Brigadier General Robert Crear retired on May 1, 2008.  He has served worldwide, commanded and led soldiers and civilians at every level, while serving in high level leadership positions with the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps).  At the Pentagon he served as the military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; At the Corps Headquarters in Washington DC, he served as Assistant Director of Civil Works and as the Chief of Staff; In the field he commanded the Vicksburg District, the Southwest Division (SWD) and the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD); Additionally, he served as President of the Mississippi River Commission, having been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

In his last assignment as MVD Commander and President of the Mississippi River Commission, Crear was responsible for a $7.5 billion civil works program. In addition, he played a vital role in managing the Corps water resources program in the entire Mississippi River Valley. The boundaries of the Mississippi Valley Division extend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, include portions of 12 states, and encompass 370,000 square miles. The programs and activities overseen by the MVD and MRC are conducted by 5,700 employees in six district offices located in St. Paul, MN, Rock Island, IL, St. Louis, MO, Memphis, TN, Vicksburg, MS and New Orleans, LA.

General Crear holds the position of Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of Applied Engineering, National Security and Homeland Security at Jackson State University, Jackson, MS.  He is founder & CEO of The Crear Group consulting firm. He is Chairman of Free Flow Power Corporation’s wholly owned subsidiary Free Flow Development LLC, a hydropower developer based in Gloucester, MA that is using proprietary technology to extract energy from moving water (Mississippi River) to produce electricity.

Sino Agueze was born in England and raised primarily in Nigeria, and became a committed Christian in early childhood. God dealt powerfully with Him as a child and used him to bring Jesus Christ to his once pagan African village. He spent adolescence and his college years developing his passion for the Word of God and Intimacy with the Holy Spirit, all the while serving in ministry.  Sino Agueze is the founding executive director of Transformation of Nations (TON). Transformation of Nations is not only an organization but also a calling to transform society in fulfillment of the Great Commission. This is achieved by analyzing the seven pillars on which every nation is built, discovering root causes to systemic problems and providing real solutions for a sustainable change.

Sino Agueze is also the Lead Pastor of “KingdomCity Church” in Mississippi, U.S.A., formally known as "Making Jesus Real Church. He is an author, entrepreneur, psalmist and a dynamic speaker. He has a diploma in finance, a Bachelor's and Master's degree in theology from the Redeemed Bible and Seminary College, North America.

Our speaker is Jim Williams and I encourage you to come hear him speak!  Jim is a successful real estate developer and entrepreneur with a vast resume.  Just to share a few things about Jim:

Jim Williams, Jr. is the founder and C.E.O. of LandPlan Development Corp., a premier North Texas real-estate development company headquartered in Frisco, Texas.

While earning his undergraduate degree at the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, Jim was a 2-time All Southwest Conference defensive tackle and a member of the 1964 national championship football team and captain of the undefeated 1965 Southwest Conference Champions. 

Jim played linebacker for the Houston Oilers and earned his MBA from the SMU Cox School of Business. 

A devoted Razorback, Jim is proud to have been named the 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year by Walton College.

In 2010, Jim was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the University Of Arkansas Hall Of Honor & in 2012, he was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

Prior to his career at LandPlan, Jim served as President of Cornerstone Investments & Preston Hollow Development, leading residential development including the exclusive Caruth Homeplace.  He also owned Williams Fine Homes and was named Dallas Home & Apartment Builder’s Homebuilder of the Year in 1985.

Jim believes in giving back to his community. He serves on the board of directors and is past chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association and serves on the boards of Parkland Health & Hospital System, Dallas Area Rapid Transit System, & Goodwill Industries among others.

As the head of Parkland’s Real Estate Committee, Jim spearheaded the acquisition of more than 40 acres for construction of the New Parkland and helped in designing a new $1.3 billion Parkland campus.

Jim has helped form two churches and acquired land and master planned more than 20 others.

In 1987, Jim received the Man of the Year Award from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance for successfully leading more than 1,500 Dallas churches and synagogues in their defeat of proposed obtrusive city of Dallas zoning regulations.

“Building lasting value” is the LandPlan motto and the goal that Jim strives to achieve on every project.

Jim and his wife of 50 years, Nedra, resides in Frisco, Texas and have two children & six grandchildren.

Ray Sturdivant was called into full-time ministry a little over a year ago after being in advertising for 35 years. He has been a follower of Jesus for almost 33 years. He is an ordained pastor, teacher, speaker, prayer minister, and former elder. A regular participant in street ministry and prison ministry, he has seen many come to place their faith in Jesus as well as receive spiritual and physical healing. Three and a half years ago Ray had an encounter with the Holy Spirit that radically changed the trajectory of his life. Freedom prayer is a direct result of this fruitful time. Hundreds of people living lives of spiritual freedom, deeply connected to Jesus have been the result of going through these power prayer sessions directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He is the founder of Mining the Truth, a ministry dedicated to setting captives free. He lives in Dallas with his wife and has 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

Pastor Devon Adams shares his story of God's faithfulness and persistence in his life.

D.D. Lewis was born October 16, 1945 in Knoxville, Tennessee - the youngest of 14 children. He was named after two great Generals of World War II – Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. 

D.D. starred at Mississippi State University from 1965 to 1967 as a two-way player and three-year starter. He led Mississippi State in tackles and assists all three of his varsity seasons and was named team captain his senior year and graduated from Mississippi State. D.D. joined the National Football League in 1968 and played for the Dallas Cowboys until 1981.

His college and professional career includes:
All-Southeastern Conference – 1966 and 1967; SEC Defensive Player of the Year – 1967; All-American – 1967; College Football Hall of Fame

He wore # 50 for the Dallas Cowboys for 14 years; 12 NFC Divisional Contests and 1 NFC Wild Card Contest; 9 NFC Championship Games; 5 Super Bowl appearances; 2 World Championship victories; Holds Dallas Cowboys playoff record with 27 games
Voted the “Most Popular Player” by the Cowboys fans and given the Bart Starr Meritorious Award in 1981

Tom Landry named D.D. as starting linebacker in 1973, a position he held for nine years until his retirement after the 1981 season;
Tom Landry once said of D.D “of all the players I coached with the Dallas Cowboys, D.D. Lewis was certainly one of them!”

D.D. is married to Diane Walters and they have two daughters, Melna & Victoria, and a son, Brook Barnes. His family attend Chase Oaks Church in Plano, Texas. He is currently retired.

Kenny is an entrepreneur, writer, public speaker, business consultant, and CEO of Global Community Outreach, a Dallas based entity. He has over 20 years as a successful executive in human resource outsourcing strategies, solutions, across multiple industries for small to medium size businesses. 

Kenny began his business career after a short stint in the NFL, with the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns. He attended the University of Southern California (USC), on a football and track scholarship, excelling as a world-class track athlete, and also playing on two USC National Championship Football and Track & Field Teams. He graduated with a BS in Marketing from the USC School of Business.

A high achiever and dedicated community servant, Kenny has served on boards in the Dallas Metroplex, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Entrepreneur Institute (TEI), Hearts and Hammers, and he has mentored in DISD Middle School mentoring programs. Kenny currently serves on the board for The Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) - an organization providing character education and mentorship for youth sports.

Kenny is a licensed minister and Elder at The Potter’s House Church in Dallas, Texas - a 30,000 member congregation, under the leadership of Bishop T.D. Jakes, where he serves as a member of the teaching faculty of  The Potter’s House School of Ministry, and Director of  the  Men’s Ministry, whose mission focuses on empowering, equipping, and disciplining men for 21st Century Impact.

Dave completed high school in Tuscaloosa, AL, and accepted a scholarship to attend Alcorn State University, where he graduated with a degree in Chemistry and minor in Math.  While at Alcorn, Dave played on a national championship football team and a conference championship basketball team.   He later received a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from Jackson State University.  He has taught on the high school and college level.  The Christian values and training Dave received from his single parent mother, grandmother and sister have served as the foundation for his ministry, athletic, academic and professional development.

Dave played 11 years in the National Football League (NFL) as an outside linebacker with All Pro years at Denver, Buffalo and San Francisco.  As a Profession, Dave is a featured sports columnist for many National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) newspapers.  He is a member of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), National Football League Alumni (NFL-Alumni), Pro Football Writers Association, Alcorn State University Sports Hall of Fame, U.S. Department of Education and Justice Department Grant Peer Review Committee.

Dave's Ministry spans the world as it reaches out to youth and families with an unchanging gospel message. Dave  has served 15 years as a Senior Pastor, and 8 additional years as an Associate Pastor.   Presently, he travels and speaks to youth, families, prison inmates and all that will hear the message of hope through Jesus Christ.   Dave finds much joy and pleasure working and serving in the ministry at Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Madison, Mississippi.   He is a career STEM educator and Administrator in the Mississippi Public School system - presently at Murrah High School, Jackson, Mississippi.

Dave has been blessed to have his wife, Dianne, who was his college sweetheart, minister along with him, and to know his three adult children, Dave III, Dar Kenya and D’Angelo love the Lord.

Dr. Dolphus Weary grew up in rural poverty in Mississippi, graduated from L.A. Baptist College now The Masters College; the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). 

He vowed when he left Mississippi in the mid 1960's that he would never return.  Yet, he did return and for the past 44 years he and his wife, Rosie have been working to build models of holistic ministries in MS. 

His life experiences has helped to tell his story in the books he has authored - "I Ain't Comin' Back" and "Crossing the Tracks - Hope for the Hopeless and Help for Rural Poor in Mississippi and Your Community." Dolphus has served on the boards of WorldVision, Evangelical Council For Accountability (ECFA) and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) and is currently serving on the Belhaven University (BU) and Jackson Prep boards and is the President of Rural Education and Leadership [REAL] Christian Foundation. He has been married to his wife Rosie for 45 years.

Steve Kinsley spoke at the August luncheon about God's faithfulness through his journey and life. We trust you will be encouraged and challenged to Amplify your faith through his story.