Pastor J's Blog

Chivalry . . . . That's a word you don't hear everyday. According to Merriam and Webster, one of the definitions for chivalry is, "an honorable and polite way of behaving especially toward women." I believe that we need to bring back the lost art of chivalry in our culture. I know that some movements desire to eradicate the idea of chivalry, but I believe we as fathers, student pastors, and teachers should foster a culture of young men that embrace the ideas associated with being a gentlemen towards women.  God made women and men different, and that's a good thing (Gen 1:27; Gen 2:18-25). God made us spiritually equal (Gal 3:28), but functionally we have complementary roles (Eph 5:22-33). Therefore, chivalry is not dead, but it is dormant. I believe we should teach young men how to behave like young men, and teach them how to treat women with politeness, gentleness, and kindness.  If you ever come to a student ministry event with me, you will hear me...

Pastor Philip and I with our Student Preacher, Dane. This week my volunteers and I had the privilege to take our students to MFuge Camp-a Lifeway Camp-in Barbourville, Kentucky. It was a great experience as usual. This year was our fourth time to take students to MFuge, and every year we try to take our students to a different MFuge site. Our students have been to Charleston, South Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, and Ridgecrest, North Carolina. The church I serve at typically allows our students to lead the worship service on the Sunday morning following camp. The students have the opportunity to lead worship in song, prayer, and preaching from God's Word. You read that correctly! One of our young men has the task to pray, study, and prepare a sermon for the entire body of believers. This leads me to the purpose of this blog post. I am excited about the next generation of church leaders, deacons, pastors, and missionaries. This next generation will-I believe-be used by G...