Where were you born?
Niles, Michigan. The other thing Niles is known for is a two-headed lamb in the local museum. Cloning gone wrong, I guess.

What was your first job?
My very first job was picking raspberries. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it made me realize that I needed to do well in school if I didn't want to pick raspberries for the rest of my life.

What is it like working for Guide?
It's kind of like one big, fun session of figuring out new ways to point young people to God.

What's your favorite Bible story?
The story surrounding Paul's shipwreck toward the end of Acts. Although it was a serious matter, it kind of reminds me of Gilligan's Island.

What’s your secret talent? 
I can covertly imitate the sound of a blizzard. I did it once during a seminary class. It was quite amusing (to me). I am also pretty good at gurning, which is the art of making ugly faces. Some people say I don’t have to try very hard.

When you were Guide age, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A scuba diver. I watched the TV show Flipper, and I always thought it would be cool to live and work in the Everglades and surrounding area.

If you were president for a day, what would you change?
My socks.

What is your favorite Bible verse?
John 21:25: "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" (NIV).* For me, this verse is filled with wonder and mystery about all the things we don't know about our Savior and His time on earth.

What is your favorite Guide story?
There's always a new favorite on the horizon, or so it seems. But I really liked the continued story we ran in 1998 called "The Lost Treasure of Dinosaur Mountain." A boy and his dad tried to find gold in the southwestern United States.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In the mirror.

What are your hobbies?
Relic and treasure hunting with my metal detector; cartooning; writing; playing guitar and piano; hiking.

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*Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.