Wife Mitzi, married in 1994. Son Joshua, step-daughters Tammy & Christy, 8 grandchildren. Grandson, Dylan graduated with a degree in Business Agriculture from Virginia Tech. 

Operated Aspen Grove Jerseys, a dairy farm with registered Jersey dairy cattle until 2014. Currently have a small farm and still have a few of our favorite Jersey cows, including and Flower, Fancy and Candy, our show cows. Liberty Bell was our prized show cow who lived to be 19 years old. Son Joshua and grandson Dylan grew up helping on the farm and showing Jersey cows locally as well at state and national shows. Now we have Alison and Lauren Graves showing our Jerseys as part of their 4-H project. 

Also have a small flock of about 20 chickens which provide fresh eggs for our home and for friends. I operate a small apiary of 20 hives of honeybees. Pets include a house cat which is a rag doll cat named Pretty Boy, an Australian Shepherd, Barkley, who rides shotgun when going to the feed store, and 3 Great Pyrenees, Chloe, Bailey, and Hank, who patrol the farm to make sure all of the livestock are safe from predators. 

I became involved in mission work in 2003, making my first of many trips to the Venezuelan Andes Mountains over the next 10 years, working with The Cross Ministry. I had the privilege of serving with team members from many different churches during the years of work in Venezuela.  Initially our focus was building churches in the villages of the Venezuelan Andes. Over time our mission work shifted to holding medical clinics in the villages of the Andes Mountains, providing much needed medical care as a part of the ministry of the local churches there.  Our mission work there ended when the economic and political conditions of Venezuela deteriorated making it unsafe for Americans to travel to Venezuela.  By that time our church had begun mission work in Palin, Guatemala, which includes the construction of a school to provide education for children in the village and a 700-foot deep well to provide fresh safe drinking water for the village. We also work with a mission program in Guatemala, Clubhouse Guatemala, which has mission projects in many areas of the country. 

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,”declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  As a believer and follower of Christ, my prayer and my goal each day is to allow God to guide my steps so that His plans for my life will be brought to completion. In Matthew 28: 19-20 we are told “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This is a command given to all who are believers, that we share the good news of salvation both here at home as well as in other places as we have opportunity. Fulfillment of this command should be the central point of everything that we do as we go about living our lives.  

In many places in scriptures we are commanded to love each other. Jesus said that the way others would know that we are His disciples is if we love one another.  An example of unselfish love given to us in scriptures is found in Mark 14: 3-9, which is one of my favorites. Mary, going against tradition and inviting ridicule and criticism, anointed Jesus with a jar of very expensive perfume. She did that as an act of love that Jesus called a beautiful thing, and He commended her for it. It is an example that I try to follow in my life each day.