05/20/2026
Introduction
The Greatest His-Story Ever Told
"The History of Two Men Guarantees Your Future in Heaven or Hell"
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
— Jeremiah 1:4–5 AMP+
The Greatest His-Story Ever Told is my testimony of forty-four years of walking with the Lord and the truths I have learned from the scriptures. God speaks to us through the operative, energizing, active, and powerful Word of God. And the Word is. The Word was. The Word will be. There’s no greater prophecy than to re-present what God speaks through the Bible.
I have included stories from my life. Without a doubt, the Apostle Paul had me in mind when he wrote that God chooses the nothings of this world to bring to nothing the things that are. I believe this book is my destiny and the beginning of my life's work. It's reassuring to know Moses didn't start his life's work until he was eighty.
When God's timing kisses our promise, our destiny is born.
— David Copeland
My greatest accomplishment as a Christian is that I have not given up. I recall evangelist Ron Day preaching at First Assembly in Alex City about what to do when it seems the devil has defeated you. He said, “If all you can do is wiggle your little finger, wave it in the devil’s face to let him know you are still alive and he’s not winning.” I’ve waved mine enough to develop a bit of arthritis.
I am a member of Nothing Assembly, preparing to graduate on the resurrection side of the Jordan River with a degree in hope deferred. The following expresses my feelings about this book and my hopes for its publication.
In 2009, trainer Chip Woolley made a last-minute decision to enter Mine That Bird into the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. He had purchased the horse for $9,500, a stark contrast to another contender valued at $4 million. Despite having a broken ankle, Woolley personally drove Mine That Bird 1,100 miles from New Mexico, towing the horse in a trailer with his pickup truck.
Mine That Bird had won in Canada but was winless in America. Perhaps, because of his crooked feet, He was a 50-to-1 longshot.
Few believed Mine That Bird, barely qualified, would even compete in the Kentucky Derby, let alone win. The night before the race, Chip Wooley faced mockery from highfalutin owners who made nothing of the Bird’s chances.
The race began with Mine That Bird so far behind the rest of the field that even the race announcer failed to notice him on the backstretch.
Mine That Bird, led by jockey Calvin Borel, caught up with the field by the last turn of the race. Squeezing between the contenders and the metal rail, he surged ahead in the finishing stretch, leaving the announcer to miss his remarkable move past nineteen horses to take the lead.
The announcer didn't identify him until he had a three-length lead, and Mine That Bird ultimately won the race by six lengths.
When Jesus ran the ultimate race of life and death at the cross, he was made nothing of by Herod. The word nothing in Greek means “to count as nothing, to treat with utter contempt, as zero.” Here was the Lord of creation who had spoken the world into existence out of nothing, being treated as a nobody.
And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
— Luke 23:11
You may be trailing behind, in last place, overlooked and mocked, with no one giving you a chance. But you belong to and have come from a Seed that has already finished first in the greatest race of all time. You are destined to win.
I've been accused of having bird legs my whole life. That's fine by me. Go ahead and call me Mine That Bird!
The Greatest His-Story Ever Told conveys the message of our eternal Father, who blessed us in Christ before the world began. The Scriptures reveal that we were in Christ, our everlasting Father, before we were formed in the loins of our earthly father or the womb of our mother.
This is good news, because we all were in the loins of our common father, the first Adam, and we were all murdered in a garden. What was the murder weapon? Two deadly fangs dripping poison and a forked tongue.
Before you were conceived in your mother’s womb by your earthly father’s seed, the Lord already knew you and called you by name: “Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name” (Isaiah 49:1).
Your Heavenly Father called your name in eternity. He doesn't call you after your failure or success. He calls you a son or a daughter based on the perfection of Christ: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9).
We are all God's children, made in his image, yet we have experienced a great fall. As B.H. Clendennen said, “Christianity is built on two pillars: the greatness of the fall and the greatness of redemption.” Only by recognizing our lost state and need for rescue can we truly understand our need for a Savior.
A certain lady complained to the professional photographer who had taken her picture.
“This picture of me doesn't do me justice.”
Looking at her, the man replied: “Lady, you don't need justice; what you need is mercy!”
Take one look at the unfiltered picture the Bible paints of all of us as sinners, and with an honest heart, we would all cry out for mercy. No exceptions.
Lucifer, a fallen angel, became the illegitimate father of mankind through Adam's willful disobedience in the Garden of Eden. He is the originator of all evil and a liar. From this wicked father, we inherited a sin nature, which comes to us naturally—we take to sin like a duck takes to water. The greatness of the fall still echoes to this day.
How can we explain these concepts? Through simple yet profound biblical mathematics. If you can count to two and then distinguish between the goodness of God and the depravity of the devil, you can understand, even as a child, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.
The scriptures teach there is only one who is holy: “For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king” (Psalms 89:18). It doesn't say the holy two.
Here is an answer sheet for a truth-based math test.
1. One Heavenly Father of truth and one father of lies
2. One family tree of life and one family tree of death
3. One narrow way to life and one broad highway to destruction
4. One last Adam and one first Adam
5. One river of living waters and one filthy river spewing from a snake’s mouth
6. One heaven and one hell
7. One chosen nation of Israel and one royal nation called the church
8. One true Christ and one false antichrist
9. One house built on a Rock and one house built on sand
Spiritually speaking, only two men are walking the face of the earth. One is the Son of Man, and the other is the man of sin. This book talks about these two fathers of humanity.
As a Bible teacher, I repeat some of the same principles over and over, plus many of the same scriptures. It is here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept.
My pastor at Auburn First was Mike Wright. When asked how long it took to prepare a particular sermon, he replied, “It took two hours and thirty-five years.” During an altar service, he once told me, “You know God has called you for more than just playing the piano.”
I believe this book is part of that calling. It has taken forty-two years to write.
This book tells the story of my life. It is not about extraordinary adventures or mind-boggling success. Instead, it highlights an extraordinary God who can bring the dead to life and make all things work together for our good when we love Him and are called to His purpose.
In this book, you will hear a voice crying out in the wilderness. Like Moses, I have spent forty-three years in the desert, often wondering if I would ever find my way out. I never imagined it would take this long to truly enter the Promised Land.
A good friend of mine was once voted out as pastor of a church by members who hadn’t attended for months—their votes made the difference. The following Sunday night, he preached a message titled What Do You Think About God’s Delays?
I don't think I like ‘em.
1. You could ask Abraham and Sarah, “Why has it taken you so long to birth God's promise?
2. You could ask Joseph, “Why has it taken you so long to get out of prison?
3. You could ask Hannah, “Will you ever get sick and tired of babysitting Peninnah’s kids?
4. You could simply say to Moses, “Forty years! Really? Come on, man, something must be wrong with you!”
5. You could ask David, “Just how long are you going to run in the wilderness?”
6. You could simply state the facts to Zacharias and Elisabeth, “Never quite worked out for you guys, did it?”
God is a God of timing and seasons. In his perfect will and wisdom, Isaac will come, Joseph will get out of prison, Hannah will birth Samuel, Moses will lead Israel through the Red Sea, David will reign as king, John the Baptist will be leaping in the womb of his mother at the sound of Mary, who is carrying the Christ in her womb.
At the right time, God will fulfill his will in your life. He has allowed you to realize that only he can accomplish his work, and through his grace, he will move through you to achieve his perfect plan.
My story includes stories about my Daddy, Curwood Jennings, who was nicknamed Cowboy. I've included my testimony and how I met my wife, Lori, as well as some tales about our dogs.
Throughout the writing of this book, I realize how much my thinking has been framed by the ministry of David Wilkerson. I used to order his messages from Times Square Church and listen to them over and over and then pass them out to friends.
One of the highlights of my life was to hear him preach at Times Square Church in New York City. His Message was The Unhindered Gospel. I've listened to this a dozen times and applied its message to the writing of this book.
I have written with the understanding that if the Lord doesn’t come alongside this work and confirm it with his second voice, all will be in vain. He must be the publisher and promoter of this work.
I cannot say if this book will be successful or even be published. The one thing I do know is it’s God's perfect will for me to write it. The rest is in his hands.
Nehemiah rebuilt the wall at Jerusalem with a sword in one hand and a Stanley Fat Max tape in the other. This book was written during my Mama's final months, in my truck during lunch breaks, and while working construction, laying rocks at Lot 16 at the Heritage on Lake Martin.
I've finished this book during the last two months of unemployment, writing each morning in the chair where God has met me and opened the scriptures to me. Yet, some assume that not having a secular job means I'm not working. Are you kidding me? As Ernest Hemingway put it, “There is nothing to writing; all you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.”
The primary purpose of this book is evangelism. It aims to reach those who have never heard the gospel and to inspire those who have heard it to engage in the Lord's work of saving souls. The goal is to have it printed and distributed in jails, prisons, nursing homes, and wherever else the Lord guides us.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit and the works of my hands. May your will be done in the name of Jesus.
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