My story takes place in two locations; 1) Canton Ohio (my hometown) and 2) Athens Ohio (my college and current home). I was born and raised in Canton, OH and loved life growing up with 2 siblings (1 identical twin) and loving parents. We pursued having fun and fitting in with a group over everything else (no matter who the group was). God was an Easter and Christmas thing. Church was initially boring and I was uneducated of the Bible (mainly due to my own lack of interest). However I felt a strong positive protection over my life. Everything always seemed to work out okay for me despite my parents divorcing, lack of success as a cross country runner (never ran varsity), and lack of God in my life. But I did start to wonder about my purpose and who God was. Then began college at Ohio University (at that time #1 party school in the U.S.). OU became my new favorite place on Earth. Green trees, a flowing river, bricks, great education, and a positive energy around everything! I worked hard in the classroom, was lucky enough to join the cross country team, and made genuine friends. Many of these friends were involved in a group called CRU, which was the campus Christian ministry. These friends were positive, uplifting, and encouraged me to pursue my faith more. I remember attending a large group worship session and experiencing a sense of belonging and love in my heart. They talked a lot about Jesus forgiving us for our sins and being in a relationship with God. It was then that I started reading the Bible seriously and learning more about who Jesus was as well as who I was. I learned that although I lived what many would consider to be a good and clean life, I still was considered a sinner and not in good standing with God. But then found out that Jesus was God in the form of a man and was sent by God to die for my sins and provide a way for me to be with God. This was great news for me! But it took a season ending injury my sophomore year to truly embrace that I no longer wanted to be in control of my life, but God could have 100% of my life. This began to change everything as I went from putting my worth and value in running and school work to being a beloved child of God. I went to less bars and sought more community time with fellow Christ followers. I found peace in difficult situations and desired to learn more. I joined Bible studies with my team, pursued a master's degree in exercise physiology/how to become a professor, and became a leader for Christ. All this leading to a God timed new job at my alma mater Ohio University. This was my dream job to stay in Athens Ohio, teach human anatomy, and help coach the cross country teams. Each year I learned more about who Jesus is and how to better reflect Christ in how I teach, coach, and live life. I recently married my amazing wife Lyndsey who is a local pastor and loves God with all her heart. We now aim to lead as a Christ focused couple in the Athens community. I am not sure what the future holds, but I know who holds my future. God has great things and I am excited to live into those things. This has been my story (thus far)!