Tuscola Church of the Nazarene
Tuscola, Illinois 61953
217-253-3541

• Education: I presently hold a Bachelor’s Degree (B.A.) in Biblical Studies from Nazarene Bible College. This is a fantastic four year school that is fully accredited! Campus and online classes are available for this strong program! WWW.nbc.edu If you find my sermons helpful you can be sure that NBC gets a great deal of the credit! If you don’t, you can blame that on me!
• Experience: I served as a Youth Pastor (pester?) in Oklahoma before taking on the role as a senior pastor in Illinois. I have preached in nursing homes (but who hasn’t, right?) and for camp meetings and other special eccumenical functions.
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: One day I hope to write sermons as well as you!
• Sermon or series that made a difference: THIS GENERATION has been the sermon that generated the largest immediate response. BROKEN has been the most powerful sermon God has yet given to me. The BROKEN sermon has touched many lives and been preached more by myself and others more often than any sermon I’ve written. I can’t begin to number the people who have gathered around an altar in response to this one. God continues to use it to challenge those who are cold and self-righteous in their faith. THE FIRST BIG-TENT REVIVAL seems to be the most popular in a multi-denominational setting like this one. So I would venture to say that it has universal appeal.
• What my parents think of my sermons: They’re never awake at the end to ask.
• What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: I don’t know! She won’t tell me. I guess that’s why we’ve stayed together for 11 years!
• Best advice given to me about preaching: KISS: Keep It SHORT Stupid! On using Illustrations with narrative passages: "Why use a story to tell a story? The sermon comes equipped with its own!" "A scripture cannot mean what it never meant"
• Books that have had an impact: PREACHING THAT CONNECTS-- Easily the most powerful and under-rated homiletic instruction book on the market! FRESH WIND FRESH FIRE -- an oldie but a goodie!
• Hobbies: I love to read and write almost as much as I love fishing and seeing people fall in love with Jesus!
• Something funny that happened while preaching: My wife had read my sermon (I’m a manuscript man-- it’s true!)before services one Sunday morning. While in the pulpit I realized that she had somehow gotten the pages mixed up. They weren’t numbered. The more I tried to get them back in order, the more confused they seemed! Finally, following this huge, awkward silence from the pulpit, I announced my predicament. I quipped, "Well, since my notes are in shambles, I guess I’ll just have to shoot from the hip and preach from my heart!" A parishioner shouted, "It’s about time!"
• What I want on my tombstone: Forwarding Address: John 14:2-3