‘Lump of Clay’ Reporting for Duty, Lord!

Every morning when he wakes, Tyrone Rogers affirms to God his availability for anything the Lord has in store for him. There was a time in life he felt “too broken” to be of any heavenly use, but now he knows that he is clay for the Potter to fashion and employ.

“I often think on that saying, ‘Even broken crayons still color.’ God has used every broken moment, every hardship, and every failure to connect me with others who are walking similar paths,” Tyrone explains. “I have been deeply hurt and broken, but each experience has equipped me to help someone else through theirs. That is now my purpose.”

Purpose may be too weak a word — it is more like destiny. A product of the Laurel Corps in Mississippi, Tyrone spent time working at the Tuscaloosa Corps where he opened a student center at the University of Alabama for students to wash clothes, play games, enjoy fellowship, share a devotional, and eat pizza. He sees a similar ministry possible at the New Orleans Citadel Corps with students from nearby Tulane University.

“I came to The Salvation Army as a 10-year-old boy living on 13th Avenue in Laurel, Mississippi,” he says. “At the time, my family was simply trying to survive. We lived just a block or two away from the corps, and the officer then, Major Sue Dorman, was deeply committed to community relationships. She did not just run programs; she showed up. She invited me to the corps, became involved in my life, and invested in me in ways that were both personal and meaningful.”

Tyrone also credits two others: Danny Rainer, who ran the men’s shelter, and Bonita Flynn. “They became family to me. I was a young man without much direction, but they gave me purpose. Mr. Rainer taught me practical life skills – how to paint, cook, clean – things I did not have anyone else to teach me at that time. I was Major Dorman’s ‘sidekick,’ and she involved me in corps youth programs.”

The turning point in Tyrone’s life came years ago at Camp Hidden Lake in the Alabama- Louisiana-Mississippi Division.

“I was fifteen years old,” he begins. “Growing up, I knew of Jesus. My grandmother was deeply rooted in church and faith, and through The Salvation Army, I heard about Christ regularly. However, I had not yet made a personal commitment to Him.”

That changed one summer at Adventure Corps Camp. During that week, a sermon was preached on the importance of not just knowing about Jesus but truly knowing Him as Savior and Lord. Tyrone was stunned as the officer spoke honestly about what life looks like without Christ and emphasized the eternal significance of that decision.

“At that moment I realized I needed to commit my life to Christ. I knew I did not want a life separated from God. That was the first part of my journey towards Him.

“The second part came years later, in my twenties, while serving in Tuscaloosa as a corps assistant working with youth. At a youth councils service, the song ‘This is the Air I Breathe’ was sung, and it deeply convicted me. I realized that while I had accepted Jesus as Savior, I had often treated Him as an ‘insurance policy’ rather than someone I truly loved and depended on daily.”

In that moment, he fully surrendered, “not just for salvation, but for a relationship.”

From that point forward, Tyrone wanted to know the Lord as Father and Friend — not just merely as a way to avoid Hell. “My faith became about daily dependence and obedience.”

Today, Tyrone is completing his Master of Education degree at the University of Southern Mississippi, giving him an even stronger foundation from which to share the gospel with those around him. The Rogers family is totally immersed in the Army’s mission and ministry, recently moving from local officership in New Orleans to becoming sergeants and leading the Baton Rouge Corps.

“I see myself continuing to serve, whether as a corps leader or in another capacity, where God can use my family and me for His glory.

“My desire is to be a faithful servant, a good father, a loving husband, a source of encouragement, a counselor to others, and contributing to the growth of The Salvation Army in the communities we serve.”

For over twenty years now, serving God has been part and parcel of who Sergeant Tyrone Rogers really is: “I could never have imagined where God has brought me, even now.”