Cureton L. Johnson, D.Min.

"In 2006, I attended my first writer's conference in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. I had been writing most of my baby-boomer life and I decided to write a book. Armed with paper and a laptop, I spent a week in training sessions and writing. After a week, I returned home and wrote for several days, but a clear purpose for the book eluded me. So I stopped."

"Three years later, while observing a beautiful sunrise over a N.C. beach, God instructed me to write this book and return to the mountains for another writer's conference. From there, the Lord poured out the Holy Spirit upon me, set me to writing, and endowed me with wisdom from on high. There was a good reason for the delay; I had to know that God was in charge and crafting the book. It would not be completed by human might but by the Creator's power and for his glory."

"After a three-year hiatus, I became even more in awe of how God works in wonderful and mysterious ways."
-- From Stimulus Eleven, The Bible-Based Spiritual Stimulus Plan

God has blessed Dr. Johnson with a heart of encouragement much like the New Testament apostle Barnabas, who ministered to others joyfully with a spirit of great "encouragement." The Greek word for encouragement means "to call to one's side." Barnabas came along side of the apostles Paul and John Mark for the purpose of exhorting, encouraging, and helping them advance in their early church ministries. It is a spiritual gift (1 Cor. 14:3) that stimulates others to do their very best.

For 19 years Pastor Johnson has transformed the First (Missionary) Baptist Church of Fayetteville, NC into a mission outpost to help its disciples and those outside of the church. At the age of 26, he left a lucrative career in public relations in Washington, DC to enter the gospel ministry.

The compassion he learned from his parents—a pastor and pastor's wife—motivated him to travel to Africa in the 1980s for information that helped pass $800 million in famine relief funds in Congress. In 1997, he traveled to Guyana and provided Bibles for several pastors there. In 2007, he was cited by the N.C. General Assembly for "courage, vision and understanding..of the less fortunate," especially people with HIV/AIDS.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, Dr. Johnson holds the Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University and masters degrees from Shaw Divinity School (M. Div.) and American University (M.S.). In 2009, he received the "Order of the Long Leaf Pine," North Carolina's highest civilian award, and the "Matthew 5:9 Prophetic Voice Award" from Fayetteville's Quaker House. As a gifted 21st Century Barnabas, he wisely guides us on a discovery journey to victorious living.