Faith, My Personal Description

“Who am I O Sovereign Lord and who is my family that you have brought us this far?” (2 Samuel 7:18).  Scripture reminds me constantly that I can only give what I have been given (1 Chronicles 29:11-16).  Since everything comes from God’s gracious hand I bow humbly in acceptance of what He provides (1 Timothy 6:17).

I grew up in a home where my father was an abusive, adulterous, alcoholic but my mother was a godly woman.  Her influence was directed by God as I became aware of His choosing in Christ at the age of nine during an AWANA club meeting.  My passion to teach The Word began at the age of thirteen: I have been filling pulpits ever since.

Going to public high school in Syracuse, NY during the early 1970’s produced a great number of questions from my pagan friends that neither I nor my church could answer.  Introduced to Francis Schaeffer during those years cemented a perspective of common ground Christian engagement with others that has marked my life ever since.

Knowing that I needed training and maturity in The Faith I matriculated to Baptist Bible College, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania and then to Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake Indiana.  During those years The Spirit further developed my abilities as I worked with college age ministries and pastored (interim) in local churches.

Between college and graduate school I married my life’s partner, Robin.  Our friendship and submission to The Spirit provided the basis for a strong relationship for our family.  Tyler Micah (b. 1983) and Chelsea Marro (b. 1987) are the delight of our lives.  God has honored our conviction that Robin be at home during the growth of our children through high school.  As the head of the home, I wrote a catechism which was memorized by Tyler and Chelsea for their sustenance in The Faith.

Teaching in North Dakota for six years and Michigan for ten years provided immediate community for our family.  Colleagues in both institutions as well as church membership allowed us active participation in the lives of God’s family during that time.

Spiritual growth for all these years has been developed through a consistent study of Scripture, prayer, reading, and accountability through collaboration with others of Christian worldview mindset.  Teaching junior and senior high school students for seventeen years forced a continual reliance upon The Spirit and a constant investigation of Scripture as the basis for curriculum development, not to mention answers to a myriad of questions posed by inquisitive minds.

“Calling” was first made upon my life by my Lord (2 Peter 1:10).  Having been given the gift of teaching, “calling” to ministry (my vocation) has specifically been directed to train the next generation of Christian young people for service in The Church and God’s world (Psalm 71:14-18).  “Guarding the good deposit with the help of The Holy Spirit” (2 Timothy 1:14) is a continual watchword.

Writing curriculum for the Christian school movement and speaking around the world to teachers concerning faith-learning integration has been another God-given contribution to The Body.  Multiplying myself in the lives of others who will someday take my place is a fulfillment of the command to disciple others.  At Moody Bible Institute, I had the distinct privilege of helping to raise up a generation of Christian school teachers.  At Crossroads Bible College, my honor was to encourage both students and faculty in the teaching-learning process.  Now at Capital Seminary & Graduate School I work with leaders who are being equipped with a biblical-theological framework for leadership.

My personal priorities—a model patterned after Romans 15:14-25—will continue to be ordered by the following biblical directives:

• Developing the Christian mind in academic pursuits
• Applying Scriptural principles through every sphere of life
• Communicating true Truth in the marketplace of ideas
• Training the next generation to think and live Biblically
• Discipling future Christian leaders to be cultural apologists
• Researching, writing, and speaking in the areas of Christian leadership, curriculum development, faith-learning integration, theology, current culture, apologetics, film critique, worldview, and interdisciplinarity
• Providing an infusion of creative educational ideas for the learning community

All praise to The Father, through The Son, by The Holy Spirit,