I wanted to dedicate this web site to my dad. Many of you never meet him, but some of you may feel you do, because I mention him a lot in my sermons.
My dad grew up north of Dallas in a community called Frisco, Texas, where my grandparents had a farm. I have heard many stories growing up about my dad picking cotton and slopping the hogs. All these events help shaped the way he looked at life. One such event was when his brother Alvin, and him snuck off down to the river one summer afternoon (after being told not to go) for a swim. They were playing and having a good time when Alvin got caught in the current, cramped up, and started to drown. My dad did his best to help save his brother; however, the current was too strong, and he could not hold on to him. In fact, dad always said he could feel the hair of his head slipping through his fingers as the current tore them apart. At the age of ten, that changed my dad’s life forever. I remember as a boy, he would never ever go fishing, swimming, or have anything to do with water. As a kid though, it was still hard to understand why he had no desire to do those things with me.
After he finished high school, the first World War had started. He was immediately drafted into the Army. This was a time of his life that he was not proud of. Through records that the family has obtain, we know that he was a private. By the time World War II came, he had surrendered to be a preacher. So, he enlisted and served as a Lieutenant Chaplain in the Navy and was stationed in New Orleans, LA. Yes, that’s right, he served in two different armed services. After the war, he served as pastor of a Methodist church in South Texas. We actually have pictures of him on the site from the 40’s.
One of my Dad’s greatest gifts was that he was a marvelous storyteller. He used to entertain us with a story about when he worked as a gold carrier for dentists in thirteen different states of the upper northwestern states. He said that his car had a flat, he had to walk into town to get it fixed, and when he returned a police officer was waiting by the side of his car. The officer said that he thought he had better stand guard until he returned because of what was in the back seat, a few bricks of gold.
Another story he loved to share was about when he got into the turkey business. When he told this story, it was like he was making a confession. He had taken the money that belong to God (his tithes) and decided to start a turkey business. He spent so much time on the road that he asks his dad to help him out. He would buy the turkey and his dad would take care of them. One day while traveling, he received a telegram from his dad. It said, ”Son, come home quick, turkeys are dying like rats.” Needless to say, that was the end of the turkey business. Then, he would stress to us that God had a way of collecting what was owed to Him, and it was always taken with interest.
Dad also had a large brood of children. There was Carmel, Homer, George, Carol, and Cathy, Phillip and myself, plus two stepsons (Clifford and Jimmy) and one stepdaughter (Patsy) which were never referred to as stepchildren. He outlived two wives before my mother. In fact, Jimmy is the one responsible for getting my mom and dad together. It was in San Angelo, Texas at a youth fellowship between several churches that my mom lost Jimmy. When she found him, my dad was carrying him around trying to find out who he belongs to.
After this time, somewhere around the late 40’s to early 50’s, he went to a preacher conference in Fort Worth, where he meet J Frank Norris, and became great friends with him. J Frank, as dad called him, was instrument in him converting from Methodist to Baptist. He said that one day, after years of knowing each other, he said, “You’re not Methodist, you’re Baptist, and just don’t know it.” He said that they had a good laugh, and in the weeks to follow, he eventually changed denominations.
Dad was also great friends with Billy Graham, Jack Hyles, H. A. Ironside (whose son John and dad meet while he was running gold), Dr. John Rawlings, Lester Roloff, Dr. John R. Rice, and Dr. Bob Jones of Bob Jones University’s. I can personally remember traveling to Bible conferences with my dad and they would introduce him as “Father Abraham” because he was 66 when I was born, and 68 when my younger brother Phillip was born.
If I had to name one thing that my dad taught me that is still impacting my life today, it would be to be a student of the Word and learn the Bible. He started teaching me at a very young age by having nightly devotions, many times he referred to it as our Family Alter. Our family would gather for a few minutes, he would read from the Bible, and then explain to us what it meant in childlike terms. Dad always had a desire for his children to know and serve the Lord, and I am proud to say that we all did serve in some capacity.
My dad was my hero, and I contribute all my biblical training to my dad. He planted a desire in me early in my life to learn and understand God’s Word. I thank the Lord every day for giving me a Dad that had a personal relationship with the Lord and a desire that each of his children did also.
My hope today is that this website will do the same for others that my dad did for me. That through sermons, stories, and sharing the gospel in words you can understand that you too will grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
Love you dad. May you feel joy in heaven knowing that your son is carrying on the tradition of sharing the gospel with others.