EP. 92: Faith, Real Estate, And Reconciliation with Corey Deyamport

What if the most powerful witness is simply a life well lived? In this episode, Brian and Neddie talk with worship leader, pastor, and real estate broker Corey Deyamport about how hospitality drew him to Christ and now shapes the way he serves neighbors through his work.

Corey offers honest insight into modern housing challenges and why presence and representation matter. Grounded in Ephesians 2, this conversation reminds us that reconciliation is already secured in Christ - and we’re called to live it out by learning to neighbor well in every space.

Special thanks to our sponsors: 

Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Mississippi College, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State University, Real Christian Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters.

Transcript

Welcome And Sponsors

SPEAKER_01 0:12

This is Living Reconciled, a podcast dedicated to giving our communities practical evidence of the gospel message by helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured for us by living with grace across racial lines. Hey, welcome to Living Reconcile, episode 92. I'm your host, Brian Crawford, hanging out with some really, really good friends. In fact, today I'm hanging out not only with good friends, but my best friend, Nettie Winters. And I'll introduce my best friend in just a moment. But Nettie, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Man, I was I was on high cotton for a moment. I was cotton for a moment. You wait till I tell Austin what you did to me, man. You know, that's an Austin here. Man, I'm doing great, and I'm excited to have your best friend on.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Man, Nettie, uh, in fairness, in fairness to you.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Yeah, uh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

It's very it's very hard to do. No, no, no, no. It is it is very hard. It is very hard to fill the the void of 30 plus years of of friendship that that I enjoy with this with our guest today. So that's that's a that's a hard thing to live up to, Daddy. That's a hard thing to live up to. But before we introduce him, I want to give a special question. That's another that's another good that's another best friend, too. That's another best friend, too.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Another best friend. Another best friend. She listens to your podcast. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

I'm not sure. And she listens to I'm taking a day on the notch if I find out that she's not. She's just gonna be a good friend like you after this.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Well, I'm gonna go. Anyway, I'm gonna tell her to make sure she listens to podcast number 92. 92.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Let's give a special thanks to our sponsors, folks like Mississippi College, Bellhaven University, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State University, Real Christian Foundation, Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regis Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptists, Christian Life Church, Pine Lake Church. Thank you guys so much. And we uh got incredible uh folks, not just that are um corporations and churches, but we have incredible individuals, people like Ann Winters, Doris Powell, Robert Ward. So many people uh make this podcast go. And we want to say thank you. If you want to join that uh group of supporters, it's very easy to do. You can go to missionmississippi.org. There's a button

Meet Corey Deamport

SPEAKER_01 2:55

at the top right hand of the screen. You can click on it and it says donate. And when you click on that button, donate, you can specifically state that you would like to donate to the work of Living Reconciled or the larger work of Mission Mississippi. And we would love for you to join us and invest in the work that the Lord is doing in our state and beyond. Nettie, I want to turn our attention now to our guests. This gentleman I've known.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

Please do, man. I can't wait to meet your best friend, man. I'm really excited. I'll tell you, the more I think about this, the more excited I get.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

I have I have known this gentleman uh for over 30 years. And and he's been he's been a he's been a brother, more than a friend. He's been a brother. And he's been uh just an incredible help to me. He's sharpened my Christian life in ways that that probably I see, but also in plenty of ways that I don't. Um He has a lovely bride that has been a precious jewel to my family by the name of Nicole. Um Corey is a longtime minister of the gospel. Um he has uh spent his time in gospel ministry in several capacities. Uh he currently leads uh our church in worship and also serves as the executive pastor at our church in terms of uh keeping operations and teams flowing. Uh but Corey is also a bivocational pastor like me, and so he um has a brokerage uh by the name of Neighbor Well, in which he is leading. Uh it is young but impactful in the central Mississippi area, and so I can't wait to have him uh talk to us a little about a little bit about that. Corey has spent time in leadership capacities in the real estate uh business at the local, state, and soon-to-be national level. Um so we're incredibly excited and incredibly privileged uh to have uh on this podcast our guest, Corey Deamport. Sir, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Doing very well, sir. Happy to be here with you guys, excited about the opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Good deal, man.

Corey’s Faith Story

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Good deal. We always ask uh folks on Living Power Living Reconciled to take a moment and share a little bit of their faith story with us in terms of how they came to faith in Christ. And so we would love for you to take a few minutes, brother, and just share a little bit of your story, man, and give the audience a picture of uh how you came to faith in Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Well, uh it's interesting, like many people, uh especially in the South, you know, you have that that uh that story of being young and being in the church. Uh that was certainly my testimony. Uh, but that's that's about where it where it started and ended. I was young in the church, but the church wasn't in me. Um lived right next door to the church uh coming up. And so it was a very short uh migration, if you will. Uh so walking out the front door and walking up the stairs next to me. Uh literally the hill and our yard, the the our yard and the church shared a hill. Uh that's just how close we were. Uh, but even though I was in the church from that young age, I saw things that didn't add up. You know, things that you heard on Sunday morning versus what you saw Sunday afternoon. And so those things, I didn't, I couldn't put words to it at that moment. Uh, but those things just caused me to look the other way as far as as far as church was concerned. Uh fast forward several years, uh, met this this very young and energetic uh guy named Brian Crawford. And you know, he was a he was a PK, he's a preacher's kid, so you know, he's he's goody two shoes, you know. Uh but introduced me to his family, and uh, if you're attached to the Crawford House, sooner or later you're gonna find yourself at Pastor E.J. Crawford's church, Joshua Generation there in uh Tulula, Louisiana.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

That was that was price that was price of admission, man. Price of admission.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

Absolutely. Absolutely. Uh, and it was a great blessing, man. It was always fun. Uh, enjoyed hanging out with you, enjoyed hanging out with your family. Uh, but that was kind of the thing that caused a turn in the corner or turn of the corner for me. Uh, seeing you guys on Sunday and seeing you guys uh on Monday or any other day, you were the same. Uh, your parents were the same. Their love for Christ, how they treated people, um, how they behaved, how they carried themselves were were the same, whether they were in church or out of church. And that caused me to look deeper uh into this church thing because obviously at this point, it's more than just a day, it's more than just an activity. Um, and so I began to listen more closely to what was being said on Sunday morning, not just when I was at Joshua, but even my own church. Um and, you know, your dad was always sharing the gospel, man, always talking to us about uh about the Lord, man, and his what he's done for us and his expectations of us uh just throughout our day, no matter what we were doing, whether we're playing basketball, whether he's on the grill, you know, whether we're hanging out, watching TV or uh we're practicing back in the day. Shout out to Young Message. Um he'd come into the room, you know, while we were practicing and you know, he had just been praying and sharing with us, hey, here's what the Lord's speaking to me about you guys. Uh, and so those things just began to draw me in until finally one evening um we were at the church uh saying goodbye to the peevees, and man, just had this overwhelming experience that I couldn't put words to. Um, walked out of the church just crying uncontrollably. And you know, you came out, went and got your pops. Pops led me to the Lord right there, uh, sitting on the ground right outside Joshua's generation. And uh my life has never been the same. All because of people didn't just talk about it, they lived it.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

Man, I appreciate I appreciate number one you taking me on that uh on that journey um to the past, but but also I appreciate the the the needed reminder of how impactful a life lived for Christ can be in our work of evangelism. You know, oftentimes we we like to think about evangelism as the you know as some sort of uh programmatic engagement where we all get out and we pick up our tracks and we go door to door. And while that is certainly a um a tool and a means by which God does evangelistic work, there are there's often there is also another way that he does it. And it happens in the within the confines of homes and and hospitality, opening doors uh and opening hearts and lives for people to look in and see it. And so um, and so just you know, I appreciate that healthy reminder because it's not just a reminder, but it's a challenge to me. Yes.

Hospitality As Evangelism

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Um, you know, Hebrews 13 talks about uh living, living a hospitable life, letting brotherly love continue by living a hospitable life. And so uh so I'm reminded again of how important that hospitality is and what kind of evangel evangelistic and gospel doors it opens, man. So I'll I appreciate it, man. I appreciate it. Amen. Amen. Yeah. Talk to us a little bit about your uh your work, uh, you're a bi-vocational pastor and and and just you know how how the Lord uses that or shapes your work. Obviously, we know, you know, when people think about pastoring, of course, we know how God makes uh makes use of that work. But oftentimes when you think about real estate, how does God work in the in the lanes of real estate? And we and we can see that you're thinking about it because you named your real estate brokerage neighbor well, uh, which is very much connected uh to the to the story to the parable of the Samarit, Good Samaritan and loving our neighbor as ourselves. And so talk to us a little bit about how the Lord uses neighbor well in your life.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Well, man, we I'm not just uh um uh an agent who happens to be a preacher or a believer. I'm a believer, preacher who happens to be a real estate agent. And so everything that I do from you know how I care for my family to how I live my life, I work my job, flows from first of who I am in Christ.

Bi‑Vocational Calling And Neighbor Well

SPEAKER_00 12:07

And so, even from the name, as you mentioned, you know, it is a nod to that story. Um, and not everybody in the story neighbored well. And so neighbor, neighbor there is is a verb, you know, and the well is is modifying, you know, how we want to neighbor. We want to neighbor well and we want to be a neighbor to everybody, not just those who are, you know, in that half a million dollar price range or that million dollar price range, but for the family who only has 50,000 to spend or or 30,000 to spend, uh, wherever you fall in life, home is important where you where you lay your head, uh, the roof that you put over your your family's head is important. Uh, and so the gospel shapes even that for us. And that that shows up in in one, how wide we open our our our doors, our our sphere to find business, uh, and into how we interact with people. Um, in the realtor code of ethics, you have uh the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And I've always been of the mind, since coming into real estate, even before Neighbor will, that if I obey God's laws, then I'm gonna have no problem with federal or state laws. I'm not gonna have any problem with realtor ethics because I follow godly ethics. Uh, and so being respectful, being kind, humility, um, genuine compassion and care. Uh, I have been even on showings and following up or coming in contact with people. And, you know, the the seller of the house says, Hey, uh, my husband inside, you guys feel free to look around the house and and do what you need. He's not gonna bother you. And upon hearing more of the story, because there's a reason why your husband is in bed uh during a showing of your house. And so finding out um that the brother is terminally ill. And so this is this is not just a moment of, hey, thank you guys for making the house available for us. This is a moment to lean into real life that these people are experiencing. Uh, and so my clients obviously know who I am and and know what I do. And so uh they allowed me space to take a moment to minister to those people, uh, even while we're out trying to find them a new place to call home. Uh so it absolutely touches everything. Um who we are in Christ and and what he expects of us as neighbors. Um, it touches everything.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Yeah. Talk to us a little bit, DeMport, about what it looks like when you're thinking about reckoning and I gotta I gotta remember that you're you're you're my buddy, so I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm speaking to you like like it's just me and you talking uh and and and grabbing some barbecue or something. So talk to us a little bit, Corey, about what and what it looks like when you when you take this fusion of faith and and vocation like neighbor well, and you then add to it the ingredient of reconciliation and healing across dividing lines such as race, politics, culture, ethnicity. What does that look like in a space like neighbor well for you?

SPEAKER_00 15:57

First, it looks like authenticity. Uh being who you are, again, you know, who I am in Christ is just who I am, uh, no matter where I am. And so I've I've had clients of uh, of course, different uh races, different ages, uh, but I've also had um same-sex married couples um who have come and allowed me to serve them. Uh I don't change how I answer my phone. Uh I let everybody know that

Serving Every Client With Dignity

SPEAKER_00 16:31

I'm gonna be unavailable on Sunday and Wednesday evenings uh because I'm gonna be in church. Uh, and not once has anyone said, um, oh, well, you know, you're you're this preacher, pastor, guy, and you're gonna have something to say about how I live, uh, because that's not why we're here. You know, we're here to serve. You know, Christ came to serve, and he didn't come for those who uh looked like him, lived like him. Um he came, whosoever will, let them come, right? And so that's how we try to show up, man. We try to show up one authentic authentically as ourselves, not with any uh judgment, not with any intent to lay my cloak of Christ over your head, um, but to simply show up and to love you, uh, to come alongside you in this journey, uh, whether buying, selling, investing, whatever we're doing, uh, to come alongside you and show you that uh you have dignity, you have worth, uh, you're worthy of respect, you're worthy of our care, and every skill that we bring to the table, and that's that's what each and every individual gets from us.

SPEAKER_02 17:53

You know, Curry, you Corey, you talk about this saying of non-judgmental, and that uh, as Jesus said, Whosoever will. Um, you know, many times and oftentimes in my experience, it's not so much the people you're serving, but the people that identify with you that gives you the rough time or dis distinguish themselves from you uh some kind of way, you may lose them in the process associating with, especially with a uh same-sex marriage or homosexual or whoever comes through the door, or white folks for that matter, or Hispanic folks. You know, oh, you're dealing with those folks. You do you you you get that from behind the scenes at either your place of work or place of church or Christian friends. So talk a little bit about that and how you navigate through that.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

I gratefully, thankfully, uh I've never had any pushback uh from anyone because of anyone that I was serving. Again, I think because they they understand and they know that this is just who I am. Um and I I do that. I think one of the reasons why I'm able to do that in in such a way is because that will that's what was done for me. Uh when I showed up at the Crawford house, man, I was I was a wretch undone. Uh a number of moments that uh, because I know there was there was no cursing allowed in the Crawford household, but there was a number of occasions where his parents caught me uh using such language, and uh they they never scolded me, you know, they never sat me down, never raised their voice to say, we don't use that kind of language in this house, young man. Um, you know, never for forbade my brother from hanging out with me. Uh, I was welcomed, I was accepted, I was loved. You know, scripture says love covers a multitude of sin, right? And so uh I just want to show up authentically as myself

Nonjudgment And Authentic Presence

SPEAKER_00 20:45

and show people the love that's been shown to me. And so, in that I'm not getting any pushback from them from being uh I make no I make no apologies for being a Christ follower. Um, but I make no apologies as well for who I show up for and who I show love to as I serve clients in the real estate.

SPEAKER_02 21:11

That's that's an interesting scenario you just described about you don't get that because in the world we live in today, even inside our homes and churches and organizations, sororities, returns, whatever else, we we tend to have those kind of things happening as it relates to um, I don't know, sometimes I just look at it like the the the the the cliques at the school when I was in high school, you you know, uh we had groups, I could call them cliques and and uh crew or my dogs, whatever the case might be, and you know, you got caught hanging out with one or the other. Um you know, you like betrayal or you you you're betraying or whatever else. And I find that interesting today in in every arena of our lives that we find that situations where I don't know, uh for me, I don't get a lot of kickback from the people I'm serving for whatever nature or background or uh issue we have. I get a lot of kickback from a push well, not pushback, but a lot of feedback, I should say, from you know, you hanging out with those those people, and I and I always think to myself, who are those people you talking about? Because you know, if but then if if if I'm hanging out with them, I don't know that they do people and they're my people. I'm hanging out with them. So anyway, that's interesting. I just wanted to make that statement. You don't have to respond to that. It's just interesting how you are navigating. Through that without having to deal with that in a sense.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

I'm inclined to even take it a step further in the dialogue and move just from the customer-consumer

Real Estate Bias And Fair Housing

SPEAKER_01 22:52

client to like the structure and the system itself of real estate, you know, because I think, you know, as you've talked to me a little bit about your journey through real estate, it feels like neighbor well has a role in creating inroads and possibilities and paving new paths, even as it relates to just minorities and real estate in general. Would you say that that's an accurate uh assessment as it because I've noticed that some of the spaces that you're treading or some of the places that you're treading in are spaces that are bringing awareness to some of the unique uh unique opportunities, unique challenges that exist for minorities as it relates to home ownership, as it relates to just being in the space, the realtor space, as it relates to lending. And I'd be really curious. Um, obviously we can't get into this really deep dive around that, but I'd be really curious if you would just kind of share some high-level thoughts for our listeners uh in terms of how neighbor well plays into that, play, plays in that space.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Well, it's it's it's so much that we could say, and I I'd really want to make a list as to not get get lost. So uh I ask for your help to keep me on track and not to go too far down this rabbit trail. Yeah. Um, so as we all know, the country has a history of not being fair as far as housing is concerned, as far as lending for housing is concerned. Uh, and so every month, not every month, every year during the month of June, they have Fair Housing Month. Uh, and so that is just to shine a light on the fact that everybody deserves a home, you know, regardless of um any of the protected classes that's that's given. Uh, but race was the primary. Uh, if you were uh black, and there are still neighborhoods uh around that if you go and look on the deed, the deed still has a restriction that says no colored person can live in this neighborhood or live in this home. You know, so these these things were act were facts uh that existed, and so discrimination still comes up. Um not so much in terms of you know saying somebody can't live in a home, but people still try to steer uh to say, hey, maybe your family would be more comfortable on this side of town or in this neighborhood, uh, because the neighborhood that they're questioning uh or the side of town that they're questioning or expressing interest in is primarily one uh demographic. Uh you still have discrimination that shows up in appraisal, where an appraiser comes in as a part of a transaction and assigns a lesser value uh to a home because that home belongs to an African-American family.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

Uh one of the reasons and that's not just based on assumptions, right? That's based on actual based on actual court litigate litigations, cases, evidence being provided that's that reflects that.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Absolutely. And they've there was one particular instance where uh, of course, you know, we have our art and you know, our pictures up uh in our homes, proudly displaying who we are again. Um and so an appraiser comes through, and they have all this art up. Those you can see, obviously, this is an African-American family, and the appraiser assigns a value. Okay, so they remove the art, they put up different pictures, fake pictures, but different pictures, uh, bring in another appraiser, and the value is completely different. Same house, same neighborhood, same people, but two different valuations because of who the perceived owners are. Um, and this is, you know, last few years. Uh so it's it's something that's still happening, uh, where people are being questioned or uh black buyers are uh considered disqualified at a disproportionate rate than their white counterparts.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

Uh and it's not a with equivalent credentials and equivalent qualifications.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Equivalent qualifications. Um you have this thing that they call payment shock, where if a family has, you know, been living in apartments and you know, uh used to paying a certain amount, but now they're ready to buy. Um the lenders will say, well, that's that's too much of a difference than what you're used to. And so uh we don't believe that you're gonna be able to keep this up. So now you're a risk to stockholders, uh, because stockholders, you know, back mortgages. And so uh, I mean, there's there's so much, man, that that happens on the background that if you're not paying attention to, you miss. And it's not, of course, on the news every day for everybody to hear about. Um and so one thing that um I've been made, I've been intentional about doing is stepping into these spaces where when we're having certain conversations, representation is there. Um, and that uh that goes from uh my local board of realtors, my state board of realtors, uh, because the realtor party sets their agenda uh in terms of what they're going to go to their representatives, their state, their uh uh, you know, the the the their representatives to to say, hey, this is the the policies we want you to be for, these are policies we want you to be against, these are our bills that we want you to present. Um if you're not in the room when these conversations are being had, you don't get a voice about what's being pushed uh or what's being pushed against. And so you want to show up. You know, we talk about all the time, you know, oh, this person, you know, is gonna be a bad president, that person's gonna be a bad president. But how many of us are raising our hands to say, hey, I'm gonna put my name up, I'm gonna put my name in a hat, I'm gonna run for president. Uh, and so, man, if you see it and you don't agree with it, if you're not gonna do anything about it, you know, what do we really have to say when we get what we get? Uh, and so for myself as well as some others that I've challenged, even as as recently as yesterday, um, a uh a Chinese sister uh that I was speaking with at the realtor building after a class to say, Hey, why don't you come and get involved in the association? Uh, because you're gonna bring a unique

Representation In Realtor Associations

SPEAKER_00 30:09

perspective. Uh, you're gonna bring a unique experience, an experience that our white counterparts have not had, an experience that I haven't had, that other people need to hear uh because it affects your daily life. And that's that's important.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

Yeah, yeah. Nettie, you you've had some experiences in the you know, the national landscape of agriculture, um property, farming. Um talk to me a little bit as to how Corey's world and the stories of race reconciliation and your previous world of property agriculture, talk about some of some of the ways in which they they mix together from your from your experience.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

Um my observation is that because of technology, because of modern day subtleties, I should say, the attitude and the actions that are taking place with with what Corey defined is the same as it was with me. They use different methods or different ways to do that. You know, many times we get dismissed with well, you they can't rent line until that's what Corey was talking about. They don't call it rent line today, but that's really what it's talking about. I had the experience of riding with a broken in the metro area, and they were describing the neighborhoods to me. I guess it's in the 80s. And uh I think the comment was, you don't want to live over there, Democrats live over there or something. And because, you know, me, I had to push and well, tell me what that means, because you know, for all you know, I could be a Democrat. Well, you know, it they stumbled through that statement. In other words, that was a code word for black folks to live over there. You don't want to live there. Yeah. And then I had the audacity to say it to another to an African-American man. I just don't know what, you know. You're one of the good ones. Yeah, yeah, I guess. I'm different. But anyway, yeah, uh, that's always interesting, but the the essence of what happens in then and now is that when you take it like to the board or to other places, well, they can't do that, you know, the law didn't allow them to do that. Well, you know, the law didn't allow them to do what they did in the 50s and 60s when I was growing up. But uh so that's the the the the parallel I should say is that these things are hidden um from view uh from view, but but at the same time they're hiding right in front of your face. Uh all at the same time. And so the the the because I I got the challenge I have is that many of these people profess to be the Christian.

unknown 33:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:17

Profess and confess to be Christians. And yeah, and and they're guilty of in many instances. I have worked with non-Christians, even Muslims and Jews and other folks that are non-Christians. And they weren't interested in making the money, man. They didn't care whether or not uh they upset the apricot across the street or down the street. They didn't conform to uh uh uh the typical or the normity of things. They wanted to know how I can get this done and uh move forward with it. You know, the the the mean green taught for them in a sense, but also they didn't mind bumping up against the system. Um and we sometimes, as well as if we're part of the body of Christ that I'm in, many times we don't want to upset the apricot, or we don't want to rock the boat, or we don't want to cause no problems, we want to do all those things. But at the same time, you you show up on Sunday morning and and praise God, the goodness of God, the grace of God, the love of God, and and how he loves everybody, and

Parallels In Agriculture And Housing

SPEAKER_02 34:31

and how I love everybody too. You know, the problem with shouting on Sunday morning, I love everybody. You're looking at the people that's sitting in the room with you. When you get outside of the room, it's a whole different story. So it's easy for me when the preacher said, Do you love it? Oh, yeah, I love everybody, man. And look around, and I love all these people. Well, you know, most people in there look like you, vote like you, sound like you, and you're good to go. But some people that shows up that don't look like you, don't vote like you, and certainly don't talk like you, then it's a whole different deal, or some other characteristic about your skin or uh uh or or some other thing about your body, or how things are different from yours, all of a sudden now it's a whole different story. So, yeah, uh the parallel between then and now, not much difference.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

Um even recently, Nettie, uh I'm not sure how recent, but uh I was in a conversation with a pastor, and they were in the midst of an acquisition, home acquisition. And, you know, during a home acquisition, you have all sorts of different people that that are in your life, you know, whether it be appraisers and assessors, whether it be inspectors, realtors, plumbers, you know, mechanics and maintenance folks that are coming in fixing things that are breaking down. So you got a host of different people. Well, uh there was a collection of different people that they were uh engaged with as they were preparing to finalize the details on their acquisition. One of the folks, um, as they were getting details on the home, said, Hey, where, so what, where is your home? And they gave them the address. And the the response that they got was, oh, okay, that's good. That's great, that's great. That's uh, that's still that's still a white neighborhood. So you're good. And you know, your pro your your your um your you know your property will remain intact. It's like, what? It's like what these are like these are one of the worst kept secrets. So so they so so they underst so they were saying, hey, you're good property value-wise and all these different things because it's still a a quote unquote white neighborhood. Um the pastor was taken back and said, wait a second, I why why does that matter? And it goes back to some of the very things that we're talking about right now, and and and what you're describing, Nettie, as the church has to have a certain kind of courage where we we don't allow status quo to continue. We don't allow those kind of subversive, uh underhanded, um, secretive things to happen where it's like, oh, we gotta, we gotta steer that couple away from this neighborhood because we gotta protect our property values and and and the church, the church has a role and a job, not just to be involved, as as as uh Corey mentioned, but also to challenge to challenge even the secret status quo that may exist to make sure that we are leaving space for for people of all shades um to have access to to whatever whatever it is that um that is that has been made available to to the community as a as a whole. So you know, um you know jump in, jump in.

SPEAKER_02 37:58

Yeah, I'm just gonna say that uh oftentimes I have to um I'm sure you encore asked too, I have to refer to him. They say, well, how how would Jesus handle this and what would Jesus do? I just encourage him to read the Good Samaritan story as well as the uh Woman at the Whale. Many others, but those highlights uh most people reference points because they know those stories very well because they tell them. But most people read them and and and won't read into it what's the real issue there. The real issue is what we're talking about. That's the real issue that you're discriminating or you're uh excluding the folks based on some superficial or a um uh illegitimate reason. There are reasons to separate ourselves, there are reasons to uh discriminate, but don't do it illegitimately. And and I think we are guilty of so many times using uh excuses and explanation that sounds quote unquote legitimate, but they are illegitimate in in terms of our motive and our motivation

The Church’s Courage And Witness

SPEAKER_02 39:06

behind it in terms of doing what we need to do. And so um, yeah, that's you know, really one of the basic reasons Mission Mississippi started and continue to be pushing the body of Christ. Those who confess and confess and profess to be Christian, we're pushing that part of the population to live out what they confess and profess to be. And according to the census report, that's the majority of our population in Mississippi. And so there's no excuse, from my perspective, there's no excuses and explanations, exaggerations, exceptions, that why we're not why we're not living that out to the fullest, and that you would not have to do what Curry has to do, and all of us have to do occasionally. You have to fight the system and fight the folks, and you know, so that uh and address these things uh that illegitimate as it relates to the body of Christ.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

Yeah. I love jump in, jump in, man. I love the fact that he's he's talking about a standard, right? And scripture scripture absolutely gives us a standard. Uh one of the reasons why I love uh the realtor organization is because they have a standard. Uh, not every licensed agent is a realtor member. Um there's there's a test that you take with your state, um, and once you pass that test, you are a licensed real estate agent. But then to become a realtor member, uh, you have to join your local, state, and national association of realtors. Uh, and with that comes your realtor code of ethics. And that code of ethics gives you a standard, and that from that standard, you not only are held accountable for your actions, including how you treat one another, not just your clients, but one another, comes a standard that not only allows the organization to hold you accountable for what you do and don't do, because you can see it wrong and not say anything, and you're still guilty, right? Um but also for us to hold one another accountable. Uh, and so I love that about our organization is that they do have a standard and that they hold to that.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

You know, Corey, um to to to kind of put a bow on our conversation, and it really in many ways uh is tied into all everything that we've been talking about here for the for the last several minutes as it relates to the body of Christ really being the body of Christ and and taking taking those uh taking those steps, not just in theory, but in practice, to reflect who we really are. Um you gave you gave a wonderful, phenomenal devotion at the Greater Jackson Prayer Breakfast, most recent uh prayer breakfast that we had uh this month in Jane, the month of January 2026, um, around the ideal of family. Um our theme this year as a as an organization is living reconciled as the family of God. And you took us to Ephesians 2 to remind us and refresh us on what it means to actually be the family of God. I would love, if you don't mind, just sharing a synopsis or a summary of some of those things that really capture your heart in Ephesians 2 uh around this ideal of God tearing down the dividing walls of hostility and creating amongst us a family. And how does that call bring you hope in your space, in your work as a pastor, and your work as a realtor? How does that call that God has given us in Ephesians 2 bring you hope?

SPEAKER_00 43:01

It it brings me hope because again, there's there's a standard. This is this is not something we're creating, this is something he has created. Um scripture says that he created one new man uh from the two, uh, eliminating the hostility, eliminating the division, uh, because it's it's it's evident and it's around us. Um visually, uh we can look at each other and see that we're different uh financially. You know, talked about the the houses, the neighborhoods, you know, uh you drive through some of these neighborhoods and you can and you drive through others and you can obviously see uh there's a difference. Um and I mean the list can just go

Ephesians 2 And A New Family

SPEAKER_00 43:54

on and on and on, man. There's there's no shortage of things that divide us. Um the the fight for us as family, the fight for us as the family of God specifically is to hold on to the fact that Christ has abolished the dividing wall that was between us, that Christ has created us as family, reconciling us not just to himself, but to one another. And so reminding ourselves every day as you wake up, uh as you get ready to leave your house, as you as you uh come in contact with these people who uh Seem to make it their business to stir up and create division, uh, who want to hold up banners to say I am not like you, um, is to hold fast to the fact that you're not fighting to create peace, that you are walking and living in peace that Christ has already created. And so we can't control other people's actions uh or other people's reactions, but we can control our own. Uh, and so, you know, in Corinthians, you know, he talks about how the behavior of the the believing wife can sanctify the unbelieving husband. You know, man, our choosing, even, you know, we just had celebrated Martin Luther King Jr., right? Um how you show up can affect how other people um can can bring about change. Let me say that. How you show up can bring about change in the most hostile, uh in the most um um divisive, uh, in the most offensive conditions. And so for those of us who are out here uh standing on the wall like Nehemiah, you know, though you guys at Mission Mississippi, I love the work that you're doing. Uh, and I pray for you often because I I realize that it is a hard work. Uh and you know, we talked about that, the fact that it is a hard work that to create this peace, Christ had to have had to sacrifice. He took on the cross, you know, to create this peace. So it's not like it's a light work, uh, but we have to hold on to the fact that he did create that peace. Uh, and so as we go out into the world, that's how we show up authentically, uh, walking in the love and in the peace that God has given us, and allow that to our preface and uh fragrant uh or perfume, if you will, everything that we do. Uh and our mannerisms and our words, he said, let your words be salted with salt. Um, because if we show up in the same way uh that other people are showing up, you know, man, what are we getting? We're just getting more division, uh, we're just creating more uh more hardship, but rather than you know, showing up as who Christ has called us to be and as uh reconcilers, go and cry on behalf of Christ, on behalf of Christ, in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God. Uh so that's that's the work. Whether I'm in um real estate world, whether I'm in uh my house putting out fires, you know, between family members, uh, or whether I'm in the church. You know, the call is to uh be a reconciler. And so that's what we aim to do. And we do that understanding first that Christ has secured that for us.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

Amen. Amen, brother. Amen. Amen. Um, you mentioned King. King often was uh compelled and convicted, and he shared this on many occasions that the reason why we keep doing uh what we've been called to do is not just because it's some kind of you know loving enemies and things of that nature. It's not some kind of you know, fluffy, soft, uh, kind of cowardly way of engaging the world because we're too scared to be abrasive and aggressive and to seize it by force. But it's because it's love is as the way as God has orchestrated it, love is part of the very thing that holds a civilization together. Love in the face of hatred. That you can't have hate for hate, darkness for darkness, and have a civilization. It'll crumble, it will crumble under its own weight. And one of one of one of the quotes that um lingers with me from King around that very thought, he said, along the way of life, someone must have enough sense and morality to cut off the chain of hate and evil. And the greatest way to do that is through love. Um someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil. And I think I think that's what you're what you're appealing to is who are the people that have sense enough and morality enough that will refuse to hate one another, that will refuse to exchange evil for evil, darkness for darkness, hate for hate. But will return it with love, light, and life. And so in good. And so, brother, thank you for your work, both in the ministry.

SPEAKER_02 49:48

Jesus called them disciples.

SPEAKER_01 49:51

Yeah, that's what he called it. That's a that's one of them fancy terms, Nettie.

SPEAKER_00 49:55

That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 49:58

He called this disciples. Brother, thank you. Thank you for thank you for your work, man, in both in ministry

Love As A Civilizing Force

SPEAKER_01 50:03

and in uh and in the marketplace. We uh we are grateful uh that we got good people like you in those spaces. Please tell the people that are listening how they can keep up with Corey D.A.P.

SPEAKER_00 50:14

Uh we are on Facebook, uh Facebook.com slash Gold Neighbor Well. And uh you can always call us uh 76769-245-4345. We're located in Flowwood, Mississippi. Uh, but we bought a Prius, so we can serve you anywhere in the state of Mississippi.

SPEAKER_01 50:36

Good deal, good deal. Thank you so much, brother. And for those that are looking to keep up with Mission Mississippi, you can do so by visiting missionmississippi.org. If you want to keep up with this podcast, you can go to any podcast app, search on Living Reconcile. Please feel free to not only like this episode, but like, share, and subscribe to our podcast. When you do so, that helps circulate the word, and we want to try to get this word out to as many people as possible. On behalf of my friend Nettie Winters and my best friend, Corey D. Alport, this is Brian Crawford signing off saying, God bless. God bless. Thanks for joining Living Reconciled. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the ongoing work of helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured, please visit us online at missionmississippi.org or call us at 601-353-6477. Thanks again for listening.