The Three Greatest Men I Have Known

Introduction to New Book

The three greatest men I have ever met all hold a very special place in my heart and mind. They are, in my eyes, the best of the best. There are many reasons I could give for why they stand out in my life, but the most important is that they impacted my life for Christ.

The first man I must tell you about is Morris Wright. He was born on September 9, 1930, in Dundee, Mississippi. At sixteen, he ran away from home and joined the military. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he was stationed in Key West, Florida. There, as a rough and rugged sailor, he was involved in a tragic vehicle accident in which a young boy was killed.

He was charged with manslaughter and sent to jail. While incarcerated, he began to read the Bible. Through his own personal study of the Scriptures, he was converted, and his life changed dramatically. He stopped cursing, fighting, and gambling with the other inmates. In a matter of months, he led thirteen inmates to the Lord. Later he was pardoned and released. Within a couple years he started the Key West Baptist Temple, where he pastored for fifty years. Thousands were saved and baptized through his ministry, and nearly 240 men were called to preach.

One of the people whose life was changed by his ministry was my mother, Kendra. At sixteen, Pastor Wright married her and my father. I was born shortly afterward. From that moment until the day he died on December 19, 2009, he helped my family in more ways than I can describe. But best of all, I was saved and baptized under his ministry. During those years, my family went through some very dark and difficult days, but many times God used that man to keep us going.

The second man is Bill Lytell. He was born in 1951. He gave his life to Christ at 19 years old and went to train for the ministry at Bob Jones University. In 1992, he became the senior pastor of Gospel Baptist Church, where he has served for over thirty years. God has used Pastor Lytell and his wife to do an amazing work for Him in Bonita Springs, Florida.

I met Pastor Lytell as a twenty-year-old college student at FGCU. I had been out of church and far from God for years. Under his leadership, I surrendered my life to Christ and began to grow in the Lord. I will never forget the powerful and practical sermons he preached. I had never seen such an amazing church in all my life. During that time, I had several counseling sessions with Pastor Lytell, where he told me hard truths that I desperately needed to hear.

Following his advice, I married my then girlfriend and left that public university to enroll at Crown College in Knoxville, where his grandson was also just starting. Since those days, he has been a constant friend and encouragement to me and my wife. He is a true man of faith, wisdom, wit, and grit.

The final man I must tell you about is Clarence Sexton. When I arrived in Knoxville to attend Crown College, I had never heard his name before. During the first service my wife and I attended at Temple, we said to each other, “I guess this older man is pretty much in charge here.” We had only begun living the Christian life several months prior to our arrival at Crown College.

In a very short time, Pastor Sexton’s life and ministry began to change ours in every way. To summarize what God used Pastor Sexton to do in my life: He trained me for the gospel ministry. I arrived looking to be influenced, and he was a man looking to influence. Much of my theology and philosophy of ministry comes directly from him. Of course, I believe it comes from the Lord, but he is the one God used to pass those truths on to me.

Beautiful portraits of these three men hang in the foyer of the Southernmost Baptist Church. I plan to honor them all my life because they changed my life forever. Under Pastor Wright, I was saved. Under Pastor Lytell, I surrendered my life to Christ. Under Pastor Sexton, I was trained for the gospel ministry. I do not worship or follow men, but God uses men to do His work, and these are the men He used in my life. All glory to God. By His grace, I plan to continue in the things I have learned, knowing of whom I have learned them.