Don is the poster child for 1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
He was born on east coast, and experienced both parents dying before he was 12. A Godly step mother was divinely sent to persevere during his “angry years” and eventually she initiated a move to the Midwest when he was 16 to get him away from his destructive behavior and environment.
Life changed at 17 when he accepted Christ, but internally he was convinced he would be dead by 18 – so he felt he only a year to “be a Christian” and then off to heaven! His faith crisis was at 18 when still alive! God graciously revealed what it meant to live a life honoring, trusting and walking by faith. The subsequent journey of college, a church internship, marriage, and seminary led to him stepping into the role as a pastor 11 years after trusting Christ. Maturing in the faith was no guarantee, especially for a ‘late bloomer’ in the faith. He credits his wife Brenda as being greatly instrumental in spiritual journey, displaying incredible patience and 42 years of marriage later, they are very blessed.
His journey has taught him to appreciate the value of family. He has radically changed with 3 awesome children, their Godly spouses, and all of them love and serve the Lord. His 7 grandchildren are one of the reasons he responds with ‘blessed’ when asked how he is doing.
After 29 years primarily serving as solo or lead pastor in churches, he joined the staff at Valley Church almost 10 years ago and now oversees Valley Global – overseeing global partners, and strengthening those involved in sharing God’s loving heart for the nations.
The “4th quarter“ verse for he and Brenda is Psalm 71:18 “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, until I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” So the next generation is his focus, and handing off the ‘baton’ to those who will run the race after him.
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