Hometown: Bryan, Texas
Email: Aaron@ablaze.us
Favorite Bible Verse: “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones; I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” – Jeremiah 20:9
“I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.” – Hosea 2:15
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” – John 21:15
Favorite Quote: “The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplating your own greatness is pathological. At such moments we are made for a magnificent joy that comes from outside ourselves.” ― John Piper
“I’m a reflection of the community.” – Tupac
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” ― Francis Chan
“There’s Some Good In This World, Mr. Frodo, And It’s Worth Fighting For!” ― Samwise Gamgee
What does Ablaze’s mission mean to you? It is the sound of hope catching fire. It is the quiet moment when a young person realizes they are not invisible, and the loud, unshakable truth that they belong. It is meeting them in the mess, in the questions, and in the doubts, and walking with them until they see the face of Christ in their own story.
It is being willing to sit in the back of the bleachers, to show up at the lunch table, to listen before speaking, and to speak when the moment calls for courage. It is not just ministry. It is an invitation for hearts to burn again, for joy to be contagious, and for faith to feel alive in a way that cannot be manufactured.
Ablaze’s mission means fighting for the next generation before they even know they are worth fighting for, and watching in awe as God writes a story in their lives far better than they could have imagined.
What’s one piece of advice you would give your 15-year-old self? Skip the Justin Bieber haircut. Trust me. Oh, and you’re going to marry your high school crush… so thank the Lord now because she is way out of your league and maybe cool it on the fart jokes. Also, nobody is impressed that you can shotgun a Sprite, and for the love of all things holy, quit signing yearbooks “call me when you’re rich.”
You got this, champ.
