FAMILY & PERSONAL

The People, Passions, and Personal Callings That Shape My Life and Ministry

 

Overview

The Family & Personal pillar preserves the parts of my life that shaped my heart, my compassion, my calling, and my ministry identity. This pillar is not about teaching — it is about who I am, who I love, and how God formed me through family, service, and personal growth.

This is the space where my personal story becomes part of my legacy.

 

My Family Story

The People Who Formed My Heart

Family is the foundation of my compassion, my resilience, and my calling. This section honors the people whose lives, faith, and presence shaped the man I became.

Helene — The Beginning of Becoming

My late wife, Helene, whose faith shaped my early adult spiritual growth. Her life anchored my early walk with God and helped form the spiritual identity that would later define my ministry.

Pastor J. H. Johnson — The First to See the Anointing

Pastor J. H. Johnson was the first spiritual leader to recognize the anointing on my life at a time when I didn’t fully understand what God was doing in me. He saw something stirring in my spirit long before I had language for it. He discerned a gift that was still hidden, still forming, still awakening.

He gave me my first exposure to teaching.

From my book Everywhere, I describe how Pastor Johnson entrusted me with opportunities I never asked for, never expected, and never imagined. He invited me to teach during revival, placing me before the congregation night after night — not because I was ready, but because he saw that God was ready to bring something forward in me.

He didn’t push me. He didn’t flatter me. He simply recognized what God had placed in me and made room for it.

Pastor Johnson became the first voice of confirmation in my calling. He affirmed the gift. He nurtured the gift. He gave the gift a place to breathe.

His influence marks the beginning of my public ministry — the moment when the internal stirring became an external expression. He was a pastor of discernment, wisdom, and spiritual sensitivity, and his belief in me helped shape the foundation of the ministry I walk in today.

Pastor Johnson didn’t just see the anointing. He helped awaken it.

Corinthia Riley — A Bridge of Faithfulness

Corinthia Riley was a mother and missionary of the church whose faithfulness in weekly taking food and resources to the Open-Door Rescue Mission is how I was introduced to the Rylanders. Her quiet consistency opened the door to one of the most defining relationships of my life.

Arthur Willis — A Brother in Ministry and Life

Arthur Willis is one of the men God wove into my life during the early shaping years of ministry. We learned service together in places where compassion mattered most — offering communion to the elderly, opening Scripture in a drug rehabilitation center, and discovering how God forms a servant’s heart through consistency, humility, and presence.

As time unfolded, God called both of us into pastoral ministry in the same season. That shared calling became a deeper bond — not built on titles, but on the weight of responsibility and the grace that carries it.

Through every chapter — the quiet seasons, the stretching seasons, the victories, and the valleys — Arthur has remained a faithful friend, the kind you never have to question. He has stood with me in the good and the hard, offering encouragement, honesty, and brotherhood without hesitation.

Arthur is more than a friend. He is a brother in Christ, a companion in purpose, and one of the steady voices God placed in my story to remind me that true friendship is covenant, not convenience.

Herbert & Mary Rylander — Total Surrender, Total Service

Herbert and Mary Rylander were the directors of the Open-Door Rescue Mission who modeled total sacrifice and total surrender. Their example shaped my heart for serving with humility, compassion, and unwavering commitment. They taught me that ministry is not performance — it is presence.

Craig Nash — A Faithful Friend Across Generations

There was a season when I had passion, a message, and a calling — but I did not yet have a platform to carry forward what God was doing in me. The fire was there. The assignment was there. The voice was forming. But the infrastructure wasn’t.

Then one day, Craig stepped forward — not just with encouragement, but with action.  He believed in the calling enough to invest in it. He didn’t just support my voice — he supported my vision.

Craig helped launch my first ministry website. He opened a special post office box so I could receive donations for the podcast ministry. In fact, it was his idea to name the podcast "The GYFT - Grow Your Faith Today".  He put his hands, his resources, and his faith behind what God was doing in me.  What I learned is this:

Sometimes God wraps provision in a person. Sometimes the breakthrough you’ve been praying for walks into the room carrying nothing but belief.

Craig has been a friend for well over 30 years. His generosity, belief, and partnership helped shape the early infrastructure of my ministry. Craig didn’t just help me start. He helped me become.

Wallace Lewis — A Modern‑Day Barnabas in My Life

Mentorship, Encouragement, and Ministry Expansion

Later in life, while on a journey of personal development and growth, God allowed my path to cross with Wallace. He became a mentor, a brother, and a powerful encourager in my spiritual formation.

Wallace introduced me to Evangelism Explosion, teaching me:

  • how to share my faith clearly,

  • how to lead others to Christ,

  • and how to train others to do the same.

But Wallace's influence went far beyond training.

I liken him to Barnabas in the Bible — the “son of encouragement.” Barnabas stood beside Paul, believed in him, affirmed his calling, and helped carry his ministry into places Paul could not reach alone.

That is exactly what Wallace has done for me.

He has been an encourager to my ministry, taking what I share in the podcast and sending it out faithfully. Because of him, the message God placed in me has reached places I never would have reached on my own.

His encouragement didn’t just lift my spirit — it lifted my ministry. His faithfulness didn’t just support me — it expanded the reach of the Gospel.  He is, in every sense, a Barnabas in my story.

Yolanda — God's Promise (My Everything)

My wife, my queen, and my closest friend — Yolanda. Her presence is the living proof of God’s promise to love again. Her love for God, belief in me, partnership in life, passion to serve, and steadfast love to me have strengthened my calling in this season. She draws out the best in me. She is everything grace promises, mercy offers, and love hopes for.

 

Adolescent & Teen Influence

Southern Roots and Early Formation

A major part of who I have become was shaped during my adolescent and teen years, especially through the time I spent in the South with my grandparents. Those years formed the foundation of my compassion and my respect for people.

Growing up around elderly family members taught me:

  • to recognize the dignity of older adults,

  • to respect their wisdom,

  • to appreciate their stories,

  • and to value the strength they carried.

This early development shaped my heart long before ministry responsibilities ever came. It gave me a deep love for people, a sensitivity to their needs, and an appreciation for the wisdom of those who came before me.

These southern roots became the soil God used to grow my calling.

 

ASD Classroom Work

Where Calling Meets Care

My love and passion for teaching has afforded me the opportunity to work in a public school district. As a paraprofessional in an ASD classroom, I have learned:

  • patience,

  • gentleness,

  • advocacy,

  • emotional intelligence,

  • and the ability to see potential where others see limitation.

This work refined my pastoral heart and strengthened my commitment to serve with compassion. It taught me how to meet people where they are, how to support families in challenging seasons, and how to bring calm into difficult environments.

ASD classroom work was not just employment — it was ministry.

 

Respite Care (DETWIN Certified)

Serving Families with Dignity and Presence

Becoming a respite care provider in 2023 expanded my calling beyond the classroom. This work taught me:

  • how to support families in crisis,

  • how to bring steadiness into stressful environments,

  • how to serve with dignity, respect, and emotional steadiness,

  • and how to be present in moments when presence matters most.

Respite care is not just work — it is ministry. It is compassion in motion. 

Access here: Family Services

 

Personal Growth & Leadership Identity

The Internal Work Behind the Public Voice

Before teaching leadership, I had to learn leadership. This section highlights:

  • my personal growth journey,

  • the disciplines that shaped my voice,

  • the habits that strengthened my consistency,

  • and the internal work that prepared me for Greater Works 2.0.

Leadership is not a title — it is a lifestyle. It is the quiet work done when no one is watching.

Access here: Person Growth / Leadership Identity 

 

Life Rhythms & Personal Passions

The Parts of Life That Bring Joy and Balance

This pillar also includes the personal rhythms that keep me grounded:

  • weekend motorcycle trips,

  • devotional routines,

  • journaling,

  • reflective study,

  • spaces that keep my spirit centered (listening to music).

These are the practices that keep my life balanced and my heart steady.

 

Closing Statement

Family & Personal is not a biography — it is the human foundation of the movement.

It preserves the relationships, influences, experiences, and personal callings that shaped the leader behind Greater Works 2.0.

Family is not a chapter — it is the thread running through every chapter.