About Me
I was born January 7, 1976, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Kenneth and Tamara Smith. I don’t remember it but those there have told me I caused my mom great pain. Thankfully the Lord blessed me with a strong and committed family growing up. We would attend church anytime the doors were opened (I grew up in an ‘independent, fundamental, bible-believing—KJV only that is—Baptist church). I thought that that made me a good Christian– you know, going to church all the time and being a good family.
It really wasn’t until the summer of ‘89 that God really began to make sense to me. I had a great opportunity at a Christian camp in southern Indiana to really take time and look at my relationship with Christ (really, the lack of it). On August 9, 1989, it made sense to me that God didn’t want me to live my parent’s faith, my church’s faith, my denomination’s faith but my faith. That night I remember giving my life to Christ and the journey really began then.
I grew up knowing how to do and talk the Christian lifestyle and yet didn’t really grow in my faith. I had the help of good churches, the AWANA program, and a couple of Christian schools to keep me on track a little. And yet I always would find myself continuing to feed on the ‘milk’ of who Jesus really is.
During my high school years I contemplated many careers I might enjoy ‘when I grew up.’ I wish I could list them, but many are too embarrassing. I was always interested in working with people so ministry of some sort made the most sense at the time (plus my family would be really proud!). So I enrolled at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC (for reasons I am also too embarrassed to share). I started off in a counseling major, but halfway through my first semester I felt the Lord wanted me to focus more on pastoral ministry. At that time I added youth ministry as a second major. On May 9, 1998, I graduated from Bob Jones with my Bachelor’s degree and felt like singing Alice Cooper’s song, School’s Out, all the way home (which coincidentally Cooper wrote after attend a year at Bob Jones’ high school academy).
On January 4, 1998, I took my first pastorate as youth/music pastor at Bethany Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, OH. A little over a month later on February 28, 1998, I married Anna Smith (yes, that was her maiden name—no we are not related—I think), whom I met at an AWANA camp in Canada. Over the past six years the Lord has blessed us with three beautiful children (Isaac—02/22/00, Noah—12/22/01, and Emma 02/21/05)–more about my family in “My Family” page.
I am so glad God is not done with me yet. My spiritual journey has never been more exciting than the past five years. While pasturing in Ohio I began to really study the Gospels. I was amazed at the love and grace of Jesus. I had been told all my life to separate from all those who now I read Jesus was hanging out with. And it began to sink in that everything I had been practically taught about ministry and Christianity was for the most part, man-made convictions and not biblical mandates. In all reality, I was living a life completely opposite from what I believe Christ wants us to live.
As you can imagine, that caused some ripples in my ministry. I didn’t try to cause a ruckus, but I couldn’t help asking questions on why we did the things we were doing.
On March 14, 2002, we took a position as Pastor of Student Ministries at Cambria Baptist Church in Hillsdale, MI. I enjoyed more ministry freedom at CBC than I did in Ohio but was still frustrated with many of the ‘Baptist’ traditions.
I began to read more and more about true life with Christ and began to realize that there was a lot more to God and Christianity than what I was experiencing. It took a spiritual break-down during the summer of 2004 to take me to a place of true surrender. I felt, as I think Jacob might have, after wrestling with God—totally exhausted and yet incredibly thankful all at the same time. After that summer, my spiritual journey took off in the most exciting way in my life.
I know I am a long way off from where God desires for me to be and that I still stumble over the roots along the path placed there by my childhood up-bringing, yet I can honestly say, I have enjoyed the trek and am looking forward to the rest of the journey.
E-mail me at ryan@myepicjourney.com
