Guest Blogger . . . Wes Roberts
05/22/08 09:01 AM
This whole thing started months ago... well, years ago actually. You see, I grew up in Connecticut. My parents were living in Dallas before I was born, where they met in school. After my older sister was born they decided to move to New York City for better jobs. My mom was in fashion at the time, and my father in advertising. New York was a culture shock, but they survived and eventually moved 20 miles outside New York City to Connecticut. That's when I was born. Two years later my younger sister was born.
Growing up in Connecticut was... well... interesting. There's actually a movie written about my town called "The Stepford Wives". Seriously...
I grew up playing sports, going to school, and going to church. At age 12 I began playing the guitar, thanks to my father. The more I played guitar, the less I played competitive sports. I stuck with tennis and lacrosse, but my sport of passion was always soccer. Eventually I would work teaching tennis lessons, but every night after work I would drive my car to the beach and play my guitar. At 16 I started writing music, playing out every once in awhile.
(interesting fact... I grew up with the actress
Kate Bosworth. I actually got into a heated
argument about abortion with her in 8th grade... I
apologized later in English class, where I think
she borrowed my pencil. My wife HATES any movies
with her... but my wife's much hotter anyways, so
it's all good.)
16 was the year everything changed for me. I
met Brianna that year, and more importantly, it was
the time in my life I began a real relationship
with Jesus Christ. I started going to Young Life,
which was where I learned about the life God
intended for me to live.
After two years in high school of walking strong with Christ, I decided to go to Gordon College, a liberal arts school north of Boston where I studied Biblical Studies. Boring, right? I loved it. During college I made some amazing friends, traveled around the world (Italy, Wales, England, etc.), and made memories to last a lifetime. I had amazing professors, and for that I'm thankful.
During college I continued to play music, leading worship and playing original music in outside venues. I had such freedom back then, and I relished it... taking road trips, spending late nights in Boston, and playing my guitar on the beach.
By the end of college it had been 5 years since I had spoken to Brianna, who lived in Virginia. We originally met at a Young Life camp in 1999. I wrote her an email in April of 2005, just to say hi, and a few days later we were talking on the phone. I went to a wedding in Virginia weeks later, stopped by to see her in person, and only two months later we were engaged. Most people thought we were crazy... and believe me, we were. That was in June 2005. We've been married now for two and a half years.
Brianna moved up to Connecticut where I had taken a job at a church in Greenwich. My best friend, Chris Sorensen, was leading worship and pastoring the evening congregation... so when they needed a youth director, I agreed to take it on. I absolutely loved it. I always knew God had called me into ministry, but it was nice to have confirmation.
Jump ahead 3 years...
Brianna and I loved the church we worked at,
but I kept waking up in the middle of the night...
pacing. I couldn't figure out what it was, and when
I prayed, I didn't find much clarity. Finally I
asked Brianna if I was crazy. She said no, because
she felt it too (though at the time she was
probably feeling baby Charlotte kicking her as
well). I prayed some more, and knew God was calling
us to something... but it was hard to admit,
because we loved our "setup". Great church, great
apartment, great friends, and great students to
work with... but still we knew God was calling us
out. Not to mention the band I was playing with was
about to have a nationally released album!
So what happened? Well, I asked Brianna if I could inquire about this church we saw needed a youth and worship pastor in Charleston, South Carolina. Brianna had been to Charleston, but I had only heard stories from my parents about how beautiful it was. I ended up sending a resume and talking for hours with Pastor Chris Rollins, who clearly had a vision for a church he and his wife started out of their house years ago. Brianna and I flew down for a few days, and we instantly knew that this was where God was calling us to. There are tons of more details, but it was crystal clear that God had a plan for us. We are so excited for this new adventure!
Meanwhile, a new passion has arisen... baby
Charlotte. Our little girl is a ball of joy. She is
sleeping next to me as I write, while mommy gets
some needed rest. I wrote about fatherhood earlier
today... and I'll say it again... it's weird
feeling being in charge of a human life. Talk about
responsibility! I'm excited though, and hope beyond
all prayers that she know the love of Jesus Christ.
So that's a piece of my story... it is designed for the members of Coastal Community Church (or any interested soul) to get to know a little bit more about me. It certainly isn't the whole story... but it's enough for now. God bless...
Thanks Wes! To see more pictures and to follow his journey, you can visit his newly created blog.
After two years in high school of walking strong with Christ, I decided to go to Gordon College, a liberal arts school north of Boston where I studied Biblical Studies. Boring, right? I loved it. During college I made some amazing friends, traveled around the world (Italy, Wales, England, etc.), and made memories to last a lifetime. I had amazing professors, and for that I'm thankful.
During college I continued to play music, leading worship and playing original music in outside venues. I had such freedom back then, and I relished it... taking road trips, spending late nights in Boston, and playing my guitar on the beach.
By the end of college it had been 5 years since I had spoken to Brianna, who lived in Virginia. We originally met at a Young Life camp in 1999. I wrote her an email in April of 2005, just to say hi, and a few days later we were talking on the phone. I went to a wedding in Virginia weeks later, stopped by to see her in person, and only two months later we were engaged. Most people thought we were crazy... and believe me, we were. That was in June 2005. We've been married now for two and a half years.
Brianna moved up to Connecticut where I had taken a job at a church in Greenwich. My best friend, Chris Sorensen, was leading worship and pastoring the evening congregation... so when they needed a youth director, I agreed to take it on. I absolutely loved it. I always knew God had called me into ministry, but it was nice to have confirmation.
Jump ahead 3 years...
So what happened? Well, I asked Brianna if I could inquire about this church we saw needed a youth and worship pastor in Charleston, South Carolina. Brianna had been to Charleston, but I had only heard stories from my parents about how beautiful it was. I ended up sending a resume and talking for hours with Pastor Chris Rollins, who clearly had a vision for a church he and his wife started out of their house years ago. Brianna and I flew down for a few days, and we instantly knew that this was where God was calling us to. There are tons of more details, but it was crystal clear that God had a plan for us. We are so excited for this new adventure!
So that's a piece of my story... it is designed for the members of Coastal Community Church (or any interested soul) to get to know a little bit more about me. It certainly isn't the whole story... but it's enough for now. God bless...
Thanks Wes! To see more pictures and to follow his journey, you can visit his newly created blog.
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