Pastor J's Blog

On April 14, 2015, I wrote in my journal, "I'm praying for a mission trip. I am asking God to direct my footsteps to go and serve him on the mission field." Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to taking the good news of Jesus Christ to the nations, and Dr. Akin, our president, encourages students to participate in an international short-term mission trip during our time at Southeastern.  God has answered my prayer through Southeastern's international short-term mission trip program. I signed up to take the gospel to Japan in April 2016. God has been showing me through Scripture his love for all people, and as I challenge students to share their faith, God challenged me to take the great name of Jesus Christ to the Japanese. Through prayer and the wisdom of others, I believe God has called me to participate in this mission trip.  I am asking for my family and friends to support me on this mission trip by praying for the people that the mi...

This year I was privileged to be the director overseeing Vacation Bible School. I was not expecting the amount of planning, managing, and directing this title entailed. Seriously (I thought to myself), I have led Marines so Vacation Bible School should be a breeze. That was my initial reaction, but I was greatly surprised with the amount of work that goes into directing Vacation Bible School. Therefore, to all of you veteran Vacation Bible School directors out there, I give you a standing ovation. Over these last few days, I began to think about the importance of Vacation Bible School in a postmodern, skeptical, and overly sensitive society. Has Vacation Bible School run its course in effectiveness? Does Vacation Bible School have a place in the modern world? Why does the church continue to resource this week long summer program? And, should the church continue to do so?  The answer: a resounding, exciting, and colossal, YES FOR VBS! Vacation Bible School remains one of ...

My wife had to travel to Texas for approximately five days due to a death in the family. That meant I was going to be at home with our three little children for five days on my own. These five days gave me an opportunity to think about the difficulty that single parents endure week in and week out. I understand that single parenting is not the ideal according to God's design. God's established the family to consist of a husband and a wife (Gen. 2:23-25). God designed the family as a husband and a wife parenting their children in accordance with God's instructions together (Ex. 20:12, Eph. 6:1-4). However, we live in a fallen world that has been corrupted by sin (Gen. 3). Single parents are my heroes and heroines. Over these last five days, I made three observations about single parents that convinced me that the church should come alongside single parents to help them in their God given task to raise their children. Moreover, the gospel remains essential for single par...