Well it's a privilege to sit here and talk with you, Johnny. Johnny Koons my friend from the early
1990s. Remember when we first met? I can't. Yes sir. You called me. We knew of each other through
ministry while I was it Kanakuk all those years and so forth, and you were looking for a VP of
development, advancement. Yeah at Dallas Seminary. Yeah. And you called me out of the blue one day and said, what
are you doing? And that's how we got it going. You said I want to have lunch with you. Everything
started with a question. Yeah. That's the way it all started. Been a
friendship that's grown deeper through the years. I'm grateful to God for you, Johnny, and I thank
you for doing this today, for talking with me about life as it really is. Because many folks would not
know you anywhere near as well as I know you, kind of help them know who you are, where you've come
from, just give me a brief snapshot of a little bit of that if you will. You're a Dallas boy. Born and
raised in Dallas and went to OU to college, so it was the first time I'd ever been out
of the state of Texas. I think other than family vacations. Sure. You played ball for
the Sooners. I did for a while. Until I injured my shoulder twice and that was it. Wow. You know. But
I started out my career with about 10 years in real estate. Did you? Was your daddy in real estate?
I'm the only person in 137 years in our family not to be an attorney. And now. Johnny
I'm really glad you chose to change your direction. Well everybody tells me I was very smart and doing
it but, no, it was just I'm so ADD I couldn't make it through law school you know if I had 14 tutors,
you know. So you went to real estate. I went into real estate and then I went to Israel on my first
trip with Paige Patterson. Oh did you really? Yeah in 1982. Yep. When Israel was much different than
it is today. You looked at some different kind of real estate over there. Yeah, there was nothing at
the Dead Sea. Right, right. Nothing. Now there's hotels and everything. So I came back
from the trip and the Lord really made the Old Testament come to life. Yeah. For me. Yeah. Now,
you had known the Lord as a little boy growing up? No, I was raised in a home that was everybody
believed in the Bible but we attended church on special occasions, we pray before a meal. Yeah. And
it was until I got involved with Young Life in high school. Holland Park High School? Yes.
Yeah. And came to Christ at a Young Life camp in Colorado Springs. And, but never grew, went
off to college and got involved in all the worldly things, like Solomon. Sure. And took me a
long time to grow up. I think I started growing up about five or six years ago so. It still happening.
It's a process. It is. Especially when He's got a tough subject. Yep. I hear you. Well yeah therefore
you've been in business quite a while, a number of years about about 20, 22 years. 22 years real
estate, then about 17 years in ministry, 10 years of Kanakuk. That's that's a camp in Missouri.
Yeah. In Branson? It's really the largest Christian sports facility in the United States. But it's
all Christ-centred. Yep. And you were on staff there? I was on staff there in college
and then Joe called me after we had come back from Israel, guy I really felt God's stirring my
cup, stirring my heart. Really. I would go back to do my business every day and I learned what being
a real professional was really like. It's being a professional when you wish you weren't doing
what you're doing. But you don't have many other choices. But I had had obligations to banks,
to investors, and so forth. It's a nice way of saying you were in debt. Yeah, well, yeah I was in
a lot of things. And the Lord began to work on your heart and your first thought was maybe
I could do something with Joe White. Well, I really didn't even think about that. Oh you didn't?
Joe called me one night and said, what are you doing? And I said nothing, what are you doing? He said are you
sitting down? And I said no. I thought he was going to tell me some tragic had happened about his
family. Yeah. And he said I want you to quit your job, sell your company, sell your house, and come
up here and be the C-O-O of this organization. And I said well I got to tell you my first response is
I'd love to, and I told him kind of the process and I'd been going through, and I said but a
lot of things are going to have to happen. God is going to have to do a whole lot of things. You were
willing but but the obstacles were numerous. Well the obligations that I had. Obligations is better word. The integrity to
following through with all those. Yeah. I had to get partner's permission, I had to get
bank's permission, I had to work out a lot of details that would free me up and I knew that
if the Lord was in this that he would knock down all the obstacles and give us a peace that passes
all understanding. And he did that? Over six or eight months that happened. And so one day you
said to Joe I'm coming. Yep. I think that's about it. And how long were you there? A little over 10 years.
Still has a place in your heart? Oh my gosh. Yeah. And your kids have been there. Yeah yeah. Grew up.
Kids were young and when we moved back to Dallas, you know, I for the last year, I was
there I felt a stirring in my heart again. Yeah. And having coffee out in my front porch I just
felt God leading me back to Dallas and possibly just a minister to men. I didn't know whether it
was business or ministry. Right but I knew it was time to leave. You haven't been in ministry
so long during that time that you forgot what the real world is like and what the business world is
like? No, you know, in ministry, although I was on the business side of at seminary
and at Kanakuk I dealt with real-world situations every day. And so I've been there done
that, seen most all things. Some things, especially with families and kids that would
shock you. And yes we did a lot of counselling we did a lot of speaking and you ministering
to people. You get in touch with what I've called in my study of Ecclesiastes "living on the
ragged edge." You understand that world. Yes sir. In fact you understand the demands that go with that.