This book is humbly written, while craving the inspiration of God. I am a humble minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as such, I am passionately interested in seeing HIS great will accomplished. As believers, we are the church, and we have a responsibility of recognizing the current condition of the church. We MUST determine if the church is, in fact, spiritually impacting our mission field, as our great God has designed. What can we clearly see, and determine, about American society TODAY? There is racial discord, there is violent hatred, and there is utter confusion. American society is spiritually self destructing due to this discord, hatred, and confusion. There is NO doubt, the church is meant to be a very proactive solution to the spiritual destruction of our society, NOT a contributor, or even a silent by-stander. Our great God, the head of the Church, Christ Jesus our Lord, in NO WAY promotes discord, violent hatred, or utter confusion, for HIS people. The church is meant to have a bond, and a unity of Spirit that is, in fact, much stronger than the bond of blood, or race. In reality, the STRONGEST bond of unity, are those that are bound together by the Spirit of God, through the blood of Christ. The church CANNOT be segregated by race, or any other demographic. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in The Lord. Society around us is falling hard. Each of us, as believers, certainly has a mission field. This mission field begins with our own family, and extends to the church, and the community around us. We have a holy obligation to serve in our mission field, as ambassadors of Christ. If we are not serving, and loving as Christ, than what we do is FRUITLESS, no matter how good it may appear. A strong spiritual effect on our mission field, will only be accomplished when we minister, as Christ Himself would minister. American society today is under a powerful spiritual stronghold. Christ working, through HIS church, is the power to break that stronghold in the lives of people. It is very sobering to realize that Christ is now, sitting at the right hand of The Father, empowering us, the church, to battle and overcome for a spiritual victory, in our mission field. I pray these humble words will encourage each of us, to take hold of the mantle given to us by Christ Himself, and finish our course with great victory, and Joy. Our great God is worthy, of our hard labor, for HIS great glory.
Author Biography:
I can remember from a very young age realizing that there was a God, and praying to Him, even though at that time our family was not what you might call religious. As I grew older, God's grace on my life was noticeable. I felt a strong conviction, and I knew that God was real, and that I needed Him. I was saved as a young teenager, and even in my failures I felt God's grace. I never felt comfortable away from my Heavenly Father, although I tried. His mercy and His grace would always draw me back to Him. I have only felt peace with Him, NEVER apart from Him. He is my God, and He gloriously saved me through the strong work of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I am blessed and honored to be called a servant of the MOST HIGH GOD. I have been the Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Grays Prairie since January 2003. I am also the Chief of Police in the small city of Combine, Texas where I have served since January of 2011. I retired from the City of Balch Springs, Texas Police Department which is a suburb of the City of Dallas, and is located in southeast Dallas County. I began serving the citizens of Balch Springs in August of 1988. I rose through the ranks serving as a patrol officer - patrol sergeant - detective sergeant - administrative sergeant - and Chief of Police. I also served on the SWAT team as a member, and then as a team leader. The SWAT team served high risk warrants in Dallas County, and surrounding areas. I was raised in the Oak Cliff portion of Dallas, and graduated from Beverly Hills Christian School in Oak Cliff, which was a part of Beverly Hills Baptist Church. I am also a graduate of Dallas Baptist University. Karen is my wonderful and supportive wife, who I love with all my heart. I have three adult children, Colton, Caitlin, and Jackson, and a four year old son, Silas. My family is without a doubt my greatest blessing given to me by God, and I pray that they will be able to freely serve the Lord all the days of their life, in this great country that is given to us by God. I pray every day that the Lord would be heavy upon their hearts, as He was mine, and that they would never feel peace apart from Him. My limited intellect, training, and experience does not qualify me to judge Christ's church, or to tell people how to live their lives; however, I am called to sound an alarm, and to preach God's word not mine, therefore I will do so with humility and with a great God given passion. To God be the glory!
