​Our BIOs and Backstories
 

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Everybody has a backstory. It’s where we begin to understand the truth of a person—not just by what they’ve accomplished, but by the fires they’ve walked through and the ways they’ve chosen to heal. Our stories are not defined by titles or timelines, but by the quiet turning points that shape who we become.

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Here are ours:

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Dr. Jeff

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From the beginning of my life and career, I have been drawn to the quiet places where people hurt and to the sacred work of helping them find their way back to hope. I have always felt called to sit with those who feel unseen, broken, or overwhelmed, offering not only clinical skill but kindness, presence, and the belief that healing is possible. That passion carried me from my studies in psychology at the University of California Berkeley to earning my MA and PhD at the University of Arkansas, followed by an APA approved internship at Silas B. Hayes Army Community Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship at Madigan Army Medical Center. I became licensed in both Washington and Arizona and stepped fully into a vocation that has always felt more like a purpose than a profession.

My professional life began in a profound way through the honor of serving ten years on active duty in the United States Army, eventually attaining the rank of Major. My deployment to Somalia exposed me to the staggering human cost of conflict, the suffering of innocent civilians, and the invisible wounds carried by soldiers long after the battle ends. Those experiences shaped the way I understand trauma and deepened my commitment to walk with those whose pain is often hidden.

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After my military service, I built a private practice in Olympia Washington for over twenty five years and later returned to Madigan as a senior staff psychologist and Graduate Medical Education faculty member. Training young clinicians became one of the greatest privileges of my career, allowing me to shape their competence, character, and compassion.

In 2018 I founded The Center for Connecting Living, and today I serve as Clinical Director at Holdfast Recovery and AnchorPoint in Arizona. Across all these roles, one conviction grew steadily within me: true healing cannot rely on technique alone. It requires connection, honesty, safety, and the courage to sit with another human being without judgment. This conviction became the foundation for NeuroFaith®, a model I founded in 2024 that integrates neuroscience and Christian spirituality in a way that honors the whole human person. Drawing on polyvagal informed therapy, HeartMath®/neurocardiology, Internal Family Systems, and spiritual formation, NeuroFaith® offers a path that reaches deeper than coping and points toward genuine transformation. This work led to the book NeuroFaith®: The Intersection of Faith and Science in the Healing of Trauma and Addiction, which I co authored with Pastor Earl Heverly and Tim Hayden.

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My professional story cannot be separated from my personal one. I was born in 1954 in Fort Collins Colorado, an identical twin shaped by both love and hardship. My father carried wounds from his own childhood, and some of that pain filtered into our home. Gregg and I learned early to survive through determination and achievement. During my teenage years I encountered Christian faith in a way that steadied me and became a compass for my life and work.

In October 2023 Gregg’s life came to an end after a long struggle with depression. Losing him, my twin, broke something deep within me. Yet in that grief a renewed calling emerged. His passing clarified why I sit with suffering people, why I listen to their stories with reverence, and why I believe in the possibility of healing. I work in his memory now.

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Through all of this, I have been blessed beyond measure in my personal life. I am married to an amazing woman, Leah who challenges me, encourages me, and loves me through my weaknesses. Together we have two wonderful children, Ashley and Greg, and a beautiful granddaughter, Hallie, who is the apple of my eye and a daily reminder of hope, innocence, and joy.

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Alongside trauma and addiction treatment, I feel a responsibility to protect children from cultural pressures that risk harming their development, including premature gender affirmation and exposure to pornography. This is not political. It is grounded in decades of clinical work and the belief that children deserve safety, discernment, and wise guidance.

What matters most to me is not the titles behind my name but the heart behind the work. I have seen how pain isolates and shame silences. And I have witnessed how connection, compassion, and grounded faith can bring profound healing. My calling is to meet people in the difficult places, honor their courage, and walk with them until they rediscover their strength and beauty. Every person I serve reminds me that healing is real, that compassion matters, and that when truth and love meet a wounded life, something extraordinary becomes possible.

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Pastor Earl​

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I grew up in Wheaton, Illinois and attended Wheaton Central High School, where I competed in gymnastics and tennis and served as a student court judge. I completed my BA at the University of Illinois in 1970 and began an MBA program, which I set aside when the opportunity arose to enter a partnership in a retail music business. In 1973, my wife, Nancy, and I recommitted our lives to Christ. We began attending Urbana Assembly of God, where we experienced the power and presence of God and were deeply influenced by university Bible teachers and missionaries from around the world. During that season, I also served as Vice President for Full Gospel Businessmen and on the church Deacon Board. In 1978, I responded to God’s call into ministry and began my pastoral studies through Berean School of the Bible.

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That same year, Nancy and I, along with our three young daughters, moved to Dublin, California, where I served as an associate pastor at Valley Christian Center. I was initially responsible for adult discipleship and evangelism, but I was soon entrusted with pastoral counseling and also launched an adult singles ministry that Nancy and I hosted in our home. In 1979 I became a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God, and in 1981 I was ordained.

As Valley Christian Center grew, so did my responsibilities. I oversaw Men’s Ministries, missions, and a valley-wide fellowship ministry called Racham. I produced and filmed a weekly TV series called The Pastor’s Study, which eventually expanded into VCC’s own Christian cable TV channel, CCTV 29. I was also a founding member of the Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center and served on the Hope Hospice Board of Directors.

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In addition, I represented VCC in the Dublin Minister’s Association, serving as its chairman for eight years. I frequently spoke at school chapels, coached my daughters’ junior and senior high sports teams, and partnered in various Christian school fundraisers. I also led multiple mission trips to Mexico.

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In 1993, I accepted the call to serve as Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Sacramento, a role I held until my retirement in January 2024. During those years, I also served the Northern California Nevada District of the Assemblies of God as a Presbyter for 14 years, chaired the Northern California Nevada Teen Challenge Executive Committee, chaired the Arden Arcade Pastors Association, and co-chaired both the Luis Palau Festival in Sacramento in 2012 and the Convoy of Hope in 2014. I also taught Bible and pastoral ministry classes at Bethany University, Epic University, and Capital Bible College.

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For 14 years I served as a convener over the Arden Arcade region, working with the City Pastors’ Network to connect, serve, and pray with local senior pastors across Sacramento. Nancy and I also had the privilege of leading two trips to Israel together.

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Since retiring, Nancy and I have enjoyed traveling to Europe, Alaska, and across the United States. I have also co-authored five books with Dr. Jeffrey Hansen, Ph.D., addressing the epidemics of addiction, trauma, depression, and pornography from a Christian and scientific perspective through the NeuroFaith® model. I continue to serve on an Assemblies of God leadership team.

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My passion has always been, and continues to be, to see the Gospel preached to every tribe and nation and to see God’s people become everything He has created them to be.​​​​​