Editor's note: It's our fault Karl's family pics aren't up, not his - we're having issues getting them onto this page. Sorry for the inconvenience; we are working to remedy this situation as quickly as possible. Thanks!
Karl Marshall
44
I was born in El Paso, TX. Graduated from East Texas Baptist University in 1987 with a Bachelor's in Business Administration.
Event/Fashion Show Producer
Married for 16 years to my beautiful wife, Belinda, and crazy about my 2 sons, Kai (13 years old) and Blaize (9 years old)
I accepted Christ as my savior when I was 9 years old. To the capacity that I was able, I relied on God to guide me in life. As my relationship with Him has deepened and matured, He has awakened places in my heart that I was not aware of that were not dependent on Him. In college, I was challenged to search out my faith away from my family and away from what previous church culture had brought me. It was there that I decided that I truly wanted to explore more deeply the relevance of following God and how this directed the way I would continue to live out my life. God began to reside more deeply in my heart and I began to receive His love as from a father to a child.
Now, more recently, as I have walked in years of marriage and fatherhood, I have become more and more aware of the effects of this fallen world on my heart. I have desperately reached out for God for healing and relationship and He has become my friend, my brother, and the love of my life. At this stage of my life, I rest in the fact that I am human, will never “get it right”, or be good enough, but am exploring growing dependence on Him. I am finding more peace in a sovereign God that amazes me everyday and shows me that my heart will never be filled until I am resting in His arms.
Co-leading the Artist Gathering and leading a Community Group
My vision for TCBC is absolutely congruent with our mission statement. Learning to know and love God, living in Biblical community, and loving each other is what I hope for in our body. I would like to see us become more of a place where true community is nurtured to an ever deepening level that in turn will equip us with the tools to be in relationships that glorify God and help us to glimpse more and more what God has truly created us for. I would love to see hearts healed, moving us toward better marriages, better parenting, and better friendships. I see TCBC being a safe place where people feel they can come with authenticity to explore deep issues of the heart. In summary, using Larry Crabb's words, I would like to see TCBC be "a community where people are known in safety, explored with grace, discovered with hope, and touched with power." I believe we are meant to be for one another a taste of the Trinity.
I see my role as an elder as one of an overseeing and nurturing position. I have a heart to walk with the staff at TCBC and, to the best of my ability, encourage them towards a continuing, deepening relationship with Christ. I would also like to foster an environment of approachability on the elder team as to continue to bring about unity between the elders and the staff. My life stage also is a variable in my role here. Specifically, I feel that being in this season of my life, brings about a "relatability" for other men in the church. Also, having traveled this far has equipped me with some life experience which I hope to utilize as we continue our process of defining our own, independent identity. And lastly, I look forward to learning from the wisdom of the other men that have been elected on the elder board as well as my family here at TCBC.
Phone: 817.602.7336 (cell) or email: karl.marshall@sbcglobal.net