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1962
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My parents are saved as adults; family begins attending Bethel Methodist Church, Columbus OH.
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1963
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Moved to Peters Township, PA. Family ends up settling in at Fairview Presbyterian Church.
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1970
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I begin attending a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church with a friend; hear the gospel presented clearly for the first time; accept Christ as Lord and Savior after a Youth for Christ concert where I am shocked by the song, “I wish we'd all been ready.”
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1970
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Completed catechism classes and joined Fairview Presbyterian Church.
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1971
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Revival begins in our high school through a Bible study group meeting at one of our neighbor's houses; many teenagers come to Christ; Bible study moves to our house, since we have the largest gameroom.
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1971
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Baptized in water through the neighborhood Bible study.
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1971
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Begin taking teenagers saved in revival to church with us; some conflicts between them and the conservative culture of the church.
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1971
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Receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit at a Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International meeting in Washington, PA.
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1972
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Session of the Fairview Presbyterian Church asks our family to resign from membership; felt that “we would be more comfortable worshiping elsewhere.”
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1972
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Family begins attending a Christian Church of North America (Italian denomination) in Washington, PA, because they were willing to accept the teenagers that the Presbyterian church would not.
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1972-73
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Asked to join a Bible Quiz team through Youth for Christ. Fell in love with Bible Quizzing. Asked to join an All-Star team to compete in the national tournament. Finished 2nd individually.
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1973
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Family moves “back home” to Columbus, OH. We join Trinity Assembly of God. I become active both there and in a Methodist youth group closer to home.
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1975
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I begin my studies at Oral Roberts University, where I greatly enjoy exposure to many leading evangelicals. Begin my studies as a business major, and later add a Bible major.
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Spring 1977
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First date with Wanda Colleen Hammack, an Assemblies of God pastor's daughter from Vermont.
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Summer 1977
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Went through a time of inner turmoil conflict concerning my future. Surrender to God's calling to ministry.
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Fall 1977
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Asked to join my roommate, Warren Pellom, as youth director in a small Methodist church about an hour from Tulsa--my first “real” position of ministry.
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Thanksgiving 1977
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Wanda and I become engaged to be married.
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Spring 1979
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Asked to become the youth pastor at Carbondale Assembly of God in Tulsa, OK, under the ministry of J.L. McQueen.
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May 1979
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Wanda and I are married at Trinity Assembly of God, Columbus OH. Two days later, I receive my License to Preach from the Ohio District; immediately transfer license to the Oklahoma District.
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Fall 1979
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Start a Bible Quiz team at Carbondale Assembly. The rookie team finishes 2nd in district (state) competition. Through working with the team, I memorize the book of Romans. A wonderful time of spiritual growth.
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Summer 1980
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Begin writing Bible Quiz questions. George Edgerly (the “father of Bible Quizzing”) reviews them and asks me to write for tournaments.
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April 1981
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Accept a Youth/Associate Pastor position at First Assembly of God, Warren OH, under the ministry of Oliver Dalaba. Very challenging ministry situation--good results, but difficult every step of the way; results in substantial personal spiritual growth.
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Summer 1981
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Asked to become league Bible Quiz coordinator for Northeast Ohio; a few months later, asked to become District (State) Coordinator.
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Fall 1981
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Asked to become a member of the National Bible Quiz Advisory Committee. Begin writing Bible Quiz questions for practice sets. Later asked to write official League sets; eventually author sets for District, Regional, and National competition. Writing questions greatly improves my Bible knowledge, and helps me grow closer to God.
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Early 1985
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Begin to feel that our time of ministry in Warren OH is nearing completion, after seeing phenomenal growth in the youth ministry-although still a very challenging ministry position. Seek God's leadership as to direction. Knock on many doors. Finally begin to understand God's direction to return to school and earn a MBA. God provides a full scholarship to ORU.
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Fall 1985
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Return to ORU. Begin attending Christian Chapel, under the ministry of Richard Exley. Become active in a home fellowship group; later become co-leaders of the group. Learn much about accountability and support through small groups.
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Spring 1986
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Seek God's direction for employment after graduation. Explore work in area of church management consulting. No doors open. Then am asked to consider joining the business faculty at ORU; feel that this is God's leading, although I really don't know what teaching is all about.
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Fall 1986
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Begin teaching at ORU, and also begin Ph.D. studies at Oklahoma State. Discover that I love teaching, and begin to discover the joys of educational administration.
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Fall 1991
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Begin to feel that it is time to leave ORU—that with two degrees from there, and six years teaching experience, it is time to learn how things are done somewhere else.
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Fall 1992
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Move to Atlanta, GA to begin teaching at Kennesaw State University. Begin attending Faith Family Church, Acworth GA, under the ministry of Tommy White. Soon asked to be an Elder in the church, and take on many pastoral roles, including leadership of a home fellowship group.
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Fall 1993
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After being married for 14 years, Wanda and I are blessed with our first daughter, Laura Elizabeth.
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Fall 1993
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Asked to join an accountability group at Kennesaw State. Group is composed of one Methodist, two Episcopalians, one Catholic, one Lutheran, and me. The group is very supportive as we all try to live our Christian lives on a secular college campus. They are also very encouraging as I attempt to complete my dissertation, which runs into major roadblocks.
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Spring 1995
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Our world falls apart. We lose a child through a miscarriage. Wanda loses her job as Registrar at a Christian graduate school because of internal politics. I receive notification that my contract will not be renewed because my dissertation is still not finished. And then—on top of it all—Pastor Tommy discovers that the church secretary has embezzled a significant sum of money from the church.
We turn toward God, although we are hurt and angry. Our home fellowship group provides us with comfort and support. My accountability group at Kennesaw State helps me to deal with my anger and disappointment. And we grow…and seek to discover God's direction for the future.
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Fall 1995
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Suddenly the dissertation roadblocks disappear; the defense is successful; the graduation finally occurs. At the graduation party in Tulsa, I receive prophetic words of encouragement to think about a higher-level position in Christian higher education.
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Spring 1996
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I receive three job offers: one as an Assistant Professor at a state university in Texas; one as an Assistant Professor at a private, secular university in Florida; and one as an Associate Professor, Division Chair, and Masters Program Director from a Christian college in upstate New York. We clearly sense that God is giving us choices, and that he could bless any of the choices, but that his direction is for us to return to Christian higher education (of course, while it had the best titles of the three, it also had the lowest compensation package)
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Fall 1996
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After moving to Rochester NY, we begin attending Greece Assembly of God, then end up at Calvary Assembly of God, where a new pastor, Robert Reeves, begins ministering.
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1996-98
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Our two years at Roberts Wesleyan College are great fun. The pace is extremely fast. I start their first master's degree program in management, we earn specialized accreditation through the ACBSP for the business program, we hire several new faculty, etc. Most importantly, we hire Steven Bovee, a former student and colleague from ORU, to teach in the masters program. Steve has aspirations for administration, so I become his mentor.
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Spring 1998
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I am contacted by LeTourneau University concerning leading its business division. I do not want to leave RWC, but feel God's leading to talk to LeTourneau. Shortly thereafter we agree to the move to Texas. Steven Bovee assumes my positions at RWC.
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Fall 1998
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We move to Longview, Texas, and begin attending First Assembly of God, under the ministry of Randy Carter. We become active in the church, including co-teaching the College class. Our second daughter, Rachel Marie, is born.
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Spring 1999
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We are asked to “fill in for a few weeks” at First Assembly of God in Carthage, TX. The few weeks become five months of pastoral ministry. Two years later, we are asked to serve the same church again for a few months-which really is just a few months, the second time around.
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2000-01
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I serve as coordinator for a spiritual growth group of faculty. Once again, the accountability process is a great encouragement for spiritual growth.
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Fall 2001
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We feel led of God to begin teaching a parenting class at First Assembly of God. While we certainly don't feel like experts, we know that it is important to obey God. The class is a beneficial experience for both us and the students.
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Fall 2004
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Our daughter Laura, after a several incredible years as a Junior Bible Quizzer, becomes old enough for Teen Bible Quiz. We start a Middle School team at Longview First Assembly of God, and finish second in the South Central Region of the country our rookie year.
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Summer 2006
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We move to Overland Park, Kansas, where I become the president and chief executive officer of one of the business accrediting associations. We start attending Faith Chapel and start a Teen Bible Quiz ministry.
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Summer 2009
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We begin our transition to Ohio and to Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
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Fall 2010
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We begin attending Harvest Christian Center in Mount Vernon and start a Teen Bible Quiz ministry. Team finishes 4th in the Great Lakes region and 15th in the nation its first year.
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Summer 2012
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We begin attending Lakeholm Church of the Nazarene in Mount Vernon, where our youngest daughter, Rachel, plays violin on the worship team and participates in the Teen Bible Quiz ministry.
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