I was saved in March of 1973 in Nashville, TN, in my senior year of high school. I graduated in June of that same year. I literally had one life goal while I was in high school – graduate. And since I made no real effort toward that goal, I was surprised I made it!
I had made no plans for college so I had no where to go come fall. But when fall came I started taking night classes at the University of Tennessee at Nashville. I had been to one, maybe two classes when I was hit by a car one night riding home from a friend’s house! I got confused on the neighborhood roads so I went back to McGavock Pike, a main road. As soon as did I was hit. I was pretty much laid up all that fall.
As I was recovering I discovered that my next door neighbor attended the University of Tennessee at Martin. In January of 1974, in a bad snowstorm, off I went to Martin to major in Pre-Forestry. This meant that after 2 years at UTM I would then transfer to UT Knoxville. I wasn’t excited about that, but there I was. That first quarter (UTM had quarters instead of semesters) I really grew in the Lord, discovered that Forestry wasn’t going to work, and felt called to the ministry. Oh yeah, I also met Mary! Actually, I met her in the first class. Well, we didn’t actually meet, but I did pick up her pencil. A couple of days later we formally met and pretty quickly developed a relationship. We went home for the summer – Mary to work at a camp and me to pump gas. I returned for the Fall quarter, but we got engaged and planned on getting married in 1975 so I dropped out to get a job (and because I didn't think Pre-Forestry was a helpful degree for the ministry).
Friday June 13, 1975 we were married. Mary continued her studies in nursing school and I was working at Sonic Drive-In.
Sometime in 1975 or 76 I started attending Mid-Continent Baptist Bible College in Mayfield, KY. It was a 45 minute drive from Martin to Mayfield, straight up Hwy 45. Might’ve been quicker using the Purchase Parkway, but that was a toll road and Hwy 45 was free! Two things stand out about Mid-Continent Baptist Bible College. First, the President of the school. I don’t remember his name, but he was the oldest person I had ever seen! When I introduced us I said we were up from Martin. No more than five minutes into the interview he asked, “How long have you been in Mayfield?” I couldn’t help myself, I answered, “About twenty minutes.” He didn’t laugh but I still got in! Second, the school itself. It was a Landmark Baptist school. What is a Landmark Baptist? Well, simply put, John was the first Baptist; Jesus walked 60 miles for Baptist baptism; the Apostles were Baptist preachers; the church in Jerusalem was the first Baptist church; give a man a new heart and an open Bible and he will be a Baptist. Yeah. No kidding.
Mary graduated UTM in June of 1976 and we moved to Memphis, TN. Mary went to work at Methodist Hospital and that fall I began attending Mid-South Bible College. MSBC was an old line dispensational school. I referred to it as "Scofield Tech" (because if you had a Scofield Reference Bible you knew exactly what they taught; the ‘New’ Scofield Reference Bible was referred to as “the Bible with the unauthorized changes and additions”) and "Dallas JR" (referring to Dallas Theological Seminary). As much as I wrestled with their anti-charismatic bias I will have to say I received a good theological foundation, at least compared to other Bible college grads I spoke with.
In 1978 our first daughter was born so Mary quit work to stay home with her and I went to work full time as a custodian at Audubon Park Baptist Church & School. My schooling slowed down considerably as I was only able to take night classes and a class during my lunch break. I still remember eating Vienna sausage sandwiches in the car on the way to class.
One day, after a year or year and a half of this, I can still picture where I was at work when I realized how close I was to graduating, but that it would require taking classes from other schools in addition to my work at Mid-South Bible College. It was clearly the Lord speaking to me, it was almost like a vision, it was so clear. I also knew at that moment that History of Western Civilization I & II was the biggest hurdle, since MSBC only offered it every other year and the upcoming year was the off year.
So that summer I went to summer school at Memphis State University. That was a trip!! History of Western Civilization I was a breeze, but History of Western Civ II was a different story. I have to admit that I did not learn how to study until that summer course in my senior year! It was at this time that I began riding my bicycle to school. That was in the summer and that fall and winter I also rode the bike to Bible College. A long ride, in Memphis traffic!
I also began taking correspondence courses from Fort Wayne Bible College. Yes, I said correspondence. In those days there was no online presence as there was no online, so all assignments were mailed in, then you had to wait for the response by mail to let you know how you did. Can’t remember all the courses I took by correspondence, just The Gospel According to John. All of this while still taking classes at MSBC. And working full time.
Finally, in 1981 I graduated from Mid-South Bible College with a B.A. in Pastoral Ministries. Oh yeah, I graduated Magna Cum Laude. I certainly did not see that coming!! Our second daughter was born that fall and shortly after her birth I became pastor of Brent Alliance Church in Pensacola, FL.
In 1984 we moved to Macon, GA and I became pastor of First Alliance Church. In 1987 we moved to York, SC so I could pastor Bible Covenant Community Church. Not long after moving to York I began correspondence courses from Luther Rice Seminary. Still correspondence courses but I moved up in the world – I bought a Word Processor. A what? Everybody knows this is an app on a computer (or phone), but computers were rare in those days. The church had an electric typewriter, but I had none; so I bought a Word Processor, sort of a mix between a typewriter and a computer. Alas, the school was mostly focused on critical matters, “Write a paper proving Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles” and such. That was of no interest to me. I did write a few papers that were very profitable and edifying but I also got several responses that said something like, “This is good work but please refrain from writing on topics without prior approval.” Ha! What I got the most from wasn’t approved and what was approved I got nothing out of . . . this wasn’t working so I threw in the towel.
That was the end of my formal schooling. I’ve read a lot since then, but nothing for a grade. Anyway, that’s what I thought about on the way to Augusta: After high school I went to . . . schools.
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