Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, January 23, 2017.

His flight leaves Jackson International Airport in 2 hours and we're still in Starkville. Undeterred, we hop in his gold Cadillac, and speed down 25 in a heroic effort to make a two hour trip in an hour and thirty. On the way, Dr. Gregory Jones and I are having a discussion about grace and mercy because, being new to grace, I was struggling to make a distinction between the two. And, just as as we get out of the Starkville city limits, we are met by the blue lights of a Mississippi Highway Patrol car. As the officer leans down to take my license, he sees Pastor Jones and recognizes him immediately. They chat, they laugh and the officer lets us go with a warning. As we pull back onto the highway, Dr. Jones says, "See, the officer letting you go without a ticket is mercy. He didn't give you what you deserved. Now, had he let you go and also gave you $100, that's grace – giving you more than you deserve."

I could tell a story every day for years about what this man invested in my life. But what's more important is that you get what Dr. Gregory Jones life was all about, what God shared him with us to give: Your innermost desire is to see your Heavenly Father smile, to know that "you're good". And, all it takes to make God smile, is to accept the Gift that He gave -Christ. The Gift, through acceptance, does the rest. That's grace.

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 22, 2017.

One first Sunday in 1996, I attended Greater Ebenezer M.B. Church in Starkville, MS. The church was packed with college students and as I was leaving, Pastor Gregory Jones stopped me at the door and said, "Why didn't you take communion?" I responded flatly, "Because, I am unworthy," thinking of 1 Corinthians 11:27. Pastor Jones replied, "Thinking you're not worthy and knowing Jesus is, makes you worthy."

Up until that moment, I only knew the exacting requirements of God, I saw Him as judge I could not please. I knew nothing of the provision God had already made to satisfy those requirements Himself through Christ, so that I could enjoy the endless pleasures of fellowship with Him. Everything I know about grace began with Dr. Gregory Jones. He died today. I will miss him but I know where to find him -in Christ.

Originally posted on Facebook on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

Son, popular opinion says it's undersirable for a guy to be a virgin and what women really want is for a man to be "experienced". This is a deception embraced by the shortsighted, who have no hope and would give up longterm success for shorterm satisfication. What a woman really wants, more than knowing what you can do in bed (which will come with time and attentiveness to your wife), is knowing that she is safe with you because by preserving yourself for marriage, you've demonstrated faithfulness, determination, discipline, purity and that you can be trusted with what's sacred. #VirginityMatters

Originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, February 6, 2014.

As I set out each day to share the love of Christ in serving others, sometimes I'm discouraged and tempted by the evil one to think, "Hell, I've got issues that no one is helping me with. I'd be doing a lot better if I focused less on others and more on myself." This assertion from Satan would be true IF my pursuit were worldly things. But, what I seek is to have the heart of God and there is no better way to get it than through the practice of following Christ's example of laying aside self to help others know the love of the Father.

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, June 2, 2013.

The commandment in Mark 16:15 to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" is becoming more compelling every day. But what is the gospel? And how do I share it at any given time; at lunch, in an elevator or in a pulpit? Below is my attempt at a summary of the gospel -as an introduction to the Bible's account of the greatest love the world has ever known. I refer to it as the Gospel Concise.

"God is altogether good and though we all have rebelled against Him, He changes not. Before creation began, God ordained His Son Jesus to save us from what is killing us, lead us into the truth about God, crush every opposition to God’s good and perfect will and establish the Kingdom of God forever. All that receive Jesus as Lord will eternally enjoy His rule. All that reject His rule will be eternally destroyed. EVERYONE LISTEN! The Kingdom of God is coming!"

Please let me know anything God gives you in response. The aim is to point to Him!

Originally posted on Facebook on Friday, May 17, 2013.

As I was washing dishes last night, I was listening to a podcast by Michael Hyatt titled "So You're Overcommitted. Now What?" In it he talked about managing your workload by focusing on doing the next most important thing. Immediately, I wondered, "How do you determine what the next most important thing is?"

As I pondered this question, it became clear to me that I often wrestle with this question because it depends on a more important question that I have not committed to, "What is the goal? Where am I going?" Because once you know where you're going the next step is much easier take.

So, where am I going? I am going to a perfect reflection of Christ -the glory of God. That's where Jesus went -the express image of God. And, He encourages us to follow. In John 14:4 Jesus says, "And where I go you know, and the way you know."

When you know where you're going, it becomes easier to determine the next most important thing to move in that direction. Where are you going?

Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, January 1, 2013.

Since we're in a resolute mood for some reason, I'd like to encourage you with this. Many of us are frustrated with slow, or even absent progress in our lives, not realizing that it's because we avoid the first step in building anything lasting -establishing a firm foundation. (Hebrews 12:6-11)

There are things in all of our lives that must be leveled. God shakes everything that can be shaken (Hebrews 12:27) to shed us of all the lies and deceptions that if built upon, will result in a warped life. If we desire true progress, we must be willing participants in rooting out the faults in the bedrock of our hearts, exposing ourselves to the word of God, being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

If you belong to God, He may very well have you in a holding pattern because in His loving kindness, He will not allow us to build on a faulty foundation.

We can go no further without a firm foundation. If we try, we will find ourselves building everything over and over again because our foundation failed. (Matthew 7:24-27)

But beloved, there is no other foundation that anyone can lay than that which is laid -Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3:11) #HappyNewYear

Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, March 19, 2012.

As I was giving a defense for the Hope that is in me, someone retorted that I only believe because of where I was born. They challenged the fairness of God and asked whether people in other parts of the world had the same chance to know Him. I replied that Jesus knocks at the door of the heart of every man. I explained that the easiest place to miss Him is where it's presumed He's already inside (like in the Bible Belt and in what we call "church"). I suspect that I do not believe because of where I was born, but in spite of it. #ExamineYourself

Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, July 4, 2009.

For the foreseeable future, I will be searching out what it means to “live beyond survival.”

I believe that in all my doing, if it doesn’t bring others to better knowledge of God, I labor for nothing (1 Cor. 13). It is through excellent living that we honor God and prove that His Way is the best way (1 Peter 2:12). Therefore, I want to pursue excellence in every area of my life. I want to be an excellent business man, husband, father and friend.

I begin this journey knowing only one thing – I do not have the strength, knowledge nor the wherewithal to do this on my own. I need your help and solicit your prayers. Please feel free to be a part of the discussion.