How Jesus Changed My Life

As a teenager, I was the last kid anyone thought faith in Christ and gospel ministry was in my future.  Today, being happily married to my high school sweetheart with five children and serving the Lord Jesus in the local church and missions is purely because of God’s work of grace. 

Before Christ, I was the typical rebellious kid who hung with the wrong crowds and ignored any moral instruction my mom tried to teach me. My rebellious streak landed in me in legal trouble, and a deal with the district attorney allowed me to move to my grandparents' house. Living with them brought the kind of order and stability I needed. It was in their home and through their influence that I began to actually pay attention to the things of Christ as the Holy Spirit began opening the deafness of my ears and softening my hardened heart. For a long time, I tried to resist the work and denied I cared about God’s truth or my soul, but God graciously kept working and calling me to Himself.

During this time, I got plugged into a youth ministry at a local church and started dating a young lady in the group named Marsha. God used my grandparents and relationships in the local church to eventually crush my pride, make me stare my sin and guilt in its spiritual face, and bring me to my knees in confession of sin to God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I vividly remember the night I collapsed to the floor in utter weakness confessing my sin and faith in Christ.

My life took a different direction after that night. Prior to coming to Jesus, I was a terrible student, hated school, and was too proud to act like I cared about anything much. After faith in Christ, everything changed. I suddenly could not put the Bible down, I cared about things I did not care about before, and I wanted to talk about the gospel constantly.

Marsha came to faith about the same time as I did. We married just after high school and have been growing in Christ together ever since we both became new creatures in Christ. She is a godly woman, and I love her, her faith, and her heart.

My faith in Christ is the center of my life. I often describe Jesus as the hub of my life and everything else as a spoke connected to Him which makes the wheel turn in the direction of my life. My character, conduct, marriage, work, family, etc. are all spokes of life connected to Christ as the hub. He must be the center and goal of all these things. God eventually called me to ministry, and I have served as a pastor and missionary, but I have also found great joy and ministry opportunities in serving Him through my “tent making” vocations of commercial real estate and finance. My faith is the center of our home, and I humbly desire and work to show my five children how genuine faith impacts every aspect and corner of our lives.

Providence eventually led my family back to Valdosta. We immediately came to Covenant Baptist Church because of an existing friendship with one of the families. I had a good sense of the church’s doctrinal commitments because my friend served as an elder at Covenant. We were also drawn to Covenant because of their commitments to Biblical truth, doctrinal orthodoxy, expository preaching, faithful teaching, and, certainly, the warmth of its hospitality as we have some of the most loving and caring believers I have ever met.

My Prayer for Covenant

My prayer, and really it is the same as my wife’s, so I should say “our prayer” is that Covenant Baptist Church be a unified church, committed to one another’s spiritual maturity in Christ, and stirring one another in good deeds so we can be a true display of God’s power in His gospel and kingdom to the world (Eph 4; Col 3.1-17; Phil 2.1-11; Heb 10.24). I desire for our church to know God’s truth, live out the truth, teach the truth faithfully, and proclaim it boldly in the midst of a world that is hostile toward truth (1Tim 3.14-4.1; John 3.19-21; Rev. 18:4). By genuinely knowing God’s truth, we will love the Lord and love one another, display the gospel (John 13:35), be light in the midst of darkness (Eph. 5.6-21; 2 Pet. 1.1-11), and gather in the harvest of souls Christ has commanded (Matt 9.36-38; Acts 1:8).

A verse I quote often and is my favorite is Jeremiah 9:23-24a

Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. 

I would also point to its New Testament application in 1 Corinthians 1.18-31. There is no higher calling and delight in life than knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we want to know Him. Knowing God shapes everything in the Christian life.