MuchGrace

The number one song on the day I was born was “Ode to Billy Joe” by Bobbie Gentry, a dark Americana-folk tune that seemed to mirror the mood of the nation—and perhaps my parents as well. Soon after, my father was deployed to Vietnam, where he spent my first two years, leaving Mom to raise my older sister and me alone. When he returned, he faced a new kind of battle—with his rambunctious son. I was a handful right from the start and quickly became well acquainted with my dad’s leather belt, and later a large wooden paddle reserved for our so-called “father-son bonding time.”

We grew up in sunny San Diego, where I was the middle child of two sisters. Dad was a schoolteacher and lay ministry leader, while Mom managed the chaos of us kids at home. In 4th grade, Dad took a job as a junior high vice principal at a school in Northern California, and we moved to the Sierra Foothills—a place that felt like heaven to me. When he wasn’t at work or serving in ministry at church, Dad was on patrol as a volunteer deputy sheriff. Because of that, he was well-known and respected in the community. My troublemaker friends gave me the nickname “Mr. Elliott’s Son.”

I gave my life to Christ at a very young age, then again at kids’ camp, and once more in my preteen years, and perhaps a few more times. I don’t know exactly which one of those took, but somewhere along the way, God adopted me and gave me the privilege of being called a “child of God.” There was a long stretch of my life, starting in high school, that I consider to be my prodigal years. Those years were filled with poor choices and painful consequences: jail time, being kicked out of the army, losing more jobs than I can count, and even being asked by a youth pastor not to attend church (who later became our district superintendent). I deserved it all, but eventually the Holy Spirit found me and restored me to a right relationship with Christ.

Music is both my hobby and my livelihood; I’m a lifelong musician and a self-proclaimed music gear fanatic. I began playing the piano as a young child, moved to trombone in the 4th grade, and kept playing through high school. Along the way, I taught myself guitar and eventually found my home on the bass guitar as my main instrument. Beyond performing, I worked as a live sound and recording engineer and became heavily involved in concert promotion. In the industry, I spent more than 25 years in marketing and product development for various instrument companies. For five of those years, I served as marketing and artist relations director at Gallien-Krueger, one of the world’s leading amplifier companies. In 2012, I opened The Strum Shop, which quickly became known as the go-to destination for all things ukulele. While we also sell, teach, and repair a wide range of instruments, it’s ukuleles that put us on the map.

I was married for 34 years to a beautiful and courageous woman named Sherrin, but on December 21, 2024, my heart was broken when she passed away from cancer and went to be with the Lord. I don’t know why God chose to take her, and I miss her terribly. Yet each day, I endeavor to honor her memory by living life well and serving God with every ounce of strength I have left. These days, my daughter and teenage granddaughter, along with my son, his wife, and stepson, rest at the center of my heart and my prayers.

LifePointe Church of the Nazarene in Rio Linda, California, is where I currently oversee worship arts and technology, men’s ministry, and occasional preaching. When time permits, I publish articles on my blog, muchgrace.com, as well as on other platforms, focusing on the Bible, culture, and Christian ethics. While I’ve been involved in ministry for most of my adult life, it wasn’t until 2019 that I felt called to pursue pastoral ordination. I don’t yet fully understand why God is calling me to this, but I look forward to discovering what He has in store.