In his words--
"I kind of got more serious about my own personal faith when I was in high school, and it was really interesting, because it was one of those things that looking back on it... I never really evaluated it. We talk in faith circles, and even non faith circles, people talk about calling, like, 'this is my calling.' And so for me it was, 'oh, Jesus, I like him'. I want try to live in a way that would be in response to what I feel like he's done for me. So the next logical step would be for me to become a pastor. And looking back on that I'm like, hmm, I don't know that I really thought that through all that well. I was a mediocre pastor."

"So we go to one of the very first events of Refuge and my heart began to just totally melt and soften for these friends that I made. And I think what began to happen was I began to put flesh on an issue. And so what I've learned is that when you put flesh on an issue it ceases being an issue, and begins being a relationship. And when it's a relationship, and two people that have mutual respect and love for each other, it opens the door to truly understanding that we're made of the same stuff."

"I look back on my upbringing and I lived in a very segregated town. There wasn't a lot of anything outside of black or white and even that didn't mix a whole lot. And I definitely had African American friends but I was not exposed to people of diverse backgrounds. And so, I'm so thankful that they walk out to the coffee shop, and are giving a big hug to somebody from Congo, or somebody from Syria, or they're having a conversation with someone from Ethiopia, and they feel like they're a part of something that's so much bigger."