Interviewed by Bob Putman, October 15, 2011
Tell me about your background.
I was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Texas and New York and went to high school in California. In 1977 I came to Florida and joined the Navy for two years, then went back to California In 1980 I came here on spring break to see some friends, and met my wife. I was here for five days and went back and told my mom I met the girl I was going to marry. We came back here two months later. I moved a couple times with IBM, but always ended up back here.
Where did you start with IBM?
Down in Boca. Then they moved me to North Carolina for a year and a half, then transferred me back to Boca, then out to Calif. for a year. I came back to Boca. They were moving our division to Texas, and my oldest son was getting into middle school. I didn’t want to uproot him again. Then I started a business with a couple other guys.
What did you do at IBM?
I started out as a programmer, and then moved into product management. A little bit of marketing and development.
When did you start your own company?
1995. Our first product -- we sold a greeting card program on the Internet. We were doing well, then all these companies started giving them away. Then we started doing sports photography on the Internet and created cards. The current product is a screen-sharing program like a low-cost Go To Meeting. I dabble in that now.
I started teaching six years ago. I was looking for something else to do. I had substitute taught when I left IBM, to get my business off the ground. Then I didn’t substitute for eight years, but I had an application on file to be a teacher. This guys from an alternative school called me and wanted to know if I would come in an interview. I interviewed, and he hired somebody else. I said, “If it doesn’t work out, keep me in mind.” He called two days later and said the guy had walked out after a day and a half. He asked if I was still interested, because it was teaching tough kids, kicked out of their middle schools. Of the 110 kids, 107 were attending because they were on probation and the court ordered it.
I loved dealing with the kids and working with that type of kid. My heart went out to them because some of them had terrible lives. I wanted to help them. The only meals got would be at school. I’d never really seen that before.
He called and said they could pay us through December 2006. I went online and saw there was an opening at Indian Ridge School, for emotionally handicapped kids. The principal ended up hiring me to start in January 2007. I’ve been there since. I love it. At Indian Ridge we have a combination of kids who are very smart, but they hear voices and can’t distinguish the ones in their head from the others. Some have emotional problems and some sort of mental retardation. We have regular diploma kids and special diploma kids that don’t take the FCAT. I have a soft spot in my heart for those types of kids, and I look forward to going to work every day. My wife Debbie has been a teacher for 22 years (2nd grade).
You got connected with LifeBridge through pastor Mark’s nephew?
Yeah. I grew up Catholic. I have five brothers and sisters, and we were always forced to go to church. My dad would wake us at 6 in the morning and make us go. If we misbehaved, we had to spend the whole day in our room. There was no religion taught any other time besides in church. The minute he stopped making me go to church (age 13), I stopped going. The next time I went to church was when I was getting married in my 20s. Church was a sore subject between my wife and me, because she wanted to raise the kids Catholic. I would fight her that I didn’t want to go to church, and the kids would see it -- and they picked it up: “If dad doesn’t go, then I don’t have to go.” After they all went to confirmation, they stopped going to church. We tried churches here and there. I went because it kept peace in the family.
Nate, Mark’s nephew, is a PE teacher and Indian Ridge School. He invited me. The only reason I went was because I thought nobody else was going to show up, and I didn’t want Nate to feel bad. We got there, and Mark’s sermon — he talks about real-life situations and works the Bible into it. I told my wife, “It’s a four-part series; let’s go to the four parts. I want to see how the rest of it goes.” When that was finished, I told her, “I still would like to go.” Every week, during his talks, I got a peaceful feeling. I would get chills down my back and I could feel the presence of God there. It started making more and more sense to me. I realized I needed to make a change in my life. It seems like when I walk out of there I feel something. I never really felt that before, and I’m almost embarrassed to talk about it, because I have fought [against] it my whole life.
Each week his talk built on the last week. I’ve never really tithed properly, and I began to get these feelings like I have to help out the church. So I bought some equipment for the church: spotlights, the lighting stuff, a projector. It was the first time in my life that I felt it was almost as if I was told to do it. It felt good. It was almost like God was saying, “I want you to do that.”
My wife has said I’m a nicer person. I’ve started praying and reading the Bible, and I’ve really decided. At the Catholic church, when I was going with my wife, I’d walk out of there so frustrated. We tried other churches, and this just seems to make sense to me. It’s the first one where I’ve felt something strong. Now I walk out [of church] with a peaceful feeling.
What does pastor Mark say about Jesus?
You have to accept him into your life. Mark says, “God doesn’t change you all at once; he changes you a little at a time.” So I tell my wife I’m still a work in progress. I’ve changed quite a bit since I’ve been here. The big thing about Jesus that I got from Mark is that basically you have to turn over your life to him.
You did that?
Yes I have. I’ve been with the church since the first meeting. I made my decision about five or six weeks into it. That’s when I really started feeling a calling to step up and help out the church. I help with greeting people, which is something I’ve never done before. My wife helps check the kids into the children’s ministry. I want to keep on trying to do more.
What is Mark like?
He’s definitely a southern boy. He’s very approachable, and he really can go the spectrum. He relates to the younger kids and he seems to relate to the older people. It seems this is his calling. The way he speaks in his sermons, you can see he has a passion for it.
How has he ministered to you?
I’m still learning how to be a Christian. I didn’t know how to pray. I’ve talked to him about how you read the Bible. It’s almost like I’m a little kid learning to walk. He’s helped me quite a bit. I pray every morning that the church sticks around. The way Mark speaks has changed my life, and it took me a long time to find something like this, and I want to see it succeed. As long as Mark is in it, I plan to be there with him.
And Christie?
Christie is great with the kids. They really enjoy her, and when they get there they come running to get to her room.
You have children?
Three boys: 27, 24 and 22. One lives in Costa Rica, one is local and one goes to school in Ft. Myers. I feel bad as a parent that none of my boys go to church. They’re like me. I pray every morning that they will get on a path to do it. I started talking to them about it, but I’ve learned you can’t force them, because that’s what my dad did. Two of them are planning to attend the grand opening tomorrow.
I walk my dog every morning and pray. One of the things I pray for is that my kids will not take as long as I did [to find Christ], because I think you miss out on a lot.
Has attending LifeBridge broadened your friendships?
In the next couple of weeks [the church] is going to start a small group. We plan on participating. My wife has worked with one of the guys at church for nine years, so we know him. My son’s girlfriend’s uncle comes to church. I’m looking forward to the small group because then we’ll start building friendships. I’m friendly with people. We talk every week because it’s really a small core right now. Counting the kids, we’ve been averaging 50-60. We’re hoping to have 100 to 150 tomorrow. I’ve invited some of my friends’ kids.
What’s the vision of the church?
It’s trying to help people who are not with Jesus to find Jesus. I use myself as an example. He’s made a big difference in my life, and I know there are a lot of people out there like me. I went out of an obligation to a friend I work with, and it’s not an obligation anymore. It’s something I feel I’m compelled to do. My wife went out of town one weekend and the kids were amazed I went by myself. My wife was amazed, and she realizing something was changing. It’s a priority for me to be there on Sundays.
Now I understand what people are talking about [in church]. It’s a good feeling. For a long time I was an angry person who used to snap at my kids, snap at my wife. I had no patience. I’m a different person. I feel more at peace with myself. I’m not fighting myself anymore. I’m not taking issues I have with myself out on other people.
Dave Smith is a teacher at Indian Ridge School and a greeter at LifeBridge Church, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.