Welcome Kelly Wyatt

September 11, 2001 was an ordinary day for Kelly Wyatt, Senior Franchise Developer for an international tax franchise company and straight-up VM life changer for Jesus in Hampton Roads, Virginia! Kelly was on flight 5584 departing at 5:45 AM out of Norfolk, Virginia to New York-La Guardia. In fact, at 7:30 as the plane was in-bound for landing, he noticed two familiar buildings nearly at eye level. He had seen them on previous trips just in the last several months and dismissed their awesomeness as just another sight. The plane landed at 7:37 just before the ordinary day would turn into an out of the ordinary day to say the least.

The airport was quickly evacuated and people were panic stricken with fear and death with the thoughts of more attacks ever most on their minds. Kelly was traveling with another Christian businessman from the office, Mark Johnson. To describe the thoughts and actions of that day are quite difficult for Kelly, not because he experienced something traumatic himself, but rather because, he was faced with the realities of his own self centered, sin nature-the pride of life. After renting a car, Kelly began to ride the road of discovery. "At first, we jumped in the rental car and took off on the Long Island Expressway Eastbound, like scared dogs with their tales tucked under their bellies, and we ran."

That road took them to lunch at a local restaurant with television monitors all over the place airing the day's tragedies as they were unfolding. "The scary thing is that everyone was eating lunch as if this was an ordinary day, and what was even more scary is that I was eating too. There was no solemn fast declared, no mention of prayer on the TV set, no call to repentance." This was not the end of the road for Kelly that day in discovering just who he was-really a representation of the American lifestyle. He checked his to-do list, called into the office to check voice mail, and even got a haircut at a local hair shop. All before 2PM on September 11. Kelly say's "That pretty much describes our countries present-day culture of priorities doesn't it?"

What happened next redirected Kelly's road trip. There was a call for volunteers to come to St. Vincent's Hospital in the heart of Manhattan. Kelly heard the call and took action. After making it through all of the checkpoints using his clergy card, he found himself in the emergency room asking to pray with victims. The sad fact is that they were mostly bodies. After speaking to an NYC police officer, he was sent to the Stuyvesant High School triage to pray with those survivors' just rescued. Again a disappointing sight-a hundred cots-but no survivors. The prevailing thought seemed to be 'what difference can you make, you're out of place here, there's nothing you can do, just leave'.

"I walked outside through the debris and the snow-like covered ground and made my way to the mountain of massive steel. There were small particles of the fine dust wafting in the air and without the proper breathing apparatus and eyewear, you found yourself choking and blinded. Out of nowhere a nurse brought us breathing filters and even placed them upon our heads. I raised my hands up towards heaven and over that mass and I cried out to God for mercy-to be honest, I don't even remember exactly what I prayed, I just prayed. There were rumblings of earth and fire all around-not just in the havoc of Manhattan, but in the spiritual realm. At that very hour the rescue workers found two survivors in the midst of that heap."

It wasn't until March of 2002 that Kelly reflected on that 'not so ordinary' day. The scripture was brought to mind just before he preached at a small country church in Southwestern Virginia from Numbers 16, versus 47 and 48: "…the plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. (48) He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped" Kelly literally stood in that same kind if environment. There were those who were 'just there' and others trying to seek and save that which was lost. The realities are only Jesus can make such a difference in the spiritual and natural authenticity of where people's lives really are: always standing between the living and dead. Luke 8:27 reveals that there are dead men walking around us everywhere.

Kelly was born in a third generation coal mining family in the Appalachian town of Richlands, VA. His father was also a Pastor in the Pentecostal Holiness churches in the area-no snake holdin' or strychnine drinkin' going on though! After the industry collapsed in the 80's his father moved the family to Hampton, VA.

Once in the Hampton Roads area, Kelly became an integral part in the families home church youth group. "The greatest obstacle to overcome in junior high was to convince people that just because I sounded like a hillbilly, I wasn't dumb." After showing the locals how a 'hillbilly fights' this task was never again an issue. He began taking kids from school to church and youth events. His youth Pastor, Dennis Evans, was great at reaching out to people who really needed it, and Kelly was no exception. With lots of time and determination, Dennis became a SOP (significant other person) to Kelly in leading him in paths of righteousness.

Kelly is a graduate of Liberty University and Christian Life School of Theology. He has owned and operated many businesses from lawn mowing services to construction companies. More recently, he has helped plant Riverside Community Church in the fall of 1999 in Norfolk, Virginia. For the last year and a half, Kelly has been with Pastor Brent Lucy at New Life Christian Fellowship @ Western Branch. He is now been asked to come back to Riverside to help strengthen and develop the work there.

God's purpose and Kelly's passion can be summed in this way: "My purpose is to Envision, Equip, Effect, & Empower as a catalyst for change, implementation and vision." People's lives around him are being changed. In May Kelly will baptize a co-worker and her family. He will also be performing a marriage of the co-worker's nephew and the baby dedication of the young couple's daughter. Kelly is married, ten years this year, to his lovely wife Jennifer and they have two children ages six and three. "The task is great and so is the reward"

Here are 10 principles Kelly shares with his staff and corporate development team that may be helpful to you:

• Enthusiasm is caught, not taught
• Be honest with yourself, your spouse, and your team
• Build credibility with every call, email, or meeting
• Be yourself
• Make your efforts bigger than your ego
• Ask questions-others want to be discovered
• The person who listens shows genuine care
• Return calls/letters immediately-no excuses
• Don't take yourself too seriously, because no-one else does
• Don't sweat the small stuff!