Get To Know Dave Paul:

Tell us about your faith journey.

When I was in high school, a guy who was a year older began to share the Gospel with me. He was involved in Campus Life in our school and invited me to attend some meetings. I did, and over time, the message from those meetings and his consistent personal input began to have an impact. Finally, on a chilly November evening in 1976, while sitting in his yellow Gran Torino in the parking lot of Sears in Glen Burnie, I gave my heart to the Lord.

What’s your favorite room in your house and why?

We put an addition on the back of our house which expanded our kitchen and dining room. It went from being a small, ugly space, to one that is larger and very inviting. I love being in that room either with my family, a group of friends, or even alone. It’s also my favorite place to read the Bible.

On Saturdays, you like to…

…go to Starbucks early in the morning and get a cup of coffee, muffin, and paper. I also take my calendar and plan out the coming week. I usually spend an hour there and am still back home before anyone else wakes up. The rest of the day is spent on home projects, wrapping up loose ends with the kid’s schooling that week, and a date night with Ava if we didn’t go out the evening before.

What talent do you wish you had?

I’d love to be able to play bass guitar. I have no rhythm nor musical ability, so this won’t be happening any time during my life. But, I can dream…

What is the best advice you ever received?

Wow. Probably the best advice that I remember and still use today came from a friend right after Ava and I had our first baby. He had three children and told me to keep Ava a priority and continue to make regular date nights even if we couldn’t afford it. Since he was very frugal and regularly invested his money, this made an impact on me. If he thought spending money on a babysitter was a good use of money then it must be. Even now almost 20 years later, Ava and I have a weekly date night. It’s the highlight of my week.