Author. Preacher. Missionary.
For twenty years I have been a gospel preacher, a missionary across four continents, and now an author. This is the story of how those three vocations came together, and how the work continues.
I was born in Forgan, Oklahoma, in the Panhandle, where most folks farmed or ranched and the closest neighbor lived three miles down the section line. My parents farmed and raised cattle, and I learned early that real work and real faith were two expressions of the same thing.
I finished high school at Chisholm High School in Enid. By the time I graduated, I knew I would not be content to stay in any one shape for the rest of my life. What I did not yet know was that the Lord had three different vocations waiting for me, and that I would end up doing all of them at once.
After my high school diploma, my first credential was not in preaching. It was a certificate in Electronics Technology from Autry Technology Center, earned while I was still trying to discern what God wanted from me. From there I attended Northern Oklahoma College. Kelly and I married in 2004, and together we made the move that changed everything: I enrolled at the Memphis School of Preaching. I graduated in 2006.
Twenty years later, in 2026, I completed my Bachelor of Bible and Ministry at Amridge University. I have considered furthering my education to the master's level, but for now I would rather spend my time researching and writing. Either way, the studying never ends. The Lord willing, I will be studying Scripture to the end of my days.
After Memphis I preached in northern Tennessee, then moved to Oklahoma to take another preaching work. From there I spent a few years working as a directional driller in the oilfield while preaching part time. After that I moved to Buna, Texas to preach. Not long after, Kelly and I moved to Vidor to launch the Manna Project full time. I founded the nonprofit in 2010 to train and equip brethren for gospel preaching and church planting in some of the most difficult mission fields in the world.
The Manna Project now trains and equips brethren around the world. Today the nonprofit is headquartered at Forest Hill Church of Christ in Memphis, where Kelly and I make our home and where I preach. I have personally preached the gospel in more than forty countries, and I am not done yet.
I have never been only a preacher. Growing up on the farm I learned to build, repair, tend animals, rebuild equipment, garden, and raise crops. I have built literal houses, church buildings, schools, and barns. For a few years I worked as a directional driller in the oilfield, long hours in difficult conditions among some very godless men.
For years I have operated the Manna Farm, our research and development operation. We grow the crops native brethren grow in third-world countries, using only the tools they have access to, so we know firsthand how to help. I raise cattle and sheep alongside the work. All of it prepared me to do the work I do now, in the way I do it.
I have written for various Christian publications, taught a few classes in the graduate program at the Memphis School of Preaching, and spoken at lectureships and conferences across the country. I have also conducted gospel meetings and mission training seminars on four continents.
I began writing the books in 2023. The first four were published in 2026: a guide to biblical manhood, an examination of temptation, a study of what Scripture actually says about the devil, and a call to mature past mere permission-based faith. Many more are already in the works. The Lord willing, the shelf will keep growing.
People often ask when I have time to write. The honest answer is whenever the body and the schedule allow. A 2013 car crash broke my back, and the surgeries the following year did not put an end to the pain. Late at night when sleep does not come, I write. In airports and on airplanes between trips, I write. I try to use every opportunity the Lord gives me.
Almost every eight to ten months I have a small procedure to deaden six nerves in my back that cause tremendous pain. The nerves regrow, and the pain returns. When it does, I can barely leave my favorite chair for weeks on end. Those weeks have become some of my most productive: reading, research, writing, and editing.
Kelly and I met through mutual friends at church camp on Labor Day weekend 2002. We fell in love instantly and married in 2004. She has been my rock, best friend, helpmeet, and the best wife and mother to our children I could have ever hoped for.
Our two children are grown. Both love the Lord and his church and are extremely faithful. One is married now, and the other is still in college. They are the most concrete evidence I have that the work is worth doing. Whatever the books accomplish and whatever the mission work yields, this is the line of fruit I care most about.
Kelly. Then and now. The Lord has been kind.
Our family today.
Married Kelly, in the providence of God.
Graduated from the Memphis School of Preaching.
Founded The Manna Project in Vidor, Texas.
Four books published. B.A. completed at Amridge University.
Still preaching. Still writing. Still flying out for mission trips and gospel meetings. The Word is still enough.