I
was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a place I don't get back to much
these days. But I loved growing up there, and it's a beautiful place.
Have you seen downtown lately?
I have a wife, Vicki, and 4
children: Brandt, Jarrod (married to Abbey), Stanford and Sarah Beth
(married to Hawtin). Jarrod and Abbey have given us our first
grandchild, Price, and she's beautiful of course (I've got pictures if
you'd like to see them) They're all extremely supportive of each
other and they're a ton of fun to be around. You'd like them.
I received degrees from The
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary. A really solid education, but I think I've gotten
over it.
I'm grateful to have been able
to write, arrange, orchestrate and produce music for choirs and
orchestras for nearly 40 years. Some of it I'm really proud of. Then
again, I look at some of it and wonder, “What was I thinking?”
I've been blessed to serve a
few congregations in Texas, Tennessee and Mississippi mostly in the role
of Music Minister or Worship Pastor. There's nothing like walking
through life with the people of God.
Speaking of which, one of my
favorite things in the world is participating in various music and
worship conferences around the country or accepting an invitation for a
composer weekend with many of you. It's a thrill to do real things with
real people for a real God.
Miscellaneous stuff: Early
morning, with a cup of coffee and an open Bible, is my favorite time of
day. It's really hard for me to pass up an art gallery or a book store.
It's equally hard for me to pass up a Sonic limeade. Some of my best
friends don't even live anywhere near me, yet somehow we maintain a sort
of intrinsic connection. I spend an awful lot of time outside in our
yard –growing stuff, killing stuff, trying to resurrect stuff. Vicki
says that 5 hours on my John Deere is worth 6 months of therapy. One
meal, with our entire family present, does me more good than 100 meals
alone. A couple of days with this whole crew, and I'm on overload. I've
learned that grace isn't described so much as it is demonstrated.