About

IF YOU…

• Want to experience a thriving, intimate relationship with Christ…
• If you want your marriage to be off-the-charts joyful and honoring to Christ…
• If you want your children and their children and their children to carry on a legacy of faith for generations…

Then you are in the right place!

Equipping you to build generational faithfulness in your family

and all three of the things you are wanting for you and your family go into accomplishing that goal. How do I go about helping you do that? Glad you asked…

Here’s what you can expect to find on this website…

• Practical tools and counsel to help you thrive in your relationship with Christ. I don’t believe in “10 easy steps” and “magic formulas” but I do believe in practical, real-life truths that will actually help you grow closer to Christ, because HE is the source of life! I want to help you move closer to Christ.
• Expert advice (learned the hard way) about how to build a Christ-honoring marriage. I’m not a natural at this… I’ve had a lot of help (from my wife) – and by God’s grace, we’ve been able to build a healthy, strong, intimate marriage that honors Christ. I want to help you create that kind of marriage relationship too.
• Real-life guidance on how to raise children who love Jesus and are faithful to His word. We’re not finished at this but we’re on the way. God is proving Himself faithful to use the things we’ve done in our family (that HE taught us), to create a genuine, personal love for Christ in the hearts of our children. I’d love to help you develop those kinds of hearts in your children.

I’m the guy providing all this, not because I’m anything special, but because the LORD has graciously given me a life full of experiences and gifts that equip me as a guide in those areas. I’m a seasoned Pastor, gifted teacher, and crazy-for-the-family kind of guy who wants to help you get your family on track for Jesus’ sake.

My story…

I grew up in a fairly small town in the panhandle area of Texas. It isn’t the end of the world, but you can see it from there. I am the youngest of 5 kids born to a hard-working man and woman who wanted to do everything they could to see their kids thrive in life.

My mother came to faith in Christ shortly after my oldest brother was born – November of 1951. A woman from a local Baptist church knocked on her door, was invited in, and gave my Mom the greatest gift she’s ever received. That knock on the door, and the faithful woman who knocked, were the beginning of my spiritual journey. I’ve never met that lady, but I can’t wait to meet her in heaven. She’s got a big hug coming, because that’s where the beginning of my great blessings began!

I was born 16 years later, and the following Sunday I was in the church nursery. I personally came to faith in Christ at the age of 5, the later part of 1972, as well as Mom and I can figure it. The foundational doctrine of salvation I learned then has continued to shape my life, and has shown me over and over again just how blessed I really am.

I got married while in college, to the most wonderful woman in the world (my world, at least)… Mindi. I tell her all the time that she’s been God’s greatest, and seemingly favorite tool in my life. He’s used her to shape me into the man He desires me to be. With God-given discernment and intuition about relational stuff, she helps me greatly… especially in understanding our kids

The LORD has been so faithful to us… uncommonly so, it seems. We often look at each other in amazement as we watch our children live out the biblical truths we’ve taught them. We know that Christ has been faithful to His word, and has blessed us greatly through applying it to our lives.

I’ve also been blessed to be able to serve in full time ministry most of my adult life, in one form of pastoral ministry or another. I think I’d do it even if I weren’t paid, but I’m thankful I’ve never had to.

Being able to serve in pastoral ministry has put me in a pretty unique position over the years. I’ve been able to see a variety of people in a all kinds of circumstances, and how the word of God applies to their lives. And I have had the privilege to apply the teaching of the word of God to my own heart before I’m able to apply it to anyone else.

And I have been forced to be an example. Don’t get me wrong… I don’t always feel like I’m worthy to be an example, but I recognized early on that for those who are called to serve in ministry, it’s not optional. People look to you, and expect a lot from you. I’ll be the first to tell you that my family is not perfect, but one thing we have done is this: we’ve taken the responsibility to be an example very seriously (Philippians 3:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Timothy 3:4-5; 1 Timothy 4:12). And it seems like we’ve been able to do so without our kids hating that we’re in ministry.

As of February 1, 2013, I have retired from over 20 years of pastoral ministry to focus more on this ministry, and I’d love for you to join me in this mission!

10 random things about me that have little to do with anything else I have to say…

1. I’ve been known to yell at the TV screen.
2. I typically don’t like the “home team” – no matter where I live.
3. I was once struck by lightning – indirectly. Maybe that explains a few things…
4. I play the drums, bass guitar, and I-pod.
5. When I was in high school, the bumper sticker on my car read, “If you love something, set it free. If it doesn’t come back, hunt it down and kill it.”
6. My big brother quit picking on me the minute I got taller than him. Go figure.
7. I have learned more from my wife than from any other individual on the planet. No doubt.
8. When I was in grade school, I rushed home every afternoon to watch “Speed Racer.“
9. At my funeral, I’d hate it if anyone said, “He had such potential…
10. My wife says I make up words… often… in sermons.

My suggestions to make the most of this site…

• Engage in the conversation through the comments section at the end of each post. I’d love to interact with you, and others would too!

• Join “The list” to receive updates on recommended resources, events, webinars, video-conferencing, etc AND to get my weekly “Conversation Starters for Couples” email.

• Subscribe to the blog so that you don’t miss a post (you can do that at the very top of every page, or the bottom of each post)

• Help me get the word out by sharing this site on your social networks!  Buttons are provided on the right side of every page and at the bottom of each post.

• Subscribe to the Christian Home and Family Podcast. I’m having a great response to it so far… so join in on the excitement!

• Take some time to watch my 22 minute “Partner” video to learn how YOU can make a difference in the lives of families for generations to come!.

• Connect with me personally anytime through the contact page.

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What I believe

This section is known as “doctrine” and in all honesty, can be kind of boring and dry to people who are not well acquainted with the church.

That’s O.K. I understand.

But what we believe matters. Right beliefs lead to a right faith and therefore right living – so it’s important to state and understand these doctrinal issues.

If anything I’ve said here is confusing or unclear – please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you with a response asap!

What I believe

I focus on Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible in governing all areas of my living and beliefs. In summary my beliefs are:

I believe in one God, who exists eternally in three co-equal Persons: the Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit.

I believe in the Bible as the Christian’s primary source of authority for faith and living.

I believe that people are born sinful both in identity and action and are therefore separated from God.

I believe that because of His love for people, God made a way to overcome our sinful bent by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die as a payment for our sinfulness and disobedience. His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead provide the only avenue through which restoration with God the Father is possible.

I believe that through the simple, personal act of depending on Jesus’ death as the full payment for their sins, each individual can be restored to a right and intimate relationship with God (becomes a Christian).

I believe that once a person has placed their trust in Jesus Christ in this way, they receive within themselves the Holy Spirit, who is their Helper, Teacher, and Guide in all areas of life and spiritual knowledge. The Christian is to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to transform their character so that over time they begin to take on the character of Jesus Christ. The Spirit also provides supernatural gifts to each Christian, as He desires, for the benefit and health of the church.

I believe that provision is made in the work of Jesus Christ – His life, death, and resurrection – for the healing of mankind in body, mind, spirit, emotions, etc. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are to be practiced today. However, Jesus’ provision for healing does not guarantee that healing will occur in every case. All healing, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual occurs only as God, in His sovereignty determines it should.

I believe that all people who place their faith in Jesus Christ are united together into one unit, one “body,” called the church. With Jesus Himself as its leader, the church is to gather together for prayer, teaching, community, and worship. These are done for the purposes of knowing God intimately, equipping each member to help others in the church, and to spread the message of salvation and spiritual growth through Jesus to their individual communities.

I believe there will be a bodily resurrection of all people. For those who have received Jesus as Savior, this resurrection will be one that ends in eternal life in the presence of God forever. For those who have rejected Jesus as Savior, it will be a resurrection that ends in eternal judgement.

I believe that the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ could happen at any moment, and will be literal and visible This hope in Jesus’ return is a wonderful incentive to holy living and faithful service for all who place their faith in Jesus Christ.

About men & women

Since this is a website focusing on the Christian home, it’s not only inevitable, but necessary that I say a few things about the hotly debated issue of men and women’s roles. So, here goes…

From the first pages of the scriptures, on through the New Testament, there is clear indication that God designed men to be the primary leaders – in their families and their church communities. So no, I don’t believe that male roles of authority or leadership are culturally determined. Neither do I believe that this design is an outgrowth of the fall of humankind. I believe the scriptures clearly teach that God decided and determined these things when He created men and women uniquely different. That doesn’t mean that men have the right to be bossy, bullying, or abusive to women in any way. And it doesn’t mean that women are “second-class” in any way. It simply means that men and women are designed by their Creator to be different, and are therefore intended by Him to carry out differing functions in marriage and the church – roles that complement each other.

When it comes to marriage, this complementary order gives us a living illustration of the Gospel message: Jesus’ love for His bride, the church. Paul distinctly and clearly says that the way a man leads and cares for his wife is to demonstrate how Jesus leads and cares for His church (Ephesians 5:25-28), and that the wife is to be submissive to his God-given leadership as she would be to Christ Himself (Ephesians 5:24). In saying this, Paul is telling us that our marriages are to be gospel plays, dramatizing how Jesus loves His church and how His church responds to His love. We are also taught that men are to lead their wives and children in loving, understanding, compassionate ways (1 Peter 3:7).

In regards to church leadership, I believe that the Bible teaches that the primary leadership and teaching roles within the church (Elders/Pastor) are reserved for men (1 Timothy 2:12-14). This doesn’t mean men are better, or smarter, or any such nonsense. It simply means that God has ordained men to be leaders in the church, and did so in part, because of how he designed them.

Having said that, I also believe that all Christians (male and female) are called to service within the body of Christ, and that God has given both men and women important and strategic roles within the home, the church, and the society. However, those roles look very different exactly BECAUSE men and women are designed with differing purposes in mind. In other words, this biblical distinction of roles does NOT exclude women from meaningful ministry in Christ’s kingdom.

I’d also like to freely admit that men do not have a very good track record when it comes to these things.

History shows that male oppression of women has been, and in some cases still is common. I believe that any man who mistreats a women through coercion, violence or the threat of it, intimidation, physical dominance, or any other actions apart from loving consideration of her as a woman, is misrepresenting both manhood and Jesus Christ. The role God has given men is a role of provider, protector, and servant-leader – not tyrant. Every man is called by God to give up his very life for the women in his life. This is one of the ways he shows Jesus to his wife, his church, and his world.

If you have any comments or questions on these issues… feel free to shoot them to me!

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