Hometown: Childress (the Crossroads of Hospitality), Texas
Present City: Dallas
Education: Doctor of Ministry (SMU), M.A. Film Studies (UNT), M.Div. Theology (Vanderbilt), B.A. Religion and English (TCU)
Profession: I’ve been a literature and communications teacher and a spiritual formation minister. Currently I’m self-employed as a mindfulness and strengths coach, spiritual life coach and academic coach (Preston Coaching & Training).
Tell us about your family.
My wife, Natalie, is an office admin for Edward Jones; she is an avid reader, is gifted with a love of all things beautiful and is one of the most thoughtful humans you will ever meet. My son, Evan, works for EMFX Studios/Split Window Studios; he is kind, creative and fiercely loyal.
How about your work or volunteer life?
Baseball coach, scout leader, marching band dad, looking for what’s next.
Any favorite hobbies?
Reading speculative fiction and theology (not kidding), listening to music (composed between 1963 and 1978), board and video games, meaningful movies and creative writing.
What are your favorite places to travel?
Cabins in natural settings for peace; festivals and theme parks for excitement; Scotland anytime.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
Tina Johnson and Drew Easley invited Evan to youth activities. Epiphany Class and pastoral staff ministered to our family during times of need. The church showed up for us.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire?
Sunday School and Worship. I love the Sacred Spaces worship experiences, and I look forward to the next Songwriter Vespers because, like Kurt Vonnegut, you can put on my headstone, “The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music.”
What has surprised you about Wilshire?
This is not the kind of Baptist church I visited with my childhood friend who asked me if I was “saved.” I hadn’t the foggiest idea of what he meant by that. Wilshire asks different questions!
What do you think God is up to in your life?
Prompting me to find ways to serve in accordance with my gifts.
Tell us about your faith journey.
Born and raised in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). My faith is impacted by encounters with world religions, psychology, visual arts and literary aesthetics. My spirit cherishes silence and contemplative practices; my soul needs community and opportunities to serve.
What is something interesting most people would not know about you?
I worked for two years at a “monument shop,” creating headstones and grave markers and placing them in cemeteries.
What adjectives best describe you?
Lifelong learner, spiritual, open-minded, creative, satirical.