Make Every Effort

Jul 26

If you’re following this blog, you’ve likely heard about our Shoe Giveaway event coming up this August. As I sit here reflecting on how we even got here, there’s only one answer:

GOD.

Rewind 20 Years...

I had just moved back home with my parents after getting kicked out of my apartment. My roommate was mad because the cops came and made me dump out all his beer (I was underage). After that, my father and a couple youth leaders sat me down and gave me the lukewarm Christian talk.

If your parents were like mine, life was very black and white when it came to faith: you were either all in or all out.

They were hoping I’d take that "come to Jesus" moment and go all in.

But I didn’t.

I said, “I’m not willing to commit to a ‘take up your cross and deny yourself’ kind of faith,”—so I said “I’m all out.”

For the next 20 years, I lived for myself. I called myself agnostic. I didn’t want to think about God. I didn’t want to give my life to anything. I definitely didn’t want a label for a life I wasn’t living.

I chased everything the world had to offer.
I started dating my now-wife.
I kept living for me.

The American dream, right?

The Turning Point

About four years ago, our kids were hitting middle and high school. They were choosing the wrong friends and making some questionable decisions. I remembered some of the good influences from my own youth—Sunday nights, Wednesday youth group. So I took the kids to church.

Fast forward two years later—I was making the kids go to church regularly, but my wife wasn’t into it. Our biggest fights were Sunday mornings.

It was more than just her disinterest in church.
It was my sin—the life I was living behind her back with other women.
It was starting to bubble up.

And God started to soften my heart. He started to bring conviction.

April 2023 – A Weekend That Changed Everything

I went to a men’s conference at the Green Lake Conference Grounds. I didn’t know many people, but my heart was burning. I knew something needed to change.

The focus of the weekend (at least what I took away) was:
Let go of control.

We heard powerful testimonies—stories of living for self and the destruction that sin brings. When I got to my room, I found out my randomly assigned bunkmate was named Mike.

Mike and I stayed up every night, sharing stories.
We talked about our sin.
Our failures.
Our brokenness.

It hit me: I’m not alone in this darkness.
Other men have walked this road too.

Driving home that weekend, I wept.
God had stripped me down and shined a light on my sin.
My heart was burning for change.

My First Real Cry to Jesus

The next morning, sitting at my work computer, I broke down again. I was on my knees crying out:

“Jesus, I only want You. I need You. I want You. I’m all in. Jesus, tell me what to do—I’m giving it all to You.”

And for the first time in my life, I heard Him speak:

“Tell your wife.”

I wiped my tears and said, “Um, Lord… You don’t know my wife!”
If I told her the truth about the life I’d been living, I was certain she’d burn my stuff in the yard and spray-paint the house.

She hadn’t had her Jesus moment yet. She was still fully in the flesh.

But then I heard it again:

“Tell your wife. I’ll take care of your marriage.”

And a peace washed over me that I had never experienced before.
I said, “I’m all in, Jesus.”

Grace, Redemption, and a New Beginning

The days that followed were incredibly difficult.
I confessed everything to my wife.
She shared things with me too.
And in those moments of pain, we felt the grace and mercy of God cover us both.

We had read about God’s grace all our lives.
But now—we were living in it.

We started going to church together.
We began worshiping together with all our hearts.

I finally understood how David felt, dancing and praising in the streets.

Living Differently

Since fully surrendering to God, every moment has been directed by Him.

We study Scripture together.
We pray daily.
We serve others—our neighbors, our friends, complete strangers.
And every time we read something in the Bible, we ask:
How do we live this out?

That lifestyle led to the birth of the Beaver Dam Mission Center (BDMC).

What we had been living privately—sacrifice, service, obedience—was now becoming something bigger.

BDMC took our lives and gave them structure.
It brought dozens of other people alongside us who are just as passionate about living for Jesus.

We’re not a building. We’re a movement of people serving others like Jesus did.

Where We Are Now

BDMC is now a registered nonprofit in Wisconsin.
We’ve received 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. (Not an easy process!)
We’re serving the homeless right here in Beaver Dam.
We’re helping struggling families.
We’re praying with people.
We’re loving radically.

Jennifer and I feel like we are truly living out God’s calling on our lives.

I’m an evangelist.
I’m an encourager.
I have a gift of hospitality—and it can only come from God.

He’s using that gift to reach more than we ever imagined.

Shoe Drive 2025

Our Shoe Giveaway Event is right around the corner—August 16th from 10-4pm @ shoe sensation in Beaver Dam.

Right now, we have 125 pairs of shoes fully funded.
That’s 125 kids who will:

Hear the name of Jesus
Receive a youth Bible
Walk into school with dignity
Feel seen, loved, valued

It’s 125 chances to hug, pray, and share the gospel with families.
And that means 125 moments where God can soften a heart—just like He did mine.

If we only had 1 pair to give away, we’d be thrilled.
But we have 125.

And we’re praying for 200.

Can You Help Us Reach the Goal?

Your selfless donation might be the one that helps save a family.
That sparks a father to surrender to Jesus.
That brings generational change.

One of my favorite stories is found in Acts 16.
Paul and Silas were in prison, singing and praying at midnight, when a violent earthquake shook the foundations and opened all the doors.

“When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice,
‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’” (Acts 16:27–28)

Trembling, the jailer fell down before Paul and Silas and asked,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They answered,
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:30–31)

That night, the jailer and his entire household were baptized.

100% of your donations go toward brand-new shoes.
We are volunteers.
We do this because Jesus changed our lives.

Give generously, as God has already blessed you with everything you have.