Author Interviews – Tattoo It On Your Heart

Tropical Dreams Launch Day

📣🥳🌴It’s launch day for #TropicalDreams my debut #childrenspicturebook! It’s also just happens to be the 10-year anniversary of launching my website in obedience to God. (I’ll share that amazing God story another time.)

Welcome to a journey into the heart of island life with Tropical Dreams, inspired by #Jamaica, (land of my birth). Please join us for the Zoom celebration today (4/21/2026) if you’re able at the link below. Hear a little backstory to the story (more to come) in the embedded podcast where I was a guest of my illustrator the gifted Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes. See if you can answer the Tropical Trivia questions at the end, hear what others are saying about Tropical Dreams, and listen to a reggae song.

Grit & Grace: Michael Duncan ~ Author, Pastor, Master of the One-Line Sermon Returns

Feast on a banquet of truth from one who greets life’s challenges with grit & grace. Michael Duncan: author, pastor, master of the one-line sermon returns as my guest interviewee. Undeterred by threats, he shares wit, wisdom, and some wild stories including the unlikely setting in which Jesus saved him.

Road to Rabbi: A Messianic Jew’s Journey to Jesus

What an adventure, an education, and blessing to converse with the lively and jovial Rabbi Henry Morse of the Sha’ar Hashamayim Messianic Congregation in Stoughton, Massachusetts. I first encountered the Rabbi as he led his merry band of people down the hill after the If My People prayer event at the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 2021.

Let’s Talk About Race Relations with Lori Roeleveld & Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

When we attempt to muzzle people’s pain we widen their wounds. Without honest communication there is no intimacy. Without intimacy it’s difficult to touch a heart, the seedbed of where true, lasting, and positive change can take place.

So, thank you to authors Lori Stanley Roeleveld and Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith for participating in this interview. I’m grateful for your courage to start this conversation and for showing us how to do likewise with your amazing book, Colorful Connections: 12 Questions About Race That Open Healthy Conversations. What an honor it is to host you.

Hidden History from the Secret City Revealed

Mr. Keith McDaniel, author, teacher, documentary filmmaker, owner of Secret City Films, and Knoxville Film Festival Executive Director and Mr. Ray Smith, City of Oak, Tennessee Historian, have much in common and have worked together on several projects over the years combining their many shared skills and unique talents to bring history to light and alive.

I was honored (and yes, of course terrified) when they recently hosted me as a guest on their program Hidden History: Stories from the Secret City and invited me to share a bit of the story and progress on my journey to write a book on the integration of Oak Ridge, TN. (Video below.)

Did Jesus Really Die on Good Friday and Other Fascinating Questions

We rob ourselves when we skim the surface of scripture rather than exert the effort to dig deeper for the treasures of truth embedded in God’s Word. Bible study leader and award-winning author Stephanie Pavlantos mined God’s Word to bring us a greater understanding of the intersection of Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, (God incarnate, the Messiah) and His New Testament fulfillment. Stephanie brings to light the fascinating Hebrew religious law and culture, the many intricate events leading up to, and the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Did Jesus really die on Good Friday? What is the significance of the Passover feast and the Passover lamb? See God in the details, how He overlooks and wastes nothing and much more in this faith building thought provoking presentation. And there’s more!

My Interview with Civil Rights Icon Ambassador Andrew Young

What an honor and a delight to speak to Civil Rights Icon Ambassador Andrew Young and share this video interview with you. Ambassador Young was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s trusted friend and top strategist in the #CivilRightsMovement. He celebrated his 90th birthday on March 12th, 2022. (Happy Birthday Ambassador Andrew Young. Thank you for your example and lifetime of service to our country and the world.)

Ray Smith: Secret City Historian, Veteran, Police Chaplain Emeritus

Ray Smith is a man of many missions, a man of many hats and he wears them well: Secret City historian, U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran, Chaplain Emeritus, having served the Oak Ridge Police Department for 23 years. Mr. Smith is also an engaging storyteller, author, videographer, Tennessee Historical Commission Commissioner, teacher, photographer, documentary producer, multi award-winning citizen, church elder, father, and devoted husband to his beloved wife of 57 years.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ray Smith in May 2021 when he gave me a tour of the Oak Ridge History Museum as part of my research trip for the book I’m writing on the integration of Oak Ridge in the 1960s. What a delight to discover he was a police chaplain as I’m about to embark on a series featuring law enforcement officers from around the country.

Mr. Ray Smith’s achievements resemble what would take several men a lifetime to accomplish. He calls himself retired but shows no signs of slowing down. I’m honored to host this brave, humble hero in this video interview and share his stories, insights, and resources with you. Enjoy.

Michael Duncan ~ Author, Pastor, Master of the One-line Sermon

He calls himself “a sinner saved by grace. A pastor who has fought against dragons and won. A sojourner going from here to there with a story to tell.” I call him the master of the one-line sermon. Once again, I’m honored to host Pastor Duncan, husband, father, preacher, speaker, poet, musician, US Air Force Veteran, and author of the newly released book, For King and Crown: Conversations on the Christian Life. Don’t miss this video interview—it’s gold.

A disciplined life is born of effort, not excuses. — Pastor and author Michael Duncan

Think not yourself a Christian if you hate the righteousness God loves and love the sin He hates. — Pastor and author Michael Duncan

Shine or Whine

Sometimes I take God and His blessings for granted. Complaining comes more naturally than thankfulness to our fallen nature.

Culture tends to extol self-gratification and self-promotion and chase materialism. The Bible calls Christians to amplify Jesus and serve others. If we focus on our lack, we can fail to see and experience the blessings we possess. Why live as paupers when God calls His children to partake of the richness of Christ?