Hey y’all! My name is Billy Oglesby, and I am a sinner saved by grace (Ephesians 2: 1-5)! I grew up going to Church and never knew a time that I didn’t believe in God. I say that because there is a difference between believing in God (James 2:19) and believing that Jesus Christ is our Savior (John 3:16). I needed to understand that I am a sinner in need of saving (Romans 3:10) and that Jesus Christ is my Savior (John 3:16). While I grew up going to Church and reading the Bible sporadically, I did not come to understand my need for a savior until high school. The Lord, in His mercy, showed me that I was—and am—sinful and selfish. I can empathize with Paul’s words in Romans 7:15, that “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate.” I am thankful that the Lord opened my eyes to my sin and that His light exposed the darkness of my heart, something that He continues doing to this day.

After being shown that I was a sinner in need of saving, the trajectory of my life changed, but because of my sin, selfishness, and hard-heartedness, my struggles with sin continued and continue still. Our Freedom in Christ is the most glorious thing and the Holy Spirit guiding and speaking into our lives is such a gift and blessing. But, like a sheep I stray from the path, I forget His promises and His commands, and I think I know the way on my own. I love the comparison of myself to a dumb sheep who would fall off a cliff if it weren’t for our Shepherd who leads us, guides us, and protects us. God is faithful, His promises are true, and I continually learn the depth of my sin and my need for a savior every single day. The more I learn the depth of my sin and my need for a Savior, the more I know that to live all of life in light of the gospel and life joyfully for His Kingdom, I need to spend time with God: in His Word, in prayer, and corporately with our Church family. These practices and habits become more and more important the longer I spend with my Father in Heaven, and when I am filled in Him, I can pour out for others and love those around me as He loves me.

Please pray for Lauren and I, that we would lose our lives for Christ (Matthew 10:39) and be drawn closer to Him in our marriage. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom, discernment, love and patience in parenting our three beautiful girls, Callie, Annie, and Lillian and that we will joyfully point them to Christ!