was mild. I guess none of us liked the amount of wind. The tornado was a new experience for us all, but the earthquake was just like “home.” We’re meeting some wonderful people and learning a tremendous amount about being Dutchy.

What one event shaped you for this current role as Pastor of Connections more than any other (apart from your salvation story)?

That is a story for my next blog entry. I’ll just say here that it involved the death of a friend…