StephenCraigRice.com

My name is Steve Rice and this is a brief story of the most important thing in my life.  I grew up as somewhat of a hillbilly in eastern Kentucky.  I lived in Floyd County and graduated from Betsy Layne High School.  I loved to hunt and fish.  I loved to ride motorcycles and play basketball.  I especially loved to golf. Jack Nicklaus was always my favorite golfer.  My dad was a plumbing and heating contractor and my mom was a stay-at-home mom.  They were both hard workers and I had about anything I wanted as a boy.

I was happy, but when I was fourteen years old, I started to feel like a piece of the puzzle was missing in my life.  I went to church all the time with my parents, but I realized I had never personally made a decision for Christ.  I started worrying about what would happen to me if I died without Christ. One day after my pastor, Earl Waugh preached, I walked down the hardwood aisle in the First Baptist Church of Allen and told him I wanted to become a Christian.  He led me in a simple prayer and I asked Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins.

Right away, I could tell something was different.  I didn’t worry any more about death and a peace came to my life.  I’ve been a Christian now for thirty-seven years.  I still have problems and still make mistakes like everyone else.  But God has always been there to pick me up and wipe me off.  My mom passed away in ‘92.  I miss her more and more every year.  I don’t know how I would have made it during that time without the Lord.  I try to live for the Lord every day the best I know how.

Through the years God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and three awesome children, but that’s enough talk about me.  I’d like to hear about your life.  Has this kind of thing ever happened to you?  Do you feel like something or someone is missing from your life?  Would you like to invite Christ to come into your life?  If I can answer any questions or help you with a decision to invite Christ into your life please email me at srice@shelbyvillebaptist.com.

BIOGRAPHY

Steve Rice is the Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Before coming to Shelbyville, he served on the Kentucky Baptist Convention staff and as Senior Pastor of three other Kentucky Baptist churches. Steve is a graduate of Morehead State University (B.A.), Luther Rice Seminary (M.Div.), and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min.).

Steve is married to Laura Thornton Rice.  They have three children: Matthew, Lauren, and Andrew. You can email Steve at srice@shelbyvillebaptist.com or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenrice.