Gary was born and raised in Seattle. He got involved with Mars Hill Church shortly after he became a Christian while attending the University of Washington. As a student at UW, Gary played varsity football and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science. Upon graduation, he spent two seasons playing football in Spain. When he returned to the U.S. Gary joined the ministry of Athletes in Action as the Campus Director of his alma mater. In 2000 Gary became an elder at Mars Hill Church as a teaching pastor and he earned his M.A. in Ministry from the Praxis Institute in 2004. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in theology.