By Gabrielle Terrett

The Vicksburg Post

Many times we see people credit earthly figures such as their mothers, fathers or a personal mentor as their motivation to do good, but only a handful list God as their daily inspiration.

The Rev. Joe Mosley is a member of that group.

At a young age, Mosley, a Mississippi native, answered his unexpected calling from God at his home church.

“I had an event, and that event was beyond this world,” Mosley said. “It was God speaking to me and he asked me to preach the gospel at 18. I didn’t want to do it at first, because I wanted to make sure that’s what he wanted me to do.

“In those years, me hearing the call and accepting the call was an experience in which God really dealt with me on a spiritual level, and at the age of 21 I finally accepted the call.”

A lover of mankind, Mosley worked and still works his best to ensure those surrounding him live a comfortable life both inside and outside of the church walls.

“What we do at our church, Mount Calvary, is soup for the soul,” he said. “We go into the neighborhood and knock on doors and offer people soup.

“We also do a program called Package of Prayer. We take canned goods and toiletries and knock on doors and give them out. I always just say if you want to be a blessing then just be that blessing. It’s one thing to say God is good but it’s another thing to show it.”

Although God is his daily bread, Mosley admits his family plays a huge part in his life. Their support, their prayers and their presence were what kept him grounded and focused.

“Years ago, when I was younger, I lost everything that I had in a house fire,” he said. “My family and I lost our clothes, our house, everything. But they were all rejoicing and praising God. I was wondering why they were doing that after we’d lost everything, but the insurance came through and we got a new house, and God just really blessed us.

“My family showed me then that your situation is never too large for God.”

Although he started his preaching career at a young age, it never stopped him from striving to be the best minister that he could be.

This led to him being urged to lead Mount Calvary Baptist Church in August of 2011 up until now.

“I first started preaching at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church,” he said. “That was my home church in Houston.

“The first experience I had speaking with people was with FCA, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, when my mentor asked me to lead class one night.

“I didn’t know what I was going to be speaking about but they told me, ‘Speak from your heart,’ and that’s how I got started.”

In a world full of temptations, Mosley allows ministry to lead his life and he encourages others to follow God’s calling on their lives and not to live as he lives, but be better than he could ever demonstrate.

“Have a person that you admire that’s doing great things,” said Mosley. “And don’t be like them but be better than them. Never settle for less.”