It doesn’t seem likely that anyone could really describe himself in a single page. There are a lot of facets to a personality, and besides it’s a work in progress. But for anyone who comes here not knowing a whole lot about me, I think it does make sense to describe a few of the filters you might be looking through when you read my posts.

I’ll start with something I don’t overtly talk about a lot but is still a foundational piece. I believe that the Bible is true, that God created us for a purpose, that we have fallen away from that purpose, and that a relationship with Jesus is what leads us back. I’m not perfect by any stretch, but I have been shown love and grace and I want to try to reflect that.

The second filter is my family. That’s mostly what the blog is about, even if not every post is focused that way. My wife, Donia, is a wonderful woman who keeps our family running and always pushes me to be a better person. My kids—Kate, Quinn, and Paige—fill my life with challenges, insights, and deep joy (even if the joy comes over the long run). And my extended family in North Carolina along with my in-laws in Wisconsin provide some historical context into the dynamic.

I don’t have as much of my identity invested in my work as some people do, but anything you do for that many hours is going to come into the picture. For 10 years, I worked for IBM, mostly designing the processors that went into game consoles and managing a team of incredible engineers. In 2011, I switched careers because I was looking for something different. Now I am doing technology research for CompTIA. Everything here is personal, so nothing reflects CompTIA’s position, and you can check out some of my posts on the company blog if you want to know more about what I do there.

Finally, there’s the stuff I do in my free time. Mostly that’s reading and listening to music. I don’t have much training in how to properly critique either one of those, but I enjoy them and I’m always looking for new suggestions. I don’t see nearly as many movies as I would like, but I’ll admit that there really isn’t much time for that anyway.

And that’s about it. Like with anyone, I think the real interesting stuff is in overcoming challenges, sorting through the days, thinking about what’s happening, and dreaming about the future. And that’s why I write. So enjoy getting to know me, and feel free to leave some of your own comments so I can get to know you too.