Grace and I have been married for 22 years. We met at the youth ministry, Teen Mania, while serving in the kitchen as interns at their internship program, the Honor Academy. Later, we would travel together all over the U.S. with around 40 of our friends from the Honor Academy and facilitate Acquire the Fire youth events. It was during that year of traveling that God made it very clear to both of us that we would walk through life hand in hand. On November 18, 2001, we said our vows, exchanged rings, and were married.
After five years of marriage, we had our first child. Our son, Arden Ezekiel, was conceived while we traveled throughout China. Thus, he was “made in China” like everything else. :) Our daughter Eliana is our one little princess in the midst of the boys. In July of 2012, we had our third child, Zion Reign. He is growing up in the silliest Parks yet. And last but not least, Salem was placed in our arms in April of 2016. What a gift he has been to us all.
Currently, we live in Kansas City, MO, and enjoy an incredible community of people who love God. Grace is an art teacher at Brighton Academy, where the kids go to school, and she is an incredible gift to them. For many years I did design and development on solo projects that people hired me for. However, in November 2023, I was hired as the executive assistant to Josh Scott, the founder and owner of JHS Pedals. Every skill I have learned over all the years of my life is utilized in this one job, and it is the perfect fit for me. I still really love to implement my skills with the Daniel Training Network (DTN) and in other ministry contexts as I find time. I love using any of my skills to further the gospel to the nations.
As a family, our desire is to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus as the one true Messiah who laid His life down for us and who is coming back to make all the wrong things right! God’s desire to fully restore His creation when Jesus returns has gripped us, left us trembling and made His return something worth living for. Throughout many past years of various ministry positions we lived our life as though His return was a fairy tale or fable (listen to Richee share some of our testimony), and anchored our life and hope in this age and not the next. But God has done such a work in our lives and brought so much joy in the midst of trials. One subject that has brought massive blessing throughout it all is thanksgiving. Richee has a lot of resources on the DTN site around that subject.
We long to be consistent witnesses to the coming Day of the Lord like those in the Bible. Letting our lives be a sign through having cross-centered lives and walking in the powers of the age to come. Each day we try to intentionally access the grace of the Spirit in prayer to carry our cross, as well as declare our future inheritance and hope of bodily resurrection through signs, wonders, prophecy, etc. Our family has sought to daily make prayer central in order that we might have the grace to sojourn in this dark, evil age as we live for the next age.