Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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Loving God with all we are
In December of 1964, at just fourteen years old, I preached my very first sermon at Lee’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church near Laurel, Mississippi. The text I chose was Mark 12:30-31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your…
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Growing Strong in the Heat of Life
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”— James 1:2-3 Growing up on a farm in rural Greene County, Mississippi, I didn’t much like hoeing or picking cotton under the hot, blazing sun. One day, as sweat…
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From a One-Room Schoolhouse to a Lifetime of Learning: A Tribute to Teachers Who Shaped My Life
For the first years of my education, I attended Union School in Greene County, Mississippi — a small, rural school where six grades shared one room, and the seventh and eighth grades were together in another. Looking back, it feels almost like a scene from a history book, but for me, it was simply where…
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Walking Faithfully in a World of Extremes
Key Verse “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”— Matthew 5:13–14 Reflection Our world is marked by extremes. Some voices demand rigid conformity, trying to control thought and behavior. Others swing to the opposite side, accepting everything without discernment. As Christians, we are called to a different way—anchored…
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Understanding God’s Diverse Creation
I need to confess something that I wrestle with inside myself. I struggle with fully accepting people whose sexuality is different from my own—especially those who are transgender, bisexual, or questioning. These identities are hard for me to understand, and at times I find myself pulling back rather than leaning in. It isn’t anger or…
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Scripture-Based Response Guide on Marriage, Celibacy, and LGBTQ+ Inclusion
God’s design for human flourishing is broader than traditional marriage. Some are called to celibacy, honored for their devotion, while others are called to covenantal love outside male/female norms. Just as eunuchs were blessed and included by God despite societal exclusion (Isaiah 56:3-5), faithful LGBTQ+ relationships reflect God’s purposes for love and relational flourishing. Spiritual…
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Order in Mind, Life, and Dress
When I was a freshman at Free Will Baptist Bible College (now Welch College), Dr. Judy Simpson, my English professor, taught me a lesson that has never left me. She graded our essays not only on grammar but on our ability to organize our thoughts around a theme. She often reminded us, “A messy mind…
The Curious Pilgrim 