I am a graduate of Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN with Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Studies and have also earned a Master's Degree from Harding University in Searcy, AR in Marriage and Family Therapy.  I am licensed in Alabama as a Marriage and Family Therapist.  One passion that I have is to be a life long learner.  Currently, I am enrolled at Harding University Graduate School in Memphis, TN pursuing a second Master of Divinity and ultimately hope to earn a Doctor of Minsistry Degree with an emphasis in counseling.  I also annually attend Marriage and Family conferences to stay current in my work as a therapist.

 

 

God has led me to a ministry which I have found to be a great blessing as well as a daily challenge that stretches me to rely upon HIM.  As the Counseling and Involvement Minister at the Westgate Church of Christ I am able to serve both the body of Christ and the community as a whole.

 

Working in a church setting has afforded me the unique opportunity to access the most powerful and genuine support system in the world.  The church family has been a greenhouse for accomplishing the Biblical directive for growth as found in Ephesians 4, "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."  I also am an author and speaker.

 

 

I served in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to the Gulf during Operation Desert Shield and Storm.  My unit "Mike" Battery 4th Battallion 14th Marines was invovled in combat operations.  Our 155mm field artillery unit supported the U.S. Army Tiger Brigade in securing the area just southwest of Kuwait city as well as the southern most portion of that city during the war.  My experiences have taught me the realities of life, death, speperation and the true meaning of peace.

 

My first therapeutic work was as program manager of the Adventure Based Prevention Program and what is now "Camp 180" at The Bridge Inc., in Gadsden, AL beginning in 1995.  These are both innovative treatement and prevention programs for adolescent males.  I continued my work with The Bridge as the Clinical Manager and Program Manager of the Crisis Residential Program and became the first manager of the highly successful Recovery Center for teens in Ashville, AL before leaving to start a private practice in 1999.

 

 

I was born and raised in the mountains of East Tennesse just north of Chattanooga.  While I was fortunate to have godly parents and grandparents with strong work ethics and solid core values, I did not bother to adopt these values in my own life.  Beginning with an experience of childhood sexual abuse I chose a path of self-destruction that included alcohol dependence and an immoral lifestyle.  My bitterness and insecurities were experessed as anger in self-directed abuse.  In short, my solution to alleviate pain was to take the gun and shoot myself (figuratively speaking).

 

Directionless, I turned to the Marine Corps for a place to call home.  There I found a sense of worth and though it was at first superficial, it was not long before I found my calling or it found me.  While temporarily stationed at an Army Base, Ft. Sill, OK, I was led to Christ by Captain Tony Smith, USA.  Acceptance of Christ into my life that year eventually led me to pursue seminary studies.

 

I met my lovely wife, Traci in school and we have been married since 1992.  Her love and faith have been a key component in my healing process over the years.  Together she and I are raising two beautiful daughters, Melanie and Rachel.  Of course, we have found ourselves without the answers to many parenting concerns and have sought to grow and learn.  God continues to bless us as we walk with him.  I beleive my life experiences, my healing journey, and educational training have uniquely prepared me for the ministry of counseling.