I was only one and one-half years old in the Lord. During that first year of faith, the elders of my church believed that God had a call on my life. They were willing to risk it all and pay for my seminary and a portion of our expenses so that I could move from being an undercover investigator in Miami, Florida, to a servant of the Lord. I believed them and, by faith, enrolled at RTS. I was on an unparalleled adventure for Jesus. This was a brand-new life with many faith challenges awaiting.
Near the conclusion of Greek in the summer of 1976, my wife and I questioned our calling. We met with a professor with every intention of leaving seminary. He advised us not to leave and then immediately received a phone call. When he finished the call he said, “You are preaching in Liberty, Mississippi, this weekend.” I preached almost every Sunday throughout the three years I was enrolled at RTS.
My rather newfound faith was fed on a daily basis. I fell in love with Jesus, the Word, and developed a deep relationship with the God of my salvation. I remember leaving my campus apartment early one morning after reviewing our budget with my wife. She was working part-time with the State Department of Education and, along with being a student, I was the campus photographer and started my own wallpaper hanging business. We knew this was going to be a difficult week. Between two classes, while on my way to Chapel, I stopped at the business office to check my mail. An anonymous check for the exact amount of our projected shortage was in the envelope. I was ecstatic! I walked briskly to the chapel and upon entering found two-hundred men singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” To this day, I am reminded of His amazing love and care for me. I was a lost man seeking nothing until Jesus called me into a saving relationship with him.
Dr. Robert Davis, the senior pastor of Old Cutler Church in Miami, took me under his wing and mentored me for eighteen months. I read all he gave me. I worked with kids of all ages. I taught a Sunday school class and then preached a few times in the evening worship. That was the first layer of the foundation of my future. The years since my graduation have moved rapidly. Every week, I thank God for the privilege I had of studying at RTS under some of the great men of the age. To this day, I am blessed.