I grew up in Spokane, Washington, but spent most winter weekends in British Columbia playing hockey. After high school, I attended Multnomah Bible College (Portland Oregon—now Multnomah University) where I received a degree in Biblical Studies (1997), Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (Mill Valley, California, now Gateway Seminary, Ontario, California) where I received my MDiv (1999) and PhD (2017), and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky) for my DMin studies (2007).