First things first

2009-05-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my first post so I thought I would begin by sharing a little personal info about myself.

I grew up on a small farm in rural northeast Missouri near Lancaster. I spent most of my summers working with my father, fishing, and playing baseball. What a life! In the spring of 1968 at a revival meeting at the Lancaster Baptist Church I gave my life to Jesus Christ and I have never been the same. I still don't understand why Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to give His own life to pay for my sins but I am so glad that He did. What a Savior!

In 1976 I married my sweetheart Chris and later that same year we had our first child, a beautiful little girl we named Jennifer. In 1977 I graduated from NMSU in Kirksville (now Truman State). In 1980 the Lord blessed us with another baby girl we named Angela. The fall of 1984 found us moving to Atlanta, Missouri where I served as pastor of the First Baptist Church for the next 16 years. It was a great place to minister and raise a family. On October 31, 2000 my wife and I moved to Kansas City to become pastor of the Providence Baptist Church.

I enjoy reading, although I seen to find little time for it. I also enjoy watching Andy Griffith reruns and any movie at all with John Wayne or James Stewart in it. I am an avid St. Louis Cardinal baseball fan who grew up listening to Harry Carry and Jack Buck and their colorful play by play on the radio as a little boy and just never got over it. I love listening to great Christian music from a wide variety of musical expressions. My greatest passion however is preaching and teaching the Word of God.

The most important things in my life are my faith, my family, and my friends - in that order. My bank account isn't very impressive, but I am a rich man. God is so good!

The Pastor's Pen

First things first