Senior Pastor

Name: Gary Singleton
Spouse name: Kim
Children’s names and ages: Magen, 22 and a DBU graduate; Bailey is a sophomore at A&M, 20; Taylor is a Senior at Berkner HS, 18
Pets: Many imaginary cats
Ministry at The Heights: Senior Pastor

Education: BS – East Texas State; Master of Divinity – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Doctor of Ministry – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

If I could snap my fingers and appoint the next President of the United States along with 5 other key leaders to lead our country from among anybody in our nation’s history, the next President and additional 5 leaders would be... For President, I'm going to have to go with Abraham Lincoln. He was a good man, and he knew how to lead in the midst of a crisis. As far as an additional five leaders, I would go with Billy Graham for spiritual guidance, Colin Powell on foreign policy, Chuck Colson to oversee prison reform, George Washington to keep us connected to our roots and the original purpose for the founding of this nation, and last but certainly not least ... John Wills to handle all the details. He's simply the best I've ever seen at handling details.

When it comes to spring cleaning … I don't like it, but I do it - the yard that is. Kim takes care of the house, which means the house gets a thorough cleaning any time we have company.

Right now I am reading … "Vintage Jesus" by Mark Driscoll, "Experiencing Prayer with Jesus" by Henry & Norman Blackaby - and the Bible ... by God! I just finished re-reading "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell, and I just finished "The Effective Executive" by Peter Drucker. I'm still slowly working my way through N.T. Wright's book, "Paul," and through the book "Static" by Ron Martoia.

If given the choice, the one thing I would certainly do before summer would be … Get away for a week with Kim in Hawaii. Okay, I'm just dreaming - but it would be fun!

When I think of the “greatest,” the first thing that comes to my mind is…because… God (I know that's what you expect a preacher to say, but honestly that's the first thing that came to my mind) because of His grace, and the way that He loves every single one of us even when we mess up. Even when everyone else turns their back, He's still there offering love, and grace, and forgiveness. I need a lot of that in my life.

One thing in life that is working for me is… My marriage. I love Kim more today than I ever have in my life. We are soon to be "empty-nesters" and thinking about spending the rest of my life with her thrills me.

One thing in life that is not working for me is… My diet. I like sweets way too much. And even though I work out consistently, I still look like the Pillsbury doughboy and my triglycerides suggest that I have powdered sugar coursing through my veins.

What is the most memorable quote you have heard or read recently? It's by Mark Driscoll in Vintage Jesus, who laments how Jesus is portrayed by so many as someone who is boring and dull. They portray him as: "the school wallflower who never got the punch line of any joke because he was too busy memorizing Lamentations while Herod's kids gave him wedgies, (which) is precisely the cause of so many people thinking that going to church and going to the dentist are virtually synonymous." Driscoll goes on to say: "In reading the Gospels, you get the picture that Jesus was actually a pretty fun guy because he got invited to a lot of parties with some pretty wild people and crowds gathered around him because they enjoyed his company. Furthermore, how could Jesus be fully human and not occasionally tell a decent joke, when Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is 'a time to laugh'?".