Too often we think of God’s love as something we have to earn. We don’t start from the fact that God’s love is the ground of our life. Faith isn’t about dreaming up the idea of a benevolent deity and clinging to it, but entrusting ourselves to the priority of a living Charity; experiencing heavenly grace as our most basic earthly need, we recognize that God is eternally for-us, and give thanks in worship, study, and service.

These basic convictions have guided Pastor Aaron’s journey of faith and continue to inform his ministry at Hope Lutheran. He wants every member, guest, and visitor each week to hear the Good News of God’s redemptive, new-making work in Christ Jesus, no matter how desperate circumstances may be, and to experience the grace of Christ in the sacraments.

Because God is living and active, the journey of faith is a dynamic, lifelong event. It involves wrestling with God, like Jacob at Peniel (Gen. 32), and continued growth in the Spirit of God. Pastor Aaron earned masters degrees and a Ph.D. in theology, but considers himself “at best a remedial student in the school of divinity.” He invites others into the discipline of sincerely interrogating the scriptures.

Pastor Aaron and his wife, Dawn, are delighted to live in Atascadero. He used to play beach volleyball professionally, and she used to work in production in Hollywood. They enjoy the beach, reading, and sampling local beer and wine.