I was born in Pennsylvania, the fifth of thirteen children in an Irish/Italian, Catholic family. My dad was a coal miner and I began working on our mink ranch before I began school. Even as a young boy I loved church and was always interested in spiritual things. The Catholic Church taught me a deep reverence for God and I was launched into a quest for truth that has influenced my entire life, while attending a Catholic seminary during high school.

I received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling from California State University, Fullerton. While I was in college I left the Catholic Church and began attending an evangelical church where I met my wife, Lori, (the pastor’s daughter). In July of 1979 Lori and I married. This began the most gratifying experience of my life – being married and raising four sons. My wife, Lori, is my best friend.  My wife and sons are my favorite people to be with. During my eighteen years of active involvement and service in an evangelical church I learned to study the Word of God. I deepened my understanding about discipleship, evangelism and how to live as a godly husband and father.

In 1994 my wife and I experienced a renewed filling of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the Vineyard Church. This new encounter with the Holy Spirit launched us into a whole new passion for God, the bible, ministry and for seeing God work supernaturally. We began learning inner healing methods and understanding the spiritual dynamics of physical and emotional healing. We began to hear the Lord speak to us and lead us in intimate ways through dreams, visions and prophetic words.

In 2003 the Lord led us to make the most dramatic change of our life. We were both self employed and we left our jobs and moved to Bethel Church in Redding, Ca. Our years here have been both challenging and exceptionally rewarding. I deeply value each aspect of the Body of Christ that I have experienced and Lori and I greatly desire to be a bridge between the different expressions of Christ’s church.

My career experience includes a background in business through fifteen years of work for Safeway Stores in southern California. I realized that I am not called to the corporate world, but I did learn skills of management that served me during my fifteen years of employment as the Executive director of Alpha Center, a community counseling center. I have worked as a marriage and family therapist for twenty five years and have maintained a private practice since 2000.

I enjoy taking walks and praying with my wife, mountain biking, fishing, studying the bible, gardening, I have done quite a bit of building on our homes, I enjoy an occasional 9 holes of golf and last but not least, I enjoy conducting Love After Marriage workshops and counseling together with Lori.