Kyle I.

Creation / Beginning

I grew up in a loving, faith-filled family. My dad was a Southern Baptist Minister of Music, which meant church wasn’t just part of our lives — it was our life. The classic Baptist joke about my upbringing is that I had a drug problem: I was “drug” to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Tuesday morning prayer breakfast, Wednesday night services, and everything in between. Because my dad worked at the church, we were usually the first to arrive and the last to leave.

I’m one of four kids — two older sisters and a younger brother — and our family moved around quite a bit due to my dad’s ministry roles. By the time I graduated high school, I had lived in eight houses across five states and attended eight different schools. I made friends easily, but it was hard to say goodbye and start over so many times. Thankfully, from seventh grade through high school graduation, I stayed in one place — allowing for long-term friendships during those crucial years.

Fall / My Brokenness

While the constant moving shaped me, the hardest part of my childhood was my struggle with chronic ear issues. When I was in kindergarten, my parents noticed I couldn’t walk straight and would fall unexpectedly. At first, they thought I was just a clumsy little boy. Eventually, I was referred to an ENT and diagnosed with a cholesteatoma — a tumor in the middle ear. It was advanced, had eaten away parts of my inner ear, and was affecting my balance.

Between ages 7 and 9, I had three surgeries in Memphis, TN, and required regular checkups every six months afterward. It was scary, exhausting, and financially straining for my family. I lived with a lot of fear around doctors and health. But even in the midst of all that, God was at work.

Redemption

Growing up in church, I can’t remember a time I didn’t believe in Jesus. The challenges of my health and all the moving around actually deepened my faith. I saw firsthand how my parents trusted God — how they prayed persistently and leaned on Him — and that became real for me, too.

When I was eight, I walked the aisle and prayed to receive Christ. I was baptized on January 1st, 1989. My parents continued to pour into me spiritually, always willing to discuss the Bible, pray with me, and point me toward Jesus. I was blessed by a church community that shaped my faith through Sunday School, children’s choir, and discipleship groups.

Restoration / The Ongoing Work

God’s restoration didn’t stop with my healing as a kid — He continues to shape and grow me. I’ve seen His faithfulness again and again in my adult life, especially as a husband, father, and church leader. When my daughter faced health complications at birth, the faith that was formed in me during my own childhood trials became a lifeline. I didn’t just hope God could come through — I knew He could, because He had before.

God has also been restoring my understanding of what it means to follow Jesus—not just by believing the right things, but by embodying His grace and love in everyday life. Serving in the church has been a huge part of that journey. The example my dad set has stayed with me: love people well, serve them faithfully, and always point them to Jesus. That’s what I’m trying to do now—through teaching, leading, and simply being present with others.

At the same time, I know the story isn’t finished. I still long to grow in patience, in wisdom, in trusting God with the unknown. I long to see the church become more like the Kingdom Jesus envisioned—marked by justice, compassion, and deep community. I long to see healing in the broken systems of our world, in people weighed down by suffering or shame, and in my own heart when I drift toward performance or fear.

God is still restoring me, day by day. And I want to join Him in His work of making all things new—starting with myself, and extending outward into my family, my church, and my community.