“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.
This verse gives me the boldness to be the man that God intended for me to be. My name is David Segura, and I am from the West Texas town of San Angelo. It was in this West Texas town that I became a troubled youth. I come from a very loving family and was raised in church, but from a young age, I had my own ideas that kept me running away from God.
In my search for independence, I left a trail of heartache and disappointment. I woke up one day serving a fifteen year sentence for selling drugs and asked myself, “How did I end up here?” Accepting responsibility for my situation was my first step in understanding that I was missing something. I started attending church services while incarcerated, and the music really stirred my soul. I started studying the word of God and soon realized that God loved me so much that he sent his son to die for me. I gave my life to Christ a few weeks later, and the life He has given me is better than I could have ever imagined.
I was released in 2016 for good behavior. At first, I was so scared to leave and have the world at my fingertips. I spent days in prayer, and finally God let me step out with courage and faith. I moved to Victoria and started working for Northside Baptist Church as the custodian. I felt so honored to be responsible for keeping our Father’s house clean. I was involved with prison ministry and street ministry.
After working for Northside for a while, Pastor Dean Meade, my brother and boss, told me about SCS and asked if I would be interested in going back to school. After lots of prayer and encouragement from my wife, I signed up for my first class and loved it. SCS has been a major influence in my life and has helped me to grow into the man that God intended for me to be. I have gained so many tools from my classes. They help me navigate the many ministries I am now involved in and also give me the courage to step into my calling as a pastor.
SCS has helped me to grow in the Word and understand the scriptures on a deeper level. I have started preaching at my church on Sunday nights, and although I am always extremely nervous, I stand firm on the foundation that SCS has helped me to develop. If you are considering going back to school I want to encourage you to go for it. Stark is an amazing school with amazing professors and awesome students. I hope to see you there soon.