“Thanks to Joe’s guidance and encouragement I am doing what I never knew was possible. Owning my own successful business where what I do actually makes a difference to my clients. He helped set me on the path to find my goals, passions and fulfill my purpose.”
About Joe
Like many of you, I grew up wondering what set me apart from everyone else consuming Earth’s natural resources. I was starving for life to point me to my uniqueness (if I were , in fact , unique!) but was failing to find the answer I sought. I was average at best, regardless of the area in which I embarked – Academics, Athletics, Art, Relationships…. all of it.
In addition, Texas was not exactly proving itself to be the land of opportunity I needed, in order to find my unique place in the world. All in all, I managed to successfully fly under Life’s radar for the first 22 years of my existence, always hoping to find a purpose without much success.
And then, it happened.
I found an area in which others told me I excelled; Apparently, I was really, really good at talking to other humans and convincing them to follow my advice! My manager at Dell required me to refer to my newfound talent as ‘Sales'. Now - I would have much rather been blessed with Basketball or Soccer skills than with “running my mouth”, but I told God I was willing to make the best of the talent He had chosen for me … as long as He showed me exactly how He wanted me to use this newly discovered skill.
DISCOVERING AND OWNING MY UNIQUE PURPOSE
As I set out to accept and adapt to the uniqueness God had finally revealed in my life, I spent many years serving in various Ministries that allowed me to use the gifts of Communication, Persuasion and Listening that had once made me such a success in the field of Sales. After being on the front lines- working with hurting Teens and Young Adults for many years - I found that I related easily to their pain and their struggle in submitting to Religious Authority, and I became interested in doing more to foster that connection.
When I launched Catalyst Teen Center in 2011, I felt like all of my life experiences, gifts and passions had finally come together. I had always struggled to fit into conventional forms of church myself, and I was meeting more and more young people who felt the same. So, a passion emerged within me to create a place where the next generation, regardless of their religious background, could encounter Biblical Wisdom in a unique way. My discoveries - about not only finding purpose for my own life, but also about engaging and empowering Young People to do the same – are worth sharing!
