In 2009, a few months after I returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I was in adoration, praying before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. While asking God if I should consider the priesthood, I heard a definitive, “NO.” Instead, I felt God call me to serve in youth ministry. And in 2011, I answered that call. I became a part-time youth minister, and in less than two years God multiplied my efforts to a full-time program shared by four parishes. 

 

I met my beautiful bride, Jess, in 2012 when two groups teamed up to put on a retreat for the new, four-parish program. Jess noticed me immediately, while I didn’t notice her for months. (She still teases me about that.) Every man needs a friend who will bluntly and clearly tell him when a beautiful woman is interested in him. Fortunately, I have that friend.

 

Following a couple weeks of prayerful discernment, I asked Jess to go on a date with me by saying, “Would you like to go on a DATE with me?” So there was no confusion. A week after our first date, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, I felt God tell me that this woman would be my bride. After about nine months of dating, I asked her to marry me. Jess nodded and said those two words every man hopes to hear one day: “uh yeah!” Only six months later we were married!

 

In 2016, our daughter was born and we found ourselves understanding sacrificial love in a whole new way.

 

In early 2017, I left parish youth ministry when God, for the third time, revealed something to me in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. He called me to create a new ministry. So, in mid-2017, my beautiful bride and I started Love Worth Chasing.

 

I have always been passionate about the virtue of chastity and St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. In my years of youth ministry, I met a lot of people who carried around the heavy burden of sexual sin and broken relationships. Jess, a High-Risk OB nurse and Nurse Educator had also long been passionate about women’s health. Through her work in medicine, she has likewise  seen many  people wounded by unhealthy relationships; people who did not know their own value and dignity.

 

Through writing, speaking, and social media posts, Love Worth Chasing explores the topics of sex, marriage, parenting, natural family planning, dating, masculinity/femininity, and so much more. Our hope is to shed the light of truth on these issues so that people will understand God’s original plan for men and women, as created in the beginning.

 

To add to the chaos, our son was born in the summer of 2018 so we officially have one girl and one boy, aka. “the starter pack.”  

 

In mid 2019, the Holy Spirit worked an awkward encounter in a Facebook comment section to inspire my now dear friend Sara and me to start a podcast. Since January 1st, 2020, we have been regularly producing episodes of “Home But Not Alone,” where we talk about Catholicism from the perspective of two stay-at-home parents.

 

Over the years I have had the opportunity to speak with some wonderful people, and I’ve heard some beautiful stories of healing. I pray that God can work through my writing here and the witness of my family to help you discover your value, to find healing, and to have healthy relationships.

 

You can learn more about my work at loveworthchasing.com, @loveworthchasing on Facebook and Instagram.

 

If you’re a stay-at-home-parent too, consider subscribing to our “Home But Not Alone” podcast: https://anchor.fm/homebutnotalone