about MyNextStepInLife

 

Hi everyone! Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “If you’re not moving ahead, you’re falling behind.” Spiritually speaking, there is some truth to that. There are plenty of daily complications, snags, and impediments that make you feel like you're falling back in your relationship with God. The struggles and daily tussles of life possess an uncanny way to distract you, and even turn you from God. Difficulties with marriage, parenting, finances, illness, relationships, stress in the workplace, transitions, spiritual dryness, all pack a punch!  I want to help you to take the right steps toward God, to trust Him, to remember that He loves you! Each week I will have new postings. My prayer is that you'll find encouragement to take the right next steps toward God.  

 

about tim...

 

I came to faith in Jesus when I was 17 years old. Up to that point, I had known only a religious experience with God—do's and don'ts, rules and regulations, but not a real relationship. God was primarily a Sunday thing. However, the day I consciously gave my life to Jesus literally changed the trajectory of my life. The next 8 years I floundered and searched for what it meant to follow Jesus. For many of those years, I was a "closet" Christian. Thank God that my college years were also spiritual growth years. The Holy Spirit grabbed hold of my life in a big way.  A few years later I found myself in seminary studying for ministry. That began a calling of serving the Lord for the next 32 years in local church ministry.

 

Over the years I've been tested in my faith and trust in God. I've had times of elongated spiritual deserts as well as spiritual blessings and closeness to my Lord. As pastor, I've walked with people who have experienced struggles and losses as well as wins and victories. I noticed that some grew spiritually from those experiences, others lost spiritual traction, and still others fell behind or away from God. MyNextStepsInLife is a culmination of my experiences over 44 years as a follower of Jesus and my years of pastoral experience. My prayer is that as you read you'll find encouragement to take your own next step in life toward Jesus.

 

Personally, I've been married to my wonderful wife Valessa for 36 years. She is my life and my love. We have two adult boys who married wonderful wives and three grandchildren we can't see enough of! My wife and I have lived in Stillwater, Minnesota for the past 20 years. Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life.

 

Blessings!

 

Tim