I first met David Leach in the year 2000 or 2001. He attended our Christian Businessmen's (CBMC) meeting in Temecula as a guest of one of our members. Over the years our relationship has grown, and in 2002, as Chairman of the Temecula Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, I invited David to be our guest speaker at that year's Prayer Breakfast. This annual event regularly draws a sellout audience of 550 people, most of them civic and business leaders from the Temecula Valley. In the previous 10 breakfasts, we have had some pretty special speakers: White House advisors, television stars, bank presidents and captains of industry. Most of the speakers were wonderful, just right for the occasion. But when David Leach spoke at the 2002 Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, the mold was broken. You could hear a pin drop during his entire presentation. He held the audience in rapt attention and, at the same time, presented the love and gospel of Jesus Christ in such a clear manner that many came to faith in Christ that remarkable day. That particular talk was captured on audio tape.

Fast forward to 2005, and I was pondering who we should have for that year's Mayor's Prayer Breakfast speaker. God again put David on my heart and I said to myself, "Why not!" This time I asked David to speak on the subject, "Living Deep". What David did to expound those two simple words is nothing short of brilliant, spiritually brilliant I should add, not that David himself would ever claim any personal brilliance. Once again, the audience was held tight by the spiritual logic of the gospel, as spoken through David by God's Spirit. It was, by far, the most riveting talk I have ever heard. And to think that it was presented to a largely business and civic-leader audience, and was well-received to boot, is even more amazing. This particular talk was captured on both audio CD and video DVD.

David's earthly credentials are quite impressive. He would never brag about them, which is why I am writing this Bio. David graduated from London University with a B.S. in geology in 1965 and followed that up with an M.S. in Engineering from the same university in 1966. He also attended Carnegie Mellon University for a program designed exclusively for executives in 1982.

After graduation, David began his career with Shell Oil as a Petroleum Engineer in Holland and West Africa. From 1968 to 1989, David worked for Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) in various engineering, administrative and marketing positions of increasing responsibility in London, New York and Los Angeles, leading to the final position as General Manager of International Marketing. In this capacity, David was in charge of a team that negotiated Billion dollar contracts with countries from around the world.

When ARCO moved its headquarters to Texas, David opted to stay in Los Angeles and took an early retirement. In 1994 he bought a full service car wash in Temecula and operated it successfully until selling it in 2000. Professionally, David now manages his own residential real estate business.

The previous section fairly well summarizes David's professional career, but doesn't begin to explain how God has, over the years, written His word on David's heart to the point that he is now a most unique and inspired Bible teacher. To illustrate the uniqueness of his teaching, I need to briefly tell you a little of my background.

I attended an evangelical-fundamental Bible college in Southern California. It seemed to me that the school considered two disparate Christian groups as our prime adversaries: liberals and charismatics. My study of God's word at this time was, for lack of a better term, purely intellectual with little interface with God's Spirit, the author of His word. And any attempt to apply God's word to practical situations was in my own power, in my own human nature, or as I would later find out, in my flesh.

What does this have to do with David Leach? Everything. David came to Christ in an Assembly of God church. His early Christian training came through the First Assembly of God Church in North Hollywood. He eventually became a Board member of that church and a Board member of the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship, as well as its principle Bible teacher. These were the very kinds of people I was warned to avoid when I was in college! How on earth could I relate to a guy like David Leach, let alone be involved in ministry with him?

It turns out that as much as I was dissatisfied with my Spirit-less fundamental background, David also saw the over-emphasis in certain charismatic churches of the insistence of just one sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. As I later found out, David lamented that for every one true gift of speaking by God's Spirit, he observed ninety-nine imitations. I on the other hand, saw in my fundamental circles a lack of God's Spirit, both in the teaching from the pulpit and from the dry, parched practical effect in believers' lives.

What God has been able to do in David's teachings is to return to the absolutely essential teaching of the necessity of being filled with God's Spirit, while keeping the focus on that point alone, and not over-emphasizing the manifestation thereof. As David preaches God's word, he continually makes reference from the books of some of the pillars of the faith who also preach the necessity of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Authors such as D.L. Moody, R. A. Torrey, A.W. Tozer. A.B. Simpson, Andrew Murray, Charles Finney and John Wesley to name but a few. All of these authors not only talked and preached of a deeper life in Christ, but emphasized that the path was through the full surrender to and subsequent baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Living Word, brought to life by the Holy Spirit in my heart…this is the essence of the teachings of David Leach.

David is, in human terms, a brilliant man. One of the brightest I've ever met. And his teaching is also brilliant, but not of the human type. He has a wonderful ear to hear, spiritually. And what he hears, he faithfully teaches. And what he faithfully teaches is nothing short of what is lacking in the church today. As Jesus said about His own teaching, "If your heart agrees to the doctrine, you'll know it's from the Father". I would encourage you simply to listen to some of the teachings of my brother in Christ, David Leach. And if God's Spirit confirms the teaching to your spirit, then enjoy them as of the words of your Heavenly Father to you. Bless you in your continued growth in Jesus Christ!