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I had the privilege of growing up the third youngest of four kids in a Christian home in Durham, North Carolina. After graduating from High School, thanks to a mom and dad that embodied incredible sacrifice, I had the opportunity to be the first one in my family to attend college. To be honest, my lifelong dream was to become a cowboy (stop laughing); college was never a part of the plan. But once the reality of riding off into the sunset on a horse named Paint vanished, I decided to pursue a degree in physical education with the new goal of spending my life coaching football, but God had a different plan.

By the age of 24, with no training whatsoever, through a series of events that no one could ever plan or predict, I found myself pastoring a small church in Southern California. While pastoring, I attended seminary on the fly. After fourteen years of serving in California, I relocated back to North Carolina along with three other families where I started Hope Community Church. Over the next few years, the church grew into one of the largest churches in America.