How it all started...
I am the founding pastor of Christian Faith Fellowship. In 1990, I answered the call of God on my life to begin raising up true Christians, who through their faith in what only God can do in and through their life, will partner with God to change their world.
My walk with God began over 26 years ago. At the age of 13 I got on the back of my first bull with aspirations of becoming a world champion bull rider. I rode bulls in Junior Rodeos across Arizona and New Mexico. After graduating from High School I then moved on to the Amateur ranks and joined the Southwest Rodeo Association. In 1982 I was the reserve champion for Arizona and New Mexico. Then in 1985 I accomplished a part of my dream when I become a professional bull rider in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
At that time I felt I was well on my way to begin my dream of working toward becoming a world champion bull rider. Something else had taken place at that time in my life as well. I had given my life to Jesus Christ. An apostle and evangelist by the name of Coy Huffman had been witnessing to me, and one evening at a Bible study in a steer wrestlers house in Phoenix Arizona, I surrendered my life to the Lord. I had always believed in God, I just never knew that I could actually get to know Him. My life was forever changed.
I arrived in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area soon after this to pursue my bull riding career. As I began to feed on the Word of God and I continued to hear testimonies from others God was using like my pastor at the time Jeff Copenhaver, I began to cry out to God to use me. I wanted to see God working through my life to help set people free. Little did I know God would begin to answer that cry. The next week after I prayed that prayer I was at a bull riding in a little town north of Fort Worth, and that night a bull landed on top of a rider and he lay their lifeless. I ran across the arena without even realizing at first what I was doing. I laid my hands upon him and began to pray. After several minutes of praying the power of God surged into his body and he rose up totally healed. I was in awe.
That began my journey of seeking God even more and wanting to help others. In 1990, Coy was doing a meeting in the area. Later that evening several of us came together and after receiving communion and praying, Coy prophesied our church into existence. I did not know at the time I was to be the pastor. I simply agreed to help get it started. Within several months of teaching the Word at our church I knew what God was saying to me. My desire for riding bulls began to diminish, and I wanted to help God’s people become His disciples. Coy had come back for a meeting at the church and when I told him what I believed God had revealed to me he confirmed what he had already known all along. That is how our church began through the prayers and obedience of an apostle and evangelist who had a Word from God.
Since that day God has blessed me with great spiritual fathers over my life. My Pastor, Dr. Mark T. Barclay has been in ministry for over 35 years and is a leader to God’s leaders. His father’s in the faith include John Osteen, Roy Hicks, George Evans, Lester Sumrall, and Hilton Sutton. I have also been blessed to have as my spiritual fathers Dr. George Evans and Dr. Hilton Sutton. I am grateful to God for such a wonderful heritage of ministers He has connected me with.
My primary calling consists of helping believers to know who they are in Christ so they can become the disciple Jesus wants them to be. I am also fulfilling a calling on my life in raising up other ministers to fulfill the call of God on their life to preach the gospel. I love helping others to succeed in accomplishing all they are called to do. I have done conferences for leadership, men’s meetings, and missions work as well.
Some of my strengths are leadership, discipleship, and getting to know who you are in the Lord. I also have a passion for doing outreach ministry work, which we have done for years in many different places. From the rodeo world to NASCAR events, conferences, and car shows, I have a heart to win the lost and minister to those whom the Lord will set free.
My walk with God began over 26 years ago. At the age of 13 I got on the back of my first bull with aspirations of becoming a world champion bull rider. I rode bulls in Junior Rodeos across Arizona and New Mexico. After graduating from High School I then moved on to the Amateur ranks and joined the Southwest Rodeo Association. In 1982 I was the reserve champion for Arizona and New Mexico. Then in 1985 I accomplished a part of my dream when I become a professional bull rider in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
At that time I felt I was well on my way to begin my dream of working toward becoming a world champion bull rider. Something else had taken place at that time in my life as well. I had given my life to Jesus Christ. An apostle and evangelist by the name of Coy Huffman had been witnessing to me, and one evening at a Bible study in a steer wrestlers house in Phoenix Arizona, I surrendered my life to the Lord. I had always believed in God, I just never knew that I could actually get to know Him. My life was forever changed.
I arrived in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area soon after this to pursue my bull riding career. As I began to feed on the Word of God and I continued to hear testimonies from others God was using like my pastor at the time Jeff Copenhaver, I began to cry out to God to use me. I wanted to see God working through my life to help set people free. Little did I know God would begin to answer that cry. The next week after I prayed that prayer I was at a bull riding in a little town north of Fort Worth, and that night a bull landed on top of a rider and he lay their lifeless. I ran across the arena without even realizing at first what I was doing. I laid my hands upon him and began to pray. After several minutes of praying the power of God surged into his body and he rose up totally healed. I was in awe.
That began my journey of seeking God even more and wanting to help others. In 1990, Coy was doing a meeting in the area. Later that evening several of us came together and after receiving communion and praying, Coy prophesied our church into existence. I did not know at the time I was to be the pastor. I simply agreed to help get it started. Within several months of teaching the Word at our church I knew what God was saying to me. My desire for riding bulls began to diminish, and I wanted to help God’s people become His disciples. Coy had come back for a meeting at the church and when I told him what I believed God had revealed to me he confirmed what he had already known all along. That is how our church began through the prayers and obedience of an apostle and evangelist who had a Word from God.
Since that day God has blessed me with great spiritual fathers over my life. My Pastor, Dr. Mark T. Barclay has been in ministry for over 35 years and is a leader to God’s leaders. His father’s in the faith include John Osteen, Roy Hicks, George Evans, Lester Sumrall, and Hilton Sutton. I have also been blessed to have as my spiritual fathers Dr. George Evans and Dr. Hilton Sutton. I am grateful to God for such a wonderful heritage of ministers He has connected me with.
My primary calling consists of helping believers to know who they are in Christ so they can become the disciple Jesus wants them to be. I am also fulfilling a calling on my life in raising up other ministers to fulfill the call of God on their life to preach the gospel. I love helping others to succeed in accomplishing all they are called to do. I have done conferences for leadership, men’s meetings, and missions work as well.
Some of my strengths are leadership, discipleship, and getting to know who you are in the Lord. I also have a passion for doing outreach ministry work, which we have done for years in many different places. From the rodeo world to NASCAR events, conferences, and car shows, I have a heart to win the lost and minister to those whom the Lord will set free.
Where we are headed...
Our future in Ponder is exciting. We have purchased just over 4 acres of land right on Hwy. 2449 just 1/2 mile west of Hwy. 156. We are in the planning stages to build a new facility that will provide us with the space we need to facilitate changing lives. This will not only provide us the room for growth, but also the much needed space to provide additional classes and a place for all to connect in a atmosphere where God will be glorified in all we do. Our plans are to begin the constuction in 2020. This will also give us additional space for training missionaries and so much more.
