I boarded a jet to Texas the other day and sat next to a man named Roy.

He was a young entrepreneur from Kansas City on his way to buy a 3rd truck for his growing tow truck business.

Not long into our conversation he opened up about the difficulties of growing up in a poor neighborhood, turning to drugs, then dealing, doing time in prison, and returning to the same neighborhood.

Roy talked about his faith in Jesus and the constant temptation he faces to revert to his previous lifestyle and the difficulty in building a legitimate business with limited skills, contacts, and support.

He wondered if going legit was worth it.

On Sunday we will hear Jesus talk about denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following him.

Roy and I talked about this and how it means putting away thoughts of an easier, lucrative, but lifeless profession, doing the difficult work of pursuing the good, and following that path not for power, profits, or prestige, but for the betterment of humanity.

I told Roy I was in absolute awe of his work - his skill, grit, and daily determination in the way he was following Jesus.

That’s how our brother in Kansas City is doing it. How about us?