Despite the name on this blog, most people call me Jim. Though I was born and raised in Illinois, I consider myself a naturalized Texan. Until recently I was the sixty-something pastor of the Worthington Baptist Church in Worthington, Ohio. I retired at the end of December 2014. I've lived in the Buckeye state for twenty-three years.
For those interested in such matters, I have degrees from both Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. My doctorate, from NOBTS, is in church history.
I was raised in Granite City, Illinois, a city which had five steel mills when I was growing up. Recently, my hometown had the distinction of having its own chapter in a book on the fifty worst places to live in the US. I would have never imagined it when I lived there.
While I was working on my degree from NOBTS, I became the pastor of the Dawn Baptist Church, in Dawn, Texas. The official population of Dawn was 88 (I believe they counted the dogs) and there was only one church. You had to drive fifteen miles to buy a gallon of milk. After living there for twelve years, I was called to my present church in Worthington.
So, I went from a tiny village in the Panhandle farming country to a suburb of the largest city in Ohio. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?
I am married and have two sons. My wife has been a teacher and school counselor during most of our marriage. She has been a valued member of any faculty she has served. My sons stay busy pursuing careers, but not too busy to find time for creative outlets for their talents. Both boys are married to wonderful and gifted women. I'm sure I'll say more about my family as time goes by.
In 2010 I began using this forum to share some of my sermons and other thoughts. Members of my church had asked me to make my sermons available; this was response to that request. However, the blog is my own and any opinions I share will not necessarily be those of the congregation I served. However, I do think you'll find most of my opinions fall within the pale of orthodoxy. Though I have retired, I hope to continue posting other sermons and material I hope will useful to you.
I hope you are blessed, encouraged, inspired, and sometimes amused by what appears here.
I have recently added an index of the Bible passages I've used. I will try to keep that up-to-date.
