Kevin was born on June 26, 1954 in a little Midwestern town called Dubuque, Iowa. When he was born he had 4 older brothers and a sister. Two other brothers came along later making Kevin one of a family of ten (eight children).
Growing up in a family that size was an excellent opportunity to learn many of life’s valuable lessons. The importance of love and the unity of the family as well as the frugality necessary to manage with a family that size were all stressed throughout his childhood. He also learned well that everybody must chip in and work and do their part to make things run smoothly. And every child in the family learned to divide things VERY evenly because the one who divided the ice cream was the last one to choose his dish of ice cream. There were other valuable childhood lessons as well, such as: don’t put your glass too close to the edge of the table, don’t talk too much during dinner (everyone else will get the best food) and if you do manage to get the best piece of bacon, don’t leave it on your plate too long or someone else might snatch it and gobble it up before you even have a chance to react! And practical jokes, boy did he ever learn about practical jokes! The wisdom of his dear mother still rings in his ears, “don’t let them know that it gets your goat or they’ll just keep doing it.”
Kevin has many fond memories of his early years in the Midwest. Climbing trees was his specialty but there was no end to the fun activities around the many fields and brooks and mud puddles and meadows in the area. His family also owned a small cottage on a lake that they traveled to each summer to spend a couple of months. There was a wealth of fun to be had during those summers. Within easy walking distance was a roller-skating rink, a horse-riding stable, a forest (that was an ideal play area for young boys) and, of course, the lake that was practically in the back yard.
Eventually Kevin’s father, a real estate broker, decided that it was time to move to the “land of opportunity” – California! At the time that they moved Kevin was 10 years old. They moved into an area in Santa Ana where there was a great deal of racial tension (at least from Kevin’s perspective). Walking to school each day was often a frightening experience. It was a dramatic change from earlier years but the closeness of a large family made the outside world a little less intimidating. Eventually, however, Kevin did get caught up in the sub-culture of drugs and loud music and rebellion. Externally he seemed like a good kid but inside a battle was raging and the battle was exacting a heavy toll.
In the midst of that time of turmoil God was orchestrating His amazing plan. Kevin had a very religious upbringing. His parents were the staunchest of Catholics and most of his schooling was in private Catholic schools. He learned about religion directly from the Catholic priests and nuns. There was certainly plenty of tradition and ceremony and piety and religious trappings but they all amounted to head knowledge and external embellishments that looked godly. There was no inward heart to love and to serve God and to walk in His ways. Kevin’s religious upbringing did nothing to lead him into a personal relationship with his Savior, but God knew just what to do!
One of Kevin’s older brothers was frequently in trouble - all sorts of trouble. In fact, he couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble for any length of time. One day he packed up all sorts of books on eastern religion and mysticism and went off to the mountains to “find himself.” He didn’t take a bible or any books on Christianity with him but he was genuinely seeking the truth. The bible says, “…you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” and that’s exactly what happened. He was sincerely seeking the truth and he found Jesus. When he came home he was a changed person; it was like he was glowing. He was kinder and more considerate than he had ever been before. If he went to the refrigerator to get something he asked everyone else if they wanted anything (who is this, really, and what have you done with our brother?) The change in him was dramatic and the whole family noticed. Everybody figured that it was a fad that would die out or wear off, but it didn’t. He started going to church, not just on Sunday but almost every day of the week. He invited others to go with him and he insisted on going early to get a good seat. There was such a change, a sustained change, that Kevin felt compelled to find out more. He went to these strange meetings where people were packed in like sardines and they drove long distances and got there early just to sit in the aisles. They all came here because they WANTED to learn everything they could about God and the Bible. It didn’t make any sense yet they all seemed to be filled with warmth and kindness and love. He was drawn in by God’s love and he was hooked. In 1971 Kevin gave his heart to the Lord and God began his miraculous work of changing him from the inside out.
Early in his Christian walk Kevin’s heart burned to learn of the Lord and walk with Him and serve Him. He became involved in just about every church related activity he could find. At one point he even moved his family hundreds of miles so that they could be a part of a fellowship that he heard wonderful things about. Unfortunately that group of believers turned out to be extremely legalistic and cliquish. Eventually his family left that church body but the damage was so deep that they didn’t seek out another church, they just quit attending church altogether. Leading a life that lacked any spiritual nutrition eventually had the predictable effect; Kevin fell away from his hearts desire to love and serve the Lord. But God was not finished with him yet. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and Jesus lived up to that promise in Kevin’s life. After about 5 years the Lord drew him back into his fold again. Kevin was a little gun shy from his previous experiences so it took a while to find the “right” church and build “spiritual momentum.”
Eventually Kevin, Jaynie and their kids settled at Calvary Chapel of Oceanside. They both became involved in that church body and they both grew spiritually. Kevin applied his skills as an electrical contractor as well as his overall maintenance and repair skills to many projects around the church. He also grew spiritually through numerous Bible studies and classes, the Intern Program at Calvary Chapel of Oceanside as well as through years of involvement in the Joshua Program along with his personal study of God’s word and devotional time. Additionally he was given many opportunities to teach God’s word and to mentor people in a well balanced Christian walk as well as other ministry opportunities. God had His hand on Kevin’s life and ultimately, in January of 2004, he was brought on staff at Calvary Chapel of Oceanside as an assisting pastor in charge of administration. |
