Tupelo child shares unspoken wisdom with all who will listen

Those profound words didn’t come from the pen of an ancient Desert Father or an early Christian martyr. They came from ten-year-old Caleb Rodgers of Tupelo.

“Pastor Caleb,” as he is known by many, has cerebral palsy. He communicates by pointing to letters on a card while his mother writes out the messages. Those messages, both on social media and in his many live engagements, bring hope and strength to everyone who hears them.

A recent post from his Facebook page, Caleb Rodgers Updates, exemplifies his work: “Some individuals out there think they have never had someone to love them! You must let me tell you about my God if you want to know unconditional love!”

Caleb’s father, Rodney Rodgers, is a nurse practitioner who owns East Main Family Medical Clinic in Tupelo. He said Caleb’s condition is both physically painful and emotionally frustrating.

“Cerebral palsy is a brain injury that affects the connection between the muscles and the brain,” he said. “It’s like being trapped in your own body.”

Rodney said despite it all, Caleb faces even the worst days with joy and courage.

“He went through a long period where he was having ice pick headaches,” he said. “He’d scream in pain all day, and then at the end of the day, he’d spell out ‘great day.’”

Though Caleb is nonverbal, Rodney said everywhere he goes, people sit up and listen. “Pastor Caleb” dictates his messages to his mother, who reads them aloud.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I can stand up and speak and people will nod off. But when Caleb speaks, there won’t be a dry eye in the room. Even kids get quiet. They’re just drawn to him. It’s amazing.”

Caleb’s mother, Jennie, said Caleb has always had a sense of what could only be called his “divine calling.”

“He’s not of this world,” she said. “For years, he’s been saying, ‘Only eternal things are important. This is not our home. I’m here for a purpose.’”

Caleb has crystal-clarity about what that purpose is, Jennie said.

“He always says, ‘I was put here for two reasons: to make you (his parents) good soldiers, and to encourage others,’” she said. “He has no agenda; he just loves people and wants them to know about Jesus.”

Even when he isn’t speaking publicly or posting on social media about his faith, it is never far from his consciousness, Jennie said.

“He has to have his uninterrupted ‘Jesus time’ every day,” she said. “When he’s chilling, he watches Adrian Rogers. He’s had two backyard revivals for his birthday, and he has published two devotionals. He’s been saving his allowance for years to buy plane tickets so he can go to Africa to tell people about Jesus.”

Not content just to speak about his faith, Caleb wants others to read about it for themselves. What began with Caleb saving his allowance to buy giveaway Bibles has turned into a ministry of its own, Jennie said.

“In March of 2020, we started a nonprofit called Just Jesus Inc.,” she said. “We’ve given away about 2,500 Bibles so far. We give Bibles away to all kinds of places–jails, rehab facilities, beach condos, you name it. We just did Hotel Tupelo.”

Whatever he’s doing, “Pastor Caleb” is living out his mission of encouraging others. And he’s making good soldiers of his parents, too.

“Caleb is a gift,” Rodney said. “He’s on a different level. He has drawn us closer to God through his walk.”

On days when Jennie feels overwhelmed or discouraged, Caleb is there to speak words of encouragement to her, she said.

“He refers to me as ‘strong mother,’” she said. “He’ll say, ‘Faint not, strong mother.’ He speaks strength into my life.”