Personal
I am a Christian, husband, and father. My day job is at Restored Life Counseling. In my free time, I like to read. For fiction, I’m a fan of spy thrillers (Tom Clancy and similar) and medieval fantasy (Tolkien and similar). For nonfiction, I like to read books on theology, psychology and counseling, history, business, economics, and geopolitics. But I always read the Bible first and most. As C.H. Spurgeon said, “Visit many books. But live in the Bible.”
Confessional
Public statements of faith inevitably present the writer with a trilemma between brevity, comprehensiveness, and clarity. Brother Andrew, a Dutch missionary who smuggled Bibles into Communist countries during the Cold War, once mailed a whole Bible to a potential supporter who had asked him for a statement of faith. The Bible is the only comprehensive Christian statement of faith. This one is brief, hopefully clear, and hopefully sheds light on my theological leanings and the hermeneutics I apply to my work as a counselor.
I am:
- Christian – I affirm that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.
- Protestant – I affirm the five “solas” of the Reformation.
- Sola Scriptura – governed by scripture alone.
- Sola Gratia – saved by grace alone.
- Sola Fide – through faith alone.
- Solus Christus – in Christ alone.
- Soli Deo Gloria – to the glory of God alone.
- Evangelical – I believe the gospel (which is the original and truest meaning of “evangelical”).
- Reformed, Kuyperian, and Postmillennial – I depend on the work of the Holy Spirit not only for salvation but in all that I do, and I pray that God uses me to bring peace to those I interact with.
- Unfinished – Though I find great beauty in traditional Protestantism, I realize that in some areas, traditions may not be fully Scriptural. Where that is the case, I am eager to change as the Spirit convicts me through the Word.
- Integrative – I affirm that all truth is God’s truth, wherever truth is found. In my work (especially my day job), I consider insights from modern science to the extent that they do not contradict the plain teaching of Scripture.
- Curious – I recognize that Christianity, Protestantism, and Evangelicalism are diverse. No one is saved by their theology; they are saved by grace. I strive to respect and learn from my brothers and sisters in the faith, even when we draw different theological conclusions.
- Loving – I believe that all people are created in God’s image, and those outside the faith are due equal love and respect from us as those inside the faith. They shall know we are Christians by our love. I pray that through my love, they might experience the love of Christ and that the Spirit would draw them to Him through our love.
- Traditional toward Marriage and Gender – I affirm that Biblical marriage is between one biological man and one biological woman. I affirm that the true gender of any individual is that revealed by their anatomy at birth and possession of either xx or xy chromosomes.
Professional
Founder and Director of Restored Life Counseling since 2018.
Master of Arts in Counseling from Western Seminary in 2016. My particular studies in Counseling also included completing the Bible, Theology, and Hermeneutics courses for Western Seminary’s MDiv students. I finished about 1/3 of an MDIV alongside my counselor education.
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Missional Theology from the Missional Training Center, an extension of Covenant Seminary, anticipated completion in 2026.
Credentials & Qualifications:
- Helping men and couples heal since 2014.
- Master of Arts in Counseling, Western Seminary, 2016.
- Washington Licensed Mental Health Counselor (#LH60636677).
- Arizona Licensed Professional Counselor (#LPC-20530).
- National Board Certified Counselor (#756648).
- Certified Sexual Addiction Counselor Candidate (#2021-3561).