The Story Behind the Pen
Michael has spent more than three decades founding and leading organizations, consulting for Fortune 500 companies, and writing in both the business and nonprofit world. With three academic degrees, including an MBA, he’s been a sought-after speaker and trainer on leadership, marketing, and policy development.
But I Call Him Papa wasn’t born from credentials—it was born from story.
Michael’s journey hasn’t been neat or linear. He’s walked through divorce, doubt, and years when God felt not just distant, but gone. A tattoo across his back—his daughter’s desperate cry, “Papa, please don’t go”—became a daily reminder to keep breathing. Even a movie scene that mirrored his own loss became a mirror for the soul. Those moments became markers on a long, raw road toward rediscovering God—not as religion, but as relationship.
He grew up in Anderson, Indiana, in a Christian home where basketball reigned as the little “g” god and gospel music filled the air. He confessed Jesus as Savior at eight years old, but like many, his faith was built on routine—not relationship. Church came easy; surrender did not. One semester and ten days at Bible college ended with him walking away—first from God’s interference, then from His very existence. It would take decades—and heartbreak—before he’d realize that what God wanted all along wasn’t performance. It was presence.
Years later, at a breaking point when faith seemed gone for good, Michael found himself pursued—first by grace, then by love. That love had a name—Ana Victoria. Born and raised in the small town of El Higo, Veracruz, Mexico, Ana’s faith was a quiet fire—steady, genuine, alive. Through her patience and prayer, the spark that had flickered since childhood finally caught flame.
One morning, alone at home, Michael broke. As a worship song played through his earbuds, every wall he’d built came crashing down. What began as music became surrender—and that day, he met not a doctrine or a religion, but the unrelenting love of His Heavenly Father.
That morning, he met Papa.
More than a ritual — a relationship restored
My mission—through I Call Him Papa and every word I write—is to help readers see that God never wanted ritual; He wants relationship. I Call Him Papa was written for seekers, skeptics, and weary believers who find themselves in valleys of doubt, despair, and disappointment. It’s an invitation to rediscover the Father–child connection that is real, present—and full of life.
I don’t write as a pastor or theologian. I write as a husband, a father, and a fellow traveler who has wrestled with silence, pain, and loss—and discovered that God was still there. Still listening. Still Papa.
He’s still listening… still Papa.
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