An Amazing Accomplishment!

My beautiful bride, sensational son and noble nephew were with me when I graduated on June 14 with the doctorate degree. That experience was a miracle!

I am not the scholarly type, but I had to become one during the last three years. My sixth grade teacher and my high school counselor told me to not even try to go to college because I was too stupid and would never make it.

This experience is not about a title or a degree. It is about overcoming many monumental obstacles. When it seemed impossible to keep going, my project mentor and my wife encouraged me with a radical revolution of empowering encouragement.

My beautiful bride had a dream a few months ago and saw me walking across the platform to receive my degree. I hung onto that dream like a cat hanging onto a limb stretched out over a cliff. My mentor told me that I needed to see myself walking across the line.

Several miracles happened for me to cross that line. It was the most difficult and demanding experience in my life. For me, it was like climbing Mount Everest without an oxygen mask and like learning Chinese in Hong Kong without an interpreter.

You may be facing an impossible situation. If I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT! Cry out to the Lord with your whole heart! He will give you faith that He will strengthen you to break through! He will give you people, resources, wisdom and all you need to make it!

Trust God from the bottom of your heart and don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God. Run from evil. Your body with glow with health. Your very bones will vibrate with life. (Proverb 3:5-8, The Message)

Dare to Dream and Do the Impossible!

I just sent my first formal draft of my doctoral dissertation to my project mentor. The technical editor is editing it. I will defend my project in L.A. on June 12 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Graduation is June 14 at 6:00 PM! Earning an accredited doctorate is an impossible dream that has come true for me!

Dare to Dream and Do the Impossible! Only 20% of those who enter my particular doctoral program ever finish the Doctor of Ministry degree. It is highly demanding and difficult. I had an 80% chance of failure. But it was more than that. Keep reading and you will see why. :)

My tag line is: "Transforming Fear into Fulfillment, Hurt into Healing, Pain into Peace and Problems into Possibilities!" Another way to put it is: "Showing People How to Conquer Chaos and Transform Tragedy into Triumph and Problems into Possibilities!" I have been tested through the fire personally with this doctorate experience!

Dare to Dream and Do the Impossible! It's happening for me and it can happen for YOU!
Don't let anyone or any circumstance stop you. Settle it in your heart. You're going over and not under! You're the top dog and not the bottom dog!

In high school my counselor told me not to apply for college. He said I would never make it. Guess what? I did it! Don't let anyone talk you out of your dream!

After earning my B.S. in Wildlife-Fishery Resources degree from the University of Idaho (one of the finest programs in the nation), I thought I would never go back to school. My degree was extremely difficult and demanding. It was like a Pre-Med Science degree. Done. Finished. I thought :)

I couldn't get the dream out of my heart. After working as a research biologist for a couple of years, I kept feeling this deep desire to go for a masters degree. So I began to Dare to Dream and Do the Impossible! I did it! Not only did I meet the most beautiful bride in the whole wide world, I earned a Master of Divinity degree in two and half years. It normally takes three years.

On May 18, 2006, my beautiful bride asked me to apply for a doctoral program at a cutting-edge new school in L.A. Through a series of miracles, I was accepted.

I had no idea that this adventure would be like climbing Mount Everest without an oxygen mask! It was so challenging and treacherous at times, I thought I would literally fall to my death! It was far more difficult and demanding than I ever thought possible! I am not the scholarly type. It has been like learning Chinese in Hong Kong with no one to interpret for me. Talk about a whole new learning curve!

The Lord placed this dream in my heart. He gave me the strength and the courage to overcome every impossible obstacle in the adventure! I have been radically transformed and become a new man through this rich and rewarding experience!

Dare to Dream and Do the Impossible! My beautiful bride, Irene, and son, Chris and our other team members helped me. I did it and you can do it! We are in the people business. People need hope and encouragement. They need it and you need it! We all need it!

Dare to Dream and Do the Impossible!