Smokey John's Tuesday Combination: "Brisket and Bible Study, Prayer and Potato Salad, Sweet Tea and Sympathy"
"It is a haven for both the believer and the broken, for people living on the street and those with upscale addresses."
(Dallas)—"Think of it as the Tuesday combination special at Smokey John's BBQ—brisket and Bible study, prayer and potato salad, sweet tea and sympathy." So begins a report on "Smokey" John Reaves in the Dallas Morning News.
According to the report, over 26 years ago, Reaves (now 62) was a successful businessman operating several nightclubs with Dallas Cowboys greats Drew Pearson and Harvey Martin, along with restaurants and a string of other businesses. Money was his god. Slowly, he rediscovered his faith, shifted his priorities, and stopped selling alcohol at his nightclubs.
Although in the early days of his transformation, he sat mostly alone with his Bible at his restaurant on Mockingbird Lane, now the Tuesday fellowship pulls standing-room-only crowds to a backroom that might comfortably seat 30, yet regularly hosts twice that and more.
Says reporter Michael E. Young, "It is a haven for both the Believer and the broken; for people living on the street and those with upscale addresses." (Photo by: Melanie Burford / DMN)
"Rich folks, poor folks, black, white, brown, Asian—they all come to this meeting," Smokey said. "This is what Heaven looks like. And I want to get a glimpse of Heaven here on earth so when I get there I don't have culture shock. We do a Bible study, but we also have the spirit of God present, so we try to see how God has been working in people's lives and how we can help them work through some of the difficult things in life."
Julie and Daren Blanton have been a part of Smokey's fellowship for five years. "It's real here," said Julie. "And there's no condemnation. Church has a lot of rules, and that scares people. But here, it's real."
On Thursdays, as many as 100 recent parolees reportedly come to Smokey John's for a free meal and help in getting their lives together. Concludes Smokey: "I just get up every morning and say, 'Lord, what do You want me to do today? I'm reporting for duty.'"
