I Was Tagged By Scot McKnight

Okay.  I’ve been tagged.  As I understand this, I am supposed to share five odd or interesting facts about myself that most others would not know. 

 
1.  The first Bible I remember having was a "cemetery" Bible.  It was a big maroon study Bible — red letter edition (which I had never seen before).  My dad gave me this during a period of time in which he sold cemetery lots.  Inside this Bible were the words, "Grove Hill Memorial Park."  (They were giving these Bibles away to people who bought lots in the cemetery.)  I was probably about 9 or 10 years old.  I read all of the "red words" by Jesus.

 
2.  While I was in college, I met a guy at our church in Dallas who introduced me to some authors who would later have a positive influence on me.  He was a young African-American guy who had been a student at Pepperdine University.  He moved home, lived with his parents, and had quite a library in their home.  He introduced me to writers like C. S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, F. F. Bruce, and John R. W. Stott.  In those days, I was certainly not a reader.  However, these people caused me to think.

 
3.  I was once a UPS (United Parcel Service) driver.  Downtown Dallas!  I had been working for UPS while I was a student at the University of North Texas.  I would drive from Denton to Dallas and work from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.  Mostly unloading or loading trucks.  I graduated with a degree in business and had every intention of going into management with UPS.  I began driving a truck, delivering in downtown Dallas.

 
I enjoyed this job.  I gained such a respect for the ordinary people who work very hard and yet are almost invisible to many.  Every day, I dealt with shipping clerks, secretaries, small business owners, and many, many others.

4.  I went to a small Bible college for two years in Alabama.  (This took place after I graduated from North Texas.)  Ministry was the furthest thing from my mind.  However, I wanted to spend some time learning the content of the Bible.  It was a great time to think, pray, and ask, "What’s next?"  This was a very different culture.  I had not only moved to a new state but had come off the campus of a state university during the 1970s.

 
5.  In high school, I worked nights at a Jack-in-the-Box (in those days this was a drive-through-only burger place).  On weekends, I worked from 7:00 PM until 3:00 or 4:00 AM.  We were on a main "drag" in Dallas.  Car after car drove through this burger place on weekends.  I never realized how many drunk people are driving cars.  Oh my…after midnight, one by one they would come through — screaming, screeching tires, even passing out in the drive through.  To this day, if we are driving in the middle of the night, I wonder about who is behind the wheel in the other car.  

 
Okay — I want to tag Allen Bevere, Wade Tannehill, Scott Morgan, John Dobbs, and Bill Williams.