With the recent focus on creating a deck of gratitude cards it’s easy to turn my attention to gratitude for this Master Key Experience. From the jump, my PPNs have been Spiritual Growth and Helping Others. I challenged myself intensely on these choices as I’ve always had a strong success-in-business orientation. But at this stage of life and career, with three grown children, ownership in a successful business partnership, and a long-term pursuit of life’s biggest questions, Spiritual Growth is my deepest, most passionate interest.
I cannot express how grateful I am for the most honest and direct challenge to the person and nature of Infinite Intelligence, the creator of the universe, I have ever experienced. I have spent years studying and pondering the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent first cause of all we see, all we know, all we are. What intelligence, energy, power had the original thought to bring this all into existence? What part, or divine spark, did we each inherit? Are we the image of our creator? How do we participate in the creator? How do we communicate?
Every step has widened my knowledge and perspective. I am grateful for how the harmony and affirmation of what I’m learning here meshes with my knowledge and study of scripture. In my observation two things are deeply compelling and indisputable; the scriptures we have are the most impactful writings on planet earth, and Jesus is the most impactful person in human history. The wisdom of the ages captured and revealed in both. My purpose is to pursue, know, understand, and live what is taught to us by scripture, by nature itself, and those who have gone before us.
I’ve lived most of my life in Oregon. Birth and the first ten years were in Nebraska, but my parents and eight kids jumped on the Oregon Trail and never looked back. I grew up skiing the volcanoes of the Cascade Mountain range; hiking and fishing the high lakes and endless rivers and streams, exploring the Oregon Coast, making hay in the summers and feeding it in the winters, riding horses, and building muscle cars. After high school I spent six years in the US Navy, which included extensive travels around Europe, Asia, and South America. I then spent four years in college, which included international study in Latin America (Ecuador and Peru.) My professional career started with a Fortune 50 company, which included a stint in London as a broker in Lloyd’s. College years re-connected me with my beautiful brown-eyed girl from a rural Oregon community where we met when we were ages 12 and 14; now married 28 years.
We’ve now lived 20 years in Lake Oswego, Oregon where we raised three crazy, wonderful, bright, beautiful kids, all of whom are scholar athletes. Our oldest daughter, an All-American track athlete, competed four years at Duke; the second, a D1 women’s soccer goalie at Butler University, was on the Big East Championship team, now pours her heart into Athletes in Action at Oregon State; and our son is presently a pole vaulter and graphic design major at Northwest Nazarene. What a trip!
I spend much of my time helping owners of well-established, thriving businesses plan and execute ownership transitions. There’s nothing better than keeping a good business in business, maintaining good jobs for great employees so they can raise kids, pay mortgages, and contribute to the whole incredible economic machine. I’m still happily growing and serving after all these years. God, I love it so!
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Traction Distraction 