Steve Wyatt has worn many hats over the course of his career. In addition to reaching nearly one million listeners each week as host of Wyatt Matters, he has addressed both corporate and faith communities in 27 states and five foreign countries. He has preached nearly 10,000 sermons! He planted two brand new churches and led two turnaround churches, including two of the largest churches in the United States. He is the Founding Pastor of The Crossroads Church in Anthem, Arizona.
For nearly four decades, Steve has maintained a personal discipline of writing approximately 5000 words every week. Suffice it to say, writing isn’t just what he does; writing is who Steve is. He has authored seven books and numerous articles for national periodicals.
Not just a man of words, Steve has lent his leadership to meaningful action. He established a school and orphanage in Haiti and a partnership in Kharkov, Ukraine that led to a movement of churches in Ukraine’s second largest city. He also served as Chairman of the Publishing Board for an international Christian publishing house. During a time when the company’s future was uncertain, Steve was the visionary influence that led to her successful sale, thus ensuring her continued flourishing to this day. Steve also served as Executive Vice President of beacon group, where he worked with the disadvantaged communities of his city to help start businesses and other non-profit civic and service organizations. In addition, he worked as Team Leader and Planter Coach for a national church planting network.
Steve’s greatest joy, however, is his family — as Bo to his wife, Clarissa, as Dad to his three adult children, and as Papa to his eleven totally perfect grandkids.
However, much of his frenetic activity ground to a screeching halt on March 8, 2019 — the day his kidneys failed in spectacular fashion; the day his life was almost cut short. Thankfully and miraculously, God authored a different direction to his life story — with several new chapters that shout both inspiration and hope to all who hear it.
Though it’s true that Steve now lives on the borders of a far different life than his past, kidney failure wasn’t his only detour. He often describes his life, especially these last 20 years, as his “often-interrupted life.” Interrupted often because, during this time, Steve also suffered multiple injuries that have resulted in two total knee replacements, a total hip replacement, a titanium rod in his arm, and one fused wrist. He has also suffered two catastrophic losses: His wife, Cindy, who died in 2010 after a courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer, and his beautiful daughter, Jessica, who died, tragically, in 2023.
More chapters could be added to his story, but Steve and his three beans are forging forward and refuse to look back. While it may be true that his is a life often-interrupted, what his life is not is a life without purpose.
In Steve’s words:
Within every loss are planted seeds of hope — and hope is a holy and precious thing. It’s not a fleeting emotion; it’s a powerful choice. A choice you must make every single day.
Hope is having the sufficient courage to walk through even the darkest night — in confidence that a new dawn is about to break. But hope isn’t hope at all — if you aren’t pursuing it!
So rise up! Rise up and lay hold of your hope! Not as some distant desire, but as the guiding light that is available to anyone who stubbornly refuses to surrender. And that light will never go out, as long as you refuse to give out.
Wyatt Matters is a program that rings with a credibility which those traveling a road plagued with detours can easily recognize. But be warned: Steve’s gripping story — told with transparency and humility, blended with wit, and warmth — will most assuredly draw you in.
