real life Christianity - About the Author

Much of this is taken from the Introduction of real life Christianity:

I want to let everyone know something right up front. I am not a theologian, and I am not a senior pastor. I didn’t even graduate from Bible college. Not that any of those are bad things, as a matter of fact, any of those are great goals to have and great accomplishments if you’ve already achieved one or more of them.

Actually, I am a shipyard worker. I am an employee at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. I have been blessed, though, to have been involved in Christianity for my entire life. As a matter of fact, I was born on a Thursday, made it to church that very first Sunday, and I have been part of it ever since. In the summer when I was seven years old, I gave my heart to Jesus at Daily Vacation Bible School.

My wife, Janice, and I both grew up in Bremerton, Washington, and we married in 1978. Janice makes me think of the line from the movie As Good As It Gets when Jack Nicholson says, “You make me want to be a better man.” She has brought a stability to my life that I could never have achieved on my own. She began many years ago to speak good things into my life. She told me that I was a good man, that I was a good husband, and that I was a good father, even before I comprehended what any of that really meant. We have reached a point now where we are really enjoying life. We are learning and growing and being challenged every day, but at the same time life is very peaceful and enjoyable. I know we would have never reached this stage in our lives if very early in our marriage, Janice hadn’t set a standard of discipline, responsibility, and excellence in whatever we put our hands to.

We have also been blessed with three unbelievable children. Our first, Hillary, was born in Germany in 1981 when I was serving in the US Army. We didn't realize it at the time, but her name is taken from the Greek word hilaros, which is where we get our English word hilarious. It means happy and cheerful, and it fits her to a tee. She is beautiful and smart, and you will very rarely find her without a smile on her face. She has such high standards that even her mom and I fall short from time to time. And she is not afraid to call us "slackers" if she catches us letting up or being lazy.

Hillary has two little brothers, Joey and Jamie. They were both born at Tacoma General Hospital, Joey in 1985, and Jamie in 1987. You couldn't find two more opposite personalities if you planned it that way. Joey is quiet and pretty shy, although he does like to clown around and get attention from being funny and silly. He took piano lessons when he was young and then learned to play the guitar when he was a teenager. He has become a very accomplished musician and plays lead guitar on our church worship team. I love to watch him play and am amazed at the remarkable sounds he can make come out of his "Fatstrat" (a type of Fender electric guitar).

Jamie is our youngest. He has the kind of personality that everyone loves to be around. He is friendly, happy, and he loves to be the center of attention. He is a musician too. He is a most excellent drummer and has learned to play the guitar and loves to sing too. When he was in high school, he was the worship leader in our church youth group. He is a hard worker and has big ideas and big plans for his life.

I'm sure that God has some amazing plans for each of our kids, and I love watching them develop and discover new things. Just like all of us, they make foolish choices from time to time and have to deal with the consequences of that, but hopefully they are learning from their experiences and growing, changing, developing, and discovering the destiny that God has created them for.

Since I wrote this in the introduction to my book about three years ago, a big event has taken place in our lives. Hillary got married on December 31st last year (2008). Her new husband is Ryan Newton, so her new name is Hillary Newton. He is a fine young man who has God's hand on his life and has a great future ahead of him. And as if that wasn't enough big news, we now have our first grand-daughter on the way. Hillary is due on February 17th (2010). We are all very excited and can't wait.

We all live in Port Orchard, Washington, and attend Family Worship Center We started there at the church’s very first service on the last Sunday of August in 1986. Janice and I have worked in just about every department in the church over the years: music, youth, Sunday school, children’s ministries, men’s ministries, women’s ministries, ushering, and door greeting. In 1997 we started our own ministry through the church, called Forever Together Marriage Ministry That is what we do now, and we love it. We teach marriage classes, organize and speak at retreats, have mentoring classes in our home, and occasionally do some counseling. I have also been on the Elder Board since the church started and would be considered what some churches might call a lay pastor. Janice and I also have a weekly small group meet in our home that our church calls a Life Group.

Actually some changes have taken place here too. Hillary and Ryan are now attending Christian Faith Center in Seattle. And Jamie has become the Youth Pastor at One Life Church in Port Orchard. God still has his hands on all of them is going to do some great things in their lives.

My point in all of this is that I have been around Christianity for a long time and I have picked up a few things along the way. Most of what I’ve written in this book I’ve learned through years and years of listening to great teachers and preachers and reading their books. In the Bible God promises that he will add to our knowledge of his Word and his ways by the teaching and studying we do over the course of our lifetime. Not everybody has had the same advantages I’ve had. Most people are not very familiar with the Bible and the ways of God. That is why I wrote this book, to tell you about the basic principles of the Christian faith and to get you started on your process of learning all about God and what he has done for you. I want to let you know that it is actually all pretty straightforward and not at all as complicated as you might have thought.

When I look at my own life, even though I grew up in church, I was probably in my 30’s before I decided to really get serious about my Christian walk. Sure I was saved and even filled with the Holy Spirit but I’m not sure I had really progressed much in my relationship with God. I think when you become a brand new Christian it is like entering kindergarten and as you learn the ways of God and apply them to your life you begin to work your way through elementary school. If you continue to grow and change and learn to live in obedience to God’s word, you continue to progress through junior high, high school, college and on into life. It’s up to us how fast that progression takes place. God doesn’t place any limits on us. As fast as we can learn and apply God’s way of thinking to our lives, is a fast as we can progress in our Christian walk. Real life Christianity is written to give you quick and concise access to knowledge of the ways of God and our Christian faith.