Q. List your education and work experience.
A. Graduated high school from Warren High School in 1988; bachelor's of science in business administration and marketing in 1992; graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2005.
Small business owner, 1993 to 2003; customer-service agent (secular job) and intern at Wedgwood Baptist Church (part time), Fort Worth, Texas, 2003-2005; children's pastor at First Baptist Church in Russellville, January 2005 to end of 2006; children's pastor Geyer Springs First Baptist Church, Little Rock, late 2006 to 2011; children's pastor, Cross Church Springdale, 2011 to present.
Q. What was your call to ministry?
A. I was working full time in my furniture store in Warren and became more and more involved as a volunteer in children's ministry. One Sunday in January 2003 (right after the medical missionaries in Yemen were killed), our pastor gave a sermon on their lives. Each was an Ivy League graduate in the medical field and had every opportunity to have wildly successful and financially lucrative careers, but they chose to give that up and serve as missionaries. God almost audibly said to me, "I'm not asking nearly as much of you as these willing gave. Just trust me." My wife was called at the same time ... We sold our business and home, and moved our family to Fort Worth. God has been with us every step of the way.
Q. Tell us something most people don't know about you.
A. Prior to ministry, I was heavily involved in civic work ... president of the local chamber of commerce when I was 24 years old. Also, led the downtown merchants association and founded an organization, called Townscape, where I wrote grants to put new street lights, side walks and landscaping downtown and encourage local businesses make improvements to the facades. I also worked in politics and was heavily involved with Mike Huckabee when he first entered the political arena. I seriously considered entering politics myself for a time.
Q. What is the message you work to share?
A. To kids: We are all uniquely designed by God, and he has a perfect plan for our life. Never settle for anything less than his best.
To parents: What happens at home is way more important than what happens at church ... I want church to be the best it possibly can be, but the learning and leading has to happen at home because that is where the greatest potential for influence is. If a child's relationship with Christ is limited to Sundays at church, but not a part of every day life, it is unlikely to be life changing.
Q. What is the most difficult thing you've ever done?
A. Leaving my hometown and family/friends to surrender to ministry. I have a very close family, and we worked together every day, and my kids got to be with grandparents and extended family all the time. Walking away from that was gut wrenching. But God is good, and we drew closer to him in the process.
NAN Religion on 09/20/2014