My name is Patrick (Pat) Priest. I have been married to my beautiful wife Crystal for twenty-two years, and the Lord has granted us the blessing of two children, Blain and Hannah. I, like my colleagues here on this blog, am first and foremost a product of the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
I spent quite a bit of my childhood in the church, mainly because my maternal grandfather was a pastor, but in my youth, I veered away from the things of God and decided to go about things my way. I learned a lot in those sordid years, mostly that I am hard-headed because some lessons I had to learn twice. I stained myself rather filthily with the sins of the world until I eventually cried out for someone to cleanse me, and He did! Luckily for me I knew to whom to cry, because the seed that was planted in my childhood was still there. I had always known of Jesus, but He had never become personally mine in relationship. That changed July 4, 2004, Jesus became mine personally, intimately, and eternally.
The change in my life that has occurred as a result of my relationship with Christ has been often uncomfortable. I say this because He has moved me into positions in my new life that before I would never have given second thought too. He gave me a heart for ministry. I have been an Adult Sunday School teacher for 10+ years, I assist teaching the Youth group at our church, I periodically enter the pulpit to deliver the message, have spoken at various Men’s groups in our community, and have entered Seminary at Luther Rice in Lithonia, Georgia to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. It is my hope to do what pleases the Lord in whatever capacity He deems me fit to serve. Sometimes it is scary, but I serve a big God who can do big things with scared people, just look at Gideon (Judges 6-8).
My purpose in being a part of this blog is to help others grow, grow myself, and to prayerfully reach those who are in need of a seed to be planted.
God Bless,
Pat