I read this Journal against the background of a visit that I had with Ben just before his transfer to the church eternal. After some pleasant conversation, we shuffled out of the house and climbed into a golf cart. As Ben shuttled us around his beloved farm, he shared story after story about the land and the mortals who had populated the environs in and around Adams, Tennessee. He was doing something that is not easy for many of us to do. He was verbally and visually taking me back to his roots. As we carted around the farm, he was introducing me to a whole web of his roots: historical, natural, cultural, spiritual, land, history, nature, family, community, and church. His relationship to his roots was dearer to him than I had imagined. This Journal takes the reader into the well lived life of a husband, father, grandfather, pastor and friend. As you turn the pages you will get a glimpse into how the Reverend Dr. Ben Alford reflected on life from the vantage point of faith - roots and all. Bishop Joseph E. Pennel, Jr. United Methodist Church Martin