My Story

I have wanted to serve God in full-time ministry since my childhood.  I entered college expecting to attend Seminary after graduation.  One year before graduating I met Mary and all my plans took a wonderful turn.  English Lit degree in hand I took a job in construction in order to support our new family.  Two years and one Warren (our first child) later I uprooted our family and moved to Charlotte, NC to pursue full-time ministry by attending Seminary on a part time basis while continuing to work in construction.  God used the godly leaders of my church to make it very clear to me that it was NOT the time for me to pursue the Ministry. God is good, and full of mercy because that was the best advice I could have received at that point in my life.  While I was grieved and disappointed, I knew in my heart that they were right.  Shortly after, I lost my job due to the housing market crash of 2008 and we pulled up stakes and returned to Southwest Virginia. 

Convinced God was directing my steps, I went to work serving Him in whatever capacity he provided to me.  Since that time I have learned what it means to serve God and not my own ego.  I have ministered in the dark where few could see and found encouragement for my work not in the praise of men but in the rejuvenating power of His Spirit.  I have been broken by the brokenness of others.  I have known the joy of seeing lives changed not by improved circumstances but by new hearts.  I have seen God work through me—filling my empty mouth with His words, my shaking hands with His strength, and my stumbling feet with His steps.  

Before pursuing the ministry I served as a Deacon at Redeemer Church, ARP in Christiansburg, VA for 10 years.  I have also been given the privilege of preaching and teaching in many different contexts, with increasing encouragement from my hearers.  Of equal blessing, I have been honored to bring the gospel into the lives of individuals afflicted with some of the most heinous experiences imaginable.  Abuse, addiction, anger, pride, hopelessness, grief--These have been my weekly and daily burdens for several years and they have driven me to Christ in ways that I could never have imagined possible before.  The Bible is no longer merely abstract truth to me, it is the revelation of the Living Water, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World who casts out the Darkness that surrounds and seeks to destroy. 

And so I believe it is time.  I am not my own, and I firmly believe I am responding to the call of my Lord to speak His truth in love to the world.  He is the living water, and I am merely the cup that carries it (and is carried by Him!).  

On this journey with me is my wonderful wife Mary.  We have been married since 2003 and have been best friends since we first met in 2001. Mary is custom made for my weaknesses and we enjoy discovering each other anew every day.  Warren, Peter, Christopher, Eliza, and Adele have joined us every two years or so since we were married.  They fill our home with joy, fun, and an enormous amount of sanctification. We could not ask God for more, and yet He has also “blessed” us with Tillie, our golden retriever and Oliver, our cat.   

Thank you for your interest in who I am and where I am going.  I appreciate your prayers and encouragement more than you can possibly know.

In Him,

Ben Trice