About Me

Human. Christian. Humanist. Male. Son. Brother. Friend. Minister. Counselor. Teacher. Writer. Irritant. Activist. Ecumenist. Egalitarian. Appalachian. Virginian. Southerner. American. Liberal. Democrat. ENFJ. Pilgrim. Old Soul. Optimist. Gay. Community Organizer. Agitator for Jesus.

I was born and raised in the mountains of SW VA in the heart of Appalachia and I have a passion for the people and culture of my home. My earliest years were spent in a rural farming community. After graduating from high school, I took a gap year and worked as an intern with my home church while taking classes at the local community college.

In the fall of 1997 I left SW VA to pursue my education. I graduated in 2001 with a BA in Religion and Journalism from Milligan College in Johnson City, TN. I liked the area so well that I stayed for graduate school. I graduated with my M.Div. degree from Emmanuel School of Religion in May, 2005. I was ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in June of that year and served as an associate pastor for a United Church of Christ congregation in Grand Rapids, MI, for one year. I didn't like it. I missed home. I need to be near the mountains. Coming to my senses, I moved home in August, 2006.

I quickly found a second home in Blacksburg, with the community at VA Tech. I have participated in the LGBT Association, the LGBT Caucus, and helped with some campus ministry projects. Having fallen in love with SW VA again, and being more determined than ever to use my education to challenge local congregations to be more accepting and inclusive, I have made the decision to return to school in the near future. I hope to pursue a graduate certificate in Appalachian Studies at Radford University and a Ph.D in Sociology at VA Tech.

Among my varied interests, I have a passion for spirituality, social justice, and ecumenism. I am committed to including young people in the full life and leadership of the Church and society.

At this point in my life I have come to terms with my identity as a gay male. I am grateful to have grown up in a family and a denomination that affirmed me and encouraged me to accept myself as a child of God. I was taught to view all that I am as a good gift from God. I am secure in my calling as minister and I want to do all that I can to help young people accept and affirm themselves as beloved children of God.

I am always seeking ways to serve the Church while challenging it to be more inclusive of all God's beloved children. I am currently serving as a counselor with a local social service agency and as a minister-at-large for the Disciples, meaning that I do not have a call to a specific congregation at the moment. I am unapologetically liberal, but I'm also evangelical.

In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, biking, camping, working out, reading, writing, playing card & board games, having a good conversation over coffee or beer, frequenting thrift stores & used bookstores, cooking, and listening to music. I am currently writing three books: a book of daily prayer for the Christian year, a book on reconciling faith and sexuality for youth and young adults, and a novel about the disillusionment of young adults in their first years after college.