Richard is a bivocational pastor (called to the ministry at age 13) serving as the senior pastor at Blue Springs Baptist Church as well as the Municipal Systems Manager for Cleveland Utilities and the City of Cleveland. He is married to Lisa and has a daughter, Danielle who is a sophomore at Lee University and a son Jeremy who is in 8th grade. His hobbies include gardening, light farming, reading and hiking.
Education
- BS – Information Technology System Management
- MA (in progress) – Religion Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
- Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
- Cisco Certified Network Associate
Professional Experience
- Educational Specialist – Radio Shack/Tandy Corporation – 1986 – 1995
- Network Manager – Cleveland Utilities – 1996 – 2001
- Senior Network Administrator – Cleveland Utilities 2001 – 2002
- MNA – Cleveland Utilities – 2002 – 2008
- Municipal Systems Manager – Cleveland Utilities/City of Cleveland – 2008 – present
- Senior Pastor Blue Springs Baptist Church 1992 – present
Community Involvement
- Bradley Baptist Association – Administrative Leadership Team
- Ocoee Outreach Ministries
- Friends of the Library – 1986 – 1996
- Cleveland Area Technology Committee
- Advisor – Cleveland High School Technology Dept.
- Advisor – Polk County Schools Technology Dept.
- Chattanooga Metro Area Information Development Team
Favorite verse or book of the Bible and reason: Proverbs 3:5-6. Life verses given by pastor upon surrendering to call of ministry at Youth Camp.
Define (in your own words) what it means to be a godly man in your generation: Being a Godly man in this or any generation means to live a separated life unto the Lord while never becoming an isolationist to those who have yet to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus while allowing Christ to shine through you in word and deed!
Other than the presumed answer, “Follow Jesus,” what are one to three key lessons in life that you would encourage young people everywhere to consider? Learn from previous generations by embracing the Godly character and experiences they learned yet not repeating their mistakes; Never be afraid to be different by not conforming to the current world view but by being transformed by the Word of God; whatever you do for the Lord, always do in love and compassion for then we truly will be modeling the example of Jesus!
What are one or two dead end roads that you have found in your journey? Always be comfortable in your own skin. God made you for who you are, genuine and unique. Do not ever be someone else nor emulate someone else. Just be real by being who God created you to be! This was a very valuable lesson for me. Whatever path you take in life, make certain it is what you really want to do no matter how much or how little it pays. To have the peace and joy of heart, mind and soul is invaluable!
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