I was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family, the oldest of five children. At the age of 18 I was experiencing personal crisis. Although I was very popular in school, serving as student body president and the recipient of many awards, there was a deep emptiness inside. I was on a search for deeper meaning and a sense of purpose in my life. During this time I grew in a friendship with a couple of Christian friends. Because of the differences I observed in their lives (sense of peace, joy and contentment), I began asking them many spiritual questions. I deeply appreciated their patience and willingness to discuss instead of argue with me. They invited me to their church and I began attending a local Southern Baptist church in Salisbury, Maryland on Sunday evenings.
I tried to make outward changes, but began to experience frustration as I realized there was no real inward change. Eventually I heard a clear gospel message one Sunday evening entitled, “Who Crucified Christ?” When I was younger, I was beaten up because “the Jews did it!” I began to think that the people at this church had been kind to me, just to lure me in and lynch me! Just when I was ready for the pastor to explain, “the Jews did it!” one more time, he went on to say “the Jews didn’t do it!” The he went on to share that the Romans didn’t do it either. His message highlighted the fact that Jesus died on the cross because we are all sinners. He clearly explained the love and grace of God and the fact that Jesus paid for our sins because we couldn’t ourselves. We could never be good enough to reach up to God, so He came to earth to seek us. It was as if a light came on inside my head (I believe that this was the work of the Holy Spirit). At the time of invitation, I asked Jesus to save me, cleanse me and to come into my life forever. On August 28, 1977, I became a new creature and a willing slave of Jesus Christ. Although I must confess with regret, there are times that I don’t make a very good slave.
Since my conversion, I felt that I was supposed to be serving God full-time. I had not heard the term “call to ministry” until I was attending a Student Conference at Ridgecrest, North Carolina as a one-year-old Christian. As the speaker explained that God had called all of us to ministry, but some to serve as a vocation, I knew that this applied to me. I enthusiastically committed my life to serving God in whatever capacity He would want to use me.
My wife, Martha, and I have been married since 1984 and have 3 wonderful children. Jesus is the center of our lives and we are all committed to serving in our local church in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada.