My mom died during my senior year in high school. It was a huge faith-building event in my life, as you could imagine. Another defining moment.

After high school graduation, I set off for the University of Miami, where I studied Music Engineering Technology. I got involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale, where I made some incredible friends. After graduation, I spent the summer in Quito, Ecuador with HCJB World Radio. I also had the amazing opportunity to go to Guayaquil, Ecuador to visit a child that I had been sponsoring through Compassion International. God used all of these experiences to teach me and prepare me for what lied ahead.

When I got back to the United States, I moved to Nashville and started working as a sound engineer for different artists, eventually landing a job at Opryland. But it wasn’t too long that I really starting sensing a call to be in ministry.

Eventually, I felt led to head back to Miami, where I started serving at Calvary Chapel Miami, leading worship, talking some groups on missions trips, working in media, discipleship, and teaching. It was there that I met my Cuban-American wife, Janet. We got married in 1997. I was on staff as a worship leader at Calvary Miami, but after I few years, God began to stir my heart and I began to sense a restlessness. Wanting and needing a season of seeking the Lord, I enrolled in Calvary Chapel Bible College. 

It wasn’t long after that, that God began to stir my heart to move to the Toronto area to plant a church. So we packed everything up and headed north!

After just under eleven months of living in Canada, my wife, Janet, got pregnant and our unborn son was diagnosed with several heart defects that would require multiple surgeries and hospitalizations. What a huge blow! Another defining moment, another opportunity to trust the Lord. We decided to move back to Florida so we could be close to family during what would end up being one of the most difficult times in our lives.

Without a job and living with my in-laws, life was crazy! God opened the door to serve as an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Kendall. We saw the church grow tremendously over the roughly five years of being on staff. It was a great season, in spite of the mighty trials! But there was a still small voice and a calling that I couldn’t shake.

When all the surgeries were completed, and our son was doing good, I prayerfully made a crazy decision. We headed back to the Toronto area to re-plant what is now Calvary Chapel Oakville. After eight years of leading this church, we handed it off to Paul Fernando, and we headed to Ottawa to help with another church. Calvary Fellowship of Ottawa.

So that’s my story! At least part of it! I’d love to hear your story. Shoot me an email or give me a call and we can grab a coffee if you’re ever in the Ottawa area. I really mean it!

I’m also very blessed to be able to write for CalvaryChapel.com, and the Calvary Chapel Church Planting blog, I serve on the board of Calvary Chapel London and Strength to Fight, which is a Canadian initiative fighting to reverse the invasion of porn in our culture.

I would love to stay in touch with you. If you’d like, put your email address in the form below and you’ll receive new blog posts and updates – and a free PDF download.