By the age of 15 I was heading down a destructive path that involved abusing drugs, alcohol, and engaging in many un-pure relationships. On many occasions I would wake up forgetting how I got there or what happened the night before. My junior year of high school I dropped out. My study habits were poor and I never showed discipline as a student. Eventually, I did finish my education, but continued to use alcohol on a daily basis. We would have to sit down over a cup of coffee for a few hours to tell you about all the poor decisions I’ve made. 

On many occasions throughout these years, I contemplated giving my life to God. On a few occasions I would make it a few months, doing my best to live for Jesus, promising that if he would bail me out one more time I would promise to live for him. But time after time I failed to keep that promise. This became a cycle over the next 12 years and eventually I gave up on the whole God thing entirely, and shoved him to the back of mind as far as I could. I was done with church and done with God. 

At 27 years old I found myself sitting on my bed sobbing. I hit rock bottom. That night, sitting there all alone, I began to realize how many people I had hurt. My mom who I had disrespected, my father who I held a grudge against, and the countless people I had cheated on and lied to. It was then that a soft whisper spoke to my heart saying, “you can follow me or continue down the same path, the choice is yours.” So there, all alone I whispered to God with more honesty in my heart than any time before, “God if you forgive me for all I’ve done, I’ll follow you.” It was then that I felt nudged to go find the Bible I had shoved to the back of my closet. I picked it up and read Psalm 51 - “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners shall be converted to you.” It was then at the age of 27, God became real to me. He had moved from a God in heaven, to a God in my heart. In that moment, I surrendered, I raised the white flag, and I gave my whole life to God, willing to do whatever he told me.  

In 2006, I left my home state Texas, and moved to Tampa. Then just a year later I finished my undergraduate degree, married my wife Carissa, and became the full-time Youth Pastor at Bridgeway Church in Wesley Chapel, Fl. In 2015, while attending a church conference in Oklahoma, I felt a clear calling to leave my position and begin the journey of starting a church. With the support of my church leadership, the journey of planting a church began. At the beginning of 2016, we were sent with a team of people to launch a campus with the hope that one day it would branch off and become its own entity. After just one year the church experienced enough sustained growth and the leadership felt it was time to move forward and begin the transition to launch what is now Brave Church.

The mission of Brave Church is based on Ephesians 1:16-18:

Our mission is to lead people into a transformational relationship with Jesus.

Today I still can’t believe all God has done in my life. I am married to love of my life, who each day I realize I don’t deserve. We have four beautiful healthy children Lillian, Samuel, Emery, and Nathan. It is truly an honor and I am humbled to serve as the lead pastor of Brave Church.  

-Pastor Ricky