In the third grade I was somewhat of the class clown. I didn’t stay at my desk, I didn’t do the class work or the home work. One day as I was leaving after class was dismissed the teacher stopped me and said: ‘Tony you are dumb and will never amount to anything.’ Those 10 words set my self image that, at times, I still struggle with today.
I graduated the eighth grade and began the ninth grade at age 16. I was failing once again. Therefore I decided to quit school and work in my parents bowling alley. When I met and married my late wife, Linda, we moved into a small one bedroom apartment in Brentwood, MO. At age 21 we had twin boys.
At age 25 we moved to Centralia, IL. With-in a year I was very discouraged and didn’t know what was missing. Since Linda grew-up in the church she decided to take the boys to church and Sunday school. The church was starting a revival and our four year old twins came home excited and wanted me to go with them that evening. I had to work so I promised to go the next evening. Linda and I accepted Christ that evening. About six months later I felt the call to full time ministry. It took a while before I told Linda since when we were dating she said she would not be married to a minister. When I told her she said she knew it and I needed to talk to the pastor. The pastor said he knew it and he was just waiting for me to catch up.
I signed up to for GED classes and the test at the Jr. Collage in town, and with God’s help I passed. Our daughter was born shortly after I passed the GED. I was offered a church in St. Jacob, IL that began in June. It was a student appointment that would allow me to attend McKendree Collage.
After my first semester I had a 1.2 Grade Point Average. They considered dropping him out because they were trying to get their accreditation and were flunking people out at a 1.1 GPA. A few people stood up for me one of whom was a professor who taught study skills. When he tested me he found that I was reading at a third grade level. He accused me of cheating on the entrance exam. I saw God’s hand at work once again. I made it through collage with honors while serving a church, raising three children, and attending collage full time.
Linda and I and the three Children moved to Wilmore, KY where I attend seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary and I graduated in 1978. Over the next eight years I was appointed to several churches. Pulpit ministry was not a good fit for me so I spent some time with a vocational counselor. After some testing the counselor determined that I had a form of dyslexia. Now I had a name for what held me back and it wasn’t “dumb”. Shortly after that I found my ministry at Eastern Illinois University, as the Wesley Foundation Director. I remained there for the next 16 years before retiring to Gulf Shores, AL. Linda had been fighting cancer for 9 years and she died two months after they moved.
Marguerite and I met and married almost a year later. In June 2018 we moved to Westminster Village, a retirement community in Spanish Fort, AL.
I was reading a publication that my brother, Bob, sent me. In it there were three questions that I found myself drawn to. I heard God speaking again and again urging me to share these questions with as many people as possible. I felt like a journal format would be ideal. After answering the questions I again heard God telling me to share some up-lifting Bible verses on each page. With-in a week or so God had given me the outline of the book and many verses of Scripture to be included. In December the manuscript was ready to send to the publisher. With only a few minor revisions the book went to press.
Now I am a published author.