ABOUT ME

I am 71 years old and have been married to my sweet wife, Meg, since 1976.  We have one child, Alissa, a son-in-law, Matthew, and three wonderful grandchildren, Dylan, Anna, and Audrey.

I was taken to the Methodist Church until I was 6 years old and did not attend church again for 20 years (except for one Easter when I was staying with a friend). In my teen years, I ceased to believe in (or think about) God and developed into a vulgar and immoral person whose major form of recreation was getting drunk and stoned.

I graduated with high honors from the University of Florida in 1974 (Phi Beta Kappa) and graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1977.  I began practicing law in Orlando, Florida in 1977. The following year, my brother John, who shared my worldly outlook on life, became a Christian and “dogged” me with the gospel. He pushed me to the point of objectivity, the point where I was willing to entertain the possibility that God was real, and once I opened my heart it all became so clear.

Pursuant to a promise I made to John, I read the New Testament in a modern English translation (NIV) and was just blown away. I then read Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict and Frank Morison's Who Moved the Stone. The reality of Christ and of his call to discipleship was heavy on me, and on June 14, 1978 I was baptized into Christ. I still recall the silence in my office when I announced to my colleagues, who had come to round me up for our Friday trip to the bar, that I was not going with them because I had come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Meg initially felt betrayed when I converted. It was as though someone had stolen the irreligious man she had married. Her friends even suggested to her that I had lost my mind. It was a tense time in our marriage, but thanks be to God, on September 17 of that year Meg became a Christian.

I shared my faith with many people at work, which upset some of the senior partners. I was blackballed from becoming a partner in that firm (as I suspected at the time and later had confirmed), but the Lord blessed me beyond measure. I joined another firm in 1980, became a partner and a successful trial attorney, and had a wonderful relationship with my partners and fellow lawyers.

I left the practice of law in 1987 to attend Harding University Graduate School of Religion (now Harding School of Theology) in Memphis, Tennessee. I graduated from HUGSR with a Master of Divinity degree in 1990. I was the 1989 recipient of the Velma R. West Greek Award and the 1990 recipient of the M. Div. Academic Award. From 1990 to 2004, I was involved in planting and building a house church (University Church of Christ) in Tempe, Arizona.  In the spring of 2004, I decided it was time to bring to a close that chapter of my service to the Lord. Our group essentially merged with a neighboring congregation, the Mesa Church of Christ. I have since taught Bible classes in that congregation and occasionally preach.

On April 26, 2018 I was honored as the Harding School of Theology alumnus of the year. I am grateful to all who had a hand in my selection. Here is a video of Dean Allen Black's introduction and my brief remarks: HST Award Ceremony (must turn the volume up to hear it).