Life is a journey for each of us and it is uniquely different for everyone. I’m extremely grateful for my recent journey to the United Kingdom and then to South Africa. This would not have been possible without years of preparation and so many events that brought me to where I am today:
- The call from God that I felt distinctly at the age of 15.
- The decision to go to Bible College in Ontario where I met my future wife, yet never dated her during her three years there.
- The only weekend Cathy would be home in Clarenville between semesters at Memorial University was the very weekend I would visit her church as part of the LifeLine band and we would have our first date.
- Graduating from Bible College, becoming a pastor, getting engaged and married (October 25, 1986), all within six months.
- Major life crisis at the age of 25, the trauma of a church split, subsequent job loss that effectively closed the door to ministry, at least that’s how I saw it at the time.
- The door opening to a career in financial planning in March, 1991 and the following years of struggle feeling like I may have missed what my life was supposed to look like.
This was one time in my life that I questioned how it was ever possible for God to work this circumstance for my good. I have heard it said often: “When one door closes, another door opens” and that was certainly true at this juncture in my life.
- The Global financial crisis of 2008, and during this time running as a candidate in the Federal Election, then the turmoil it created in my life and the depths of despair that followed. I have often said that the stock market chart of this time mirrored my emotions and level of despair. (I wrote about this in a previous blog post).
- The discovery of Kingdom Advisors, Randy Alcorn’s book, Money Possessions and Eternity, that I purchased at an Advisors with Purpose Conference in Toronto. This began to transform my thinking about my calling and how I could fulfill that call even as a financial advisor.
- After attaining significant success in my practice, I was challenged with the potential to leave it after 24 years and become “a pastor to financial advisors,” thus leaving our home province. Then the next challenge, after the move to Ontario, was to transition from a salaried position to having to raise financial support for the ministry of Kingdom Advisors in Canada!
- Now there are 25 Champions who have faithfully supported this ministry for the past 10 years! This has allowed me to minister to hundreds of advisors, not only in Canada but beyond what I could have imagined or thought (into the countries we just visited).
It’s been quite the journey that includes many great moments but many difficult decisions.
While we were in South Africa, we took the journey from Cape Town to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and spent 18 years doing hard labor in a limestone quarry. Our guide through the prison (pictured above) shared how so many were imprisoned and treated so harshly which caused such a somber feeling in my heart. He then took us inside the prison and explained how he was imprisoned himself for 6 years starting at the age of 15.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing – I was sensing the call of God on my life at age 15 – he was being imprisoned at that age! What we have in common is that we were both on a journey, we would both experience unique trauma in life which would determine our destination in life. He shares his story with thousands of people every year which is therapy for him.
Our trip to the United Kingdom and South Africa in October 2026 was therapy for me. An opportunity to share a little of my experience to encourage other Christian advisors on their journey. I understand better now that every journey has purpose.
We all experience some level of pain and trauma and some joy in life. There is purpose in the pain to take us to a new level of trust.
I am grateful for the experiences in my life that have brought so much joy, but also for the painful experiences in life that have served to shape me into the leader I am today. I have learned that when things don’t go according to my plans, I can be thankful and trust that things are going according to His plan. On October 25, we will celebrate 40 years of marriage!
