Why I Love Dallas

Like many Americans I held quite a few stereotypes about Texas and the people that inhabited the great big state when I first moved here in 1991 from southern California. I anticipated cowboy accents, boots, hats, and tumbleweeds in the place I thought I’d live for a brief time. But having now lived here for more than two decades I can say that Texas is a state that defies the stereotypes the nation places on it. It is a diverse state, a proud state, and even though it may be be a buckle in the Bible belt, it’s a state that needs the presence of Jesus and his followers just as much as any other.

Being a border state, Texas has always been a diverse place, and one zip code in Dallas county was considered the most ethnically diverse in the entire country according to the census. That often surprises people. Thinking about diverse cities, Dallas and it’s suburbs may not come to mind compared to places like New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. But the zip codes of these cities don’t often contain diversity like you see in Irving TX, a suburb of Dallas that holds the title.

While oil and technology money have been around in this state often pumping up the image of men in attending galas in tuxedos and cowboy hats, there is much poverty that lies within the city. It’s not just a place of ethnic diversity, but economic as well.

I hope you’ll join the work of many Christians in Texas to help serve the poor in wealth and spirit in a city I have come to love. The hands and feet of Jesus are yours to use, and the heart of Christ is greater than all the bigness of Texas.

Mark Matlock has been working with youth pastors, students, and parents for more than two decades. He serves as the executive director for Youth Specialties (YS), providing leadership for programs and training events, and also oversees the student ministries at YS, including the PlanetWisdom student conferences.