Springwater
Gresham, Oregon 97080
503-661-5551

• Education: B.A. Religion, Mount Vernon Nazarene College 1991 Master’s of Divinity, Nazarene Theological Seminary 1994
• Experience: Church Planter 1994-1998 New Directions Church in Wilsonville,OR Senior Pastor 2000-present Springwater Church in Gresham, OR
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: They’re free! For crying out loud, if you can find better then go for it! More seriously, all my messages are fully texted in order to avoid redundancies and mistatements. That doesn’t mean they are grammatically sound from every angle. Moreover, it is very typical to depart from the script and extemporaneously address issues. Or speak to the audience using only selected statments. Having a full text is not bondage it actually allows for greater freedom in the pulpit. And it does wonders to eliminate frustration. Use what you can!
• Sermon or series that made a difference: The Joshua series of messages impacted me and my Church in a great way. Turn around Churches need to be immersed in books like Joshua and understand the conditions and climate for conquering new spiritual territory. Without boldly confronting these issues and courageously risking it all; a turn around will never be experienced. A Biblical model for turn around can be found in this wonderful O.T. book. Use these messages to set the stage for spiritual activity in your Church. Not all the insights are original with me, in fact I narrowed my study down to address the particular issues relevant to our local Church.
• One of my favorite illustrations: So many illustrations, so little time! I am biased to my own personal ones that tell of actual experiences I have had. They are too numerous to mention! My favorite analogy: "I wish I could change people as fast as I can change a diaper" See the sermon "Growing in Grace"
• Family: Married to the lovely and dynamic Cambria Hunter. Three small children, Grant, Brianna and Tanner. Second to none, the most exciting form of Church growth is biological growth. Be fruitful and multiply. Amen?
• What my parents think of my sermons: When Mom finally said it was a good sermon, it was indeed a good sermon!
• What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: She’s my biggest fan.
• Best advice given to me about preaching: Don’t feel bad about using material not original with you. In many cases, a false sense of guilt prevents us from gleaning insights from others and presenting the most effective message. If you want to be an effective communicator, learn from the best! Preaching also has a lot to do with whats in your heart. So get to the heart of the matter! Let people into the interior of your life when your preach. Don’t hide, people want to know you are human and you struggle. Have a heart, and let it show.
• Books that have had an impact: Turn around Churches by George Barna Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren Boundaries by Cloud and Townscend Control Freak by Les Parrot
• Hobbies: Enjoy hiking, camping, boating, skiing, and generally anything that has to do with the outdoors.
• If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: I would say what Jesus said in Acts Ch. 1 when He ascended into heaven. See my outline study, "Ascension lessons for today."
• Something funny that happened while preaching: My first Sunday at Springwater Church was quit an eventful one. As I stepped up to the podium, I activated the wireless microphone, somehow I set off a fury of distortion. The seemingly endless volume of noise was eventually silenced by the swift action of a sound tech. Hands were wringing, faces were grim, a deadening silence fell over the crowd. In an unusual moment of wit, I blirted out, "Now that’s what I call a static reception!" At that, we all laughed together and proceeded with the message.
• What I want on my tombstone: His mouth stopped moving here!