Firing up the hogs
Fourteen years ago, Jordan Wright unwrapped a gift that would eventually change his life. At the time, nobody could have known how his new barbecue smoker would heat a passion that would soon feed customers some of the best barbecue around and become a tool to get student-athletes at the University of Arkansas excited about God’s love.
But today, you could say Wright knows more than one way to fire up the hogs.
What started with Wright’s backyard grill and meals for family and friends eventually grew into a food truck before becoming an award-winning destination restaurant with three locations in Northwest Arkansas and a fourth in Little Rock. But the trophies his team has won for its barbecue pale in comparison to the impact it helps Wright make on others.
“Jordan just had a food truck, and it turned into one of the best barbecue spots in the country,” said Cortez McCraney, a former Mississippi State football player who now serves as Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the University of Arkansas. “But what’s so impactful is how he’s used his business and his love for cooking for the glory of God and his involvement with FCA and other ministries.”
The Art of Barbecue and a life of service
While Wright’s career as a pitmaster is still relatively young, his life serving God goes back to his childhood. He grew up in a small church in Little Rock, attended church camp every summer and was baptized at a young age. He even attended a Christian school. But it wasn’t until his freshman year at Arkansas that he became serious about his faith.
“I don’t think I really ever put my full trust in Jesus until then,” Wright said. “In college, it got real. That was when things turned, and fortunately, I had a couple friends who were also living in the same fraternity house and trying to do ministry in this very dark place.”
Those college years — and a yearlong Christian mission in India with Student Mobilization — undoubtedly gave Wright a heart for reaching others, especially students, with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.
So, it was only natural that Wright became involved with FCA at the university. He first connected with McCraney in 2019 and was immediately impressed with the young leader.
“We started doing things with Cortez right before COVID,” Wright said. “It was cool to watch him lead his ministry and support the athletes through that. So, we wanted to help out where we could — with events and being a steward of our money by helping with funds or food. I believe when you trust Him with your resources, put them to good use, and they (FCA) then go and do ministry and reach others, it brings glory to God.”
Those ways have been anything but small to McCraney and the Razorback student-athletes. Wright started by giving the university’s FCA a significant discount for annual fundraisers and hosting FCA events at home. McCraney said Wright has welcomed 80-100 athletes into his house.
“He’s been so kind,” McCraney said. “He’s a gracious guy who loves sharing his faith and reaching people. One of the greatest blessings has been having someone like Jordan who’s willing to give his greatest asset — his time — to partner with us. We see the fruit of his involvement. He’s not on staff, but he invests in what we’re doing, and to me, that’s a huge blessing.”
And while McCraney and staff get to see the fruit of Wright’s partnership, one of the favorite interactions between Wright and student-athletes has been about meat. Wright hosts Razorback athletes for the Art of BBQ, where he teaches about making barbecue, discusses pursuing excellence in life and shares the Gospel. And, of course, everyone gets to devour some of the nation’s best barbecue.
It’s one more way Wright has made his life more about ministry than money. He said it’s not a role only he plays; it’s something we are all supposed to do.
“Everyone should view life as a ministry,” he said. “Whether you own a business, work in a business, coach or whatever, all of our lives are a ministry. Paul was a tentmaker. Lay people make up the church, and it’s on the church to be the hands and feet of Jesus. God’s going to move because He’s the Lord. But He calls us to be involved, to carry His message, to listen to people and love them.”
Defeat leads to new direction
While Wright’s FCA involvement has impacted countless others, one of his most personal experiences with FCA didn’t come on U of A’s campus, in his home or at his restaurant. It came after a grueling loss as a coach at a youth baseball tournament.
“A team from Missouri had just beat the brakes off us,” he said. “We were mad and frustrated. The guy coaching the other team handed me an FCA Coach’s Bible. I started reading through it, and it really redirected my path on the coaching front.
“I got into coaching to make an impact and help kids get better. You spend all this time on baseball, and that isn’t what’s important. I had these 12 kids for this season of their lives, and I could make a real impact. So, I bought all my players an FCA Athlete’s Bible. The rest of the season, we played looser. We became focused on spending time with God, and the kids wanted to talk about what they had learned that day. Those FCA Bibles generated a lot of interest in Jesus and made a huge impact.
“Athletes, especially as they get older and into high school and college, are tied up with so many distractions. Putting things in front of them that encourage their faith journey is a really tough battle. But FCA has had a big impact on my life, my players' lives and on the university.”
Helping athletes see the bigger picture
By meeting students where they are and creating spaces for conversations about their faith, FCA helps athletes see the bigger picture of life and purpose. For Wright, seeing this growth firsthand as University of Arkansas athletes deepen their relationship with God is inspiring and a reminder of the powerful role FCA plays in shaping lives.
“Knowing Cortez and hearing about the stories that come out of FCA and the relationships they are building between these athletes and God is exciting,” Wright said. “That’s the stuff that is the best — when athletes start building a foundation and a relationship with Jesus, and it’s because God gave FCA an open door with all of these different teams on campus where they can sit and meet and help kids grow in their faith.”
It’s also because God uses people like Wright.
“It’s good to have people like Jordan using their gifts for God and getting in the game,” McCraney said. “He loves Jesus, he loves his family and he loves sports. Through FCA, he’s able to intertwine all of those passions and make a real impact on the lives of coaches, athletes and our local community.”
Originally written for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ donor publication.
