MY BIO

This biography is to introduce myself to friends online, and yet not be self-absorbed and self-centered. I am also concerned about online privacy issues of how liars might try to pose as me or pose to know me based on this material. I will try to be as succinct as possible, though we all have hundreds of episodes we would like to convey (those interchanges can happen as our friendship deepens).

I grew up in the parsonage of an SBC congregation, being the son of an SBC pastor. This parsonage was connected to the church parking lot and within 20 yards of the fellowship hall. I stayed in this parsonage from the age of 3 months to 19 years and something. The church attendance ranged from 120 to 180.

MY MUSIC HERITAGE

Even from Kindergarten years I was involved in the music program with such programs as "Down by the Creek Bank", needless to say our congregation had a strong music program relative to it's county. I always saw a 12 youth ensemble perform on Sunday Mornings, and in yearly concerts; Soon I joined a junior high ensemble, and then high school ensemble, along with the all inclusive youth choir; then also joined the adult choir around 16 or 17. Our high school also had a very gifted chorus director and I sang in that in 11th and 12th grade, both in the choir form and ensemble form; We put on a dinner theatre each year, and created a lot of great memories.

I went to a small SBC supported college, and majored in Music; singing in the chorus class, ensemble class, and had solo lessons; After two years I switched majors because I simply could not hang with the discipline demanded of my piano professor. Practicing 2 hours everyday with 18 hours of college credit is just not happening for this college guy; So I completed a degree in Communications; though I maintained my love of music and piano; I also on ocassion sang with the local church choir; Our CSU (Christian Student Union) had a singing ensemble and we sang for a few churches and also a football half-time;

My last semester of college I felt (had) an inward desire to become a pastor and attend Seminary. I knew nothing of Seminarys or my options, but was directed to SEBTS, and accepted. I started out with a general pastoral track, but of learning of a nice ensemble, auditioned, and was accepted, thereafter I changed my track to Music Ministry.
Again I sang in Open Chorus, Ensemble, and Solo Lessons. I eventually spent 2 years as a music director for a congregation; After three years in this track, I was convicted that God's primary means of transforming people was through Scripture, not song, so I switched from Music Track to Pastoral; needless to say, I had used up all my electives on music, and barely squeaked out of my aloted credit hours; In fact had to take several J-terms and summer terms to make up the time;

In Seminary I began to take up guitar, and made some gains, but nothing to brag about; I even taught piano and guitar in 4 homes. 1 home and a son and daugther taking lessons, a 2nd home had 3 kids taking lessons, another home actually had 7 kids taking piano from me at the same time, and that all sat in the room and dry erase board learning the musical terms and concepts.

That is about all of my music heritage, after graduating Seminary, I began preaching, and had little time for music, and that has been for the most part, the pattern for the last 12 years. I will close this section by saying, overall, I am not a great musician, I still struggle in reading rhythms and coming across natural, but I enjoy singing with large choirs regardless;

MY RELIGIOUS HERITAGE

This will be short. I was at church 4 days a week. Sunday School, Church, PM Service, Wednesday Service. VBS, January Bible School, 5-6 week long youth camps, 4-5 ski trips, 4-5 Carowinds trips, travelling to the mountains for apples with the seniors, yearly revivals, 4-5 lock-ins, some RAs (Royal Ambassadors); All SBC, all an unstated Arminian viewpoint, all for 19 years. Even so, many wonderful parents and friends who treated me like their own son and nephew. I was very blessed at a level, despite the theological famine.

I went to an SBC funded college. I was not pleased with the lax policy and lax voice of the school. I cannot say I was a stellar soul either, but I didn't have much help either. In one class, a student brought forth my first ever experience with "Arminianism vs. Calvinism" discussion, I never heard this for 20 or so years, I quickly dismissed it off, being a pastor's son with such a heritage I would have surely heard of Calvinism if it were true, so begone I thought, and my hands were clean of it all.

At Seminary a few students were Calvinists, my typical response was, "I don't have time for debates, I am simply going to build friendships with the loss and be an impact, not get bogged down in all this in-fighting and discussion of history; I don't have time to read through all these issues, I want to go help people"...However, I can note 3 persons who really befriended me and took the time to (in a warm and friendly way) challenge me, expose the issues to me, follow-up with me about the Doctrines of Grace; I continued to reject it, but nevertheless they planted a seed that I could not shake off;

MY ATHLETIC HERITAGE

Bottomline: I wasn't much of an athelete. I did play tennis in 9,10,11 grades; and hung out at a tennis camp for 2 summers; (but was never that great) I ran cross-country in 12th grade; (and my times were horrible); I often played basketball in the church parking lot on Sundays, but was never a good player, despite being 6"3 I rarely ever touched the rim. I never touched a weight bench and was one skinny, scrowny dude;

After being mocked for my weakness through high-school and my first weeks at college, I decided to bury myself in the gym; My first week I could barely bench press 85 lbs; my progress was extremely slow and in retrospect laughable, but I at least became very defined in my upper body; The end of my senior year I think my max was 225, certainly not more; It was funny because my roommate would always start with 225 for 8 reps on his first set; but he was always positive and supportive in my efforts;

I worked out in Seminary for two years, and made great gains in that short time; My best bench was doing 265 for 3 reps, I tried that night to do 285 for 1, but got stuck half way up. After that school and life got busy, and I got burned out, so I didn't touch weights for another 12 years. I never in college or Seminary worked out my lower body, which all my friends said would help my overall weight gain and strength gain, but I found it simply too draining to squat, so I didn't.

MY MINISTRY EXPERIENCE

This spans 12 years and could easily take 120 pages to share, but let me share the mainpoints.

1st Ministry: Interim Pastor and I was still Arminian. Had a Secretary; Studied from 8-12, Visited from 1-5; loved the ministry; Congregation wanted to call me, Search Committee did not. Search Committee resigned, new committee was appointed and approached me, I declined, seeing the tension with the 5 previous families that would create;

2nd Ministry: Pastor: Small Country church; Was Arminian for a year; God changed my heart through Scripture, A.W. Pink's "Sovereignty of God", JM Boice's "Doctrines of Grace", John Owen's Death of Death. I became a militant Calvinist; On a side note, I was able to speak at a jail 10-12 times during this ministry, and that was fun.

I also created enemies by preaching on the Masonic Lodge, and 3 key members were Masons, I also preached against Santa coming down the aisle, which they still did despite my direct sermon addressing. On a Sunday I preached that "God does not love everyone since Jesus did not die for everyone." Tuesday all the deacons came to my parsonage after giving me 10 minutes notice, arriving in the church van with one united voice that I resign immediately; I agreed.

3rd Ministry: Interim Pastor, following a closet Reformed Pastor. Search Committee interviewed me, but called someone else; I don't think the leader of the Search committee was Reformed; I will not share all the reasons why.

4th Ministry: Interim Pastor, search committee approached me. I declined; because I already knew it had too many Masons; 7 months later I preached on the Masonic Lodge and reaped a storm, but they were within 2 months of calling their pastor;

2 years without a ministry: Courted My wife, and got married;

5th Ministry: This is 20 pages of problems. After following the tradition of singing Happy Birthday every solitary week before the Doxology for four months, I ended the tradition, and created major relentless enemies; After a 3 year old came up on the pulpit for 8 weeks straight during the middle of singing, and prayer, and sermons, I mentioned it was a distraction to the deacons (of whom one is the grandparent), and created more enemies, when I merely said it was a distraction, as numerous families agreed with me. 2 Deacons never came, never heard one deacon pray, one rarely brought his bible, one only talked about sports; One Sunday Night Service a man had his cellphone ring aloud, and he even answered it and talked to the phone for a solid minute; There were 2 Masons there, and possibly 4, and I told a man my concerns which of course he passed on to his cohorts;

I got two anonymous letters given to me, and an anonymous note; I had deacon's meetings pointed at me, and not "ministering to the people"; One Night I get a phone call saying, "we need you in the fellowship hall." I show up to see 14 persons of the Church Council all in agreement to ask for my Resignation, though these persons never came on PM or Wednesday, nor ministry efforts; I agreed, but gave a 15 page resignation letter that Sunday exposing their evils of breaking the by-laws and failures in the last 18 months; Early that year I voluntarily submitted a 20% pay cut, but that didn't matter to them.

I have more battles to share, that have occured; one with my father who is an Arminian pastor, and at odds with my ministy, but that is a painful 20 page report; and also numerous battles with peer pastors who are Arminian;

I have not been in the pastorate for 2 years. I have sent my resume out numerous times, but realize I will never accept a congregation that I cannot be openly Reformed with to the search committee or congregation, which lowers my options dramatically. We also have committed to not attend a congregation that cannot openly preach Reformed Theology, exposing the errors of Arminianism; Thus we have to drive 38 miles one way (mostly interstate) to find such a ministry. It is only 5-6 families, but it has solid preaching, solid focus, and very warm and loving leadership.

I have failed to indicate the many, many blessings and strengths that I enjoyed at each ministry; There were positive encounters and wonderful friendships at each ministry, even while surrounded by opposition;

I have failed to convey my own failures at each ministry; I have several areas of weakness to grow in, and mistakes made; (albeit, none in my opinion warrant being fired and isolated...and their opposition has revolved around Arminianism, Masonic Lodge, Santa Claus, Church Growth, Singing Happy Birthday, irreverence, and Tradition;)

I have failed to convey the daily, weekly, monthly thanksgivings of God's goodness, mercy, grace, and overflow, that has constantly been present;

I have also failed to include issues around my conversion; but as it is, what I typed is lengthy already; I guess it just takes time to get to know someone;

IN CLOSING

There is tons more to share, but these are the basics. I have been staying home with my 2.5 year old son. Though I deeply desire to be in the pulpit, and also desire to be the breadwinner for the family; I have searched for jobs, but have not found any that would allow my wife to quit her job and us avoid major debt; I am against having both of us work to merely pay a babysitter; If I am making 8 an hour then all my money is going to a babysitter, and I have lost time with my son.

I am really torn now, wanting to preach, but feeling my hands are tied; I have applied to 4-5 Reformed ministries, but none responded; In the past 12 years I have also filled served numerous pulpit-supply opportunties and found trials with their either Arminian or Masonic theology. I have two good friends who share similiar and even harder trials.

I am afraid that this has been too self-centered and self-absorbed, but it may convey more about my mindset in addressing future topics of discussion.

You can get to know more about me by:

> surveying my "Beliefs" page,

> interacting with my Facebook Info and Facebook Chat,

> I have also kept an on-going Quote Blog;

Now...how can I get to know you???