Personal Testimony, Part 4

In 1999, we moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where I had the privilege to sit under the ministry of a man I still consider a mentor—Reverend Scott Thompson of Emma’s Grove Baptist Church. Under his ministry, I more fully began to experience a renewed relationship with God. God filled me with an insatiable desire to read and study about Him, His Word, and His world. I went back to school, enrolling in Liberty University’s distance learning program. At the same time, I earned two Associate of Applied Science degrees from the Community College of the Air Force. God also gave me a burning desire to teach His Word. At Emma’s Grove, I was able to serve as a deacon, work on several committees, and teach Sunday school. I also had the opportunity to preach my first sermon there. God has given me the best blessing a father can have—seeing all of his children profess faith in Christ. In Asheville, I was blessed to lead our two youngest children, Katelyn and C.J., to Christ. My father baptized each of them at Emma’s Grove.