Old Friend, New Era

Earlier this month my old friend Dom, who I’ve been friends with since 7th grade, moved up to Monterey California with his wife, Jessica, to take a youth pastor position at Cypress Church. This news by itself is exciting because the church is in need of a good youth pastor and I believe Dom is the guy. But that’s not even the most exciting news, at least to me.

The wife and I were there when Dom and Jess were introduced to the church and to the youth group. Dom gave a snapshot of his testimony and mentioned the tragic death of his older brother Bryce when we were still in middle school. That was the event that drove Dom and Laura, Dom’s mother, to church. One by one his friends followed him to church, including the infamous Bryan Benavidez and myself.



Attending church wasn’t immediately life changing but it did start our exposure to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ironically, Bryan and I would stay consistent with attending church in our early high school years but Dom would eventually fall off the map and began engaging in the world with new fervor. Sadly, as Bryan and I began to mature as Christians, we stood by helplessly watching our friend indulge himself in worldly pleasures and decadence and fall further into the abyss of darkness.

During this time, Dom was being recruited by colleges for a basketball scholarship. Also during this time, Laura, Dom’s mother, came down with breast cancer. As Laura grew sicker, Dom’s world and perspective immediately changed. It shook him to the core of his being. Through treatment and God’s mercy, Laura recovered and is doing well today. That event steered Dom back to the Lord.

One day, Bryan and I were talking about how cool it would be if we were able to go to a place like The Master’s College. Then we received a phone call from Dom asking us, "Hey, have you guys ever heard of The Master's College?" We told him all about it. When his junior college career ended, he attended The Master’s College on a full basketball scholarship. This is where he was grounded in the Word and met his wife Jessica (through a crank-call, no less). After finishing his bachelor’s in Biblical Studies he went on to teach at Santa Clarita Christian School for the next seven years.




This is exciting for Cypress Church to gain a solid youth pastor with a heart for young Christians. But it’s exciting to me that Dom is entering a new era in his life. He can take all of his experiences while he was in youth group, the Bible training he received at The Master’s College, the experience from teaching at a Christian school for several years- and most importantly, all the wisdom I’ve been able to impart to him throughout the years- and use it to help shape, mold, and mature in Christ the students that he will be working with. Throughout Dom's darkest times in life, God was preparing him for this moment. Furthermore, it reminds me that God uses “earthen vessels” for His glory. No matter how the youth ministry flourishes at Cypress Church, God will ultimately get the credit for it is He who sovereignly worked out all things “according to the counsel of His will” in Dom’s life to put him where he is today.