In case you haven’t already figured it out… I love God.  He is the center of my life and I live for him!  You will see me say that a whole lot on this website because like I said he is my life and I am not ashamed to tell everyone.  I am one of these people who always stands up for God and what I believe in.  I am very stubborn when it comes to my beliefs.  I have grown in faith so much in the past two years.

  I don’t exactly have one of these unbelievable testimonies.  Mine is very simple actually.  When I was in the fourth grade my friend Ashleigh called me one Sunday after she got home from church and she was crying.  I had never been taught about salvation or what God could do for me and Ashleigh and I got to talking about her thoughts and feelings.  She explained many things to me and how she had been saved that day and she basically led me to be saved.  That very next Sunday I got saved.  I had had feelings of emptiness for a long time but I didn’t know what it would take to fill up the hole in my heart.  I just thought it was me.  Once I took that step, I felt my emptiness be filled with the spirit of God.  Two weeks later I followed up the process with being baptized and I thought… well that’s it.  I’m good to go; now all I have to do is sit back and enjoy life.  Boy was I wrong.  I didn’t realize it then, but my life was just starting.  I didn’t have a close friendship with God, and I knew I didn’t, I just didn’t know how to fix it.

My family finally began to go to church when I was in the 6^th grade.  I had been to church for a long time with my mamaw, but I never could get my family to go.  My dad always had ‘stuff to do’ on Sundays, and mom’s excuse was that she would go if dad would go.  Well, dad went to funeral where a friend of his was asked to preach.  Mike, who was the preacher, asked dad to come and bring his family.  Of course dad procrastinated.  Who doesn’t?  One Sunday he got up and told my mom ‘Let’s go to church today.’  They did and I continued to go with my mamaw.  Eventually I started going with my mom and dad.

 Mike and Debbie (his wife) came to my house many times and other officials in the church came to try to witness to my dad and brother.  My mom was saved when she was 16, so Chase and dad were their main concern.  Several months later Chase was saved right here in our home, in our living room, on our couch.  Not too long after, dad followed and all of my family was baptized into Grace Baptist church as members and brothers and sister in Christ.  Being part of a Christian family isn’t very easy.  We would discuss things and once again I started feeling that emptiness reappear in my heart.  I then rededicated my life to Jesus and it was gone. 

I then started to live for God.  I began using my talent for him.  I had sung in a few weddings and was told that I could sing so I thought well, there are people here that sing, maybe I should sing here too.  So I did.  The very first time I sang at Grace Baptist Church was on Easter.  We were in our old building, and there were so many people there that they had to put chairs outside because there wasn’t enough room for everyone to sit.  I was so nervous that I was surprised that everybody couldn’t hear my knees shaking.  My palms were so sweaty that I almost dropped my microphone.  Apparently my song was a hit because I got my first standing ovation!!  I was really excited but still I didn’t sing as much as I should.  I would only sing on holidays or on special events.

In July 2003 I attended an incredible event called Kentucky Crabbfest.  It is hosted by a Southern Gospel group called the Crabb Family.  When I tell other people about it they ask me if they have crab legs there.  They all get a kick out of it, but Crabb is their last name.  The Crabb Family consists of Jason Crabb, Kelly Bowling, Adam Crabb, Aaron Crabb, and Terah Penhollow.  They are the children of Gerald and Kathy Crabb.  If you have never heard of them, they are awesome.  They are my all time favorite group.  They are young and they are all such an inspiration to me.  When I attended Crabbfest, my small burning light inside my heart turned into an enormous flame.  The type that would take out a forest.  I had never had such a blessing from anyone or anything like I had from them and the overall event.

 Ever since then, I have been singing and praising God with all I have!  And I will continue to do so until the day I die.  I finally joined up with Grace Baptist Church December 2004.  I honestly believe that praising God through my music is my calling.  I also feel that I should pursue my musical calling at Grace Baptist Church.  My true walk with Christ began on day one of Crabbfest 2003.  Since then, my relationship with God has become the stronghold of my life.