Fourteen years of lock ins, practical jokes, junior high girl drama, winter basketball leagues, 45 students hanging out in the living room at all hours, toilet paper parties, too much pizza, halo tournaments, puke soup, summer camps, and other fun moments came to an end in May of 2007 as our family packed our stuff into a pod and a U-Haul trailer. After a growing disatisfaction as a youth pastor, God prepared our hearts for the ultimate ministry risk…the church plant.

You don’t think about the downsides and sacrificed securities when God drops a vision in your heart that keeps you up all night. A new sense of passionate excitement overshadows the fear that eventually surfaces after the emotional high wears off. What if I don’t have the gift mix and leadership to pull this off? How can I financially provide and support my family that innocently places their trust in my hands? What if I can’t make it and ruin the family name and the church that mothers us? After turning down an offer to interview at a successful church in Indiana, we set our eyes on planting Gateway Fellowship Church in Helotes, Texas. The reality of making this happened fell heavily on my shoulders. Fear of failure gripped my heart and thrust me to my knees for an extended period of fasting and prayer. It was during this time that the pressure was turned to confidence as I surrendered to God’s will. As a senior in high school, I felt God’s call on my life to be a pastor. It was during my Pa Paw’s funeral that I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life sharing God’s love and grace with others. I needed the reminder that this is God’s church and during a series of God moments, God confirmed that starting a church from scratch was his idea and now my newfound passion.

My favorite quote is by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

There is a sense of urgency about the time we’ve been given. I get frustrated when I see traditions and methods that don’t work anymore. I love the opportunity where we can learn a culture and discover the most relevant and creative way to reach people who are hurting and lost. Everyone matters. Developing friendships with people outside the Christian bubble is probably the most like Christ I can become. With God’s help, I am ready to give it my best shot. No turning back. Leading a team of people who have also sacrificed for this vision is the most humbling, thrilling, and frightening venture I could ever begin. It will be also be the most fun and rewarding thing we will ever do.