Hello, I'm Ben Taylor, the founder and director of Drinking from the Fountain Ministries. The following is a brief summary of my life.
My story begins similarly to many kids who grow up in Christian families. On the outside, I was all that a Christian kid was supposed to be (polite, well-mannered etc.). But take a look under the thin pharisaic veil and you would see the usual sinful mix of pride, self-righteousness, self-love, greed, lust, anger etc. In short, I was a sinner just as much in need of God's saving grace as anyone else. In His great mercy, God saved me at the age of 7 and I was later baptised at 17.
Things started to change around that time. I got involved with a Christian organization called ‘Wai Ora’, which worked with at-risk youth. I sensed a call to go to Bible College where I spent three years doing a Bachelor of Ministries degree, deepening my relationship with God and having the course of my life slowly refined. During that time God gave me a greater desire to be involved in teaching His Word. He also led me to discover John Piper, whose writings and Biblical expositions (highly influenced by Jonathan Edwards) have taken me higher and deeper into the greatness and excellency of God in Christ than anyone before. His mission statement has become my own, namely, “I exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.”
After finishing Bible College, I joined a missionary from my church in Fiji for six months of teaching and preaching. After returning home from Fiji, I began itinerant preaching and was feeling more strongly than ever before a call to pastoral ministry, which was confirmed by my pastor. Providence led me to spend just over a year in South Korea teaching English. Upon my return to New Zealand I began an internship at my church targeted towards Pastoral ministry. This was finished up with another four months of ministry in Fiji. I moved to Hamilton in September 2008 where I started a job teaching English as a second language, saving up for my upcoming marriage to my now beloved wife Rebekah in December of 2009, and waiting on God's continued leading.
In October 2009 God led me to a pastoral position at Morrinsville Bible Church where I enjoyed serving Him and His people with my wife for almost two years. It was through this experience that God opened my eyes to the importance of Biblical counselling, and the great need of the New Zealand church in this area. In order to target this need I have started a Masters of Biblical Counseling degree through Birmingham Theological Seminary.
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