How it came to this
01. The Past
I discovered my love for preaching when I was just a boy. I was around 10 when I deliver my first “sermon.” Straight out of high school, I joined a church staff. At age 23, I was named “senior” pastor to a small congregation in northern California. I remained in the pastorate until 1997, when my world imploded and I landed face-down in the mire of self-loathing and self-pity. I stayed there awhile.
02. The Present
The tale took a twist or two after my years in ministry. Along the way, I drove a cab, sold automotive interiors, managed a rental store, taught English to middle schoolers, chased storms all over North America as an insurance adjuster, managed construction & maintenance for a couple real estates investment trusts, and finally landed as a member of the executive team at an exciting independent adjusting firm…which is where you find me now.
03. The Point
The point is this: wherever I have been and whatever I have done, whether pursuing a passion like preaching, a profession like adjusting, or simply protecting my family from the ravenous wolf at the door, I have been a communicator. Words are my craft. Words are my obsession. Words are all I have to tell you my story, to share my journey.
Why did I choose to identify as The JourneyMan? Well, the obvious double entendre drew me to the notion. More than that, though, is the definition of “journeyman.” A journeyman is someone who has spent time training as an apprentice. He has developed a skillset, a handicraft. He is not, however, a master craftsman. He is somewhere between the two extremes of apprentice and craftsman. He’s on that journey.
So am I.
“Journeyman: One who has mastered a handicraft or trade; distinguished from apprentice and from master workman.”