Who is Paul?
The blog is about Jesus – but some of you might be wondering who is this guy, Paul? A trophy of grace – by that I mean I shouldn’t be a pastor, shouldn’t have even survived my past. Too many wrong turns, eight years in a cult, too many close calls, father committed suicide when I was 9, add it all up and I should have died when I tried to drink myself to death. But God… I can’t tell you how many times God patiently pulled me out of the pit I dug for myself. Like the Apostle Paul (though not anywhere near his maturity or insight), I was the least likely to be called.
It was at a Promise Keeper event that God got a hold of me and made the call clear. I’d been in the Word all my life, but often resisting the Spirit and battling with the flesh. This was the end of the indecision. Though I’d given up everything to follow Jesus in the past, it was time to do it all over again with no looking back. Sold my business and became an assistant pastor, studied through correspondence (more jumping hoops than learning). Uneasy about the denomination I was with, I started a home church. Two years later the home church merged with a dying church here in beautiful Sedona. The church is now doing well, small but dynamic and reaching out.
My current interest is researching the cultural and linguistic background of the New Testament texts. I’ve written two books, Through the Bible Daily Devotions and Jesus Concealed in the Old Testament, and am currently working on John’s Rabbi. I hope to take it to a Bible College in a third world country and teach it to the students in June of 2010. Anyone interested in helping with some of the expenses?
Honestly, I started the blog to help sell the devotional. It has really helped our church to mature in Christ. There is a whole hospital staff in Dallas that have it. I get comments of appreciation from around the world, but haven’t been able to get a publisher. So I’m self publishing and getting the word out any way I can hoping to get a publisher to take the packing and shipping off my hands. Anyone know a publisher?
My hope is that I challenge you to love the Lord more than ever before and that I learn from your insights as well. You’ll find I won’t argue doctrine ad infinitum, but just state the Scripture that I believe backs my stance. As long as our Christology is the same, we have unity. He’s everything to me!
PS The picture is of me playing the role of Jesus in an Easter production by Pottershand Productions. (the beard is dyed black, I’m too old to keep doing this role. Volunteers?) I should have mentioned my beautiful wife, 2 fantastic children that now each have two of their own wonderful kids.
