I am the Lead Pastor of Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, Georgia. I’ve been married to Jennie for 8 years. We have a six year old girl, a two year old girl, and a one year old boy who was born on my birthday.
I grew up at a First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, and have worked at three different First Baptist Churches. That makes me a recovering Baptist. I became a Christian when I was 15 years old, finally deciding that it wasn't about facts and knowledge about God, but about following Him with my life. A few years later, I was "called" into ministry, and I decided to give my life to leading others to follow Jesus. I got my first job at a church when I was 18 - I was the youth pastor at a church with four teenagers and about 65 senior adults.
I went to college at Florida State University, and majored in English. I did teach English for 2 years, one year in a Christian school and one year in a public school. (I liked the public school better). In 2001, I founded an organization called Sidekick Students - we hosted some summer camps and ski trips and weekend events for youth groups. Through Sidekick, I'm still able to speak to teenagers and churches. If you're interested, you can send me an e-mail.
In 2005, I stepped out to start a brand new church in Cartersville. Our mission is to lead people from where they are to where God wants them to be. We have a great staff team, amazing volunteers, and it's my favorite church in the world. At our grand opening service, there were about 280 people that showed up. In 13 months, the church has grown to 900 people. There really is no explanation other than God. We started out meeting at Carmike Cinemas but now we met at Woodland High School.
I like Coke instead of Pepsi and Macs instead of PCs. Sweet tea is a great beverage, while Pepsi is just flat out disgusting. I like eating breakfast for dinner sometimes. Moes is good for lunch. Vanilla Latee’s from Starbucks are good just about anytime of the day.
I learn from churches like Westridge Church, Northpoint, Elevation Church and Willow Creek. I use Bloglines to keep up with about 60 different blogs. I read a lot of books. My favorites are Andy Stanley, John Grisham and Harry Potter. I read a lot of books on leadership, marketing, and church strategy, too.
I like movies like Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, Shawshank Redemption and Braveheart. My two favorite TV shows are 24 and West Wing. In it's day, that was the best show on television.
I like going to the movies by myself, with my wife, or with my girls. I have autographed movie posters hanging in my office. Tom Hanks signed Saving Private Ryan. Mel Gibson signed The Patriot. And several others.
I like David Crowder, Five for Fighting, Sheryl Crow, Rascall Flats, Rob Thomas, Toby Mac, Maroon 5, The Goo Goo Dolls, Corinne Bailey Rae, and just about anything else. Believe it or not, I used to listen to people like Steve Green, The Cathedrals and Sandi Patti. I have quite a few comedians on my iPod. Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld and Mitch Hedberg are some of my favorites.
I like Born shoes, Seven for All Mankind Jeans, and get most of my t-shirts from Threadless. I play the guitar, but I've mostly hung it up since becoming a "real pastor." I do play songs for my kids, who jump around incessantly.
Here's a link to my Facebook profile. Just don't poke.