| Growing
up in a church-going home, Jeff learned a lot
about God, but he did not know God. He
believed in Jesus in the same way he believed in
George Washington: he knew Jesus was real, but
had not personally met Him. All this changed one
night after a Young Life meeting. After the
meeting, all alone in his bedroom, Jeff saw his
need for Christ and His forgiveness. He really
opened his heart to Christ and gave himself to
Jesus. Jeff was forever changed that night as
Jesus Christ came and took up permanent residence
in his heart. |
As
a student at the University of Texas, Jeff grew
leaps and bounds in his Christian life. He
graduated with a degree in business and moved
back home to Houston to start his career in the
business world. In Houston, he met the love of
his life, Debbie Canon, in the Single's Group at
Champion Forest Baptist Church. They were married
in 1986 and have been blessed with a wonderful
relationship and three awesome daughters.
A NEW DIRECTION
After spending 13 years as a salesman
(Landell Manufacturing, Waste Management, Inc.,
and Nalco Chemical Co.), God clearly called Jeff
to preach. He left his secure position and
moved his wife and three girls to North
Carolina to attend Southeastern Baptist
Theological Seminary. It was a scary
and difficult move to make, especially for
Debbie... but it was one of the best decisions
they ever made. Jeff and his family were
in NC for one year before God called him to serve
on staff at Champion Forest Baptist Church.
While serving there, he completed his Master of
Divinity degree and graduated from
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in 2000.
Jeff was
called to become the Senior Pastor of First
Baptist Texarkana in 2003. God has
tremendously blessed and the church is seeing the
Lord change lives, work miracles, and bring
unprecedented growth. It is surely exciting
as the church Experiences His glory!
PERSONAL
INSIGHTS
Jeff is a passionate communicator
whose love for the Lord and love for people come
out in every sermon he preaches. He
thinks the Christian life is the most exciting,
fulfilling life of all.
He believes it is a terrible sin for a
preacher to be boring!
Some things he really enjoys: Having
fun with his wife and daughters; Spending
time with friends; Laughing and making others
laugh; Sports (especially basketball, football,
racquetball, and golf); and The Texas
Longhorns.
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