Can you tell us about your family? Can you share about where all God has had you serve in ministry?
I met my wife, Jennifer, at Falls Creek, June 18, 1991. We have a stone outside of the tabernacle commemorating that special day. We were married two years later at Park Hill Baptist in Tahlequah. After a few years of working and preaching as an evangelist and while doing “Experiencing God,” the Lord called me to start a formal educational journey. So, at the age of 26, this high school dropout and GED graduate enrolled at Oklahoma Baptist University. Jen worked, I went to school and preached. This would be our journey for the next several years, as I went to school in Memphis and Fort Worth, finally graduating with my Ph.D. After serving in evangelism for more than two decades and preaching all over the country, God opened the door for me teach homiletics at Southwestern Seminary. I would spend 7 years at Southwestern as a professor and evangelist. During this time, God allowed Jen and I to adopt a precious baby boy that we named Christian, after the character in Pilgrims Progress. Shortly after that, I felt God calling me into the pastorate. We returned home to Oklahoma and by the providence of God I am now in my 8th year as senior pastor at Coweta, First. Jen has been with me the whole way and that precious baby boy is now 12 and about to enter our youth department.
What a great testimony! The Lord has given you a heart for evangelism. New reports show that baptisms are declining in the SBC. Can you talk about some keys to evangelism?
I think it begins with a burden. I am preaching through Acts right now and we get a snapshot of Paul’s burden that drove his missionary journeys in Romans 9:1-3. I believe that our beloved SBC Zion has, generally speaking, become somewhat apathetic. It is like the man that said to his friend, “I believe the two greatest problems in the world today are ignorance and apathy. What do you think?” His friend said, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Truth be told, many of us just don’t care. If we’ll become burdened for the lost, evangelism will follow. It is the burden to see people become worshipers of the Triune God that should motivate us. It is what drove me to do evangelistic preaching last Tuesday night at the Salvation Army homeless shelter in Tulsa. It is also what drives me to share my faith in one on one situations. It begins with a burden. Get that settled and the various methods will naturally follow.
Can you talk about some of the ways the Lord has been working through your church in Coweta?
God has been doing some amazing things as we focus on inviting people to our living room (corporate worship), moving them to our dining room (small groups), and ultimately getting them to the kitchen (outreach and mission teams) where they can serve and share others. Besides the normal amount of discipleship opportunities, we have a number of unique spaces God has allowed us to serve. For example, last summer we took a team of nearly 30 people to a Sioux reservation in South Dakota and are currently gearing up to go to different reservation. We have a Horse Camp ministry every Summer for kids and youth. We have partnered with several community ministries which have allowed us to serve free meals, gather food for local food banks, as well as feed and worship in the Tulsa Salvation Army. We have an ongoing prison discipleship ministry in Lexington prison. We have members that volunteer at the Hope Pregnancy Center. I am teaching a new converts class and we are about to baptize four brand new believers, all adult men. In short, Aslan is on the move!
You’re a frequent speaker at events and ministries. Who has helped shape your ministry and calling?
I was led to the Lord and discipled early by an African American named Jesse Joyner. I always emphasize the fact that Jesse was black mainly because I want people to know that the Gospel overcomes racial barriers. Jesse, who now resides in glory, was the first to pour into my life. I have been blessed through the years to have various Aquila and Priscillas pour into my life, several who now reside in glory. Some of these have been highly educated professors, others just “ordinary” pastors, but all of them a massive part of who I have grown to be. Being part Native American, and having cut my teeth in our Native churches and ministries, I am extremely grateful, especially for those in that special community, for their investment in me. I have become, by grace, “scholarship on fire,” I have been blessed to wed both head and heart, all for the glory of God. I believe that is why God has opened up so many doors for me.
Your church is a leader in missions and giving. Why is it important for churches to give through the Cooperative Program?
Simply put, because I believe in the Cooperative Program (CP). The sun never sets on the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) for a reason. Not only does it allow us to put thousands of missionaries on the field, it allows us to touch the world with so many ministries, few of which our churches could be partnered with if we were alone. We determined that we were going to give a charitable percentage of our budget to the CP as we have been able personally to receive and see the benefits of our giving. Bottom line, our giving touches the world and this allows all of us, big and small, to play a part. Thank you for allowing us to participate.
