Our History

Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” This is the testimony of how God moved mountains for a small-time preacher like me.

  

In December of 2006, I was praying in the chapel of a hospital in Austin, Texas. This was not an ordinary prayer — it was a prayer of desperation. My wife and our two-week-old daughter had been admitted to the hospital because of post-birth complications. As you can imagine, I was deeply concerned. While nurses attended to them, I went down to the hospital chapel to pray. Nothing will bring you to your knees faster than seeing your wife and child suffer.

  

As a preacher, I knew there was nothing more powerful than prayer. The Lord had shown me His faithfulness many times before. While I was kneeling at the altar praying for my family, the Lord unexpectedly spoke to me. It was not His voice that was strange, but the subject matter.

  

“It’s time for you to go,” He said.

  

At first, I ignored it, thinking it was simply a thought in my mind. But a few minutes later I heard it again:

  

“It’s time for you to go.”

  

Now I was listening.

  

“Go where, Lord?” I asked, assuming He meant to leave the chapel and return to my family.

  

Then came the answer:

  

“It’s time for you to leave your church and plant another church.”

  

That was a complete surprise.

  

I was comfortable where I was. I often describe it as “sitting in the second chariot.” I was helping, supporting, and encouraging from behind the scenes without carrying the weight and arrows that often come with leading from the front seat as Pastor.

  

When I left the chapel and returned to my wife and daughter, it felt like I was walking in a haze. I spent the next several weeks praying, meditating, and seeking confirmation from the Lord, but I heard nothing more. Two months later, everything changed.

      

In February, major problems erupted within the church I was attending. Many people left the church. Looking back, I now understand why God had warned me beforehand. I stayed another month trying to help the church through the difficult season, but eventually I knew I had to obey the call of God.

  

Still intimidated by what the Lord had spoken, I sought Him again and experienced what I call a “Gideon’s fleece” moment. In His patience and mercy, God gave divine confirmation after divine confirmation. Then, by faith — with what little faith I had — I stepped forward. Without advertising, with very little money, and without an established congregation, God began opening doors. Within two months, we secured a facility, and on Easter Sunday of 2007 we held our very first worship service. Sixty people walked through the doors.

  

Hallelujah — God really does add to the church.

  

In April of 2007, A Breath Of Praise Community Church was born. Our mission was simple: Teach the Bible. Make disciples for Christ. Plant churches around the world.

  

In 2015, we helped plant a Hispanic church in Round Rock, Texas, which continues to today.

  

Then in 2021, God began stirring our hearts again.

  

Throughout the month of December 2021, our prayer warriors gathered every morning at 5:00 AM for two hours seeking the Lord about where to plant our next church. Four months later, while driving through Brownwood on my way to preach at my brother’s church in Abilene, I once again heard that still, quiet voice:

  

“This is where I want you to plant a church.”

  

Brownwood? I was shocked.

  

“What good can come out of Brownwood, Lord?” I thought. Surely there were larger cities with greater opportunities — Austin, San Antonio, Dallas. But the pull toward Brownwood would not leave me alone. When I told my wife, she looked at me with panic and asked, “Do we have to move there?” I said, “No.”

  

She was immediately relieved.

  

Over the next several weeks, I made multiple trips to Brownwood trying to get a sense of the city. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, but when I drove through the economically struggling area known as “The Flats,” something happened to me spiritually that I had never experienced before. I felt the hurting heart of God and I began to weep. It felt as though Jesus allowed me to feel His burden and compassion for that community.

      

The very next day I contacted my cousin Jan, who still had ties to Brownwood. “Jan,” I told him, “I believe the Lord is calling me to Brownwood to start a ministry. Do you know of any church that might allow me to hold a Bible study there?”

  

He suggested I contact his childhood Methodist church; so, I called. When I explained the vision to Pastor Teri, she became excited and immediately offered their building for Wednesday night Bible studies — completely free of charge and we both began praising God over the phone.

  

What I didn’t know at the time Pastor Teri had been praying for an African American male pastor to come minister in that mostly Black neighborhood because their congregation had dwindled to only a handful of members. The following week we held our first Bible study.

  

Two people attended.

  

The next week, five.

  

Then ten.

  

Soon, fifteen people were consistently attending Wednesday night Bible studies. After several months, I asked Pastor Teri if we could begin holding Sunday morning worship services at 9:00 AM before their 11:00 AM service. She graciously agreed and encouraged it. In February of 2022, we held our soft opening service. More than 20 people attended. Then 25. Then 40.

  

By October of 2022, we officially launched A Breath Of Praise Church – Brownwood. Our sanctuary seats approximately 120 people, but on Grand Opening Sunday it felt like entire neighborhood showed up. Local churches and pastors came to support us, and we packed the building with 139 people.

  

Hallelujah!

  

In just three and half years:

  

●     Over 100 people have been baptized, 90% of them adults

  

●     Strong leaders have been raised up, with additional leaders currently in training

  

●     Outreach ministries have flourished throughout the community

  

●     Relationships have been built with city officials, local schools, and Howard Payne University

  

●     Ministries such as Adopt-A-Student and Nursing Home Ministry have been established

  

●     A mentorship partnership with HPU is currently being developed

  

●     Marriages have been restored through Biblical counseling

  

●     Lives have been changed through deliverance from drugs and alcohol

  

But God was not finished.

    

Following COVID, the Methodist church where we had been meeting experienced a major decline in attendance and eventually chose to separate from the Methodist denomination altogether. With only a small handful of members remaining and little support, they approached us with a proposal that only God could have orchestrated. They offered to lease the church building to us for one year completely free of charge. At the end of that year, if all went well, they would transfer ownership of the church building and property to A Breath Of Praise Church for only one dollar.

  

Today, A Breath Of Praise Brownwood owns a fully furnished 6,500-square-foot church facility complete with a commercial kitchen, fellowship hall, offices, and ministry space. Only the sovereignty of God could orchestrate something so miraculous.

Many times I have wondered:

  

“What if I had not obeyed the call to Brownwood?” Everything that has happened in our church and throughout this community is a testimony to the providential hand of God.