I have always called Tennessee home. Although I have had the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally, I can vouch for Dorothy’s famous assessment that regardless of how bright and shiny a yellow brick road may be, “There is no place like home!” Tennessee has been kind to this native son, allowing me to see the diverse beauty of the three distinct regions within its borders. The mountains of East Tennessee, the rolling hills and lush greenery of the mid-state, and the farmland of West Tennessee flowing into the Mississippi River provided a fantastic canvas for me to splash the paint of a life. My imagination and desire to draw word pictures never lacked inspiration in the grandeur that greeted me daily. I soon learned this grandeur is the gift of a God who, although mysterious, is kind and longs to make a connection with us.

As a child, I realized God wanted our lives to intersect. I wanted to know as much as possible about this God who wanted to connect with the world and me. God often uses small things and brief encounters to allow us to learn more about him. Like the information on the memory board of a computer or electronic device, our experiences and connections with God soon become substantial and become Faith Bytes.

These connections with God can be found all around us. In my book, Faith Bytes: 365 Daily Connections with Jesus, I draw from my fifty-plus years as a pastor but will also introduce you to scripture, Biblical characters, sports figures, movies, Godiva Chocolates, a boy with a handful of nails and a hammer, and a dog named Spurgeon. You will learn from people named Patrick, Wesley, Jonah, Allen, Moses, Marshall, Sarah, King, Luther, Reagan, and many others. Our teachers will be electric fences, bees, lions, fish, stars, and wild animals. What do they all have in common? They demonstrate how God is relentless in pursuing a Connection with us that will create memories called Faith Bytes.

Additional information: Steven and his wife Cheri live on a small farm outside Nashville, Tennessee. He has led congregations in almost every size and setting as a pastor. Although he recently retired to devote more time to writing, he continues to pastor part-time. Presently, he serves the Kingston Springs United Methodist Church in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. Academically, Steven is a graduate of Martin Methodist College, Middle Tennessee State University, and Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He also has acquired a doctoral degree from the School of Theology, University of the South-Sewanee.