I became a Jesus follower at 18, in the mid-1970s. What an incredible transformation! Jesus and the Scriptures became everything. God and his Word were alive, living with me each day. Immediately, I began to feel nudges toward “vocational ministry.” This was interesting because I had very little church background. I didn’t really know what vocational ministry meant. But it didn’t matter. I just wanted to introduce others to Jesus, the Bible, the Good News… it was my driving passion. I had another passion, too, Vicki! We married in our early twenties, both realizing this divine tug toward ministry - a tug that sometimes felt like a whisper, sometimes a hurricane!

Through prayer, Scripture, and godly counsel we eventually said “Yes” and pursued the ministry of Bible translation. It has been quite a journey. We are grateful. And the Lord has given us so many blessings along the way, including the gifts of children and grandchildren! Three wonderful children (Justin, Lydia, and Eric) were born naturally to us. Gideon (from Ghana) was “informally” adopted. Seven grandchildren have come from this tribe!

So, for nearly 35 years it has been our privilege to serve “Bible-less” communities in a variety of roles. We were field Bible translators in Ghana for ten years (with Wycliffe Bible Translators) helping translate the entire New Testament with the Paasaal language community. About that time, Wycliffe started a new ministry, now known as Seed Company. We were privileged to be involved with this paradigm shifting organization from virtually the very beginning. The Paasaal project that we helped pioneer was one of Seed Company’s first ten “experimental” translations. Later I became one of the first official staff members. Seed Company flourished and has grown to about 300 staff with hundreds of affiliate partnerships. Somehow, in God’s grace, he’s allowed our efforts to be part of impacting over 1,700 language groups in nearly 100 countries with Bible translation in their own languages.

We’ve served in translation project management, literacy programs, resource development, and executive leadership. Today I serve with Seed Company to champion Bible translation for those language communities still waiting to have access to the Scriptures in their own language. That’s a big goal as we know over 2,100 language communities still don’t have the first verse translated in their mother tongue. And we want to see Bible translation started in every one of these language groups by 2025!

As a side note, for years, Vicki and I have served “Old School.” I tend to work with leadership teams in the day to day and Vicki keeps us both healthy and well on the home front. I’m something of the “front” guy and she is the solid engine fueling our journey. This approach has worked well for many years. We are grateful that both of us bring our strengths this way, and that we are able to support each other through our very different styles. It takes teamwork, which we recognize as a beautiful gift of God.

Within Seed Company, my official role is Vice President for Catalytic Partnerships. I also serve as Senior Advisor to the Office of the President and as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. It is an incredible privilege to be part of a team and a movement to see the Scriptures come to life in every language group that needs them as soon as possible. We live with a sense of urgency and “kairos,” knowing that this time is like none other in history. 1 Chronicles 12:32 says the men of Issachar “understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” Our ministry is similar. We live with a constant sense of timeliness, of convergence as ministries, translation agencies, individuals, and donors come together to accomplish this incredible task. We are leaning into the reality of Revelation 7:9 which forecasts the day when men and women from every nation, tribe, people, and language will worship the Lord together.

The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18, and the Great Empowerment of Acts 1:8, underscore our marching orders: to share the Good News of God’s Love and Redemptive Story with his entire world: every tribe, people, language and nation, A foundational element is his Word, the Scriptures, available in the language and formats that speak to peoples’ hearts.

Just imagine, nearly 2,000 years after the coming of Jesus, we have the joy of seeing this Good News come alive for the thousands of language groups existing on our planet. We are serving in anticipation of this reality. As Habakkuk 2:14 says, we long for the day when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”