There’s an old question about whether a person will be a thermometer or a thermostat in life. A thermometer merely registers the temperature of the surroundings, but a thermostat actually controls the temperature. This inspiring story demonstrates how during the major junctures in his life, John Womack has and continues to be a thermostat.

Growing up in a Virginia sharecropping family in the midst of pernicious racism and economic deprivation, Womack was able to learn how to overcome these obstacles without losing his belief that human beings are basically good and will do right when given the opportunity. Throughout his life, he combined his creative vision not only with the necessary business acumen, but also with moral and ethical responsibility in spite of an environment of greed, egotism, and selfishness. Regardless of his position–whether in the navy or as an entrepreneur, husband, father, student, pastor, board member, and friend–Womack has acquitted himself with a spiritual consciousness that girded him with the capability to overcome the barriers to progress and prosperity.

He never abandoned his fundamentally Christian orientation amid a variety of temptations.

Remaining humble through all these endeavors, Womack longs to share his life work with today’s youth, young adults, and others. He yearns to encourage them to believe–despite surrounding hardships and institutional barriers–that they can transcend their existential circumstances and make something out of their lives. By sharing his life story, Womack hopes to encourage others to confront today’s challenges with wisdom, faith, hope, and love. Certainly, the Rev. Dr. John Womack–sharecropper, veteran, entrepreneur, husband, father of three, pastor, and author–exemplifies this possibility and personifies this truth.