Favorite Bible Verse: James 1:20
For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. I love this verse because it reminds us of an important truth of the gospel. We all get frustrated and angry with other people at times but that anger doesn't change people. Only God has the power to bring change to our lives and the lives of others. As Christians, we should be patient, understanding, and forgiving to others as God works in all of our lives, restoring us to look more like Jesus. Favorite Person in the Bible: Ruth My favorite person, story, and book of the Bible hands down! Ruth's story reveals that God is not blind to our suffering. God is aware of Ruth's greatest need and works behind the scenes to take care of her and provide exactly what she needs by sending her Boaz, who accepts her, loves her, and is faithfully devoted to her. Ruth's story is our story. We are the refugee in poverty and despair but God has worked behind the scenes in the pages of the Old Testament to bring us a redeemer and his name is Jesus. He is the Savior who accepts us, loves us, and his faithfully devoted to us for the glory of His great name. Salvation: To be honest, I'm not really sure when I got saved. I grew up in church, my father was a pastor, and I went to the altar and said a prayer at a really young age...rinse and repeat. I spent years questioning my salvation, wondering if I had said the right words, doubting that I had been sincere enough or thinking I might not have shed enough tears. I'm really comfortable now sharing my story, because I know there are so many people who struggle, or have struggled with the same issues. Sometimes I would pray, sometimes I was done. Sometimes I would read and other times my Bible sat untouched on shelf. Then one day, while I was driving and pouring my heart out to God. I told Him I couldn't do it anymore. I was tired of not knowing, of pretending, of trying to "force it," it was just too much work. I remember pulling up to a stop sign and God spoke to me. It was the clearest I have ever heard Him speak. He told me he had been waiting for me to get to that point of exhaustion. He said I was right. I couldn't pretend, I couldn't force it, and it wasn't supposed to feel like work. I had to lay it down...all of it. I had to come to Him with empty hands. So, that's what I did. I came to God with nothing, and He has given me everything. The doubts and the questions are gone, and now my walk with him doesn't feel like work it feels like freedom. That doesn't mean there aren't ever any bad days or seasons where life hurts, but it does mean that He is always with me. Family: I am thankful for my wife Amanda, and our three children: Corban, Caydence, and Justin. Fun Fact(s) about me: I love music, reading, hunting, Star Wars, Dr. Who. Heart for PHBC: I love our church family. The relationships that I have with these people have been real and long lasting. Our love for each other is how Jesus said we would be recognized as His followers. My desire is that we will rejoice in the truth of who Jesus is. That we will be so amazed by His grace that it radically changes our thinking and our actions. That because of what He has done for us, we are compelled to go and to send, both in our own community and throughout the world in areas where people have not yet heard about our Savior. |
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