The first five things to know:
Sola scriptura (”by Scripture alone”)
Sola fide (”by faith alone”)
Sola gratia (”by grace alone”)
Solus Christus (”Christ alone”)
Soli Deo gloria (”glory to God alone”)
“Without these five confessional statements–Scripture alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, and glory to God alone–we do not have a true church, and certainly not one that will survive for very long. For how can any church be a true and faithful church if it does not stand for Scripture alone, is not committed to a biblical gospel, and does not exist for God’s glory? A church without these convictions has ceased to be a true church, whatever else it may be.” –James Montgomery Boice
How true, how true.
These are the truths that shook the world. And they are the truths that need to shake the worldly church again.
I am all about Jesus. He is my Lord and Savior. I love to share the gospel with people and tell them what Jesus has done for me. I love to talk to them about their relationship with God. Nothing excites me more than seeing people come to faith and grow in Jesus.
I have been “in ministry” for over thirty-four years. I have served churches in Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, California, and North Dakota.
I am very happily married to Sharon. She is my best friend, soulmate, and pretty much any positive superlative you could insert here.
Sharon and I have two incredible progeny, Gabby (Ryan) and Joe (Quynn). All of them are pursuing their life goals with passion, purpose, and very proud parents.
I was ordained on April 25, 1993. I have a B.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Oklahoma Baptist University and a M.Div. (Master of Divinity) from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I really enjoy my present ministry calling. I serve a congregation on the Western edge the Drift Prairie in North Dakota. They are great folks!
And besides those things, THE one thing that I love to do is study the Bible. The Bible informs my worldview, my decisions, and affects every area of my life. I teach and preach the truths of Scriptures so others can experience that as well. I have been using Logos Bible Software since it was loaded with 20+ 3.25 inch floppy disks in 1993.
I also love to worship! I play guitar. I used to play every Tuesday night with a praise and worship team that led at Celebrate Recovery meetings. Now I sit in with the worship team at the church on occasion when my pastoral schedule allows or I strum away whenever I get a chance.
Another passion I have is coffee. Not for the caffeine, but in the mornings that is nice. I can drink coffee pretty much all day. I like a cup after meals. I try to switch to decaf about lunch time, I do not always do it. I like tea too.
I also like all things Apple. They won me over at the advent of OS X and I am loving MacOS Ventura. I only use a PC when I have to… Not very often these days. I am rarely without my iPhone. If I am, it is an accident.
I always have music playing. I went from the boom-box in the 70’s to the walkman of the 80’s and 90’s. Then the mp3 player came on the market in 1999. My first one was a Rio Riot. I quickly changed to the iPod. The iPhone came and my Palm Pilot, my camera, and my iPod were left at home. My three favorite gadgets rolled into one and with internet access to go. What can I say? I love my iPhone. I am also rather fond of my iPad. I love my Apple Watch also. They have replaced my MacBook Pro when I am on the go and save me on lots of paper (and ink). I never thought I could replace my DayTimer binder…