My Story

Why I am the way that I am...

I was born in the choir loft (as the saying goes) in 1970. My father is a pastor as is his father before him. I was in church my first Sunday out of the womb, a tradition that continued throughout my upbringing. I attended church at least four times each week like any good Baptist of the time. Sunday School, Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening – I was there. I also attended Christian school, church youth group, and Christian camps. We regularly entertained missionaries, evangelists, singers and other ministers in our home. I “grew up Christian” as much as anyone can.

After an early marriage and children I decided to head off to Bible college at the age of 22. I nearly slept through my first two years of Bible college – I had been well trained growing up and I spent an awful lot of time reviewing material I already knew.

Laying drainage tile in an Iowa farm field during the 1970s

I will share a story to illustrate this – lest you think I exaggerate. During my first year in college my younger brother, Cliff, came out for a visit. Cliff attended classes with me for one day as a guest. During my class on the Pentateuch the professor handed out a quiz, inadvertently handing one to Cliff as well. Cliff took the quiz for entertainment – and passed the test! I rest my case…

Bible college took a little longer than I would have liked due to family and work requirements (along with a major trauma sandwiched in the middle). I was also involved in a major, near-fatal accident in 1997 that set me back quite a bit. I still deal with the impact of that trauma. I eventually transferred schools so that I could complete my studies by extension rather than in the classroom. I graduated with my BA in Theology in 1999.

I have served on the pastoral staff of several churches both during and since college. I have been involved in a variety of ministry over the past 15 years, including pastoral work, teaching, pulpit supply, counseling, small group leadership, street evangelism, prison ministry, homeless ministry and, most recently, writing.

I have lived and traveled all over the country. I was born in Boston, spent most of my childhood in New Hampshire, did a stint in Virginia while my father attended Bible college himself, spent my teen years in western Massachusetts, and then moved on to upstate New York when I was 18. I lived in the northwest Montana mountains for two years, moved back to upstate New York for a time, and recently moved back to Montana again. Along the way I found myself divorced.

Robert and Terri in NYC during an ambulance deployment following 9/11

I later met a woman who, for reasons I am quite sure I will never understand, believes in me – even when I no longer do. Terri is my strongest supporter and biggest fan. We met in an ambulance (we were both EMTs at the time) and truly connected during a medical tour of duty at Ground Zero in New York City following the September 11 attacks there. At one point we thought we were going to die together there near Battery Park. Shared crisis experiences can be a powerful bond. It was for us.

I hope to someday return to my ancestral roots and perhaps live along the coast in Maine or New Hampshire. My roots in the New England coastal area date back to the 1600s when my ancestors immigrated from Europe. Of course, returning to New England assumes I stay in the United States at all. My real passion, since I was about eight years old, has been to be a foreign missionary. My mother insists I wore out my vinyl record “Through Gates of Splendor.” I think she might be exaggerating but I can’t prove it. I warned Terri early on that I was going to be a foreign missionary so she would be prepared. She married me anyway.

Riding a pedicab in Saratoga Springs, NY during 2005

I have worked in about every field you can imagine. I alternately describe myself as multi-vocational and a bum. I have worked in landscaping, electronic equipment repair, commercial cleaning, transportation (people and stuff), medicine, religion, computer programming, web design, carpentry and remodeling, newspaper reporting and web content writing. And I am quite certain I have forgotten a few fields in this list. I have a habit of getting bored very quickly once the initial challenge is over – then it’s time to move onto something more interesting.

Now you know some of the highlights of my story. The Internet is increasingly becoming a social medium and, particularly on personal websites, it is nice to know something about the person whose ideas you are reading. Perhaps if I share some of my story here you will have a better framework from which to understand me.