Sixteen and a half years ago, we packed up and left everything and everyone we knew to come to Albuquerque for what we thought was going to be a 2 to 2-and-a-half-year max stay. Coming from small-town Oklahoma, we suffered quite the culture shock. At 21 and 23, we were newly married and on our own for the first time. Our idealistic view of church work and the ministry was quickly shattered by the sheer number of hours I had to work. This, paired with the first year of marriage, was a recipe for disaster.   

One night about a year into living in Albuquerque, we had a particularly big fight which ended in my wife grabbing her car keys and getting in the car to drive back to Oklahoma. Thank God, after going in circles for some time, she came back. We sat down and had a much-needed discussion and decided that we believed God had called us here, so we were going to put our heads down and work as unto the Lord. We quit complaining. We started creating relationships with more people. We devoted our lives to what we believed God called us to be a part of Legacy Church.  

When I started working here, I was a punk kid (literally… I even had a two-toned mohawk for a while) who worked as a worship leader who assisted in the main service and led worship for our youth and college ministries. Four years into working at Legacy, an opportunity for a promotion presented itself. The head worship leader position opened up—only one problem. Pastor Steve said he didn’t even want to hear my name suggested for the job.  

I was discouraged, to say the least, but I decided that I believed God called me here. I may not be Pastor Steve’s guy, but I know what God called me to do, so I kept working unto the Lord. I talked to one of the executive pastors and started working on some things I needed to fix in myself; after months of filling in as the head worship leader, Pastor came to me and offered me the job. He told me he didn’t think I could do it, but if I wanted it, I could have it. I gladly accepted it, and I proved him wrong. He’d tell you I proved him wrong too, and he was glad I did. 

Over the next several years, we devoted our lives to Legacy and the ministry of the church. I made it my number one priority to help Pastor Steve achieve God’s vision for Legacy Church. I learned everything I could from Pastor. I listened to every word he said, and I watched him like a hawk.  

In 2016 I got the opportunity to become an executive pastor. That was never even on my radar, but it is amazing when you devote your life to something just how far God will take you. I spent the next several years helping Pastor Steve develop the culture of our church and identify exactly who we were.  

I truly believe there is no other place like Legacy Church. And now, 16 and a half years later, once again, we are getting ready to leave everything and everyone we know to move from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City. Back then, we left home to come to Albuquerque, and now all these years later, we are leaving home again to go to Oklahoma. God is leading us to start a church in OKC. We have devoted our lives to Legacy, and now God is calling us to go and take everything we have learned from here and reproduce it. To bring everything that Legacy is to Oklahoma. I never thought I’d do this, but when you devote everything you have to God, you never know how far He will take you. 

Thank you, Legacy. Thank you for allowing us to grow up here. For shaping us into who we are. We can’t do this without you. We love you.