“In Scripture, it's in the wild places that God invites people to partner with Him in blessing all the families of the earth. And so often, our partnership with God is forged through the cries of lament.”
-Amber Riggs
About Paul
Paul considers himself to be a family man above all else. This is expressed in his devotion to his wife of twenty-four years and to their three children. This relational value is also found in his understanding of spiritual community, and ultimately in the triune nature of God.
Paul has spent his adult life in lay-ministry, taking on many roles including working in international missions, and serving as a worship director and elder in a local church. His faith journey has been deeply marked by seasons of grief and disappointment, as well as by times of true peace and goodness. He has found that doubt and hard questions are welcome on the journey with Jesus.
He is certified as a spiritual director through Companioning Center and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation at Portland Seminary.
In the wilderness
Paul is a lover of the outdoors. He believes any amount of time spent in nature can be an opportunity to savor the very imagination of God. To pause for a sacred moment and consider the beautiful intricacy of creation is to begin to discover a transcendent landscape, a “kindred wildness” which permeates the whole natural world, and is an explorable reality within every human heart, as well as within the very being of God.
As an experienced backpacker, photographer, wildflower watcher, bird ID speculator, and mediocre fly-fisher, Paul is always glad to be out in wild places with fellow saunterers. You’ll often find him roaming wildlife refuges and wilderness areas in and around the Pacific Northwest. He lives in Oregon’s southern Willamette Valley with his beloved family and one very indoorsy chocolate lab.
“The truth seems to be, however, that the mother-forest, and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child.”
- The Scarlet Letter