about me

My name is Jason C Dukes. I am a follower, a leader, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, a learner, a teacher, a writer, and a dreamer. I was born in Cleveland, MS, grew up in New Orleans, LA, lived in Central FL, and now reside in northeast Mississippi.

I have been married since 1998 to the most beautiful, thoughtful, wise, and supportive woman ever. I am blessed to know Jen as friend and lover. She is the best mom ever, an awesome friend to so many, a compassionate RN, a gifted decorator, a witty conversationalist, my favorite watcher-of-a-movie-with-me, and an outstanding cook.

We have six kids.

Caleb (September 2001) is the older brother. He is a football and Star Wars and NASCAR fanatic. He is very smart, very thoughtful, very creative, a gifted artist, loves music, and has a passion for sports. Well-rounded kid. So thankful for my young man.

Katey (August 2004) is our sunshine. She was a miracle gift to us. She makes us all smile with her humor and how comfortable she is around anyone. She is stunningly beautiful, extremely charming, very common-sense smart, extremely compassionate, super-sensitive to the hurts of others, and simply wants to have fun. She seems to be growing quite a fondness for swimming.

Abigail (November 2006) is a cutie. She is a blonde version of my mom. Her smile is contagious. Her imagination is eclectic and all-encompassing. I never know what she is going to imagine. She is a determined and caring little girl. Very smart. She loves shoes and bags of all sorts. She plays “house” and “dress up” with Katey and Ella, and she serves as fashion consultant for all of us.

Ella (December 2008) is a blossoming bundle of smiles. She makes us all laugh with her funny faces and particular requests. I call her Bee-Bop. Caleb gave her her name. We are so enjoying her infectious joy and charming style.

Noah (October 2010) is the little brother Caleb has been desiring for a long, long time. He is a laid back but very energetic kid with a handsome smile and an acute desire to see what’s going on around him. He is all boy . A climber. Curious. And he digs being outside. He has a real ear for music and a growing fondness of legos.

Laura (August 2012). Noah calls her “Lola.” That nickname may stick. :) She is fierce. She is fickle. She is funny. She is a fighter. I guess you have to be as the youngest of six.

Jen and I are very grateful for these kids, fully aware of the gift they are, and prayerful for men and women who desire kids to be given that same gift.

We have one dog – Magnolia (September 12th, 2014) – a yellow lab who has the personality of the princess and the pea.

We have been on an amazing yet sobering journey trying to learn gospel and grace in daily rhythms while equipping followers of Jesus to make disciples in everyday relationships (LIVE SENT). In February 2004, we started Westpoint Church, a local community of faith focused on being the church, doing life together, and giving herself away. From the get-g0, we emphasized “living sent” – loving one another deeply while living as a letter from God communicating His love and hope in the message of our daily lives among all whom we encounter. We are sent by Jesus, God came near, who showed us God’s love and how to love. We are compelled to give that love away as it has been given to us among neighbors and nations. While with Westpoint, we also enjoyed being a part of creating House Blend Cafe, the Reproducing Churches network, and the Church of West Orange. Click on each to check out their websites. After 10 years of giving herself away, Westpoint merged with another local church start that was a couples years older in order to broaden and sharpen what each church family was doing in Central Florida and beyond! It is amazing to see the exponential fruit already blossoming from that merger, and there will be many stories to tell of sent lives among family, among neighbors, in the marketplace, and around the world. You can learn more about the church family Westpoint merged with by going to the following: Mosaic and Axum.

Now, my family and I are in northeast Mississippi where I pastor First Baptist Church Booneville and from where we send the church. We are also thankful to be a part of some amazing things happening in Montreal, QC.

I dig family, coaching equippers, connecting in culture, and teaching / writing stuff that causes more questions than I already have. I dig music and movies. I cheer for SEC football (specifically the Gators), Duke basketball, and NASCAR (particularly Jeff Gordon because my son is a fanatic for him). In summary, I really like dating my wife, dancing with my daughters, watching football with my sons, learning, writing, thinking, and basketball. Oh yeah – I wrote another book called beyond MY church and an ebook called say no to discipleship?!?, and I blog at SENTkids.com

[a few FAVORITES]

• MUSIC_chris rice, andrew peterson, will smith, rich mullins, john mayer, tobymac, lee land, steven curtis chapman, the civil wars, shaun groves, ellie holcomb
• MOVIES_crash, the passion, hoosiers, contact, hancock, the dark knight, veggie tales jonah, torn, adjustment bureau, inception, Les Mis, Lincoln
• BOOKS_one thousand gifts, unstoppable force, searching for God knows what, the Cure, Jesus i never knew, every man’s marriage, choosing to cheat, building a discipling culture, a meal with Jesus, tangible kingdom, and more.

Please email me at InvitingConversation@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or good restaurant recommendations. Good books, too. And good movies. And good date ideas for my wife and me.

Thanks so much!