Zac: Outside of school, what takes up most of your time?
Kelsey: During the school year, basketball season takes up a lot of my time. Hanging out with my friends, my girlfriend, just typical teenager stuff. Basketball took up a lot of my time though. I would typically start really training and getting into it in June, and then the season ends at the end of February.
Zac: Speaking of basketball, let me ask a question for the basketball enthusiasts in our church. Here’s the scenario – down 2, with 10 seconds left in the game. What’s your go-to shot?
Kelsey: I’ve been in that situation before. There was actually 30 seconds left, but it ending up winning the game. I basically just cleared everybody out – which took a lot of guts since I was only a freshman – and just went one-on-one with my guy. I shot a step-back three from the right wing and, luckily, it went in. It put us up by 1 and we ended up winning the game.
Zac: Awesome. If you could share a meal with anyone that’s ever lived, outside of Jesus, who would it be and why?
Kelsey: I would actually have to say my Dad’s grandfather. The reason for that is because Dad just really looked up to him and viewed him as one of the greatest examples he’s had. I never got to meet him because he passed away before I was born. So I’d just really like the opportunity to experience for myself what my Dad saw in him. I’d like to talk to him and gather some of his insights because it seems like he was really a good and wise man of God.
Zac: Give us a fun fact about yourself.
Kelsey: One fact about me is that, in everything that I do, I really like to take leadership roles. I think I might get that from my Dad. I’m team captain on my basketball team, I’m one of the vocal leaders in our youth group where I go to church, I’ve actually preached some myself – so I just really like to grab the bull by the horns I guess.
Zac: What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Kelsey: There’s a quote from Lecrae, a Christian rapper, that I think of – “If you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die from their rejection.”
When you get into high school and you get to the point of being a teenager, you really want acceptance more than anything. Something I’ve realized is you have to be in tune with God and what he wants for your life, and everything else will take care of itself. Like I said, I like to be a leader, but what comes with that, especially in high school, people expect you to go to the parties, expect you to do drugs, etc. But I’ve kind of broke the mold of that, and what I’ve come to realize is, when you’re so bold in your faith that people know they can’t shake you from it, they respect you just as much as they would if you were to do exactly what they wanted you to do. Especially going to college soon, that’s really stuck with me – just be who you are in Christ and don’t waiver from it.
Zac: That’s great advice. What’s your best church memory?
Kelsey: When I was probably 8 or 9, Dad was the pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Middle Tennessee. I’ve always said our VBS’s there were just amazing. The people we had doing the worship and music were just really excited, and it was always a great time for me as a kid. Typically in church, people act more serious, but during VBS week, you saw adults come out of their shell like you’d never seen. At a young age, I just had the desire to see the church break the mold of what people think church has to be. It was from that point that I realized that we’re Christians and we can have fun too.
Zac: I’m sure you have a really unique perspective too, just growing up as the son of a pastor. What is the most impactful thing God has taught you through your church?
Kelsey: I would have to say that God’s plan is preeminent over everything and will be accomplished regardless of human nature. Everybody talks about churches and why they don’t work – well, churches are never going to be perfect because they’re made up of people. You’re never going to get everybody on the same page unless they’re following God’s plan. Because God’s plan doesn’t change. So if everybody in the church would focus on God’s plan and not our own plan, it would work. But sometimes we don’t, and that’s where things get mixed up. But, at the same time, God’s plan will always be fulfilled one way or another. We might not always understand how it’s working or what God’s doing, but, in the end, he’s always going to make sure his plan gets accomplished. That’s something I’ve learned throughout the years.
Zac: Right, that’s completely true. What are the next steps for you after you graduate?
Kelsey: I’ll be attending Bryan College in Dayton, TN. I’m going there to study Business Management, but I haven’t exactly decided what I’m going to do with that. I really want to be a prosecuting attorney, but I’m not sure if, after four years of college, I’ll want to go to three more years of Law School. I’m kind of shuffling Human Resources and Management or Law School.
Zac: To back up a step or two, what led you to Bryan College?
Kelsey: Before Dad even got called to FBC Bells, my two colleges were Bryan College and Union University. When they went to Bells, it seemed like God just laid it out on a silver platter – I’d go to Union. Then I visited both campuses, and Bryan just felt like home to me. There was a scholarship weekend there last November. I stayed in the dorms and it was really cool to see the campus come alive. It seemed like 90% of the kids I met had a real passion for the Lord and wanted to be there for that reason. I think it will be cool to surround myself with people of like-minded faith and grow in my faith all while pursuing my education at the same time.
Zac: What do you think the Lord is calling you to?
Kelsey: I feel like the Lord is pulling me in a lot of different directions. I really have a passion for the church in general. I want to see the church as a whole thrive and take off. Even while in college, I’ve been talking to my pastor about coming back on the weekends because there’s a ministry we’re going to get started for discipleship where we’re going to be working with the younger kids and training them up before they get up to the youth group. Then, the older generation is going to be working with my age group. So I’ve been working with my pastor to get that set into motion where we can see the church take off in ways we never really have. In this dynamic, we’ll have everyone working in one tandem, as it should be.
Also, another thing with majoring in business – I’m just trying to figure out where the Lord is leading me in this process, and just trusting he’ll lead me where he wants me to go.
Zac: Alright, well here is the final question – What is your favorite Bible verse?
Kelsey: I’d have to say Romans 1:16, which has to do with being unashamed of the gospel. There are so many Christians right now who are ashamed of their faith. I think of the time Peter denied Christ. We don’t live in that extreme of a time, but I just feel like we have too many Peters, to be honest. Instead of people saying, “We’re going to kill you” now it’s more of a slander type of thing. In this generation, people think that if you’re a Christian, you’re a bigot and a weirdo. And now we have so many people who, on Sundays and Wednesdays, are proud Christians, but the rest of the week they’re just kind of going with the flow and not proud of their faith. In fact, every pair of basketball shoes I’ve ever worn I’ve actually written Romans 1:16 on the outside of it.
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…
