It is my joy and honor to begin a new ministry serving as Pastor of Coldwater Baptist in Concord, NC!  My son lives in Winston Salem just an hour north, and my family remains in Clearwater where we own a home and want to retain our residence there with a long term goal of retirement in about 10 years.  My wife and daughters love their jobs, their church and the friends we all have in the very same neighborhood where I lived when I was 5 years old.  But they’ll get up here often and I’ll get back home as well, so we’ll be together about once a month!  And who knows, down the road, they might even join me in Concord and we’ll rent our home.  This is something like a long term mission trip for me.  Coldwater Baptist is a small, rural church with a 236 year history.  The sanctuary is set beautifully between a cemetery and a parsonage, as is the case for thousands of churches in rural settings.  We are located about 30 minutes northeast of Charlotte, not far from the Charlotte motor speedway.  This area is the heart of the NASCAR community, and I have my credentials as a Chaplain with MRO, which stands for Motor Racing Outreach.  This is a nationwide association of chaplains serving the Lord and spreading the gospel through all avenues of motorsports, not just NASCAR.  My dream is to serve as a Chaplain for a NASCAR team nearby while leading Coldwater Baptist.  Many of you have been praying for me through the last several months, and now we have seen God answer our prayers.  This also allows me to be on the Blessed App LIVE five days a week, mostly Monday-Friday.  From time to time, we may go live on a SUNDAY as we have in the past.  So many of you, and especially StarMay, have encouraged us to continue our ministry online through the YouTube channel, SHINE IN THE DARKNESS.  One two different occasions so far, we have provide a live video simulcast of the Blessed App FIREPLACE on this YouTube channel, which is operated by my dear brother in Christ and close friend, Charlie Hall.  Charlie is very involved in tech ministry through Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo Fl where my sister and her son are on staff.  In addition, my daughter has begun her career in elementary education as a substitute teacher in their christian school while attending Liberty University online.

I have never been more excited about the future and the potential to have enormous gospel impact now with and through Coldwater Baptist, on the Blessed App through the FirePlace, and as God opens doors in the NASCAR community.  Thank you for praying me through this, and now please continue to lift my ministry in prayer and for God to use me for His glory and honor however He chooses.  I am beginning to think about a “FIREPLACE SUNDAY” at Coldwater Baptist this Summer.  Perhaps people would make vacation plans in the Charlotte area, since there is so much to do!  Pull it up on TripAdvisor and you’ll see!  There is a major as well as a smaller airport nearby, in addition to Greensboro NC and Ashville NC not too far away.  My first Sunday at Coldwater is February 8 which will be live here on Link Chapel link.

Please leave a comment and let me know how I can be praying for you!  I love you all in the Lord and hope to meet up with you personally soon one way or another.  I have been so blessed to get to meet Stacy Lynn, Deanna, Colin and Melanie and their whole family, Kevin and his family, and now JOVI!  JOVI and I met up in Hickory NC and did a FirePlace LIVE together on the mic!  Continue to remember Tim and Linda in your prayers with the various health challenges they are fighting to overcome.  Also, Jack fighting cancer and David dealing with phantom pain related to his leg amputation.  And again, please leave a comment with your own prayer need, praise report, or even just a scripture to encourage others!