When Christian and his wife first met, they were brimming with enthusiasm and the promise of a honey-moon together. Two weeks into their marriage, they embarked on a dynamic journey, balancing full-time ministry with the demands of running a small business. However, as their first year unfolded, reality set in with its real-life, real-time challenges.

Christian’s marriage faced daunting tests: idealistic expectations of marital life, cross-cultural nuances, significant health challenges, and the heavy weight of childlessness. He and his wife turned this hurdle and pain into an opportunity by choosing to foster and adopt, embracing the unique journey of non-traditional parenting. 

It wasn’t long before Christian and his wife had to confront their own unresolved issues—issues that exposed inner brokenness and hidden pride, sin, and shame. 

Christian had to learn to turn to the mirror of Christ’s unconditional love and away from the mirror of the complex relationship of his parents who had struggled with their own unexpected pregnancy out of wedlock, alcoholism, financial problems and unexpected work challenges. Growing up with these difficulties created a sense of being in an unsafe place of shame. His wife learned that her self-image was not based on the expectations of parents and of fulfilling the assumed role of a good pastor’s wife. These early experiences shaped Christian’s understanding of the fragile nature of people and family dynamics.

Through seeking biblical counsel, engaging in a spiritual community for support, and fostering a deeper relationship with his wife, Christian learned critical lessons during his 32 years of marriage:

• Marriage is supernatural and without a supernatural God, marriage doesn’t work, or at best is far less than what we yearn for in marriage.
• All of our issues were not going to be immediately solved.
• Our spouse is not the enemy but rather our team-mate as we fight the good fight in life for our dreams, our callings, and for our family. 
• Intentional time spent and attention to each other with a backdrop of fun and humor, sets the stage for intimacy. This intimacy starts outside of the bedroom, and leads to the thrill and radical love we seek in marriage.
• Our spouse’s failure, no matter how far they’ve fallen, is never final. Only forgiveness is final – but healing is a journey both spouses must walk to completion. 
• We are not alone – we can find and create a safe place of belonging together for each other. 

Today, with a Bachelor’s degree and over 25 years of counseling experience, Christian is passionately dedicated to helping guide individuals and couples through their own relationship journeys, to realize their calling and dreams. 

Christian speaks Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian in addition to English, his native tongue. He is not only multi-lingual but multi-cultural having lived and served in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. This exposure affords Christian to identify and understand the unique complexity and uniqueness of diverse cultures and ethnicities that we see in marriages and relationships today.

Christian, his wife, their 6-year-old son, and Angel, their Westie puppy, reside in The Woodlands, Texas. 

Together, they walk out the reality that the rest of your years can be the best of your years!