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| David receiving his SEC ring from Vince Dooley |
David is from Savannah, Georgia where he attended Memorial Day School. His family has always been active in church. His dad was a deacon and his mom worked in women's ministries at Southside Baptist Church. His two siblings also went to UGA and, like David, were active in BSU (Baptist Student Union, now Baptist Collegiate Ministries or BCM). His sister Lacy is living in Savannah and is married to a pastor whom she met as a 2 two-year missionary (a Journeyman through the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention) to Paraguay. His brother Mark now lives in Atlanta and is a mortgage broker. After bouncing around to several different colleges David finally found a place where he felt he fit at UGA. He was active in Baptist Student Union while a student. He and campus minister Franklin Scott connected because of their similar competitive natures and love for basketball. Not surprisingly, sports began many of their conversations.
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| 1990 SEC Basketball Championship Ring |
After more than six years in college David finally graduated from UGA in '91 as an Economics major with a minor in Greek. He took Greek because he had planned to go to seminary and wanted to get a head start on the difficult language. After college he returned to Savannah where he taught school for seven years, coaching tennis & girls varsity volleyball & basketball. He was working 70 hours a week, yet struggling to get by financially. Along the way he had a stint as a youth minister before finally finding his place in the world of insurance. He now works as an agent for Northwestern Mutual. David loves his job. He is good at it, it fits his giftedness and skill set, and it allows him to do ministry whenever the opportunity or need arises.
"If someone calls and asks me to chaperone a mission trip or a retreat I can go! It's great!David met Elizabeth, a Texan and UT grad, when she accompanied a mission team from Savannah's Southside Baptist Church to Honduras. She served as the translator for the group. She had never been to Savannah before coming to go with the team. They began dating soon afterwards. Though he got cold feet a few years into their relationship, he finally realized what an amazing woman he had found (with the help of Dr. Alan Bosson, his pastor and mentor) after so many years of being single. She soon moved to Savannah and they were married soon afterwards. Seven years later the couple has two incredible children, Jasmine (5 years old) and Reed (3 years old).
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| Some men of Baptist Student Union at the annual formal. David is on the back row, 5th from the right. |
David and Elizabeth lead a collegiate Bible Study in their home on Tuesday evenings. They cook dinner for the crew, David teaches and leads a discussion, and then they all drive to Starbucks to hang out for a few hours. David sees the study as an opportunity to help students from lots of different churches in the area. Many small churches nearby (of all denominations) don't have the resources to have a college specific studies. David loves the great conversations the diverse group has each week.
Their eclectic home is the perfect setting for social gatherings, with an open floor plan, cool electronics, and lots of cozy seating. The house is a Pinterest dream home, with crafty designs, artfully displayed family photos, handy nooks for books and mementos, a huge kitchen island, and an expansive covered outdoor entertainment patio with a bigscreen TV, ping pong table, and picnic area. The couple is as welcoming as their home. They love inviting people in to be a part of their family life.
David is a natural encourager - he loves mentoring and challenging students to go to the next level in faith and life. I overheard him tell a young man on our mission trip, "I see myself in you. You are almost there, but there is something holding you back. I wish I could tell you what it is, but I can't; you have to figure it out on your own. I see incredible potential in you. You have amazing abilities that you can't see yet. When it hits you, when you figure it out, don't look back! Take a leap of faith. You will go far. I see it. I'm a pretty good judge of people. I'm going to be praying for you. Let's keep talking this week." A conversation ensued about ways the student could try to figure out his life plans, career choices, and areas of giftedness.
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| David & Elizabeth with Reed and Jasmine in 2012 |
David has learned to find ways to serve God through serving others. Through reflecting on the ways God opened doors for him through various relationships and opportunities, he seeks to do the same for others, particularly young adults who are still discovering their place in the world. David also wants to help as many students as possoble avoid making the same mistakes he made along his journey. He is a great example of the hymn line, "because I have been given much I too must give!"
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