Old Center Baptist Church
Albertville, Alabama 35950
256-572-1807

• Education: Graduated Distinguished Scholar from Boaz High located in Boaz, AL, in 1999. Graduated with a B.S. in Finance from Jacksonville State University located in Jacksonville, AL, in 2003. Some online seminary courses and laymen Bible courses as well.
• Experience: I was raised in a Baptist Church my whole life. Converted on August 17, 1987. My dad has been a Baptist preacher literally for the entirety of my life. He was licensed three days after my birth. I cut my teeth on old time religion and nothing else satisfies. I surrendered to the call to preach on August 1, 1999. The road has been difficult and I have made many mistakes to compound that, but the Lord has been faithful. I have had the privilege to preach across the Southeast and even one Northern excursion to Indiana. I have met some of God’s choice people, seen a few converted along the way, met some of God’s greatest preachers of the Gospel living today, and served with some of them in revivals, regular church services, and camp meetings. Anything that has been accomplished for the good is due to the mercy and grace of a loving God.
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: I am not perfect. My understanding of scripture is limited. I am not the first preacher to touch on the topics I preach about. However, God has called me and I want to be as faithful as I can. If you can, glean what you will and, if your sermons are filled with truth from the Scriptures, I’ll do the same. Let’s be fellow-laborers in the Cause of Christ.
• Sermon or series that made a difference: Bro Terry Pace (Evangelist, Scottsboro, AL) has probably had the most impact on me while I have been in the ministry. He preached a message in April of 2001 at the New Freedom Baptist Campmeeting in Hodgenville, KY, entitled "Failure is not Final" that changed my attitude toward the service of God forever. I have had to revisit that message many times as I have failed along the way. It showed me that even though we are servants of God, we are still human beings and human beings easily fail even in the service of God (he used the example of Peter denying Christ). However, with a God of Grace, failure is not final and we can repent and go on for the Glory of God. Bro Tom Hayes (Evangelist-Saluda, NC) has also had a great impact on me. He is probably the greatest expositor of scripture that I have ever met. He is able to take a verse of Scripture and deliver such truth from it. I love that style of preaching and study that way myself. My delivery, however, leaves a lot to be desired.
• One of my favorite illustrations: A passerby noticed a young man flying a kite in open field. The gentlemen looked for the young man’s kite in the sky, but the object was well out of site. Curious, the gentlemen approached the young man and said, "Son, what are you doing?" The young boy said, "Sir, I am flying this kite." The older gentlemen stated "How do you know its up there? You can’t see it. Its not visible." The young man replied, "Yes sir. I know that. If wasn’t for a little tug I feel every know and then, I wouldn’t know the kite existed. I look up and see nothing. But see that line sir, its as tight as a bowstring and as long as I am holding on, I can feel the kit pulling." Same way with the God. I believe in Him. I know he exists, but I have no tangible evidence to prove it. Thank God every now and then for a pull from another world. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
• Family: I am married to the most beautiful woman in the world, Allison Nicole Kitchens. The Lord put us together in August of 2005. He graciously let me know she was the one He had prepared for me one night while sitting on her front porch. The Holy Ghost visited us. We testified to each other, cried and thanked God for His saving grace. During all that, He spoke to my heart and put His finger on her. I had always heard He would do that, but never thought it would happen to me. But He did and I bless His name for it. We do not have children as of yet, but are praying and planning for them when God gets ready to bless us with them.
• What my parents think of my sermons: They do not always agree with me, but they have always been very supportive of the ministry and encourage me to do what I need to do to be pleasing in the sight of God.
• What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: She tells me when I flop. She tells when there have been times I have preached better. But she also tells me there is no other preacher she would rather hear. She tells me this was her opinion before we married and it has not changed. She’s always there to support me, pray with and for me. When I feel like no one else gets it or understands, I look across the congregation and see her smiling, sometimes eyes filled with tears, face that seems to say "I’m with you, no matter what."
• Books that have had an impact: The King James Bible, "Holy Spirit Power" by: C.H. Spurgeon, "Wolves in Your Church" by: Preacher Handley Milby, "Be Rich: Ephesians from the ’Be’ Series": By Warren Wiersbe.
• Hobbies: I like putting models together (legos, plastic model cars, etc...), hunting, fishing, reading. Just an average country boy.
• If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: "I have fought a good fight." The way I fought it might not have been good or perfect, but I know of no other better fight to fight than that of the fight for truth and right.
• Something funny that happened while preaching: The actual event wasn’t funny, but the Pastor’s reaction was. I was preaching in a small church in North Alabama one Sunday morning. During Sunday School, a man passed out on the pew and someone jumped and yelled "He’s dying of a heart attack." EMTs were called immediately and luckily were close by. They arrived about 5 minutes after the call. They began to work on the gentlemen. Soon the small sanctuary was filled with the sounds of oxygen tanks, medical radios resounding, and EMTs questioning the patient. The pastor, ever so sensitive the Spirit, said "While everyone is standing, let’s sing Amazing Grace." After the song and while paramedics were feverishly working, the pastor then said, "Come ahead preacher and give us what’s on your heart." So I did. I preached on "Sin, It’ll kill Ya."