Erik Farstad:
A Biographical Sketch
I was born March 19, 1974 in Seattle, Washington. When I was five years old, my parents divorced leaving my mother to care for my older sister and I. Around the same time, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. By age nine, both my father and mother had re-married. The next seven years that followed contained numerous hospital visits, in-home nurses and treatments, all trying to keep my mother alive. After 12 years, my mother finally passed away in January of 1991.
While growing up my family and I attended various Lutheran churches, but never on a regular basis. I believed in God, even prayed, but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It was not until I moved in with my father and step-mother, two weeks after my mother died, that I started attending church regularly. Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, WA, is where God began working in my life. On Sunday, December 7, 1991, at the age of seventeen, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. On that day the Lord began the process of healing my heart that was filled with confusion, anger and sorrow. Through the years the Lord has shown me that no matter what your past contains, whether filled with divorce, loneliness or even death, He is the source of all healing and strength.
The years passed on and I attended the University of Washington where I received a Bachelor's Degree in Planning Studies and a Minor in Architecture. Since graduating, I have worked as a consultant in the field of design and land use development. At church I like to stay active in Drama Ministry, where I write, act and direct. I got married on June 20, 1998, to Nicole my beautiful wife and best friend in the whole world. We currently live in Bothell, WA, about 15 miles north of Seattle.
I began writing devotionals by the leading of the Holy Spirit. At work I received an e-mail devotion from a friend, that I in turn would forward to some of my friends. One day the devotionals stop coming because the person was having finals at school. I suddenly felt the bump of the Lord calling me to fill in while this person was away. The days turned into weeks, and through the support and prayers of many friends I continue writing today. I am not an English major, and profess no real knowledge or training in composition, I just want to reach out with God's Love to challenge not only myself but my brothers and sisters in Christ. I try to bring the scriptures "alive," relating biblical issues to the "X" Generation of today.
It is my continual prayer that through these devotionals you may feel challenged to grow, convicted if necessary and experience your relationship with God as real and personal. God desires a personal love relationship with all His children. If you do not know the Lord and you read these devotionals, ask Him to reveal His truth to you. He wants you to come to know Him personally and intimately. If you want to know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, read the prayer below between you and God. If you do know Christ as your Savior, make a commitment now to keep reading the Bible, to stay in prayer and to be open to how God can use you.
Enjoy the devotionals and please contact me at [email protected] with your comments, ideas, prayer requests and praises. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you.
In Christ,
Erik K. Farstad