Hinterland Baptist Church
Worongary, *Province/Other 4213
61 7 55251184

• Education: University of North Alabama. Chemistry Major. Larrimore College, Missionary Baptist Seminary, Little Rock, Arkansas.
• Experience: Served four years in the U. S. Air Force during the Korean War. Worked as a Research Analyst and Chemist for Reynolds Metals Co. and 3M Corporation before entering the ministry. Have been involved in church planting and establishment ministry all of my ministerial life. Planted and established three churches in the U. S. before coming to Australia in 1969. Have been involved in establishing four churches and a twelve grade Christian School in Australia.
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: If you can find among my words the bare bones of something you might use to bring someone to the Lord or to encourage a believer, please look me up on the other side and tell me about it and we will rejoice together!
• Sermon or series that made a difference: So many messages by so many great messengers have been a blessing to me. The sermons of Angel Martinez are some of my favorites.
• One of my favorite illustrations: Why The Incarnation? (A True Story - John White) As I walked up the footpath through knee-deep snow, bent into the icy wind of a subzero blizzard, I saw our four excited young children at the window, waiting for my return home from the church study. Opening the parsonage door, I was overwhelmed by their excitement about the snow and their plans to build snow man. Before I could close out the wind and snow, a tiny snow bird, nestling for shelter in the corner of the eaves, was swept inside by a gust of snow-laden wind. The excitement of the children was immediately refocused upon the plight of this small bird, as it flew frantically from corner to corner of our lounge room, desperately seeking an escape from his strange, new, threatening environment, inhabited by, what must have appeared to him to be, a horde of screaming monsters. I opened the door again, hoping the tiny bird’s fluttering wings would guide it back to its natural habitat. By this time our frantic feathery friend was obviously near exhaustion, and we joined our children in an effort to shepherd it through the door leading to safety and salvation. All real life stories cannot have a happy ending, and for our children in particular, this one ended in trauma and tragedy. In one last effort to escape, the poor little bird flew into the opening above our large open fireplace, filled with burning logs. As they were being tucked into their beds that night and we faced the task of comforting them and reassuring them of God’s love for all His creatures, a bit of illumination seemed to come from the very heart of God. I said to them, "Didn’t we do all we could to help the little bird? Didn’t we try to show it the way out; to the place it would be safe and happy again? But it just couldn’t understand us. We just couldn’t tell it we meant no harm. We were so much larger and so beyond its little world, that it was only frightened of us." Then I asked, "How could we have told the little bird we cared for it? How could we have told it we only wanted to save it?" Their eager little faces immediately lighted up with understanding as they vied for recognition to answer. "Yes," they agreed. "If we could have only become little birds and talked bird talk for a moment, we could have told it we cared and could have saved it!" What a blessing was ours as we shared once more the old, old story of Jesus and His love, beginning with the incarnation of God in the flesh of man. Focusing upon the absolute necessity for God to come and walk as we walk, talk as we talk, feel as we feel, and become truly God in the flesh of man, in order to communicate to us the great love of God; that He might show us the way of escape from the awful fiery judgment for sin and give us His eternal love, life and salvation in Jesus Christ His Son!
• Family: We have four grownup children, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. We are dual nationals, having immigrated to Australian in 1969. All our children and grandchildren live in Australia, except for one daughter and her family who live in North Carolina. Our youngest son and his wife are missionaries to the island Republic of Vanuatu.
• What my parents think of my sermons: My parents are both with the Lord. Of their eight children two became ministers and one married a minister. Four of their grandchildren went into ministry. I am sure they rejoice around the throne when one soul is saved through the preaching of any of their offspring!
• What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: She is sparing in her commendations, but when she tells me she really was blessed by one of my messages, which she does from time to time, I can be sure it was a good effort!
• Best advice given to me about preaching: Just be yourself and preach the Word.
• Books that have had an impact: I am an avid reader. Many of the classic Christian books have been a blessing to me. Contemporarily, I am encouraged by Chuck Swindoll’s writings as well as Max Lucado’s. I enjoy reading history and good historical works and novels.
• Hobbies: Enjoy ten pin bowling and play a little golf and fish a bit when time permits. Enjoy writing and have written a few books. Have been published in some periodicals and have had a regular article in the Biblical Fundamentalist in Australia for many years.
• If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: Repent and be saved.
• What I want on my tombstone: He fought a good fight and kept the faith.