Bio of jjgoalie

Name: Don

How Many Years a Christian: Since 1982

Educational Background: BS – Aerospace Engineering, MS – Aerospace Engineering; Doctorial Work in Aerospace Engineering

Church Affiliation: Harvest Church Fort Worth, TX.

Current Occupation: Aerospace Engineer

Favorite author(s): Hugh Ross; Arnold Fruitenbaum

Hobbies & Interests: Developing Bible Studies, Playing Ice Hockey (Goalie), Reading, Films

Christian testimony and background: I grew up in a secular home to an American father who was career USAF and a Japanese mother living in Hawaii, Japan, and Texas. I attended The University of Texas at Arlington. It was in my 2nd year that I was introduced to Christ while dating a Christian. She broke up with me, but Christ did not. After graduating with as a BS in Aerospace Engineering (1985), I began work on my Masters with emphasis in Aircraft Handling Qualities and Control Theory and completed my thesis in 1986. Shortly after, I started work at General Dynamics while also teaching at The University of Texas at Arlington as an Adjunct Professor. Later, I took a leave of absence for doctorial work The University of Texas at Austin. There I met my wife. In 1991, I left academia and resumed my work at GD (now Lockheed Martin) as a Flight Control Systems Engineer working on aircraft programs such as: IDF (Taiwan), F-16, T-50 (South Korea), and the F-35.

Soon after joining our church, I was approached by both God and my Bible Study teacher to be a teacher too. I was called to teach an existing class- Harmony of the Gospels. But, there were two problems.

1. I struggled with science and faith issues.
2. How do I teach a Bible study composed of seminary level material having never been to seminary and with no qualifications other than having taken it myself- I’m just a “rocket scientist”. But God answered both of these problems.

First, I confessed my science and faith issues to a godly man, and fellow PhD candidate I met in Austin. He pointed me to a ministry called “Reasons to Believe” that guided me towards the worship of God with all I have: heart, soul, and mind.

The second problem was handled in a way I had never experienced before. One day, God spoke to me, “Don, I am a Jew. Learn My Word as a Jew. Teach it that way”. Shortly after that, I stumbled upon a TV program while looking for the Reasons to Believe TV show called “Zola Levitt Presents”. I poured time, money, energy, and resources into two avenues- RTB and Zola- studying all I could on apologetics and the Jewish Roots of the Christian faith. Meanwhile, I continued preparing my own class materials. In the end, the existing Bible study class was overhauled, and put back together again but with a “yarmulke” (a Jewish skull cap). Later, people with doctorates from seminaries shared with me how they had no idea why God wanted me to teach this class but when they began to hear of the richness of our Jewish Roots, it changed how they saw, taught, and understanding of the Bible too.

Since then God has used me to develop eight Jewish Roots classes (topics ranging from the gospels from a Jewish perspective, the Jewish Church in Acts, fulfilled prophecies of the Bible and end-times) and two other “Jewish Roots” teachers with big hearts for God and Israel. God has opened doors allowing me to also teach on science and faith issues at my church and other churches introducing others to RTB as well as a Jewish Jesus.

Today, we continue to serve. Me, a Japanese-American with a Jewish bent, my South Texas wife, and now our adopted Chinese daughter continue to grow and serve the Lord. We are quite the “piece of work”. In Yeshua -don