I grew up on a farm in east central Indiana. Participating in farm responsibilities and in organizations such as 4-H, FFA, Junior Leaders, and area youth rallies helped me develop leadership skills. My undergraduate education was at Ozark Christian College (BTh, New Testament)  in Joplin, Missouri and California State University, Stanislaus (BA, history)  in Turlock, California. I majored in church history in my masters degree at Wheaton College and in higher education (college teaching) in my doctoral program at University of Arkansas.

I served as a full-time and part-time preaching minister for a total of thirteen years in Missouri, Kansas, and California. I taught six years at Central Christian College of the Bible at Moberly, MO, serving as academic dean one year. I taught thirty-four years at Ozark Bible College, now Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO. Seventeen of those years I was also academic dean. I retired from the college in 2006.

I have taught primarily in the area of apologetics, hermeneutics, and New Testament. Specific classes include Christ and the Bible, Apologetics, Hermeneutics, Introduction to the New Testament, Introduction to the Gospels, Life of Christ, 1 Corinthians, Philosophy, Logic, and Christianity and Science.

I served on the Commission for Accreditation of the Bible College accrediting association (1995-1999), now Association of Biblical Higher Education and on the Advisory Council for Good News Productions, International. After two years as a part-time associate editor for College Press, I was on their board of directors from 1982 to 2010.I have been a member of the Evangelical Theological Society since 1970 and am a member of the International Society of Christian Apologetics.

My wife Barbara, originally from Colorado, is also a graduate of Ozark Christian College. She completed a masters in library and information science from the University of Oklahoma and has worked in the reference department in Joplin Public Library and as reference librarian at Ozark Christian College. She retired at the end of 2006.

I have written eight books and over one hundred of my articles have been published in national magazines. My latest book, “Brother Boatman: A Man of Conviction Who Led by Serving,” was published in February, 2015. Several of my books are available in languages other than English. Christianity Stands True is available in six other languages.

Our two sons became engineers and our daughter specialized in audiology and American Sign Language. Our younger son was killed in a truck accident at age thirty-four. We have four grandchildren who are our delight.

Barbara and I have led tours to Europe and Israel. We spent the fall 1998, in Prague in the Czech Republic. Barbara helped with the establishment of a Christian library and I taught history in the Anglo-American College. In August, 2010, we spent two weeks in Amman, Jordan and the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary. I taught a graduate course on apologetics and Barbara assisted in the library.

In 2000, I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a fatal disease causing progressive scarring of the lungs. The cause is unknown and no cure is available except lung transplantation. I was privileged to receive a double lung transplant at Barnes Jewish Hospital in June, 2004. I have had some complications, but overall I am doing well. In 2005, Barbara underwent breast cancer surgery, followed by chemo treatment in 2006. She also is doing well.

In our local church I teach a Sunday School class. Since retiring, I am devoting myself to writing and encouraging others in their writing projects. We have had a Grandpa’s Bible club with our grandchildren. We enjoy having more time for family, especially the grandchildren.