Ignite UK

By God’s rich grace, I was born into a Christian home.  My mother consistently brought my brothers and I to church every Sunday with little exception, and I praise God for her compassionate persistence.  I grew up hearing the gospel, and at the age of eight I felt the weight of my sin grow heavy on my heart.

Though I was young, I can still clearly remember the joyful experience of giving my heart to the Lord.  A friend of mine, who attended the same country church as I, had just given her heart to the Lord and was baptized.  Despite hearing the gospel many times over, I had not fully realized that the gift of salvation had been offered to me personally until this point.  I also had never really considered that eternal punishment would be the just recompense for my sins. Upon this consideration my sin seemed heavier than ever.  Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to articulate such a feeling as I can now; I just knew that I was guilty, and that the love of Jesus would free me of my guilt so that I could live with Him.  Praise God for a message of salvation that is simple enough for a child to comprehend by the counsel of the Holy Spirit, and yet so vast and infinitely remarkable in holy grandeur!

I remember making my way to the basement steps to get away from everyone else to pray.  As I bowed my head, the ugly orange carpet (a vestige from 70’s) stared up at me; perhaps the impact of the event locked this strange tidbit into my memory.  After confessing my sin and accepting Christ, I felt a flood of joy as the burden of my sin had been lifted.  Nobody had ever told me I would feel like this!  Elated, I immediately ran up to tell my mom what just happened.  She was excited too, but reasonably wary that a boy my age would authentically make such a decision.

I met with Brother Tommy, our pastor, and though I remember hearing a lot of words I didn’t understand, I “passed inspection,” so to speak.  The following Sunday I went to the front to join the church.  It was intimidating to march the aisle with all those people watching, but when the service was over I was inundated with hugs and encouragement from the congregation.  I felt so happy I wanted to cry!  The next week I was baptized, and so began my new life with God’s Holy Church.

My Life in Christ

Though my life as a Christian started out young, my growth was slow until I moved to Lexington to attend school at UK.  I was not in the habit of reading Scripture, nor I was in the habit of praying consistently.  I had never really been encouraged to do these things at my former churches, and I had not heard the phrase, “quiet time” until this season of my life.  My understanding of Christianity was more philosophic than relational, and I scoffed at ideas like “the full sovereignty of God.”  Like I said, I never really read the Bible.  I felt as though I knew the message of the Bible well enough that I really didn’t have to read it, though I never spent time studying it in the first place.

God-ordained relationships with guys like Tim Turner and the Millican brothers, coupled with theological questions posed to me by Christians and non-Christians alike, prompted me to study God’s Word.  I never knew what treasures were hidden in its pages until then!  I spent 12 years of my life as a Christian thinking that God was mostly a mystery, never knowing that the character of God was so richly illustrated within His Word.  It was then that I really started grow as a Christian, and I am ever-so thankful that God has made Himself known to us by the testimony of Scripture.

My call to ministry is a lengthy story in and of itself, so if you want to hear it, let’s just get lunch sometime and I’ll tell you about it.  Seriously! Just drop me an e-mail; like any good Baptist, I like spend time in fellowship over a good meal.

Here’s the part where I try to impress you with my accomplishments.  I graduated from UK in 2004 with a BA in Integrated Strategic Communication, and moved on to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to pursue an MDiv in Missions.  I have spent significant amounts of time on mission in Southeast Asia; activities therein include teaching/preaching at worship workshops, performing at colleges, and sharing the love of Christ with college students.  I have been on staff with Ignite since September 2006, but I didn’t move to Lexington until May 2007.  I have yet to finish my MDiv, so during the semester I commute to Louisville each week.  I am interested in the theology of Beauty and Aesthetics, especially as it relates to reaching the surrounding culture, and I am passionate about leading others to worship God in spirit and in truth.