About Me

JONATHAN CASAS

I've been blessed with an incredible journey through life. I was born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains, in a little place called Bonny Doon on a road whimsically named Ice Cream Grade. Our home sat high up the mountain—so remote it took nearly 20 minutes just to reach town. It was there I first experienced the wonder of God's creation. Much of my childhood was spent outdoors, playing in the dirt with Hot Wheels cars and my loyal dog, Fluffy.

We lived on a one-acre lot in a home that my father built from the ground up. He and my mom, Sylvia, had traveled all across the country looking for the right place to plant roots. When they found that rugged piece of land in Bonny Doon, my dad told her he could build the house himself. She raised an eyebrow—but he was determined to prove her wrong. He visited local contractors, studied library books like How to Build a House and Wiring for Beginners, and took it all in. Before long, he did it—he built our home in a year. Then he built more. I was just a toddler, but there’s a photo of me holding a hammer, trying to “help.” My father, Frank, passed away on December 26, 2017. He was one of my greatest mentors.

I attended Baymonte Christian School, a tiny private school with only about 40 students across all grades K–8 at the time. The community was close-knit, and many of us became lifelong friends. Years later, Baymonte asked me to create a promotional video reflecting on how the school shaped my life—something I was honored to do. See below.

Musically, I studied classical piano for 17 years under the instruction of Margaret Schmidt, a teacher known for her precision and high standards. She didn’t believe in teaching chords, so I learned them on my own—an experience that served me well when I stepped into my first worship leading role. Until then, I only knew how to read sheet music; chords were like a foreign language. Margaret eventually suffered a stroke that paralyzed her right side. Losing her was the first time I truly felt the depth of how one person can impact another’s life. I tried to continue lessons with other teachers, but no one could replace her.

I married my childhood sweetheart. We have three wonderful children together. I first noticed her on the school bus in high school—she sat up front, I sat in the back—and I just knew I had to meet her. We quickly became best friends and were married in 1998. Funny enough, we later realized we had lived near each other for most of our lives but never knew it until high school brought us together. Even now, I’m still learning new things about her childhood. Sometimes I wish I had known her even earlier—we could have shared so much more. Honestly, I could write a whole book about us. She’s the best person I know, and I truly don’t deserve her.