Deacon Candidate Statements

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

During Vacation Bible School in the Summer of 2001 at First Baptist Church in Stephenville, Texas, I accepted the Lord as Savior of my life. I still remember walking down the aisle of church with our children's pastor to acknowledge that Jesus paid the ultimate price for my sins through His death on the cross and that by His grace, through faith, I was given the gift of salvation and eternal life by accepting Him as my Lord and Savior. I was baptized the following week announcing my public profession of faith and commitment to follow the Lord the rest of my life. 

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

The Lord has and continues to bless my life in ways far beyond what I can explain or deserve. This year has been a particularly special year of spiritual growth. Along with my wife, brother, and close friend, we have gone through a Bible in a year plan. Each day, more and more about the character of God continues to be revealed. What began as a challenge of daily discipline, has become a desire to dive into the Word and spend time each day with the Lord. 

From family, to friends, to co-workers, to our church, the Lord has placed strong spiritual leaders in my life that boldly share the gospel and support my walk with Christ. Through these relationships the Lord has blessed me with, I have been encouraged to grow from a Christian that just hears the Word of the Lord to a Christian that shares the Word of the Lord. 

I am in awe of the Lord’s work in the life of my family. The Lord is teaching our family to rely on and trust in Him, not just in times of challenge and struggle, but in the simple and ordinary moments in life. Whether it’s reading our favorite bible stories at bedtime, listening to my girls race to be the first to pray at dinner, or experiencing the joy and quality time of going on a family walk through the neighborhood, I see the Lord guiding our family and drawing us closer to Him.  

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

The heart of our family is to aim to faithfully use the gifts God has given us to love Him, love others, share the gospel, and to serve one another. My heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan is rooted in the gratitude for all the Lord has sacrificed and done. As Christians, we all play a role in supporting and serving our church. My goal as a servant of Christ through the church is to humbly glorify Him by supporting the church, meeting the needs of our church, encouraging others, sharing the gospel, and always pointing others back to Christ.

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

I came to know the Lord as a young man when the gospel became more than something I heard—it became personal. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin and showed me my need for forgiveness through Christ. In that moment, I trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, and He gave me a new heart and a new direction for my life.

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

Today, the Lord is still at work in me. He is teaching me humility, patience, and deeper dependence on Him as I lead in my family, my work, and my church. Through Scripture, prayer, and the encouragement of His people, He continues to refine me and grow me into the servant He calls me to be.

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

My heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan is simple: to be faithful. I want to come alongside our pastors and church family, helping to meet needs, encourage others, and strengthen the unity of our church. My desire is to serve in a way that points people to Christ and helps our church flourish in both faith and mission.

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

I accepted Christ as my savior as a very young person. My mom taught me how to be saved and I accepted Christ. I do not really remember a time that I was not saved. I remember trusting in God  and talking to him in elementary school. Later in life I was baptized. I was baptized by Tim Owens here at First Baptist Church Bryan in the year 2001.

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

In the last year,  I feel like God is teaching me how to function better as a member of the body of Christ.  I am learning how God can work through a small group of believers to care for and meet the needs of other believers.  I have truly enjoyed being a part of my Group Life class, Sword and Shield.

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

I am a long time member of First Baptist Church Bryan, I love this church and its members, I see the astounding growth in our church, and I am pressed by God to believe that there must be tremendous need for helpers. I believe that God wants me to be one of those helpers, whether it be helping widows and orphans, praying for our church members or directing Sunday morning parking. 

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

Salvation for me came in 1967, when I was ten years old. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and was baptized shortly thereafter. The Holy Spirt has been my daily guide and intercessor every moment since. I followed in the footsteps of my older brother and two sisters, as we were all baptized at Huntsville First Baptist Church.

My mom was faithful to get us to church every chance she could. I regularly attended Sunday School and Vacation Bible School each summer. Our church had a Family Life Center which drew us to numerous youth events. I also attended the local Presbyterian Youth Fellowship on Sunday afternoons and participated in their Summer Camp program each summer, where I continued to learn God’s Word.

Times were not always rosy throughout my youth and adulthood; however, the Lord was always with me in every situation and provided comfort and guidance. The strength He provided me then and now, keeps me going each and every day.

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

My wife and I moved to Bryan/College Station (BCS) three years ago and immediately fell in love with First Baptist Church Bryan. Our two children were attending Baylor University, so as empty nesters, we made the move to BCS. Currently I am a member of the Finance Committee, a Door Greeter, and a Seater for Church. My wife and I are In-reach Leaders in our Group Life Class, Living Free. I have participated in a few of the Men’s Ministry workdays helping widows and the elderly with home projects and also helped with the cleanup of the property at Lake Limestone.

My spiritual gifts are Administration/Leadership and Service/Helps so I am happy to be involved at the church wherever there is a need. My wife and I assist with the Closer Walk benevolence events to help provide clothing to children in need and she and I organize an annual Thanksgiving pie outreach to the entire Bryan Police Department through several Group Life classes.

Raising two children has been very rewarding. My wife and I continue to watch them grow in their faith and provide spiritual support and prayer for them daily, as they tackle new careers and educational challenges.

I seek the Lord daily for better discernment and wisdom to tackle life’s decisions.

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

As mentioned earlier, I have a heart for serving, thanks to the Holy Spirit. I am ready, willing, and able to serve within FBC Bryan in whatever capacity is required. FBC Bryan is where I come to draw closer to the Lord through the preaching of the word, the music ministry, Group Life and special events. There is no better place to be than amongst the other Christ followers who truly love the Lord with all their hearts and souls, just as I do!

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

I grew up in a home where we didn’t go to church and believed that all roads lead to the same God. But I have early memories of my grandmother taking me to church, praying with me, giving me bibles, and talking about God. In middle school and junior high school, God put others in my life who knew Jesus. Holly, a school friend, wore a Petra shirt that said, “Get on your knees and fight like a man.” This resonated with me, even as a sixth grader, and led to conversations with Holly about Jesus. Even more impactful was my friend John-Paul. His family was “weird,” always waking up early on Sundays to go to church, doing Halloween at their church instead of trick-or-treating, and listening to music I’d never heard before (Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant). Many nights of playing basketball in JP’s driveway were God’s stage for JP to answer my questions about Him. I started going to church with JP and his family, and when we got our driver’s licenses, we began attending church with many of our school friends. At a retreat one year, when the pastor gave the alter call, without thinking I ran to the front and gave my life to Jesus. Since that day, God has been so faithful and so, so patient as He’s worked on me, growing me and making more like Jesus.

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

God has been pressing me to Abide. For a few years now, ever since our church did the Abide series, God has shown me the completeness that is only found in Abiding in Him. Stress, anxiety, inter-personal conflict, anger…Abide. Fear of the politics and hate in our world, even the desire to fight back or stand up for others…Abide. Rich Mullins sang in Hope to Carry On, referring to the change that comes with knowing Jesus, “I can see Peter, put away his sword…He won’t fight no more.” The world teaches us to grind, fight, own our futures, but God’s way is different. I thought I had trusted Him with all this, but He’s showing me how little I’ve allowed Him to be Lord.

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

I love what God is doing in our church. I’m humbled that He’s brought us here and is allowing us to serve here. God calls each of us to serve: love, give, go, share, do, teach, disciple. The Holy Spirit stirs us to action. My family and I are blessed to serve in the youth ministry (hosting F3 and DNow, chaperoning mission trips) and as Group Life leaders. The same fire in my heart to serve in these ways is stirring me to further serve as a deacon, loving the Church, our members, and the community.

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

I was raised as a cultural Christian. I knew about Jesus, but when I was younger, I never trusted or surrendered to Him. My family rarely attended church except on Christmas. Growing up, I pursued my own desires and defined morality on my terms. I was drawn to engineering and business, and later, to philosophies that promised a deeper meaning. I sought fulfillment in new-age teachings, believing Christianity was too simple for someone like me. Pride and rebellion blinded me, as I lived out 1st  Corinthians 1:18: "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…" 

Ironically, I would have still called myself a Christian. I got married in a church in 2003 and even had my daughter dedicated there. I admired Jesus as a teacher, but I never considered Him my Lord.

By 2010, life was going well. I had passed my professional engineering exam, received a promotion, and was leading major projects. I wasn't searching for meaning; I felt satisfied. But on May 8, 2010, everything changed.

That morning, around 5 a.m., I woke suddenly. As I stared at the ceiling, I was overcome by an indescribable sense of peace, love, and completeness. Time seemed to stop. I knew immediately I was in the presence of God. His overwhelming power was paired with perfect comfort and love. Humbled, I surrendered my life to Jesus right then, praying for His grace. He was my Lord.

From that moment, my desires shifted. I no longer sought meaning in the world, but in my Creator. That evening, I pulled my dusty NIV Bible from under the bed and began reading daily. Soon, I started a prayer and study routine. God also worked in my family: my wife came to faith in 2011, and in 2013, our seven-year-old daughter proclaimed Christ as her Savior.

The first year after my encounter was not easy. I faced struggles that might have crushed me if I had been promised a life of health and wealth. But Jesus' words in John 16:33 became my anchor: "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Looking back, I see the emptiness of my old pursuits and the futility of chasing worldly philosophies. They offered temporary satisfaction but no lasting hope. What I once dismissed as "too simple" was in fact the profound truth of the gospel. Jesus is not merely a good teacher or moral example—He is Savior and Lord.

Now, my faith is not cultural or inherited but real and alive. The presence of Christ continues to shape me, guide my family, and give meaning to every part of my life.

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

My Lord is active in my life.  Since I came to the Lord, my path has not been easy. It has been filled with many joyful moments, but also many heartaches, which have really driven me closer to the Lord.   There is much to say here, as currently, He is preparing me through pruning.  Overall, my vinedresser is shaping me to produce the fruit that He wills, all while I am having to learn not to rely on my independent and prideful nature.  His handiwork will be all the remains.

Currently, my wife and I are active in our Group Life, both with in-reach and with me helping teach when needed. I do serve on the safety team, and I am also presently co-guiding my second Journey Group.

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

I desire to pursue discipleship and help other Christians deepen their relationship with the Lord.  Several years ago, I was discouraged by what I felt was a lack of depth in our Church body's pursuit of the Lord. I was encouraged by our church's initiative in starting what we now know as Journey Groups.

Ultimately, my service desire is to help our body of believers cultivate a fruitful and enduring relationship with Jesus (John 15).  This service can be provided through teaching, assisting with administrative logistics, and offering help where help is needed.

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

As my parents were a Baptist preacher and a teacher, we rarely missed Sunday School and Wednesday night bible study, and my father was reading the Bible to us every year as soon as we could sit at the table.  I started reading the Bible myself at night as soon as I learned to read.  When I was seven, I finally found the courage to walk down the aisle in church to tell my father I wanted to receive Christ as my Savior.  But I really didn't let Jesus be Lord of my life then.  Looking back, I had a lot of head knowledge, but I didn't have the relationship with Jesus that I needed.  It wasn't until my early thirties that I finally surrendered everything to Him.  From that point on He started changing my desires.  With His help I learned who He really was.  When I read the Bible, I started to understand things I hadn't understood before.  So the thirty years after the total surrender is more the when/how I came to really know Him.

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

I just completed a Journey Group at the church, and as I thought about the answers to this question, I realized that there is nothing that God is doing in my life today that has not been impacted by my Journey experience.  One thing we learned in Journey is how important it is to abide with God--I am learning how to do that more throughout the day, even at work.  

Another learning in Journey is how important it is to have great relationships, starting with the family members we live with, which for me are my wife Griselda--as God continues to heal her, he is changing me, and strengthening our marriage--and my son Avery who is completing his senior year at TAMU.  I continue to be blessed by God giving him the desire to live at home while he attends school.  That would not have been possible if God had not provided a job here in BCS just just before he completed high school.  Because God did this over three years ago, today, He is continuing to strengthen my relationship with my only son.  I truly believe He would not be where he is today with the Lord if he had not stayed home.  

The last thing I will mention that the Lord is doing in my life today is a significant struggle as I make decisions regarding the care of my (very independent-minded) father, which is testing both of us and our relationship.  Of course the Journey covered this one too--trials that all believers go through.  This is not the only current trial for me, but it is the one that is the one that is the most pressing and the one for which I find myself asking God for help even more than the others I am experiencing.

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

I have taken a few spiritual gifts assessments over the years, all of whom have tended to focus on the top three or so gifts that have the highest score.  In this year's Journey Group, I realized that God doesn't just use our highest-scoring gifts--He has the power to use  all of our gifts, even the power to use our lowest-scoring one!  The takeaway for me here in answering this question is that God has made me completely open to how He wants me to serve.  I am excited about experiencing that and seeing what God does.  

When/How did you come to know the Lord?

It was God's divine favor that I was born into a Christian home in rural South Carolina, the first of four children under two God-serving parents. When I was 7 or 8 years of age, my mother sat down with me and explained God's plan of salvation. I recall asking forgiveness of my sins, and I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Following high school, I attended Southeastern University, a Christian college in Lakeland, FL, where I sought God's will for my life while pursuing a degree in Secondary Education. My career has primarily been spent as a federal law enforcement officer, where I have attempted to serve my community and country while exemplifying Christ. 

What is the Lord doing in your life today?

Since becoming a member of First Baptist Bryan in 2021, I can feel the Lord leading me in my prayer life, my career, and in my service to our church. I recently completed a 9-month commitment to a Journey group that has brought me into a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit. John 15 gives a clear picture of a vineyard where branches are worthless apart from the vine. If God abides in us, and we abide in him by staying attached to "the vine", we will bear good fruit. My desire is always to bear good fruit by staying close to Christ and his will, for apart from Him, I can do nothing. I desire to serve others and to become a "beacon" of light for Christ, who has graciously blessed me with so much. 

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC Bryan?

As for my future service to our loving church, I honestly want to serve where I am needed most. I currently serve on the FBC Security Team, and I also serve as an usher, seater, and greeter at the 8:40a service on Sunday mornings. Additionally, I have taught 6-week Men's groups on 'The Chosen' and 'Letters from Dad', and I am currently serving on the FBC Bryan Personnel Committee. I feel drawn to possibly assist the Prison Ministry in the future since I have a heart for prisoners and their spiritual rehabilitation through Jesus Christ. I also plan to keep serving in the same positions I currently serve in. If I am needed in other areas of service, I am certainly willing to consider any position where I can make a difference in God's kingdom and in the body of Christ at FBC Bryan.  

When/How did you come to know the Lord? 

Because we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and run the race marked out for us with perseverance. I’ve been blessed to grow up in a family of witnesses that truly lived out their faith. One of the most influential people in my life was my grandfather. I spent many summers with him and my grandmother, often during Vacation Bible School. What impacted me most wasn’t just what he said about God, but how he lived—with patience, kindness, and a quiet strength that reflected the love of Jesus.

It was during one of those summers that I realized I needed a relationship with Jesus for myself. I gave my life to Jesus at ten years old and was baptized soon after at First Baptist Church - Alice, Texas. That decision marked the beginning of a lifelong journey. Even after five decades, I’m still learning and growing in my walk with the Lord, continually amazed at the relationship He invites me into.

What is the Lord doing in your life today? 

In recent years, I’ve become more reflective about my spiritual legacy. Have I lived out the purpose God created me for? In 2022, David Booth invited me to a discipleship class called The Journey. It was a turning point for me. Though I’d been in church all my life, this experience helped me connect the “what” of the Great Commission to the “how” of abiding in Christ—just like John 15:5 teaches: “If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”

Since then, I’ve had the chance to lead a Journey Group and help Dr. Booth coordinate the Journey program for the men in our church. As a group co-guide, I’ve witnessed incredible life change—men learning to remove spiritual hindrances, discover their gifts, and influence others for Christ. Because of my involvement in this ministry, God continues to teach me to trust His timing and to follow where He is already moving. When we do, He shows us things we could never have imagined.

What is your heart for serving the body of Christ at FBC? 

I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve at FBC, using both my life experience and the gifts God has given me. I strive to support our staff in ways that help them extend their reach and impact.

My heart is especially drawn to men’s discipleship. As followers of Christ, we are called to make disciples—to pass on what has been invested in us. I believe in servant leadership, following Jesus’ example by humbling ourselves and meeting the needs of others. To serve as a deacon would be a great privilege.