Cliff Evans serves as the Pastor of Rockton Baptist Church in Winnsboro, SC, and is currently in his third year teaching Bible at Ben Lippen High School. He and his wife, April, are proud parents of three children: Chaniya, a student at Clinton College; Christa, who attends Fairfield Central High School; and Chandler, a seventh grader at Ben Lippen.

A former Presbyterian College football player, Cliff earned his B.S. in Business Administration before pursuing ministry preparation. He later completed his M.Div. at Columbia International University and went on to earn a Th.M. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

We’re excited to welcome Cliff to the Ben Lippen Podcast to share his story, insights, and heart for ministry.

In this episode: 

Love that only lives in feelings fades fast. Love that takes action changes homes, classrooms, churches, and neighborhoods. In this Advent conversation, we sit down with Cliff Evans, high school Bible teacher and pastor, to map a clear, practical path from affection to action and from good intentions to habits that actually serve people. We start with four anchors of biblical love: sacrificial, unconditional, committed, and active. Then we bring them to life with stories from marriage and parenting, where small choices, like how you handle a tense moment or even a load of laundry, become the training ground for a love that stays when it’s hard.

From there, we widen the lens to our shared life. How do we love neighbors who don’t think or vote like we do? What does disciplined love look like in a school on a tired Friday, or online when outrage is easy and empathy is rare? We connect the practices of patience and service to the heart of Advent: God’s decisive act of love in sending Jesus. The Nativity scene becomes more than a tradition—it’s a study in love that listens and moves, with Mary’s pondering, Joseph’s faithfulness, and shepherds who run to witness good news. That same pattern calls us to small, consistent acts that open doors for the Gospel in ordinary places.

This is a warm, candid, and deeply practical reflection for anyone who wants to move beyond hollow sentiment into a love that heals. You’ll leave with a renewed vision of love as disciplined practice, a challenge to cross social lines with genuine care, and a fresh appreciation for Advent as love in motion.