I am the author and illustrator of a series of chapter books for kids entitled "The Adventures of Uncle Stinky." Book One will be released in May of 2004, Book Two in the fall of the same year.

I was born in 1961 in Columbus, Georgia. I was raised in the Atlanta area by two wonderful parents. My mom and dad made their four boys their top priority and celebrated the quirkiness of their third son who, as they said, “marched to the beat of a different drummer.”

I am husband to Cathy (an excellent teacher) and father to Zachary (13) and Kara (9), two of the greatest kids on the planet (absolutely no exaggeration, you can ask my wife).

As a minister, it is my desire to spend the second half of my life investing in the next generation. I established “Future Hope,” a nonprofit organization, as the primary vehicle through which to pursue this passion. This organization is designed to encourage parents and grandparents to be legacy-leavers and to encourage young people to understand their immense value and to pursue their divinely ordained destiny. We will continue to establish and expand the “We Can Make a Difference” Network of young people making a difference in their world. Future Hope also offers “the power of parenting” conferences and seeks to promote mentoring among men and equip them for the same.

Most all of what I do (except writing and illustrating) involves public speaking in one form or another. Interestingly enough, I struggled with a severe speech impediment (stuttering) until the age of twenty-four. As I yielded to a divine, albeit bewildering, call on my life to be a preacher, an almost unbelievable chain of events was set in motion that led me through a remarkable transformation (a story too grand to tell in this context). This part of my history, however, dives me all the more to speak to the hearts of young people saying, “No matter what the circumstances or obstacles, you are valuable and must believe that you have a vital role to fill in the world.”

As a young child, I loved drawing and creating my own comic strips and newspapers. Even as an adult, I’ve found myself looking for excuses to dabble in writing and drawing to make others laugh (hand made greeting cards, e.g.). Though it may sound hokey, while enjoying theme parks like Disney or Universal, surrounded by all of the characters and creativity, I would always experience a deep stirring in my soul – a feeling that I was created to be involved in a similar venture.

I love the outdoors, and hope one day to enjoy the luxury actually going outside for extended periods of time. I keep from going completely insane by exercising (running, stairmaster, and as much weight lifting as a middle-aged body can endure).