I was born in Kingsport, Tennessee in 1959. My dad was the pastor of the local Church of God (Anderson) congregation. Dad’s church was a very simple, small white frame church sitting by a stream that would occasionally flood during spring rains. Even though we moved away from Kingsport when I was nine, for some crazy reason, it seems–and always has seemed–magical.

I’ve taken some time to write down forty lessons I’ve learned in forty years of ministry.

In a previous blog post in July of 2021, I told the story of a major health crisis that changed everything for my mom and stepdad. We were now face-to-face with a season of life that requires a new approach for my mom and stepdad.

It’s a long story. On Monday, February 7, I arrived at the doctor’s office. I gave the best description I could describing the pain of a constant sore throat. And then he said four words I've heard him say many times through the years: "let's take a look."

It was November of 1999 and life could not have been more exciting. We had moved from our 55,000 square foot building tucked into a lovely neighborhood in northwest Oklahoma City to a new 200,000 square foot building sitting on 80 acres. We had around 1,500 people attending our church at the time, and I was completely focused on helping my growing "flock" move to a new home.

How would we leave the beautiful church on the corner in a wonderful neighborhood after forty years? How could I help our church family properly celebrate the past while anticipating the future?

The writer of Ecclesiastes has written a brilliant statement that deserves our careful consideration of its meaning: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens … a time to be born and a time to die ..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

Six weeks ago, our world was turned upside down...