I grew up in western Illinois, on a dairy farm that was homesteaded by my great-great-grandfather in the early 1800s. My father and his father were partners on the farm until my grandfather died in a car accident when I was not more than four years old.
My father had dreamed of ranching in Brazil, S.A., since high school, and at the height of the Vietnam War, we moved to Brazil. I was thirteen years old at the time. After attending Brazilian school for a semester, my parents sent us to a Southern Presbyterian Mission School, Escola Bandeirante.
It was here that I found Christ. Two fellow students, Gordon Gartrell and Steve Taylor, took me in and helped me, bringing me into their morning devotions. The Lord shaped me at this school to study God’s Word and spend significant time in prayer. After graduating, I attended what is now Liberty University, where I studied Greek and the Bible.
I later married and had three wonderful children. However, due to our broken hearts, we later divorced. I may share more of this at another time. This was a severe blow for me when I was humbled beyond myself. But God used it to shape me into the man I am today- devoted to the discipleship of the Ecclesia for this era of the Kingdom of God.
I hope you sense the power of the Holy Spirit as you read the book. It is He who is speaking, not me.
