Mt Pleasant Baptist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana 46221
317-856-0589

• Education: I am a graduate of Purdue University with a BA in Humanities, Social Science and Education and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of Louisville, KY with an MDiv in Pastor/Evangelism. I am a second career pastor with an Associates Degree in Architectural Engineering Technology from ITT Technical Institute.
• Experience: I have served four churches since answering my call to ministry in 1981. I have been at my current position since 1989 as Senior Pastor.
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: Take these sermons as guides to your own creativity. That’s what they have been for me.
• Sermon or series that made a difference: The Purpose Driven Life and residual sermon materials have made a great impact on the ministry and life of our church but I have appreciated John Ortberg’s "God is Closer Than You Think," and most of Max Lucado’s work.
• One of my favorite illustrations: Soren Kierkegard’s story of "Duck Land." There was a Duck preacher in a Duck church who encouraged his flock of Ducks with Isaiah 40 "We have wings like eagles and we can fly!" All the Duck deacons quacked "Amen." And all the Ducks got up and waddled home.
• Family: I am a father of eight children with an ethnic mix. My wife and I have four caucasian biological children, two African American boys and two Haitian born daughters. We also have four grandchildren and three dogs. I have been pastor of Mt Pleasant Baptist Church for the last 18 years.
• What my parents think of my sermons: They are both deceased but they loved me and probably had a biased opinion - they thought I was okay.
• What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: Most of the time she’s realistically encouraging. On occasion she thinks I’m "awesome."
• Best advice given to me about preaching: Dr. Dallas West, ABC-USA’s Regional Executive of Indiana (1981), I went into the ministry, told me to not "always take yourself so seriously."
• Books that have had an impact: Max Lucado’s "Cure for the Common Life", Rick Warren’s "The Purpose Driven Life", John Piper’s "90 Minutes In Heaven", and Bruce Wilkenson’s "The Secrets of the Vine."
• Hobbies: I love camping and college and professional football as spectator (of course).
• If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: "If you go to hell its your fault!"
• Something funny that happened while preaching: In 1987 while preaching in a small, rural church in southern Indiana an older man stood up, interrupting my message with an illustration of his own. I stopped and allowed his story to take shape and as he got further into it I felt that he had some relevance to the point and thanked him when he finished. That never happened again, and I can’t remember what I was preaching on.
• What I want on my tombstone: This life was practice... Thank God, through Jesus, I finally got it right!