An Introduction

Hello all. My name is Ben Estes. I figured the first post would be a good time to tell you all about myself. I'm a 19 year old college student, football coach, and Youth Minister of a small Baptist church. I've been a preacher for 1 and a half years. I live in a small town in north Alabama called Somerville. I've lived here my entire life. Pretty nice area in my opinion. It's very tranquil and secluded but close enough to Huntsville (about a 25 minute drive) that I don't feel secluded. Type both into Wikipedia if you've never heard of them.

Anyway, the reason I decided to start this blog is so I could have a good outlet to discuss and offer my opinions on God and his power. I've read several blogs on blogger and thought that now would be a good time to start doing some blogging myself.

- Just to branch off topic for a moment-

I never really wanted to preach. I was saved at the age of 7 in late April. I was baptized on Mother's Day of that year(the 12th); one day before my birthday. I was raised in church and almost never missed a Sunday. All throughout high school I would lay in bed on Sunday nights and get this feeling of dieing on the inside. It didn't matter what I did it would always seem to be there like an internal alarm clock each Sunday night. I knew I was saved and reassured myself of this hundreds of times, yet the feeling never subsided. I began to wonder if maybe the Lord wanted me to preach. I always made sure to throw those thoughts right out, "No way" I thought to myself. I imagined I put those thoughts into my head and it wasn't God hinting at it. Well the spring of my Senior year of high school (very close to graduation) I accepted the call the preach on a Sunday night. It was May 7th. My grandfather, also a preacher, was preaching on when he first accepted the calling and I knew this was God's way of saying, "Now or Never. You decide". Being a "God fearing man" I did what I had to do; went to the altar and dropped to a knee. Our pastor told me he wanted me to preach the next Sunday. It turns out that day was Mother's Day (See the pattern God's laid of making my late spring/early summer a busy part of my life both spiritually and physically?). This Mother's day fell the day after my birthday. So I had to preach on Mother's Day morning for my first sermon in front of close to 50 people (a very good crowd for our church) at the age of 18. Funny how things work out.

- Getting back on track after the quick History (my major, by the way) lesson -

As I stated I started this blog as a place for me to share my thoughts about God; as well as just generally get them written down on paper. I wanted a place I could write what I think down to go back later and read through. I'd love to write a book when I'm older (I certainly love reading them) and think it would be great to have ideas as to my thought process now, opposed to what it might be years later.

Posts I make might be about football, books I've read/will read, possibly just general information I feel like sharing, or just about Christ himself. Regardless of what I write I'll try and have at least some general opinions or statements about God added in.

I look forward to having you, if there will even be anyone reading this, reading. If you ever want to add something or ask a question please be sure to leave a comment or send an e-mail (I don't check it often so don't think I'm ignoring you if it takes awhile for a reply).

God Bless you,

Ben Estes