Daily I am attempting to live my life as a thank you back to God.
- Hometown: Breda, Iowa
- Children: 5 children, 13 grandchildren
- Fun fact: loves fishing and bow hunting
I am very thankful for having loving, caring parents as I was growing up. My mom made sure I was in church every Sunday and I attended a parochial school through 12th grade. I learned many things about God but do not remember anyone talking to me about having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
My life spiraled out of control my first year in college. I was a party guy, mostly alcohol, and I often skipped classes. Several things occurred in a short period of time that caused me to go through a deep, dark valley in my young life. I dropped out of college and was personally lost. I took a job working in an office at Sears and carpooled with several people. One of them was Deb Henderson. She would talk about having a personal relationship with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and how a relationship is different from religion. It was the very first time that somebody had actually shared something that resonated with my heart – I came to the conclusion something’s missing in my life.
When I got off of work one night, not having enough guts to ask Deb face-to-face, I called her up and said, “Deb, this is Dave. I appreciate what you’ve been sharing with me. I wondered if you’d consider going out on a date with me. Maybe a movie or something like that.” I’ll never forget her response. She said, “Dave, I really like you as a person, but my conviction about living for God is important. I would prefer that we stay friends.” I had been turned down a number of times in my life but never for a spiritual reason! During this time I started a Bible study and found out about the Jesus who died on the cross for me. I had always known that Jesus died on the cross, but I never realized that Jesus died for me.
I had been thinking about the truths of the Gospel I was learning: that I was a sinner and that God was holy; that my sin separated me from Him; that only through a personal trust and belief in Christ’s finished work on the cross could I be forgiven and become a child of God! It was on a June summer morning in 1982 as I was driving across Saylorville dam that God completely convicted me of my need to be “saved” from my sin. I stopped my car on one of the overlooks and I got out and knelt down in the front of my car. I remember saying, “God, I don’t even know really how to pray, but I know that I’m a sinner. I’m surrendering my life to you. Jesus I’ve always known that you died on the cross, but now I’m accepting your death on the cross, and I want you to be my personal savior and change my life.” It was the truest, most honest that I had ever been with God.
A year later Deb and I were married! Deb became pregnant with the first of our five children, Jacob. When Jacob was four years old he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and when he was 5 he had a bone marrow transplant. The transplant procedure was done at University of Minnesota Children’s hospital and Deb and I lived in the Ronald McDonald House. It was during this time that I felt God calling me to full time ministry no matter what happened with Jacob. I made no deal with God, I just surrendered to His will for my life. Sure enough, three years later God clearly and directly called me into full time ministry. Married to Deb and a father of 5 with no college education. God certainly has a sense of humor! I have now been a Pastor for 19 years and thank God continually for His grace and mercy in my life. Daily I am attempting to live my life as a thank you back to God. To God be all the glory, great things He has done, is doing and will do!