John Cook

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that genuinely loved God and instilled Godly values in me at a very young age.

When I was seven, I came to understand what it meant to become a Christian and I accepted Christ as my lord and savior. As a young child, I continued to grow steadily in my faith.

In my early teenage years, I became less consistent in my spiritual disciplines of Bible reading and prayer. During this time I began to develop an attitude of spiritual arrogance, thinking that by accumulating knowledge about God, I could neglect the basic spiritual disciplines of prayer and righteous living. This finally caught up to me when I was nineteen years old, and I was able to see just how far I had drifted from God. Despite maintaining an exterior image of Godliness, I was fading away on the inside.

It was during my sophomore year of college that I made the decision to go to a weekly campus ministry meeting on my college campus, where I knew no one. There I encountered other believers struggling with the same issues I was struggling with, but who all had an authentic heart for Christ. Several campus ministers and pastors poured into me with both challenges and encouragement. During this time I met my wonderful wife who helped challenge and encourage me in so many ways as well. She helped me make some practical lifestyle changes that resulted in spiritual growth.

We are now married with a lovely young daughter. We have continued to grow in our marriage and faith through the First Baptist Church young married couples ministry. We lean on experienced believers for advice and try to humbly walk in obedience to God on a daily basis.

John Cook