Ben McCarty

What was an important Jesus moment in your life?
I’m going to go with two: becoming a husband and becoming a father. In becoming both of those we promise to love and cherish another person forever, no matter what. In Ephesians Paul tells us that we should love our spouses as “Christ loves the Church” and in the Gospel of Matthew Christ tells us to bring the children to him because to them belongs the kingdom of God. Those are some big challenges given to us, and I can only hope that I do my best to show Christ’s love to my family and neighbors everyday. 

Rottnest Island in Australia. It’s where my wife and I were married and is a beautiful little island off the coast of Western Australia. It’s a fun, lowkey place to visit and is full of adorable, smiling marsupials called Quokkas. 

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Having eight arms. I often joke with my family that I need a few extra arms to be Octo-Dad. Plus I could finally bring in an entire load of groceries from the car in a single trip!

What’s one of the dumbest things you’ve ever done?
I am a big Star Wars fan, and growing up my parents bought my brother and myself X-wing toys from the movies. We decided to see if they could actually fly -- by tossing them off the roof of our house. Those toys would probably be worth a few hundred dollars each now -- if they were not all cracked and broken from their rough landings on the driveway below.

Why do you believe in God?
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I just have to take a look around to see why I believe. From the snow capped mountains, to the crashing waves of the sea, the towering trees and wonderful wildlife, we are surrounded by the work of an amazing creator and I am awed to get to live amongst it. 

What do you like best about working for Jesus and his people?
When he gave them their commission Christ told his disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. For me that means spreading the gospel however possible. For much of the past year that has meant doing so virtually. I think Messiah has done very well to reach people however they can, wherever they are, and I’m glad I have the chance to help further that mission.