The Lord Used 911 to Change My Life Forever
Before 9-11, I don’t think I spent that much time contemplating changing where or how I ministered. My family and I were quite happy serving on staff as the Senior Pastors at the Family Worship Center in Bay City, Texas.
Shortly after the tragic events of 9-11, I sensed God was calling me to a different type of ministry. I had no idea of what He had in mind or where, I just knew it was going to be something different. Of course, not too long after 9-11, the war in Iraq took center stage as the ground war began in March 2003. As I watched the news of what was happening over there, I developed a real burden for our service men and women in Iraq and their families back here in the States and started to wonder what I might do to bring ministry to them.
At the same time, I was receiving a steady stream of Army recruiting postcards in the mail. I sent off for more information thinking that I was probably too old, too overweight, too this, or too that for the military, but what really interested me was the ministry of the chaplains. To my surprise, an Army Chaplain Recruiter called me, and what started as a simple interest brought lengthy conversations.
At first, it seemed like it might be a dead end for me because of my age. I also started having conversations with our Assemblies of God Military Endorser, Chaplain Chuck Marvin, a former Navy Chaplain of 32 years. He asked me if the Army had offered me the chaplain candidate program. I said I didn’t even know such a thing existed! To make a long story short, the Army said I was too old for their candidate program, but the Navy waived the age limit for me to be in theirs.
Shortly after I realized that military chaplaincy was a real possibility for me, I sought the Lord as to where He wanted me to go for the necessary educational requirements to pursue this adventurous dream of becoming a chaplain in the Navy. Of course, the natural choice for me was SAGU because Waxahachie is my hometown. Nonetheless, I still wanted to hear from God.
I believe I heard from the Lord when SAGU was more responsive than any other school in helping me get admitted to the Harrison School of Graduate Studies. For me, hearing the voice of God was as simple as finding the school that wanted to help me the most. SAGU won hands down! The faculty and staff could not have made it any more of a joyful and pleasant experience than it has been for me. I love Southwestern!
We worked as Youth Pastors in Freeport Texas at First Assembly of God from 1990 –1992 for Rev. Claude Johnson. He is my father-in-law, but even more, my friend and mentor in ministry. He gave me a great foundation from which to start a 16-year (and counting) service to the Lord in ministry.
We worked in Pasadena (Central Assembly of God), Texas from 1992 – 1995 for Rev. Gary Chapin, then Rev. Ken Jones as the church went through a pastoral change. From there, we worked at New Life Assembly of God in Houston for Rev. Lindel Buck for a short time.
Our first Senior Pastorate was in Laurel (First A/G), MS from 1996 –1998. From there we went to Family Worship Center A/G in Bay City, Texas. This was our last “church stop” and full-time ministerial position before coming to SAGU to go to school full-time.
Since enrolling at SAGU in August 2003, our lives have been a whirlwind of education, work, parenting, and ministry. I worked here in Waxahachie for Odyssey Hospice for 6 months in 2005. This was great ministry experience in dealing with people who are very near death. I’ve also done 4 OJT’s (On the Job Training) for the Navy in Newport, RI, Great Lakes, IL, Ft. Worth, TX and Quantico, VA. These Navy OJT’s have also been invaluable to what God is calling us to do in the Navy.
Now, as far as SAGU is concerned, I cannot begin to say enough of what it has meant to me to be able to earn a Master of Divinity at the Harrison School of Graduate Studies. From the very start the staff at SAGU offered the finest help and support. The thing that makes SAGU so special is how, at just the right moment, God arranged it so that I could complete a M.Div. without having to move to Missouri, or any other place, causing me to have to uproot my family once again. I consider it a great privilege to be the first to graduate from SAGU in the Master of Divinity program.
I have found every professor to be of the highest academic caliber as well as people of impeccable spiritual integrity. These men have poured their very lives into mine to help me do and become what God wants me to be! I owe them a great debt of gratitude.
All my classes have been so helpful and interesting. I also think my fellow classmates are what has made my experience at SAGU so rewarding, especially a man by the name of Dave Pointer, a retired Army Colonel. I’ll never forget my professors and the many friends I’ve met here. I’ll carry their memory with me around the world on Navy ships and every place I am stationed with Sailors, Marines and Coastguardsmen.