Paul and his wife Kathy met at a beach church in Oxnard (CA), were married in 1979, and began their life together as students at San Diego State University. They had both come to faith in Jesus during high school. Paul completed his M.Div. at Bethel Theological Seminary while serving as a campus pastor at SDSU. Since 1992, Paul has served as Associate Pastor of Discipleship at Community Presbyterian Church in Ventura (18 years), Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church (8 years), and Coastal Community Church in Grover Beach (6 years). In 2008 he completed his Doctor of Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary.  Paul and Kathy have three adult children (daughter Corey, and sons Jeremy and Sean), and two grandchildren (Adelina and Maclen). Kathy is a special education teacher, a lover of the beach, sea glass, and good books. In this latest season of life (called ‘retirement’), Paul can be found hiking, listening to great music, learning jazz piano and conversational Spanish, and spending time with Kathy in God’s great outdoors.

So Paul, why are you so passionate about the psalms?

“The psalms have changed my life. Although I had studied the psalms in Hebrew in seminary, taught and preached on the psalms for decades as a pastor, I did not ‘know’ the psalms… until I began to pray the psalms. It took a bout with trauma and clinical depression for me to begin to make these ancient prayers my own. My surprise- I found a ‘spacious place’ of communion with saints who have prayed these same prayers through the ages. I found communion with my Savior, who in His full humanity made these prayers his own. I discovered a safe place where I can candidly bring the whole of my messy humanity before God, and as I do, know that I am not alone. Over time, the Holy Spirit has begun to carve the psalms on the very lining of my heart.

My passion is to help others make similar discoveries. This is the vision behind the mypsalm.org website. I invite you to join me on this journey as we learn to pray the psalms into the fabric of our everyday lives.”

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