What is Anvil Cross?

Baptism isn't the end of the road. It's the start of the journey.

How I got there starts much earlier. As a boy at a Christian boarding school, I was abused by the very people who claimed to represent God. I walked away. For thirty years I rejected Him and told myself I'd be my own boss.

That shame is why I did everything. I was so driven to hide it, and to fight the self-loathing of being taken advantage of.

I came to terms with it several years ago. Then I went back to the school. My initials were still etched into the clock tower where I used to go hide. I broke down. And I still didn't reach for God. I dug deeper.

Then one ordinary day in Scottsdale, I turned right — without deciding to — and pulled into Oasis Community Church. Pastor Billy met me in the wreckage. I was saved again.

Then came the story of Job. Two neck surgeries and one on the shoulder between May and August, with chaos and stress at work and in my personal life on top of it. Taken apart, piece by piece, to get me ready for what comes next.

The injury was God telling me to pause and focus. I am not stopping the triathlons. But I had to find my base first and build from there.

Then I went to a men's retreat. Staying at the camp, I saw it first-hand: so many Christians — men and women — are worn down and need repair. Then the retreat ended, and there was nothing to pick it up. We need community, and we need to give back.

That is what built Anvil Cross. Repair, restore, revitalize, and reach out. It exists because other people need somewhere to belong, grow and serve.