Senior PastorPastor Rob Taylor
I was raised in a loving home. The idea of success and “the meaning of life” were conveyed to me through images of how the world measured worth; obtaining a good job, getting the girl, starting a family, retiring, and then dying. These images didn’t contain any facets of God.
My first interaction with church and God was at a young age; in the Sunday school that I would get dropped at each week. It didn’t take long before I altogether stopped attending because I felt it was taking away from other things I’d rather be doing. As a kid, I wanted to be outside playing with my friends, not stuck at church.
As I grew older, I worked odd jobs like a lot of kids; cutting grass, shoveling snow (yes, I grew up North of Nashville) and even worked at a gas station at the age of 15. After high school, I headed to college and upon graduation, landed a “respectable” job at an engineering firm. My hard work paid off and I quickly became well-respected in my field. The paycheck that accompanied this position also added to the success I felt and I soon thought I was on the road to what I had always wanted. I had the job, now I needed the wife.
I met Louise (everyone knows her as Lou), while working at the engineering firm. We were soon married and had no plans to change the course of success we were both on. Little did we know, God had another plan.
We moved to Florida and shortly after, Lou’s mom passed away. Lou would cry herself to sleep each night. So one night she told me that God wanted her to “come find Him in His church” and she asked me if I would go to a church with her? My response, “Not me, but you go.” Even now, I regret not being more compassionate to my wife when she needed me most. I agreed to accompany her to a church service when a few of our friends invited us to attend an Easter service their church was coordinating. It was that day, my life was changed. At the age of 26, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.
In 2000, life became more hectic than ever. Lou and I would see one another as we crawled into bed each night. We both knew we were in desperate need of “us” time. We went on vacation and enjoyed some great quality time. It was on this trip that God spoke very clearly to me during one of our morning devotions. We were reading Isaiah 42, when verse six caught my attention – “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand.” It was this verse that God used to call me to full-time ministry as pastor of Calvary Chapel Brentwood.
It was then time for our move to Tennessee, where we currently reside. Each day I am thankful for the ways God uses Lou and me to encourage believers to walk with God and engage their faith.
• Born and raised: Rochester, NY
• 1st Job: Gas station attendant
• Favorite color: Red
• Favorite food: Schaller’s hamburgers
• Who you married and when: My best friend Lou on June 17, 1989
• Hobbies: Pilot, scuba diving, water skiing. But who has time for hobbies?
• Favorite scripture verse: Hebrews 12:2 – looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. & Psalm 37:5 – Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
• Favorite vacation spot: Any beach
