Mississippi Christian Living July 2021 by Mississippi Christian Living

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Bubba & Lea

Holifield Warriors By Grace Sandra Strain: Living My Call

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contents JULY 2021 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 PUBLISHER

MS Christian Living, Inc. EDITOR

Katie Eubanks katie@mschristianliving.com MANAGING EDITOR

Suzanne Durfey ART/GRAPHIC DESIGN

Sandra Goff SALES

Suzanne Durfey, Ginger Gober CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

columns 8 Outside In Bubba and Lea Holifield, above, live a full life of work, parenting Wes and Kylee (above right), and ministry, and God is always adding something new to the mix! See cover story on page 18.

It may not be what it seems — even with Duck Commander

Chris Bates, Libbo Crosswhite, Chris Fields, Dr. Fred Hall, Lee Harper, Sarah Mooneyham, Kenya Parks, Rebecca Turner COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Stegall Imagery

10 Health & Wellness What are our nonverbal prayers telling God?

11 Mission Mississippi Moments How a mentor and a marriage taught me about Christian unity

12 Modern Motherhood Possums, MSU baseball, and living as children’s of God’s delight

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14 This Is My Story

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How I found my identity in God

16 Living My Call After losing her husband, Warren, last fall, Sandra Strain is carrying on his legacy as Madison alderman-at-large. See page 16.

Carrying on a husband’s legacy — Sandra Strain on her new role in Madison

30 Food for Thought 3 cheers for food and freedom

cover story 18 Bubba and Lea Holifield Warriors By Grace

32 Christian Commerce How frosted cookies changed my career

33 Tough Questions

feature 26 Word of Life Ridgeland

How to help a veteran or first responder deal with stress and trauma

Celebrating 1 year at Highland Colony

in every issue Coming next month Dara Evans A classical Christian educator

6 Editor’s Letter 34 Quips & Quotes 34 Advertiser Index

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Mississippi Christian Living is committed to encouraging individuals in their daily lives by presenting the faith stories of others and by providing information that will point every person, at every stage of life, to a deeper, authentic, personal, and life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Views expressed in Mississippi Christian Living do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Every effort has been made by the Mississippi Christian Living staff to insure accuracy of the publication contents. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of all information nor the absence of errors and omissions; hence, no responsibility can be or is assumed. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2021 by MS Christian Living, Inc. Mississippi Christian Living is published monthly and is available for free at hightraffic locations throughout the tri-county area. Subscriptions are $29 a year. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Mississippi Christian Living, P.O. Box 1819, Madison, MS 39130.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Crying, cake, and the grace of God

STEGALL IMAGERY

Interviewing Bubba and Lea Holifield at Genna Benna’s in downtown Brandon.

6 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

wo days in a row, I cried. Two days in a row, I had cake. Two days in a row, I

stood in a house of worship and watched dear friends make big life decisions “official.” I cried on Saturday, June 26, when my friend Tonell walked down the aisle with her father to the sound of Sade singing, “You think I’d leave your side, baby / You know me better than that … ” Tonell and I are close friends from college, but we no longer live in the same town or see each other often. I’d only met her fiancé a few weeks earlier. I didn’t expect to cry at the wedding. I was wrong. She and her dad (who looked as if he’d cry at any second) talked quietly as he escorted her to her future husband. I saw her and her father, I saw how happy she looked, I heard that song, and I just lost it for a minute. During the vows, the minister said, “Do you take this man to be your husband — ” and Tonell immediately said, “I do.” The minister continued, “ — to have and to hold … ” Tonell’s eyes went wide and she ducked her head sheepishly as we all laughed. She’d jumped the gun. Later, she smeared wedding cake on her husband’s face but wouldn’t let him retaliate (wedding makeup, hello!). He didn’t press the issue. Smart man. I cried on Sunday, Jun 27, when my pastor for the last decade, David Hederman, preached his last sermon at Grace City Church in Jackson. Specifically, I cried at the end of the service when the children’s minister was praying, when she thanked God for David’s three boys. I’m not close with the boys. I don’t babysit them or even volunteer in their Sunday school rooms. But that’s what got me. After church we all had sheet cake in the foyer, and I gave David a card I’d written for him and his wife, April. Then I left before I could be confronted by more emotions. So like I said, it was crying and cake for two days in a row. But why was I crying over these people? Y’all might think it’s obvious, but you know how I like to analyze stuff. Though David is a great preacher, that’s not why his leadership at Grace City meant so

much to me. It was his kindness, his honesty about his own foibles, and his willingness to get in the trenches, whether that meant laying out foam ﬂooring in the nursery or praying for my family in the parking lot when he could’ve said (truly) that he had somewhere to be. I don’t love my friend Tonell because she’s perfect or does everything right. I love her for that face she made after saying “I do” too early. I love her for her blunt, no-nonsense way of talking about everyday life, and for the way we always seem to pick up where we left oﬀ after not seeing each other for a while. I love her for her. The question is, do I think about my relationship with God the same way? Do I only want “a good sermon” in which God tells me what to do, or do I want Him with me in the trenches? Do I want to earn His love and friendship, or will I rest in the fact that He already loves me, funny faces and all? Will I rest in the fact that He’s poured out His love for me freely? If you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and you know He died for your sins and rose again, you have more than just a moral code to follow. You have a relationship with Almighty God, who loves you. I pray that’s what we all want. Not law, but grace. Not a to-do list, but a relationship. Not a sermon, but a Person. There’s nothing wrong with the law, to-do lists or sermons. In fact, they’re all great things. But they can’t provide freedom from sin. Only Jesus Christ can do that. I pray we’d rest in Him, today and always. Y

‘Must-reads’ ● Our cover story on Bubba and Lea Holiﬁeld and their life of service (page 18) ● Our interview with Madison Alderman-atLarge Sandra Strain (page 16) ● Our feature on Word of Life’s Ridgeland campus (page 26)

Katie Eubanks katie@mschristianliving.com

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by CHRIS BATES

It may not be what it seems — even with Duck Commander

e were taking the Duck Commander hunting the next morning, and the outlook could not have been worse. I had gotten to know Phil and Jase Robertson and some of their outdoor products team through my hunting store as the state’s largest vendor for them at that time. This was before the takeoﬀ of their TV show and their subsequent escalation to fame outside the hunting industry. I had invited them to duck hunt at our family place in the Mississippi Delta, and now the conditions had turned against us. Severe winter thunderstorms rolled in the night before with lightning, extreme winds and warming temperatures, which would normally move ducks out of an entire multi-county area and make the hunting unproductive. While

8 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

Phil said grace over dinner for us (yes, the man can bring God into the room with a simple meal blessing), the storm lit up the night sky. We dreaded having such bad conditions for the next morning’s hunt. This hunt had been weeks in preparation, and we would be filming for one of their hunting videos. I had a completely sleepless night dreading the perceived worthless hunt the next morning. Just before dawn, the storm began to clear as we went through the motions of gearing up boats, decoys and hunters. The sun began to rise on the flooded Delta slough, and we were all mentally prepared for a very unsuccessful day. It was then that the ducks began to show up — and they came en masse. As we stood in the flooded tree line and listened to Phil and Jase with their poetic calling, the couple of hours that

CHRIS BATES

OUTSIDE IN

followed brought some of the most outstanding hunting of the season. Our retriever was busy, we reloaded constantly, and many high-ﬁves were given. Duck Commander claimed it as one of their best hunts in a long time! So often we anticipate outcomes in our own lives just the same way. Our human nature is to, at some level, want to control circumstances, and then we perceive the conclusions to come. Along with that, we tend to forecast with dread or doubt involved as fear enters the picture. Circumstances beyond our control cloud our plans and hopes. We often mentally make monsters of a hazy future, but worry and dread less when we can see what’s on the horizon, even if it is challenging. As people living in God’s shadow, we know in our heads that faith is the answer. The Word

tells us clearly to trust and all will be well at the end of the day. The application of that is the hard part. In “Strength to Love,” Martin Luther King Jr. referred to an old familiar idiom when he said, “This faith transforms the whirlwind of despair into a warm and reviving breeze of hope … Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. There was no one there.” We are given tools that we can utilize, including prayers to use and internalize, such as this prayer of David in Psalm 86:2-4: “Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.” A truth about our human psyche is that it can mislead us. We navigate life, and often it feels much harder than it actually is. We can turn to each other and to our own methods of ﬁnding balance with mind, body and spirit. Most of all, we should exercise the opportunities to look through our dread while in the fray and know that tomorrow morning’s outcome is not up to us. With the tools given to us and strength from each other and God, let’s look through

The Duck Commander crew, Phil Robertson top left, at Three Oaks. Columnist Chris Bates is second to right on bottom row.

today or tomorrow’s storm to another sunrise, when it may be far better than it seemed. After all, that is His grand promise. Y

Chris Bates is CEO and co-founder of AgoraEversole a full-service marketing agency in Jackson, and can be reached at Chris@AgoraEversole.com. He and his wife, Stacy, and their children live in Madison.

mschristianliving.com ❘ JANUARY 2021 9

HEALTH & WELLNESS

by CHRIS FIELDS

What are our nonverbal prayers telling God?

ne of the single most important things in the Christian faith is prayer. We Christians are supposed to pray for any

Webster: the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express ideas. Effective prayer includes all of that — the verbal, nonverbal and behavioral. Only when and everything. The Bible admonishes us over and over to this happens can it become an evolving interaction with our God. make our petitions known and to pray about this and that, to cast our This is how praying without ceasing can become a reality. Jesus says cares on Him, to pray continually without ceasing, and so on. His house is a house of prayer, and His house is in you and in me as His As I progressed in my walk with Christ, one of my biggest questions vessels, and the only way that can become truth is was, “How in the world do I pray without ceasing?” Last when our prayer becomes an evolving interaction, not I checked, without ceasing meant nonstop. So in my just one of verbal communication. naivete, I began practicing the discipline of always Most notably in the Christian faith are prayers for murmuring under my breath, “Thank you, Jesus” or We verbally send blessings, whether it be financial or provisional “Thank you, Father” or something of that nature, up prayers for blessings, and prayers for healing physically, mentally verbally expressing my gratitude. I quickly learned the and spiritually. We often verbally express to Jesus our difficulty of the task. Praying without ceasing is literally healing while still needs and wants for more financial blessings while impossible if you don’t have a clear understanding of living in an nonverbally communicating to Him poor financial what it actually means to pray nonstop. management, creating a misleading interaction. We Prayer is defined this way: a wish, an earnest hope unrepentant state. express wants for new jobs, raises, titles and positions or communication with God. The Hebrews define it as — while nonverbally expressing ingratitude in our an evolving means of interacting with God. current job situations. Communication and interacting must be synonymous What I’d like to focus on are our prayers for physical healing. One in order for us to get a better understanding of prayer — and thing that has always stuck out to me in Jesus’ ministry of healing were communication must be taken in its full context. the times when Jesus healed and told the recipients to go and sin no Communication is a verbal and nonverbal exchange of thoughts and more after receiving their healing (see John 5:14), leading one to believe feelings from one party to another. It’s defined this way by Merriam that sin left them in a diseased state. One thing that we should always understand as Christians is the truth that sin leaves us in a diseased or “dis-eased” state. We verbally send up prayers for healing while still living in an unrepentant state, nonverbally expressing to Jesus that we aren’t ready to receive our healing. When He instructed people to go and sin no more, He knew that they knew exactly what to do to stay out of sin and prevent relapse. Jews and Israelites were the direct recipients of Jesus’ healing ministry while He was on earth, and they were given a set of laws to live by, with some of those laws being dietary in nature. Metabolic diseases and some physical diseases are caused by improper dietary habits, and now it’s being learned that some cognitive diseases are due to poor dietary habits — “poor” in the sense that food is not properly being broken down and utilized as energy. As advancements in medicine are being made, and as our understanding of the human body continues to grow, Jesus is instructing us through scientific advancements and discoveries what it looks like to “go and sin no more.” He is showing us how to effectively pray for healing. He is showing us what it looks like for us to be involved in an evolving interaction with Him. This is how we live a life of prayer for physical healing: eating right, moving more, exercising our physical body and our spiritual, keeping our stress levels down, and releasing His healing powers that we’re supernaturally designed with. Y

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Chris Fields is the founder and executive director of H.E.A.L. Mississippi and a graduate in kinesiology with advance studies in nutrition. He serves as a clinical exercise physiologist/CPT and is credentialed in Exercise Is Medicine through American College of Sports Medicine. 10 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

MISSION MISSISSIPPI MOMENTS

by LEE HARPER

How a mentor and a marriage taught me about Christian unity “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” – Romans 12:5

IN MARCH 2020, a dear friend, surrogate mom, and mentor of mine went home to be with the Lord. She was 94 years young and had an unmistakable love for Jesus. Whenever she would see my husband and me, she would always ask each of us if we were loving on each other, and if we knew the other’s love language. Initially when she would ask, I was puzzled by the question, given we were married and committed to each other. But as I grew to understand what she was saying, I knew she was attempting to help us realize the special relationship we shared as husband and wife. Our bond should be so great that communicating with each other doesn’t necessarily require verbal exchange. Our deep aﬀection for one another should cause us to recognize each other’s needs, feel each other’s hurts and share each other’s joys in a way unlike any casual relationship. Our connection should forge a relationship that transcends all other desires of human nature, causing us to care for one another in deep abiding love. In essence, it is our commitment to each other, driven by our matrimonial oath, that distinguishes us from just another two people living under the same roof. Marriage is meant to be so much more than living together within four walls. As the Church, we too are more than a group of people gathering together within the four walls of the sanctuary once or twice a week. We are called the bride of Christ, that

Lee Harper, left, and her mentor Jimmie Marie Wright.

special group Christ identified as those who bear His name and represent His life to a dying world until His return. My relationship with my 94-years-young friend and mentor helped me realize what being connected to the body of Christ represented. My relationship with her was made possible because we ignored the world’s boundaries and journeyed ahead to forge a companionship grounded in Christ’s love for us. Jimmie, an elderly white female, and me, a less elderly black female, grew to understand that being members of the family of Christ meant our bond was made possible not by any effort of our own but by recognizing the work already established in us through the Spirit. Our relationship was significant because it defied

the pervasive narrative of the day, which assumes that our differences in age and culture would keep us from developing something real. As I witness a growing separation among the Church in a world that desperately needs to see love made perfect in us, I understand why our commitment to one another must be made manifest in our love relationships across all manner of differences. Just as Jimmie and I needed one another, the true Church of Christ must defy the deceitful message that our differences make it impossible for us to live out our mission of unity among His faithful. God knew that we, a broken people with an affinity to sin, would not be able to pull this off in the flesh without the inworking of the Spirit. So on the day of Pentecost, He poured on us His power (Greek: dunamis) from the Holy Spirit, which gives us the ability to love beyond our human capabilities. Just as marriage doesn’t work unless both spouses are fully committed and engaged in creating one new person out of two, the Church doesn’t work unless we are fully committed to Christ and each other despite our differences, bonded together to display His love made perfect in us. Thank you, Ms. Jimmie, for teaching me how to live in abundant grace, and for allowing me to love and to be loved unconditionally. Y

Lee Harper, a native Mississippian, is married to her lifelong soulmate, Larry. They have two adult children and two precious grandchildren. Professionally, Lee serves as an agent and financial services representative for a nationally known company. Lee and Larry have lived in the Jackson area for over 30 years. They currently live in Terry.

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MODERN MOTHERHOOD

by LIBBO CROSSWHITE

Possums, MSU baseball, and living as children of God’s delight

n what seems to be both a great challenge and a significant gift, parenting allows us to see many different emotions personified and often magnified as our little humans forge their way through this world. I will never forget certain facial expressions from both of my children, whether in moments of intense fear or immense joy. Our family’s favorite story is the time that Mary Thomas accidentally petted a possum. Yep, one of those terrifying creatures that I have always heard are “totally harmless” but believe it with zero percent of my soul. It was a few weeks after we’d gotten our first cat, Kiki, and Clay was on a hunting trip (so yes, it was totally his fault that this happened). Mary goes outside to say goodnight to Kiki, and as she reaches down to pet the shadowed semblance of a cat, she quickly realizes “she didn’t pet Kiki,” as we laughingly quote now. Screams, tears, tantrums and immense handwashing ensued. I didn’t sleep a wink, and Mary Thomas was pasted to me for the entire night, shaking and muttering the now famous phrase as I whispered, “It’s OK, you’re safe with me” — words I desperately hope she hears God say to her, too. What is now one of our go-to dinner party stories was a moment of great fear for her, and a reminder to all of us that we can mistakenly “pet a possum” at any moment of our lives (I don’t know, seems like there is a moral somewhere in there).

While I recognize that 1) the story could have ended way less humorously, with some sort of mauling of my child, and 2) Mary’s exaggerated fear is nothing compared to the trauma many of us have experienced, I think it points to the great responsibility that God has entrusted to parents. We are called to be a safe place for our kids in times of trouble. A place of support in uncertainty, but also a place of genuine celebration during the most joyous occasions of their lives. Interestingly, as Mississippi State fans, our kids are learning that you can experience a range of every type of emotion in one sitting. I can’t help but laugh as I write this, because by the time this is published, our MSU baseball team’s destiny will already be revealed. I will save myself some heartache by not making any predictions in print. Regardless of wins or losses, my son is personifying the phrase “living the dream” as he spends time with his dad watching his favorite Bulldogs play in Omaha at the College World Series. Omaha is heaven on earth for Russell’s 5-year-old self, and the entire time he’s been there, I keep praying that as he is running the bases at the Rosenblatt Wiﬄe Ball stadium and screaming for his favorite team with 40,000 others, he hears the whisper, “This joy is because I delight in you. This is joy because I created it, and I created you, too.” Psalm 18:17-19 is David’s declaration of who God was for him and what He continued to do

for him: “He rescued me from my powerful enemy. … the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” The truth that I think we (I) often miss is that God feels as strongly about each of us as we feel about our own children. Inﬁnitely stronger, in fact. As we take delight in the joys of our children and carry the weight of their fears, whether of possums or failure or painfully hard situations — how much more does God do that for us? He delights in us, not because we’ve somehow earned it, but because He created us. In the same way that I don’t have conditions on whether my children have my love and support, God wants to remind us of the unshakable truth that 1 John 3:1 tells us: “We are called children of God, and so we are.” We are. That’s it. No other conditions — just delight in the truth that because God has always been enough, we can stop trying to earn something we can never earn. It’s just life change in the form of being called a child of God by His grace. For His glory. I truly delight in the gift that my children are to me, and that’s only because He delighted in me ﬁrst. Y

Libbo Haskins Crosswhite and her husband, Clay, live in Madison and attend Pinelake. They have one daughter, Mary Thomas, who is 7 years old, and a son, Russell, who is 5 years old. She is the high school guidance counselor at MadisonRidgeland Academy and can be emailed at lcrosswhite@mrapats.org.

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or 601.932.1101. mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 13

THIS IS MY STORY

by KENYA PARKS

How I found my identity in God

am so glad I don’t look like what I have been through. Sometimes it felt

Kenya Parks is director of operations for Primos Café. She is the mother of one son, Jabari Harden, who is 17. She is a graduate of Jackson State University. Kenya is also the published author of two books and a prayer journal. “SCARS — Strengthen Your Confidence and Recover Successfully” is her latest work. Find out more about Kenya Parks at kenyascorner.org/scars.

14 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

like I was living with good intentions, praying with all my heart, and aiming for God’s best, but the mountains in my life kept getting higher and higher. In my mind, this was a sign that God wasn’t with me. I entered relationships with men before learning to love myself. I became a mother not knowing how to love someone else. I became friends with women I despised. I became angry and bitter because of my brokenness that I was trying to hide. I believe people and society make it hard for us to understand who we are. We are constantly presented with false images of what the perfect man or woman is supposed to be. From the time I was a child, I was told how I was supposed to look, dress and carry myself. Somewhere in the mix of those false truths, I lost the woman God created me to be. After being sexually assaulted at 8 years old, I felt like I had nothing left to live for. I grew up not understanding the true essence of who I was. So often my feelings of insecurity and inadequacy held me hostage in my own mind. I was telling myself I wasn’t good enough. These lies of the enemy kept me hostage for too long. There is no worse feeling than feeling you are not good enough, or that you are letting yourself and those who love you down, including God. It is life-changing when we discover that wrong thoughts are the root of our problems and that we can change our life by changing our thinking. Our actions are a direct result of our thoughts. It wasn’t until I strengthened my mindset that my life began to change. What we do, the discipline we apply in our lives, the excuses we tell ourselves, and believe it or not, the effort we give, are all a direct reflection of our thoughts. Mentally I was spiraling out of control, but in my day-to-day life I still had to be a boss lady, mother, daughter, friend and counselor. I could never be off my game because I had far too many people depending on me. I remember sitting in the middle of my bed, praying and crying out to God, “Why is it that You allow me to see the pain and problems of everyone else, but no one sees me?” I heard a voice whisper in the silence, “I see you; why isn’t that enough?” In that moment I realized it was enough, and that it was time I started to see myself. I decided those would be the last tears I cried in that place. I needed some things to break off of me, and as I cried to God, I wasn’t just crying out on my behalf, but I was praying and crying for everyone who’d ever been in that place. I’d been operating in fear because failure terrified me. God had to remind me that if I kept my eyes fixed on Him, fear would have no place. I had to understand that I was a daughter of the highest God, and because He is strong, in Him I am strong also. I was trying to go through life alone, and I failed miserably. Fear begins with a thought, and when I changed my mindset, those thoughts changed. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Fear has killed more dreams than failure ever will. If you fail to try, you never will conquer what you cannot see. Some things we are meant to go through and fail at because failure builds character and good character builds confidence. When you learn, recognize and believe God’s plan for you, the bumps in the road will still come with it, but in learning who you are through the eyes of your Creator, you strengthen your confidence, and you can and will recover successfully. Y

If you aren’t sure whether you have a relationship with God or where you’ll go when you die, please don’t put this magazine down until you’ve read the following:

✝ THE PROBLEM

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23 For the wages of sin is death… – Romans 6:23a The natural result and consequence of our sin is eternal death, or hell (Revelation 20:15), separated from God. This is because God is completely perfect and holy (Matthew 5:48), and His justice demands that sin be punished (Proverbs 11:21).

✝ THE SOLUTION

…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 6:23b But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 Jesus Christ died in our place on the cross and took on the punishment for all our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6). Then God raised Him from the dead (John 20)!

✝ HOW TO RECEIVE SALVATION

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9

✝ IS IT FOR ANYONE?

Trust in what Jesus has done for you — His death for your sins and His resurrection — and trust Him as Lord.

✝ THE RESULTS

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. – Romans 10:13

Therefore being justiﬁed by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

✝ WHAT TO DO NEXT

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Romans 10:17 If you decided to trust in Jesus, grow in your faith by reading more of God’s Word in the Bible. We recommend the gospel of John (it comes just after Luke) as a good starting point — or Romans! Finding a church close to you that teaches faith in Christ is another important step. It’s crucial to spend time with other believers so we can encourage each other in our faith. If you have questions about anything on this page, please contact us at 601.896.1432, or send us a message on Facebook @MSChristianLiving, Instagram @mschristianmag or Twitter @MSChristLiving. mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 15

LIVING MY CALL

by SARAH MOONEYHAM

Carrying on a husband’s legacy Sandra Strain on her new role in Madison After losing her husband, Warren, in October 2020, Sandra Strain decided to run in the special election to fill his seat as alderman-at-large for the city of Madison. She won that election, and last month she ran again for the next full term — and won! Sandra has two children and has already dedicated her life to service, both as a pageant consultant and as community relations director at The Orchard retirement home in Ridgeland. MCL Contributing Writer Sarah Mooneyham had the privilege to interview Sandra about her testimony, and we pray you are encouraged by her story of how God brought her through one of life’s toughest storms.

Sarah Mooneyham: How has your experience as Madison’s aldermanat-large been thus far? Sandra Strain: Amazing. That is the first word that comes to mind. I have loved every minute … and I am so thankful. My favorite thing to do as alderman-at-large is to meet the people who live in our city. However, most importantly, I love being a voice for them when they need help and answering their questions. I cherish the opportunity to give this city guidance. SM: How have your daily life and ambitions changed since your husband passed away last year?

Sandra Strain has been Madison’s alderman-at-large since January 5. She has won two elections to serve in the seat of her late husband, Warren, who died in October 2020 after a nearly yearlong illness.

SS: My life has changed signiﬁcantly. Honestly, I did not expect to have a life after I lost my husband. I was so content and happy before his death. Then, when he became sick, my entire life was snatched from underneath me. Eighteen months ago, I believed that I

Warren started his career as an anchor at WLBT in Jackson. 16 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

could never live without him and could not take care of my family. I was terriﬁed. However, my one mainstay was my faith. I took some time to allow grief to process, and then understood that God was and is in control. It is only by the grace of God that I have been able to see the light and enjoy my life. Now, I thank God that I am in a good place to serve my city. I give Him all the glory for this transformation and how He alone has brought me through the darkest of seasons. I would be nonexistent without Him. SM: What made you want to run to fill your husband’s seat as alderman-at-large? SS: It was my idea to put Warren in the political arena. He was such an incredible human being, and I wanted to share him with our city. He ﬁnally decided to pursue a political career after years of prayer and conversation. Once he began his career, we did everything together. Anywhere he went, I was there. We both had a massive love for our city and its people. Then, when he became incredibly ill, we discussed our political future.

In addition to her other jobs, Sandra is also a consultant for young women preparing for pageants. She is flanked by (from left) Olivia Claire Williford, Lauren McDonald, Londyn Gardner and Brooke Emerson Ogden.

Sandra with young supporter Macy Gladden.

I told him, “No one will take care of this city like you and I do. I have to run. I want to fill your spot.” … Warren simply squeezed my hand, nodded his head, and gave me his blessing. The office was a gift from Warren to connect me to him and our city, and it was a treasure to know that he loved and trusted me enough to run for his seat. It has so much meaning to me on many different levels. It has given me purpose when I thought I had lost myself. SM: How do you live out your calling through your job at The Orchard and as a consultant to young women competing in pageants? SS: I have always had a special place in my heart for young people, senior citizens, and

“He was such an incredible human being,” Sandra said of her late husband.

pets, and to have the opportunity to be an encouraging face for them is a privilege. For young people, I can be the person they can go to who will not judge them. Most of my volunteer work began with traveling to schools and teaching kids how to interview. Sometimes these lessons evolved into someone sharing their internal struggles with me — because kids often need a voice of reason that is not a parent or friend. They need love from someone who would oﬀer them good Christian advice, wrap their arms around them and never condemn them. They almost always need a compassionate person who gives them his or her most precious resource, time. It is a miracle from God to see people receive His patience, love and grace.Y mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 17

by KATIE EUBANKS

STEGALL IMAGERY

COVER STORY

Bubba and Lea Holifield WARRIORS BY GRACE

tate trooper Bubba Holifield and his wife, Lea, were in the middle of building a house when he got shot in the line of duty.

He’d just left work that Friday — Feb. 19, 2016. He and Lea visited their house pad, took a selﬁe, and were about to go to dinner with friends when he got a call. There was a hostage situation in Iuka, a small town more than 200 miles away in northeast Mississippi. “I’d never heard of (Iuka),” Lea recalls. But she knew that once Bubba was out of danger, he’d call her. That was their deal. “It was 12:45, 12:50 a.m., when I get awakened with a phone call, and I knew something was wrong. He said, ‘Baby, just calm down, don’t freak out,’ and then the phone died.”

Adrenaline junkie By the time Bubba was shot, he and Lea had known each other nearly 20 years. They were high-school sweethearts who’d met at East Rankin Academy. After high school, Bubba joined the Army National Guard as the fourth generation of Holiﬁelds to serve in the military. At his basic training graduation, he proposed to Lea. Two years later they were married, and two years after that, they had their son, Wes. Meanwhile, “we started college together,” Bubba says … They both attended Hinds Community College, but Bubba quit and got a job as a utility lineman. Lea stayed at Hinds, got her associate’s degree in social work — and then suﬀered the loss of her father in a truck wreck.

While Lea was pregnant with Wes, Bubba was deployed to Washington, D.C. Lea gave birth two weeks after Bubba left. In a recent Facebook post recalling Wes’ birth, Bubba recalled that he “cried like I never have before over the joy of my healthy son and of the pain for not being there.” After Wes was born, Lea worked as an administrative assistant at Hudspeth Regional Center, a long-term care facility for patients with intellectual disabilities. When Wes was 2, she went back to Hinds to become a registered nurse (RN). A month after graduating nursing school, Lea gave birth to Kylee, now 14. Two weeks after that, Bubba started patrol school at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Oﬃcers Training Academy (MLEOTA).

About the cover shoot: MCL wants to thank the staﬀ of Genna Benna’s restaurant in Brandon for being so accommodating for

our cover shoot and interview. Fun fact: The Genna Benna’s building has previously served as a general store and even a jail, complete with bars on some of the windows! 18 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

STEGALL IMAGERY

Lea and Bubba in an engagement portrait.

From ‘good actor’ to sold-out for Christ

STEGALL IMAGERY

“I’ve always wanted to be law enforcement,” Bubba says. “When I was in the eighth grade at Stringer Attendance Center (near Laurel, before moving to Rankin County), a state trooper came and spoke, and I knew I wanted to be a state trooper.” (He’s also an adrenaline junkie, Lea says.) So in 2007, after reaching the rank of sergeant in the Army National Guard, Bubba ﬁnally became a state trooper. He balanced riding the roads with attending Guard drill two weekends a month, and in the middle of all that, he was deployed to Iraq in 2009-2010. But he didn’t balance much else. “My focus (was) 100 percent on the job.”

“I was a good actor,” Bubba says of his life before February 2012. “I was (at church) Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. Honestly, I thought I was saved. My idea of a Christian was somebody who ‘said the prayer’ and that was it.” He “went through the motions” of saying that prayer a couple of times, once for Lea’s sake — “I thought he was (saved), yeah,” she says — but in February 2012, he truly gave his life to Christ. That included surrendering to “His work,” Bubba says. “I surrendered to the ministry, to be a student pastor. It was an immediate thing I felt God calling me to do.” He started leading seventh through 12th graders at Leesburg Baptist Church in Morton. Why teenagers? “He acts like them?” Lea says and laughs. (Bubba is the one who strikes a goofy pose with

his daughter in a family portrait, or photobombs a group of teens getting their picture made before a dance.) In all seriousness, “I can recall when I was that age, I don’t remember a lot of adults pouring into me to make sure I was on the right track with God,” Bubba says. Lea noticed how Bubba changed after he truly surrendered to God. “He was always at church (before he was saved), but it went from just being at church to being involved in everything,” Lea says. “He did more stuff with the kids. Everybody could see there was a difference.” He also changed as a trooper, he says. “Before … I just wanted to do my job and go home. But after, I remember sitting with a guy in cuffs in

the parking lot, talking about the Lord, just because he was curious. (Knowing Jesus) helped me have more compassion for the lost.” Naturally, Bubba’s priorities changed: “I used to care about the job more than my family. Since then, it’s completely reversed.” Four years after her husband came to know Christ, Lea got that phone call in the middle of the night: “Baby just calm down, don’t freak out —” Then silence. ‘All I could think of was my little girl’ Approximately 30 SWAT oﬃcers had shown up to the hostage situation in Iuka, including Bubba, Trea Staples, DeAndre Dixon, and mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 19

Kylee with the Holifields’ dog Valor.

Bubba with Leilany, a little girl the Holifields visit every time they’re in Costa Rica.

Kylee wearing dad’s trooper hat.

The 2018 Costa Rica mission team. Bubba is at top left, Lea at bottom right.

Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent Lee Tartt. “Trea Staples and DeAndre Dixon, I had worked with a lot before. Lee Tartt, occasionally,” Bubba says. The suspect was under the inﬂuence of drugs and was holding his 10-year-old daughter hostage. “He just wanted his wife back in the house — and for us to leave,” Bubba says. Movies and television make SWAT operations look like tactical victories in which the “bad guys” don’t stand a chance. But in reality, “a hostage situation is the most dangerous situation, because you have to put your safety aside to make a dynamic entry,” Bubba says. Dynamic meaning fast. Bubba had been in another shootout the Wes and Lea in Costa Rica. 20 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

Kylee with Hangar Church Pastor Doug Payne.

year before, but what made this one different for him was the suspect’s daughter. “All I could picture was my little girl.” When the team tried to make their way in, the man opened fire. Bubba was shot in the foot, Trea was shot in the thigh, and DeAndre also was shot in the foot. Lee, the MBN agent, was shot in the torso. A police vehicle escorted him to the ambulance pickup, but it was too late. Agent Tartt was killed in the line of duty. By God’s grace, “the little girl wasn’t injured at all,” Bubba says. “Not a scratch on her. She actually ran through the gunfire. God had His hand on her that night.” Her father was killed when the officers returned fire.

From left, dogs Chloe and Valor having fun with Bubba in the snow.

A new family After receiving that short phone call, Lea started packing a go bag. Meanwhile, a sheriff’s deputy was racing down a dirt road in Iuka, with Bubba as his passenger. “I feared more for my life riding with that deputy than facing 19 bullets,” Bubba says. He can laugh about it now. “Then we had a wreck with a deer coming from Tupelo to Jackson, after I told him, ‘Don’t take the Trace.’” Four surgeries and two reconstructions later, Bubba recovered from his injuries. He went back to work the following year, and remains close to Trea and DeAndre, though they’ve since taken different career paths. The Iuka shooting solidified the Holifields’ desire to start a missions organization, which they now did in memory of Lee Tartt. “The name (Warriors By Grace) kind of derived from what we pictured Lee Tartt as,” Bubba says. “As a Christian you’re supposed to be a warrior on the battlefield,” Lea says. “It was by grace (Bubba) was still here, but Lee lost his life.” The Holifields had led mission trips before.

Bubba underwent four surgeries and two reconstructions after being shot in the foot in February 2016.

Bubba was student pastor at New Hope Fellowship Church in Pelahatchie, and Lea was the children’s director. They’d talked about starting a ministry, but they hadn’t done it yet. Then after the Iuka shooting, Lea attended a women’s conference. One of the speakers kept emphasizing the idea of “getting out of the boat,” like Peter did when Jesus called him to walk on water. It was time for the Holiﬁelds to follow suit.

“I called (Bubba) on my way home,” Lea recalls. “He said God had been telling him the same thing.” The most powerful part? “Lee Tartt’s sister is probably our biggest fundraiser ﬁnancially, and that started before she knew why we started (the ministry),” Bubba says. “She started (donating to our mission trips) two months after I got shot, before we’d started the ministry.”

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Mississippi State Trooper Bubba Holifield.

Wes with Bubba’s boots during his Iraq deployment.

The Warriors By Grace block-party trailer, ready for action.

Lee’s brother and sister-in-law are “prayer warriors” for Warriors By Grace, Lea adds. And while Bubba — who was the “point person” that night in Iuka — kept saying, “It should’ve been me” who was killed, Lee’s brother Keith told him, “Bubba, it happened how God intended it to happen.” “They were consoling me,” Bubba says. “They became my extended family, my new family.”

Warriors By Grace In early 2017, Warriors By Grace was born. “We love doing missions,” Lea says. “We do at least one or two trips (domestically per year) and one international, and we were working up to two (international) trips per year pre-COVID.” At press time, a Florida mission trip was in the works for late July, and a possible trip to the Middle East for the fall. 22 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

Wes with the Holifields’ dog Penny, now 11 years old.

Fellow trooper Trea Staples, left, with Bubba after the first reconstructive surgery on his foot.

“Costa Rica is our heart, that’s where we’d been the past several years, but we haven’t been able to go the past two years,” Lea says. “We were going to New York last year and that got canceled.” Warriors By Grace also evangelizes here in Mississippi. “One of our favorite things to do are block parties,” Lea says. “We go to low-income areas with lots of kids. We have a block party trailer with tons of equipment, and it was all donated in a couple months. … If you have a block party, with music and food, the kids are going to come. We never end any event without a gospel presentation.” WBG’s main purpose is simple: to share the gospel and train others to do the same, particularly on the mission ﬁeld — though of course that includes everywhere!

“One of the things in Costa Rica that we really battle is the diﬀerence between religion and relationship,” Lea says. Another strange obstacle: “One young woman (in Costa Rica) heard the verse about dying to yourself daily (as a Christian), and she thought she’d immediately die, physically, if she got saved.” The WBG team was able to lead that girl to Christ, and soon she was translating for them at her school. Around the time the Holiﬁelds founded WBG, they also helped plant their current church home, Hangar Church, which meets in a former airplane hangar on Highway 80 in Brandon. (“Our pastor is a pilot,” Lea says.) Bubba serves as associate pastor. Continued on page 24

Leading

by example.

The Holifields with Lee Tartt’s brother-in-law Hank McKay (far left) and sister Sara Lynn McKay (second from left).

Lea Holi eld Hinds CC Nursing Alumna

Wes graduated from Pisgah High School this spring.

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Honoring ‘the epitome of a state trooper’ Bubba has lost at least three law enforcement oﬃcers whom he knew personally: Lee Tartt; Josh Smith, a classmate from trooper school; and John Harris, with whom Bubba shared an “active friendship,” he says. When John, then in his late 30s, said he was going to start trooper school, Bubba met him for lunch and tried to warn him about how tough it would be. “And he said, ‘Bubba, I’m not going to quit. They’re going to have to carry me out in an ambulance.’” Sure enough, “he never quit,” Bubba says. “He was just the — I guess the epitome of a state trooper. The most passionate guy I’ve ever seen in my life for the uniform,” Bubba says. “He was a true red leg. That’s our nicknames, for the red piping on our pants.” On May 28, while conducting a traﬃc stop on Highway 16 in Madison County, Trooper John Harris was struck by a vehicle and killed. Bubba and Lea came straight from the funeral to this interview. “I try to avoid (law enforcement funerals),” Bubba says. “The 21-gun salute and ‘Taps’ gets me every time — and that Lee Greenwood song (‘God Bless the USA’).” There’s a lot more that could be said about

Trooper Harris — but in the meantime, Bubba and Lea decided to help John’s wife, Kate, and their two kids, Parker and Cooper. “We started talking about it (that night he was killed), or maybe I started talking about it, and we wanted to do a small fundraiser for his family,” Bubba says. “I know when (Bubba) got shot, I had a meltdown because we had seen ﬁve or six doctors and didn’t know if he’d walk again,” Lea says. And that was just a shot in the foot. “So I can only imagine what it’s like for (Kate).” The “small” fundraiser grew exponentially: At press time, more than $150,000 had been raised for the Harrises, and that didn’t include two additional fundraisers started by others. “We’re trying to ﬁgure out how to give (Kate) $150,000. We’re trying to do everything we can to help her out without the government getting involved,” Bubba says.

‘He’s not done.’ On April 2, 2020, Bubba finally retired from the Guard as a staff sergeant after 22 years. He still works for the Mississippi Highway Patrol, but instead of writing citations, he administers polygraph tests to criminal suspects and prospective law enforcement officers. “Every trooper has to pass it before they can advance any further,” he says.

While the machine technically does the “lie detecting,” there are other tricks of the trade: “You have to try to read people also. Pay attention to body language. There are a lot of

skills and techniques we use. I can’t reveal everything,” he quips. And yes, he absolutely has used the polygraph on Wes. “Oh, the ﬁrst thing he did when he got home was tell our son, ‘Come here,’” Lea recalls. For her part, Lea is a nurse at the same place she was an administrative assistant, Hudspeth Regional Center. “My patients have intellectual disabilities, and they have physical disabilities as well. A lot of people tell me, ‘How do you do this?’ But when I walk in a room and patients recognize my voice and I put a smile on their face, that makes a big diﬀerence to me,” she says. “Everybody has a purpose, even though some people may think if you have a disability, you don’t really matter that much. But God has a plan for everybody.”

Last month, the Holifields flew to Hawaii for their 20th anniversary. One of the photos from the trip shows Bubba, exhausted, sitting on the side of a hiking trail that would take him and Lea multiple miles up a mountain. He’s dropped his phone in the dirt, and the phone has opened itself to the “health” app. The photo might elicit a chuckle, but there was a time when Bubba and Lea weren’t sure he’d ever walk again. Whether hiking a mountain, caring for patients, sniffing out lies, or sharing the plan of salvation, there’s plenty of race left for the Holifields to run. And plenty of work God wants to do, both through them and in them, Bubba says. “He’s not done. He still has a lot (left) to do with us.” Y

mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 25

FEATURE STORY

by KATIE EUBANKS

Word of Life Highland Colony celebrates 1 year IN JUNE 2019, Word of Life Senior Pastor Joel Sims was watering his grass when, in his words, “the Lord dealt with me in a real big way that we would do a work in Madison County.” Joel always knew Word of Life would branch out beyond its flagship campus in Flowood, “but I didn’t know where,” he says. “We looked at Ridgeland High School, because (a couple of churches) had met there. We really looked at any other option we could find. They all began to fall through the cracks.” Then he and Word of Life Executive Pastor Ryan Lamberson pulled into the parking lot of what was then Christ Life Church of the Highlands, located off Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland and visible from I-55. “We said, ‘This would be perfect, but they’d never sell it to us,’” Joel recalls. Word of Life leadership prayed continually about the expansion, especially at their Tuesday staff meetings. God told Joel that He was “working in a church that would be part of us,” Joel says. He wrote that down and started praying in that direction. Then, in January 2020, Christ Life Senior Pastor David Hale had just turned 70 years old and realized it might be time to pass the torch to someone younger. 26 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

Sundays at Word of Life 8:30 a.m.: Live preaching by Joel Sims at Highland Colony campus, 670 Highland Colony Pkwy, Ridgeland 10 and 11:30 a.m.: Live preaching by Joel Sims at Flowood campus, 5401 Lakeland Dr. (simulcast to Highland Colony campus and available on Facebook and YouTube; 10 a.m. service to be broadcast on FOX by the end of the summer) Approximately once a month: Live preaching at all three services at Highland Colony

Word of Life Senior Pastor Joel Sims.

“It’s not impossible to relate to the demographics of this congregation (at my age), but it’s not normal,” David says. “God dropped it in my heart that I needed to contact a mutual friend of ours, a businessman

(named Clint Herring), who’s been part of both (Christ Life and Word of Life).” David also spoke with his wife, Nita. “My wife isn’t quick to say, ‘I feel God in this,’ and she did immediately,” he recalls. Clint called Joel and set up a meeting but didn’t tell him what it was about.

“Honestly, I was speechless,” said Sims (above with Bible) of his reaction when David Hale, senior pastor of what was then Christ Life Church of the Highlands, said he felt led to give the church to Word of Life.

At that meeting on February 11, 2020, David said, “I feel like the Lord wants us to give Word of Life our church.” Joel’s reaction? “Honestly, I was speechless,” he says, “one of few times for me as a pastor.”

Similar DNA When David and Nita moved from Alexandria, Louisiana, to metro Jackson to plant Christ Life in 2003, “I came here thinking there’d be multiple campuses,” David says. “Of course, I thought I’d be the one organizing them.” In fact, Christ Life River in Vidalia, Louisiana, was birthed out of Christ Life Church of the Highlands. Beyond that, though, “The vision that Joel has (for Word of Life) made a lot of sense. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish all that at this age,” David says. “I felt (merging with Word of Life) was an ongoing piece of the vision we had for this area. We had similar DNA.” Joel agrees: “We were both multicultural, we both had contemporary worship. … we saw they had a heart to be multicampus (like us). Our statement of beliefs was similar.” Even some of the terminology at both churches was identical: “Our children’s church was called KidsLife,

their children’s church was called planned. You know, Christ Life KidsLife,” Joel says. and Word of Life.” Everybody But how would the Christ Life would get together, mix and members respond to becoming a mingle, and have fun. satellite campus of a Flowood “(That plan) got put on the church with a different senior shelf,” Ryan says. pastor? Word of Life had to plan On the plus side, quarantine for the worst and hope for the best. gave Word of Life more time to “(We figured out that) if we renovate what would become took in no money from (former their new campus. Christ Life members after the “Before COVID hit, we merge), we had enough to cover thought we needed to get this the staff,” Joel says. building renovated in 60 days When the merge was first in or less,” Ryan says. Instead, they Word Of Life Highland the works, “we didn’t know were able to take their time on Colony Campus Pastor Ryan COVID was going to hit like it Lamberson oversees the staff the project, which totaled more did,” David says. But without than $600,000. and daily operations at the thinking about a possible Meanwhile, Christ Life was Ridgeland campus. pandemic, he still told the team, “I still Christ Life for the time just feel we need to move fast.” being, and “we did what everyone else did,” So they did, and in March 2020 they David says: “I sat at (a) little table on Sunday announced the coming transition. and did my thing (in front of a camera).” We all know what happened next. The week before Joel took over preaching in June 2020, David told his congregation via livestream, “This is my last one,” he recalls. “And God’s answer to limitations I know they were watching (when Joel preached Before COVID, Word of Life had what they the following week).” thought was a “wonderful plan, well crafted,” to Somebody was, anyway: Between Facebook, introduce the two congregations to each other, says YouTube, the Word of Life website, and the Ryan, now campus pastor at Highland Colony. church’s former CBS broadcast, a total of Joel explains: approximately 100,000 people watched Word of “We had these things called Life Nights mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 27

Geno Lee kept his same job — children’s pastor— when Christ Life Church of the Highlands became Word of Life Highland Colony one year ago.

Life’s three services that Sunday. “All the limitations (brought on by COVID), God already had an answer for,” David says. “(Word of Life has) been very successful online worldwide.” “I do think our online campus helped people make that transition,” Joel says. Instead of holding big in-person events for the two congregations to get to know each other, “we worked the phones calling all the members,” Joel says. “I think it made it more personal. There are a lot of people I never would’ve gotten as personal with, had COVID not happened.” Even now, not everybody has come back to campus. Many have gotten used to worshipping online. “It’s hard to tell with COVID, but I would say

at least 80 to 90 percent of the people (from Christ Life are still worshipping with Word of Life online or in person),” Joel says. “Amazingly, really,” David adds. Such a big transition asks a lot of a church member. “With COVID, you have so much change in your personal life, to have this spiritual change as well…” Joel says. But a lot of Word of Life members were happy about the additional campus, he adds. “How many of our members were on this side of town? We didn’t realize how many people (from Madison County) were making the drive (to Flowood every week for worship).” His goal was to have 700 to 750 people at the Highland Colony campus by the end of 2021. A couple weeks before this interview, they hit 800.

David and Nita Hale were senior pastors of Christ Life before deciding to give their church to Word of Life.

‘I’ve been blown away’ The most miraculous part of the whole process was how gracious the Christ Life team was, Joel says. “So often pride comes in,” but that was not the case here. First of all, “When I say (the church was) given, I don’t think people understand. We didn’t pay anything for it. It could have easily been rezoned and sold.” The board of directors for Christ Life “was all excited about this,” David says. Those board members still attend the Highland Colony campus, Joel says. “Staﬀ (from Christ Life) still works here. … It wasn’t just us coming in and throwing weight around. Their children’s pastor is still the children’s pastor.” “I don’t even know anyone on the worship team who isn’t still involved,” David says.

“We were both multicultural, we both had contemporary worship. … Our statement of beliefs was similar,” Sims said of Word of Life’s similarities to Christ Life. 28 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

Volunteers greet guests at Word of Life Highland Colony.

David still attends worship at the Highland Colony campus when he isn’t guest preaching or meeting with other pastors elsewhere. “You’ve got to have a lot of infrastructure (to keep a church going strong after COVID),” David says. “I’ve really been kind of blown away (by how well Word of Life has done).” Also, “Pastor Joel’s ministry and the content of his messages — they’re not sermons, they’re messages — it’ll be stuff I’ve been thinking about that week. He’s in tune with where we are in the times, what’s happening in the culture … To be able to put all the pieces together for a church to be relevant in our day (is amazing).” Over the past year, Word of Life has been able to make a dent at Highland Colony financially — reducing the building’s $1.97 million mortgage debt to $400,000 — and reach out to the community in specific ways. “We’ve been able to partner with Highland Elementary School, so that’s an ongoing partnership,” Ryan says. “We did Teacher

“I love a multicultural, contemporary worship, Spirit-filled church in Madison County,” Sims said of Word of Life Highland Colony, which became Word of Life’s second campus last year.

Appreciation Week at Old Town Middle School. It’s been great to do that and make a diﬀerence.” Even the smallest practical details seem to be falling into place: A few months after Joel began preaching to Word of Life Highland Colony, the Lake Harbour Drive extension opened, running east from Highland Colony Parkway all the way into Rankin County, where the thoroughfare becomes Spillway Road. Why is that so convenient? Because Joel preaches live at Highland Colony at 8:30, and then commutes back to Flowood for the 10 a.m.

service. With the Lake Harbour extension, the whole trip involves maybe three turns. In the end, the man at the pulpit on Sundays might look diﬀerent, and there might be a lot of new faces in the crowd, but the services in that church building on Highland Colony haven’t changed a whole lot. Maybe that’s because they didn’t need to. “I love a multicultural, contemporary worship, Spirit-ﬁlled church in Madison County,” Joel says. Y

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120 Village Boulevard, Suite A • Madison, MS 39110 mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 29

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

by REBECCA TURNER

3 cheers for food and freedom

uly 4th is all about patriotic music, red-whiteand-blue food, and fireworks to celebrate our country’s freedom. But it is also a time to reﬂect on God’s goodness to us as a nation. Stamped into the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, which proclaimed America’s independence, is, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10, KJV). So this July, let’s eat, drink, and have faith in God’s

RED, WHITE AND BLUE POTATO SALAD 3 pounds (about 4 cups) small red, white, and purple potatoes, halved 1 tablespoon dried parsley (3 tablespoons fresh) 1 teaspoon dried dill (1 tablespoon fresh) ¼ cup chopped red onion ¼ cup white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons stone-ground mustard ½ teaspoon salt and pepper (or to taste)

Place halved potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring potatoes to a full boil and boil for 13-15 minutes or until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Drain potatoes, pat dry with a paper towel, and transfer to a large bowl. (To keep purple or blue potatoes from bleeding onto others, boil separately, using same instructions for red and white potatoes.) While potatoes are cooling, form the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together parsley, dill, onions, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over slightly warm potatoes and gently toss to cover. Serve potato salad warm, room temperature or chilled.

30 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

will for all His people. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). There’s nothing more fun than serving freedomthemed food on Independence Day, or any other day for that matter. From red-white-and-blue appetizers to grilled summertime staples, there’s something for everyone in these all-American eats. Y

FIRECRACKER CHEESEBURGER 1 pound lean beef or turkey 1 large egg 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced 2 ounces onion, minced 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 4 slices American cheese 4 hamburger buns of your choosing

Preheat grill to medium-high. Place all ingredients except cheese and buns in a medium mixing bowl. Mix together. (It’s easiest to use your hands.) Divide mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties. Place patties on preheated grill. Close the lid and turn heat to low. When patties are cooked halfway through (about 5 minutes), flip the patties and close the grill. When burgers are cooked through (160 degrees), place one slice of cheese on top of each patty. Close the top of the grill and let cheese melt. Remove and serve on your favorite bun. Dress with desired condiments and enjoy!

AMERICAN FLAG FRUIT PLATTER 12 2 1 1

ounces (or 1 pint) blueberries pounds strawberries pound fresh red cherries package white chocolate-covered pretzels

Wash produce, and arrange fruit and pretzel rows to resemble an American flag. Blueberries are the blue canton where the stars go. Make the stripes out of a row of strawberries, followed by a row of white chocolate pretzels, and then a row of cherries. Repeat. Substitutions: cheese for pretzels, grapes or blackberries for blueberries, raspberries or watermelon for cherries.

Using print, TV and radio, Rebecca Turner offers no-nonsense nutrition guidance, challenging the world’s view of wellness and leading women to let go of superficial numbers that don’t define their salvation or self-worth. Purchase her books “Mind Over Fork” and “Enjoy Good Health” on Amazon. Connect with her online at RebeccaTurnerNutrition.com.

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mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 31

CHRISTIAN COMMERCE

How frosted cookies changed my career Pepper Carter recently took a leap of faith by leaving her communications job at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison to work full time at her family’s Whimsy Cookie Company franchise at the Renaissance shopping center in Ridgeland. MCL Editor Katie Eubanks spoke with Pepper about how God is working through whimsy, fun, and cookie frosting! Katie Eubanks: How did you and your husband come to own a Whimsy Cookie Company franchise? Pepper Carter: I’m one of those people who says, “I wonder if I could do that,” and then I get on YouTube and figure it out. I wondered if I could do decorated sugar cookies. Allan is a pharmaceutical rep. He would take some to clinics as happies. That grew into someone asking if I would donate some for a bake sale. People started calling and asking to order them. At first, I said, “No no no no no.” But we prayed about it. We decided the funds would go to mission trips or people with needs. We did that for a couple of years. Then a friend of mine, an associate at Broadmoor, followed Whimsy online, and it said they were looking to open a franchise here. She said, “You should do this.” I showed it to Allan and the next thing you know, we were in conversations with them. In November 2019, we opened the store … four months later, a pandemic hit. (laughs) KE: How were things at the store through the pandemic? PC: We had to be really creative, and we had to really rely on our faith. God was good and He provided, and He sustained. We had to get creative with how we staffed. Technically, we were considered an essential business since we provide food. I wanted to provide kids and families with some sense of normalcy. Kids missed out on the Easter Bunny. We decided to do the Easter Bunny in the Jeep and go to neighborhoods. We did the same thing with Santa Claus. We feel like this is a brand-new thing for us (in 2021). This is the year we would’ve had (without COVID). Things seem to be progressing well. … But we are super grateful for the support of our community and our friends and family.

32 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

From left: Cade, Pepper and Allan Carter at their Whimsy Cookie Company franchise in Ridgeland.

KE: Have your sons helped with the business? PC: Our youngest works at the store. Now he’s leaving in the fall to go to The University of Alabama. … He was our Easter Bunny. He was our Spider-Man. He has been super involved. Our oldest missed out on that because he was already out of the house. KE: Is it just cookies? PC: We have obviously the decorated sugar cookies. But we also have a full line of chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip (sandwich cookies), 11 different flavors of gooeys (Whimsy Gooey Butter Cookies) — which is sort of what we’re known for — and it’s kind of like a cakey, brownie type consistency. We have homemade peanut butter cookies, homemade oatmeal cream pies. Everything is made here in the kitchen daily. A lot of customers think we ship it in. KE: How many people work in the kitchen? PC: We have a full-time baker and a fulltime decorator. I jump in and help where it’s needed. And our retail staff — everybody just kind of cross trains. We all jump in and do what is required to get it done.

KE: Do you have a favorite cookie from the store? PC: I am partial to the strawberry gooey. Allan is partial to any of the red velvet gooeys. But when they’re right out of the oven, the oatmeal and snickerdoodle I absolutely cannot resist. KE: What is your mission with the store? PC: Number one, for our customers to have the most positive experience, basically the golden rule. But we also wanted to use that with our staﬀ. We aren’t necessarily just employees, but a team. We employ a lot of high-school students, and we use this as a training ground. Everybody’s going to make mistakes. We know this is not their career. But it sets the groundwork for them. Our goal is that if someone comes in our store, it’s the best part of their day. It’s light, it’s whimsical, it’s fun, it’s cookies. This is not brain surgery. … We just want it to be an experience where you just feel good when you leave — and that’s through our customer service and our product. Y

TOUGH QUESTIONS

by DR. FRED HALL, LPC

QUESTION: How do I help my veteran or first responder deal with the stress and trauma they experience every day? ANSWER: Your question is at the heart of many who are caring for and living with those on the front lines. First responders include police officers, firefighters, EMS/EMT, dispatchers, active military and veterans. Much of their day is filled with high-impact interpersonal relations with strangers and unknown situations and threats. They are almost always on high alert. They most likely find it hard to “turn it off” when they come home. This constant emotional and mental engagement, over time, is not healthy. Here are a few strategies for living with and caring for a first responder: Prayer There is no better way to honor a first responder than in prayer. Whether it is offered in a religious service, privately, silently, or in a card or note, prayer can connect you and the first responder to God in a meaningful and productive way. Prayer helps the responder feel honored, understood, healed, rewarded, and cared for by God and you. Support group/circle Small groups and support groups alike help those on the front lines tell their stories to likeminded people who share the same experiences and offer additional connection, community and resources. These groups can be spiritually based or based on the nature of the work they do. The support and encouragement that first responders and veterans receive can add value to their work and personal lives. Recreation or vacation Learning how to step away from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind can be therapeutic. Lowcost or high-end getaways can allow the mind, body and soul to refresh and recharge. These breaks from reality can range from organized sports to hiking to cruising the Caribbean. The simple goal is to help your loved one get away from the constant stress and strain of their job and focus on their health, hope and healing. Mental check-in A mental check-in can be done officially or unofficially by friends, pastors, leaders or mental health professionals. It offers an opportunity for a person to discuss coping strategies and solutions to deal with the various stressors of being a first responder, as well as giving them education about individual mental wellness and balance. Intervention and therapeutic services First responders can often feel wary about

reaching out for support. Solution-focused, practical, realistic and confidential therapy services often help those who suffer alone get the help they need in a caring and supportive environment. Therapy can be provided in person, or via telehealth for more privacy. There are various mediums for therapy, including individual, group, family, couples, or debriefing and psychoeducation. The majority of the presenting problems first responders may be facing include anxiety or depressive disorders, trauma and stress-related disorders, substance use/abuse, grief, adjustment to life transitions, occupational stress, and physical illness and disability. First line intervention for these issues are: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Exposure Therapy. CBT is an active, directive, structured approach to therapy which helps the client notice how they think, feel and act. Often negative assumptions about ourselves and others negatively affect our thinking, feelings and behavior. CBT helps a person monitor those negative thoughts and assumptions and replaces them with reality-based interpretations, positive emotions and healthy behaviors. EMDR is a psychotherapy in which a person can diminish negative feelings and reactions when recalling a troubling memory or trauma. This is accomplished by bilateral stimulation, talking or thinking about the event, deep breathing, and reprocessing the emotions to be more realistic and adaptive to the situation at hand. Exposure therapy is a cognitive approach which helps a person face and gain control over fear and distress that is overpowering the body and mind. This therapy must be done slowly and in stages so as not to overwhelm the body. Slow and progressive exposure includes imaginal (thinking about it) or in vivo (directly facing it). Whatever level of intervention you offer, from prayer to therapy, let your loved one know they are loved, cared for and supported. Help them to see themselves not only for what they do but for who they are. Focus on their BEING, not their DOING. This is life-changing. Y

A LAWYER’S TRUE THRILLER ABOUT “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told!”

No other set of books, except the Bible, will prepare the reader for an abundant life NOW and for a glorious ETERNITY better than Hallelujah, Love & War and The Sound of Glorious Marriage Music. These books can be reviewed and purchased at amazon.com. Select Books and type in “by Joe Ragland.”

ATTY JOE RAGLAND, J.D., LL.M., LL.D. Personal Injury Trial Attorney/Workplace Injuries Tel. 601-969-5050 • Info: www.raglandministries.org Click CONTACT to subscribe to Ragland Newsletters

Dr. Fred Hall is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), supervisor, life and leadership coach and consultant. He works with individuals, couples, families and organizations in training, speaking, consulting and clinical practice. He does clinical work at Cornerstone Counseling in Jackson. mschristianliving.com ❘ JULY 2021 33

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But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ~ ROMANS 8:2, ESV

~ ROMANS 6:22, ESV

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

~ PSALM 118:5, ESV

~ JOHN 8:32, ESV

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. ~ ROMANS 6:14, ESV

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

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For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ~ GALATIANS 5:13, ESV

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

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~ 1 PETER 2:16-17, ESV

~ ISAIAH 61:1, ESV

Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.

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We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. ~ ROMANS 6:6-7, ESV

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For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ~GALATIANS 5:1, ESV

~ 2 CORINTHIANS 3:17, ESV

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So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ~ JOHN 8:36, ESV

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Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

And I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts. ~ PSALM 119:45, ESV

St. Catherine’s Village.............................................31 St. Dominic’s ................................................................35 Stegall Imagery...........................................................13

~ HEBREWS 2:14-15, ESV

Sunnybrook Estates ...............................................21

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. ~ Corrie ten Boom 34 JULY 2021 ❘ Mississippi Christian Living

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YEARS

HOPE & HEALING 1946

2021

For decades, the Springfield Dominican Sisters have answered God’s call to care for the Jackson community. Since arriving in 1946 to operate the then-named Jackson Infirmary, the Sisters have welcomed thousands of men and women to share in their ministry of compassionate care to Mississippi families. St. Dominic’s has served as an enduring sign of strength—of hope and healing—as our community and healthcare have grown and changed. Embracing new services, technology and access while remaining grounded in our attention to the poor and vulnerable, we extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to each person in need. Even in these most recent trying and tragic pandemic months, we have encountered new blessings and inspiration for our purpose. Faith sustains St. Dominic’s strength and service to all. We are humbled to answer God’s call today and grateful for the trust you place in us each day. While 75 years is a significant milestone, to us, it’s just the beginning.

St. Dominic’s is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which also includes St. Francis Medical Center - Monroe, Our Lady of the Lake - Baton Rouge, Our Lady of Lourdes - Lafayette and Our Lady of the Angels - Bogalusa.

MASCAGNI WEALTH MANAGEMENT, INC. IS A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISER REGISTERED WITH THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.