“I’ve always written poetry. That’s how I dealt with my emotions, putting things down on paper. It started when my grandmother died. I didn’t know how to deal with that. It was the first time I really felt so much hurt.

“So I just wrote something about my grandmother and called it ‘Heaven Hall of Fame.’ I read it to my family at the Christmas get-together. I had copies for all of them. They said, ‘Rusty, that’s a beautiful poem.’ I really didn’t think of it as being poetry. That’s just how I got my feelings out.

“But I used that talent the wrong way for years. I would write these women something real nice and pretty, trying to set me up with them. Then this lady here, when I met her and eventually let her read one of my poems, she said, ‘You ought to write a book.’ People had told me that before. I always thought, yeah, OK, whatever. But when she said it, I thought, yeah, let’s do it.

“It’s called ‘Jesus: Keep It Simple.’ There’s a poem on one page and questions to go with it on the other page, with a place to write notes. Through the poems you can seek answers, and through the questions you can find solutions.

“I’ve done so much to help destroy other people’s lives by getting high with them, introducing them to marijuana, introducing them to other drugs and stuff. Now it’s time for me to try to reach people in a different, more positive way.”

— Russell “Rusty” Jenkins

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“I was pretty well known in junior high for my athletic ability. I’m not conceited, but people would tell me, ‘You’re tall, dark and handsome. Why shouldn’t a girl like you?’ I said, ‘Well, you don’t know me.’

“I never liked myself. I was real popular in school. But inside, there was something missing. I wasn’t happy. All I remember were the bad things I did. Me and my sister would get into an argument, and I’d hit her. I’d steal cigarettes from my parents when they weren’t looking. I’d take money out of my mom’s purse. I remember doing things like that.

“I don’t remember at the grocery store helping some older lady put her groceries in the car. I don’t remember going over and stopping a fight from happening, taking up for the underdog. I don’t remember those things. I just remember all the bad things I did. I knew it was wrong. I’m supposed to be nice. I’m supposed to help people. But the other things I was doing, the bad things, were what weighed heavy on my mind. That’s what led to my real problems.”

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“I write short stories, like action and science fiction. I’ve been doing it for about 10 years. I’ve probably written over 30 stories. When I’m writing, I kind of just lose myself in it.”

What’s your favorite story?
“It’s one I wrote called ‘The Champion.’ It’s about the devil and Jesus boxing. The announcer introduces them, and they both walk into the ring. As the referee sets the rules and stuff, the devil is talking mess. So they go at it, and Jesus starts with a left hook and a right hook. They continue, round after round, until Jesus finally punches the devil’s head clear off his body. The end. I’ve been thinking, maybe I need to write a part two. But I’m not sure what it would be. This ending is pretty good.”

— Parkoe Bailey

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“I’ve got a tattoo of Jesus on my neck because, man, I struggled a lot in life. I had moments where I was really down and out. I was in the mud. I was in a hole and I didn’t think I would come up. But I just kept praying and praying and finally, you know, good things started happening. I just had to wait. I had to be patient.”

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