In my early years pastoring small country churches, I learned the value of quiet, uninterrupted study—a lesson that still shapes my ministry today. Now, as pastor of First Baptist Starkville, serving a congregation of farmers, PhDs, and college students, my preaching has shifted from writing for the academy to proclaiming Christ for the single mother, the struggling student, and the retiree. As Dr. Charles Stanley taught me, the goal is to teach people the Bible, not merely teach the Bible to people—never looking past the moment, even though the moment is bigger than the moment.