About

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Nov. 8, 1971, was a day that changed the course of my life forever. My dad was married, had a 7-year-old son, two daughters — ages 5 and 3 — and his young wife was pregnant with their fourth child. That day he made a decision that would ultimately impact his entire family for the rest of our lives.

After a period of drinking to the point of becoming inebriated, he let a relative — who also had been drinking — drive his car as he rode along as a passenger. As they were traveling down a two-lane road in Tulsa, Okla., the driver lost control of the vehicle, veered off the road and hit a tree. The impact instantly killed my dad. This accident happened exactly six months … to the day before I was born and changed my life before I ever entered the world.

My mom was devastated for years. The emotional toll it took on her is something she still has never fully overcome. This one life-altering event led to a series of other events that created a pretty unstable environment as I grew up. My mom was gone quite a bit looking for work, leaving us four children at home to take care of ourselves. When she did find work we would abruptly move from where we were living and relocate to another town, changing schools, leaving behind our friends for the prospect of a better life. We moved so often that I attended 36 different schools from kindergarten through the 12th grade.

I spent the majority of my childhood living like this. We were homeless at times, living in state parks in western states just trying to survive. Often work, once it was found, was a family affair. We were migrant workers, picking fruits and vegetables in horrible working conditions to make ends meet.

Needless to say, growing up without a dad was difficult. But I turned out alright.

Since my childhood a lot has changed in my life. I am now a father myself to six remarkable kids, their ages range from 17 years of age on down to 2 years. I have five energetic boys and one beautiful daughter. I am married to an amazing woman who loves and supports me no matter what. Although this is my second marriage and her first, she has embraced the role of step-mom to my five oldest kids with an open mind and open arms. Where most women would be terrified, she has embraced the sudden role of dealing with teenagers and the challenges that brings to our lives. Like I said, she is an amazing woman.

I have spent the majority of my adult life working in two fields – Ministry and Media.

Ministry – God called me into the ministry when I was 19 and I have served as a youth pastor, outreach director, men’s ministry leader, evangelist and a roaming minister. Recently, I have been doing some inspirational speaking and sharing my story with various groups.

Media – I spent 20+ years working in traditional media, primarily in the newspaper business as a reporter, editor, circulation manager, advertising director, sales & marketing director, general manager and publisher.

Whew! That was a lot of reading. Now that you know a little about me feel free to subscribe (via RSS or email) to make sure you get my new posts as they come out. You can also check out my shorter random thoughts by clicking here.