I grew up in Lakin, Kansas a little town of about 2500 people. I grew up loving sports and was modeled a Godly life by 2 strong supportive christian parents. I went through the typical teenage years and followed Christ, but didn’t know what it really meant to make him LORD of my life. I knew the “sunday school” answers. I could rattle off all kinds of scripture, but I don’t know if I really believed it in my heart.

When I was 17, going to the typical summer christian youth camp, God really took hold of my heart. He asked me if I really believed what I had been taught! He asked me if I was willing to follow him, fully, the rest of my life. I remember the speaker asking for us to come forward and not only give our hearts to God, but our lives. I immediately said to myself, “ok lord, I will follow you, but I’m not going forward, I’ll do it from my seat.” At that time, The Holy Spirit spoke to me and it was one of the few times he actually used my name. “Jess, if you deny me before men, I will deny you before my father.” I didn’t hesitate another second, I actually jumped over 3 rows of chairs and ran forward and gave my life to Jesus. As I looked up at the speaker, the Lord spoke again. “I want you to do that!” I have trying to figure out what “that” is ever since.

I knew in general in meant to go and to preach the word. The next 3 summers I went to the Czech Republic and did sports missions! I loved every second of it, being able to share Christ to teens, but also being able to share my love of sports with them. The next 4 years I attended Oklahoma Wesleyan Univeristy, where I majored in pastoral ministry and minored in youth ministry. In college I played baseball and coached for 4 years. Also with God’s help was able to graduate with honors. I graduated in May of 2007, a week later married Charity (Smith), and a week later after that, we moved half way across America to Williamsburg, Virginia. I spent the next 2 years as a youth pastor, pouring into the lives of teens at Christ Community Church. I learned so many vaulable things, but about a year into the process, I felt the Lord calling me once again in another direction, Church Planting.

I sought the Lord for many months and and ended up going to a Church planters assessment in Indianapolis Indiana through the Wesleyan Headquarters. It was there that the Lord affirmed my calling into Church planting. I came back with a unanimous “green light” for Church planting and the next year was a whirlwind. I prayed and felt God calling me to Chesapeake and plant a new vibrant Church that met the needs of young people. My heart breaks as I read statistics that 60% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 35 are “unchurched”. These are my friends, family members, and neighbors. I have moved to Chesapeake to plant Broadcast Church and I aim, with Christ’s Holy Spirit power, to Broadcast the message of Jesus Christ to a community that needs to be shown the Love of a Savior. There are so many stories in-between the lines of this blog. People, friends, tears of joy and sadness, spiritual highs and spiritual lows, but God has always given me the strength and has taken me on a wild ride. I know the best days are ahead of me and I know that God will be my provider. This is just an abbreviated testimony of what God has done in my life. The last 8 years have really been the best of my life! I don’t know how people go through life without God!