Ben Ortiz

Meet Ben

I was born in Oklahoma City and grew up in the tiny town of Jones, Oklahoma (Go Longhorns!) to loving parents. I am an architecture graduate of the University of Oklahoma (Boomer!) and Oklahoma City University (MBA). I moved to Dallas in 2001 to work for my career with no idea of what God had in store for my life.

I can see that the Lord was pursuing me for so long, even when my heart was hardened to Him. In 2003, I was hired by a company owned by a Watermark member and in 2005, a young woman joined our team. I watched her life transform as she joined my boss’s family at a church that was held in a high school. For six years, she invited me EVERY week to The Porch, to which I declined over and over. Even though I would never go with her, at work, I got to watch Christ working in her life and the love of God pouring out of her.

Despite being surrounded by believers, I continued to try to find life in everything popular culture defines as manhood. The constant struggle to be fulfilled by these things left me empty, guilty, and ashamed. During the great recession, my life came crashing in, I lost everything. Seeing me reeling in despair, my previous co-worker challenged me to turn my eyes toward something different. I finally came and saw what I didn't even know my heart longed for. All the idols I had built over 33 years were torn down. I spent the next season digging in at Watermark surrounded by believers who spurred me on. I also became glaringly aware of the beautiful woman of God that the Lord had placed in my life so many years prior and was blessed to walk down the chapel aisle in 2012 with Laci as my bride.

In 2014, we moved to Oklahoma City when my parent’s health was in decline. We had eight beautiful years in my hometown before they both went to be with our Lord. It was our time in Oklahoma that made me thankful for coming to the Lord in a body like Watermark. The Lord is at work here, with authentic love and fire that many outside of these walls have never known. We were not planning to come back to Dallas, but God opened so many doors to bring me on staff here. I know that without God I can do nothing (John 15:5), so I pray every day to offer myself as a living sacrifice, giving everything to Him (Rom. 12:1).

Laci and I have two children, our daughter Brenne and son Leviticus. We enjoy sharing meals and quality time with friends and family.