Tell us a little about your bio (studies, work
experience, family, etc.)
I am originally from Durham, N.C. Since my dad was a pastor, I grew up in the church. I came to faith in Christ at the age of seven after my mom shared the gospel with me. After high school, I attended Appalachian State University where I met my lovely wife, Leigh Miltier Chasteen. We met through CRU our freshmen year and got married two weeks after we graduated. Two weeks later we moved to Wake Forest, N. C. where Leigh began teaching 1st Grade and I began seminary at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Much has happened over the past ten and half years of our marriage. We now have three children: Ava (8), Emet (6) and Owen (3) and are in the final stage of the adoption process to bring home Zoe Beigh (2) from China. I have also completed two additional degrees: a Master of Divinity in Advanced Biblical Studies and a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology. My dissertation title is: "The Drama of the Sabbath: A Biblical and Theological Analysis of the Sabbath." Additionally, for the past four years we have been in Medford, MA (5 miles north of Boston), helping plant Redemption Hill Church. This is where I currently serve as the Pastor of Missions and Discipleship. In addition to planting RHC, for the first two and a half years of our time here I worked as a server at P. F. Chang's China Bistro (Mongolian Beef anyone?)
What does Generation LINK look like at your
church/location?
All of our Generation LINK interns receive intentional discipleship and theological training while serving in various ways throughout our church. We currently have four Generation LINK interns: Carrie
Lee directs our Children's Ministry, Joel (J Smooth) and Jen Smith head
up our College Ministry, and Jonathan (J Mac) Mitchel serves in our Student Ministry. In addition to these interns, we have been a Summer LINK location for the past three summers. This summer, Joel and Jen Smith will be leading Summer LINK Boston (#BLINK).
How have you seen God use Generation LINK in your
location?
We would not be where we are as a church without the intentional investment of our GLINK interns and Summer LINK participants. Joel and Jonathan first participated in Summer LINK Boston before deciding to return and spend a year with us. In addition to serving our church in various ways, Not our interns have excelled in displaying and declaring the gospel, as well as intentionally making disciples who make disciples among the nations.
What excites you most about the future of Generation
LINK?
I am most excited to see these men and women grow in their pursuit of God and being trained and equipped to make disciples wherever the leads them in life.
What 2-3 books have been most formative in your walk
with Christ?
In my college days, there were two books that God used to form me into the person I am today. The first was The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer and the title of this book described the desire I had for God in my sophomore year of college. As God opened my eyes to see more and more of his extravagant grace and love, all I wanted to do was to know him more . . . to pursue him with all I had in life. The second was Desiring God by John Piper and this helped me to make the connection between my pursuit of God and pleasure in life.
What are your favorite things to do in your free
time?
I am just now beginning to taste what it feels like to have "free" time (up until this May, I have continuously been in school since the age of 5 - WOW!). In the days ahead, I look forward to spending some intentional time with my family: playing games, playing baseball, playing music, going to the beach, hiking, riding bikes, reading, etc. I am also known among our staff team as the resident meteorologist (aka. Harold Taft).
What is your typical coffee shop order?
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