A Few Things About Me

• I didn't attend church or have any formal exposure to God growing up. 
• I attended a fairly small state university, graduated with a degree in business and started working for Procter and Gamble as a sales person. 
• The first half of my P&G career was spent in sales management. Along the way, I took on a number of special assignments which ultimately led me to joining the marketing arm of P&G.
• Over my 36-year career with P&G I moved several times to take on positions of increasing responsibility. One of those moves brought me to the Los Angeles area.
• A neighbor befriended my wife and I and introduced us to a local church. Within a few months we both accepted Christ and our faith journey began.
• As a baby Christian, I read my Bible looking for answers to questions I had about being a "good" Christian businessman.
• I joined Bible Study Fellowship and completed their 5-year program. BSF answered some of my questions but not all of them. 
• Over time I joined neighborhood Bible studies and studies for business people. And of course, I kept studying the Scripture to answer my own questions about how to lead a fulfilling, purpose-driven life as a Christian businessperson.
•  When I had the opportunity to retire from my business career early I decided to focus the rest of my life exploring the scripture and helping others who had the same questions I had over the years.

I mention this here so you understand I have been where you are. I know from first-hand experience how difficult it is to thrive as a Christian; especially as a Christian in a secular business world.

I created this site because the desire of my heart and my prayer for you is that you will be the powerful, inspired leader God intends you to be!

Sample of Recent Articles

My Story -- The Formative Years

My story begins in Spokane, Washington where I was born and raised. My grandparents were farmers. I spent every summer I can remember on the farm. Working long days beside my tireless grandfather taught me about love for the land and the joy of a hard day's work. Grandma and grandpa also taught me a lot about God through their quiet, strong witness--I was a little rebellious in those days.

I managed to get into college and do just well enough to attract the attention of a P&G recruiter who sold me on the benefits of a career with a big company over riding a tractor around a dusty wheat field all day. Thus began my journey in corporate America.

My P&G career spanned 36 years. The first half of my career was spent in a variety of sales and sales management positions. Along the way P&G created some specialized roles and I jumped at the chance to do something new. That eventually led to the second half career in a variety of marketing positions. I loved marketing. Helping to develop launch models for new products was exciting. Helping to craft messages that would resonate with different consumer groups was just what I needed at that point in my life.

My Story Takes a Detour

During the midst of my P&G career I moved to the Los Angeles area (actually beautiful Orange County). Now married with our first of two adopted children, my wife Barbara and I set about establishing ourselves in our new community. A neighbor, Dr. Harold Sala, invited us to church one day, and after a few weeks, Barbara and I both accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. That was 1984. As a baby Christian I set about learning all I could by attending a neighborhood Bible study, and then the 5-year Bible Study Fellowship program. This is probably when my heart for Christians in the marketplace began to develop. I listened to men talk about the struggles they faced on a weekly basis balancing their faith against the demands of the market.

I developed my first ministry directed to Christians in the workplace by publishing a newsletter called "Wheat & chaff--Biblical Insights for Today's Managers." Wheat & chaff had subscribers in 49 states and Canada, and was republished in Australia. The cost and hassle of managing a print piece drove me to distraction, so as the internet developed, I launched a website, Wheat-chaff.org, that has most of the newsletters and others articles available at no charge.

Once the Wheat & chaff website was up and running, it freed up time that I could devote to helping at church, which was an opportunity to get involved with the church's ministry to the business community, called Saddleback at Work.

I did all this while juggling the responsibilities of my position at P&G, and my even more important role as husband and father.

My Story Takes Another Detour

Then came the corporate restructure of 2009. As I assessed my options I was struck by this nagging feeling that God was calling me to ministry, and all I could think of was how Jonah tried to run from God's call on his life! Not wanting to end up in the belly of a great fish for three days I took counsel of Godly men and my wise spouse. All the answers were the same. If God is calling you, you have to answer. I retired from P&G in June of 2009, took the summer off, and started seminary at the Talbot School of Theology in August. I had no idea what God had planned for me, but figured He would let me know sometime before graduation. For the next three years I studied like never before which eventually allowed me earn a Masters degree in Biblical Studies and Theology.

Right about the middle of my third year at Talbot, Dr. Sala called and told me he had been praying about the future of Guidelines International Ministries. He felt led to ask me to join him in the ministry full-time. Harold led my wife and I to the Lord in 1984 and I had served on his Board of Directors since 1995, but I was still floored at the invitation. Once again, I prayed and sought the counsel of my wise spouse and said "yes." I started serving part-time at Guidelines as the Chief Operations Officer in January 2012 while I finished my last semester at Talbot. I was ordained by Dr. Sala in May, and began serving full-time at Guidelines in June 2012. My goal there was to help position the ministry for the next generation.

With the foundation for success established, I left Guidelines in December 2013 to begin the process of building this ministry to reach the men and women serving in the marketplace. Serving God in full-time ministry is an incredible experience. I learn something new about myself and Him every day, and every day I marvel that He has given me this privilege.