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About
I love life.
This blog details why, and I hope it nudges you to become a Life Lover as well.
Bio
I grew up in Arkansas – graduated from high school from Pulaski Academy in Little Rock and attended Ouachita Baptist University. After graduating college, I stayed in Arkadelphia (yes, that’s a town in Arkansas!) for another year as co-owner of a graphic design business that I started with Mitch Bettis called AdVantage Advertising. We had an amazing experience working together and learning about business management. Of course, we did it all on Macs. In 1989-1991. Yes, we were Mac Daddies.
I sensed a call to vocational ministry in the winter of 1990-91 and enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas for fall of 1991. While a seminary student, I served at Happy Hill Farm & Academy as a resident advisor, at Tolar Baptist Church as a youth minister and at First Baptist Church Garland as the young adult minister. I married Carolyn Brooks after she crammed four years of OBU into three years (more on our story here).
After earning my M.Div, we moved to Monticello, Arkansas where I served as the Baptist Colleigate Ministry director at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. I ministered with collegians for eight years through BCM and LOVED every moment of it.
I began to sense God’s leadership to help start a new church in Monticello and resigned as campus minister to do so. Journey Church was planted in the summer of 2003, and we were blessed every step of the way to see God transform lives and use our fellowship to impact collegians and families in southeast Arkansas. It was an amazing experience. We often tell folks that church planting is one of the most marvelous and most miserable experiences they’ll ever encounter.
Northstar Church of Blacksburg, Virginia called me to be their pastor in May 2009 after their founding pastor retired. We moved to the Commonwealth of Virginia that July. Since then, we’ve been blessed and stunned at God’s gracious work in our new church family. With an emphasis on Don’t go to church; Be the church, we are humbled and excited about the work of Christ in the New River Valley which contains three colleges (including Virginia Tech), a medical school and a veterinary school.
Family-wise, my wife Carolynworks at Blacksburg High School in the guidance office as administrative assistant, is a photographer on the side and started Spoons Shaved Ice in 2021. She’s a cancer survivor which has prompted deep gratitude for life. We have two kids – Sam got married in April during COVID and serves on staff with Young Life in Winchester, VA. Adelyn is getting her MAT at CNU and got married in December 2021.
In 2012, I completed a project I’d worked on for about four years, and it was published as Super Center Savior on December 18, 2012. I’d be flattered if you bought it and left a review on Amazon, Goodreads or Barnes & Noble.
I hope this blog is an encouragement to you on your own journey!