For five days now, I’ve been blessed with the presence of my dear friend and colleague, Jason Henson. For those not “in the know,” Jason and I were associate youth pastors together at Graceland Baptist Church in New Albany, IN during the early 90s. In those days, I was the newbie. Jason had already established a working relationship with Chas Childers, our youth pastor, so though Jason and I shared the same title and staff position, he was as much a mentor as he was a peer. Together, under Chas’ leadership, we saw God move in ways big and small and, throughout the hard work and insane hours (Did I EVER actually attend my classes?), we found great laughter and joy and built some indelible memories.
As Jason and I have reminisced over the last few days—perhaps especially as we worshipped together again for the first time in nearly 18 years—I’ve come to realize just how blessed I’ve been to have men in my life that poured themselves out for my growth. No one promised us an easy life and, for certain, life has been anything but… yet I feel honored to have learned from and grown with some fine men and women of God. So, I want to take just a moment to thank them.
Matt Chandler, though we do not know each other personally, your dedication to the explicit gospel of Christ and your perseverance in discipling the flock in your care has had great impact in my life over the last year. You challenge me with truth and the Gospel you herald with such passion has set me free from years of religious plaque that had grown around my heart. Thank you for your frank and faithful proclamation of the Word.
Gene Strother, my crony in both ministry and literary pursuits, you took this greenhorn under wing and reminded me that, in spite of my failings, God wasn’t finished with me yet. If your kindness and friendship had been the only blessing to flow from our meeting, I would have been blessed enough. But you pulled me back into ministry—with our gathering of Christian teachers, firstnetchurch and each new ministry you’ve plugged into—and served as God’s cattle prod in my life to nudge this stubborn bull back onto the trail. You’re a blessing, brother.
Chas Childers. What can I say, man? I was too big for my britches and probably caused you more grief than joy. For that, I’m sorry. I met you months before I came to Graceland and, in that first meeting you offered me a job if I came to school there. I don’t know what you saw in me, but I remember that I was so excited to work with you. I look back at my time with you and remember great laughter and hard work. You pushed me to stretch myself musically. You pushed me creatively. You put me in positions that built my improvisational skills. Back then, it would stress me out, but all those lessons come in so handy now. The wisdom of age reveals that you would never have trusted us the way you often did if you didn’t believe in both God’s faithfulness and our abilities. It was an honor, my friend, to learn at your side. Thank you for your graciousness.
Jason Henson, Billy Jones, Paul Lynch, Chip Smitson, and Chris Maddox, with your friendship and grace you have blessed me repeatedly. You ministered to me then and you continue to now. What a privilege it’s been to grow with you—to applaud your successes and mourn your losses—and, now, to watch our children grow. I could write a book on how each of you has blessed me, but I wanted to take just a moment to thank you for your friendship…and the example you set with your pursuit of Him.
Jason Webb, Ryan Jennings, Scott Badley, Nicole Jennings and Sheila Tolbert, in those earliest days of God drawing me into ministry and a deeper walk with Him, you were there with encouragement and friendship. As we continue on as principle players in each other’s lives, I am all the more grateful for your grace and mercy. We began a spiritual journey together some 22 years ago and, by His might, we continue on. I cannot think of better men (and women) to be on that road with.
And lastly…
Dad, you were my first mentor—my first pastor—and it’s by your standard that I compare all others. Oh, I know you were human and a sinner no less in need of grace than myself or any other mentor or friend I’ve ever had. But you carried grace with you at all times, offering it freely even to those that would throw it back in your face. You taught me how to be a man and, more important still, a man of God. I think of you every time I hear my pastor preach and I miss, so dearly, the ability to discuss with you the workings of my heart and spirit. I know that, near the end of your time on this earth, you were hard-pressed to see what you had accomplished. But, as the years roll on, your impact on the hearts of those that truly seek after the things of God becomes abundantly clear. Your work carries on without you for it was never your work to begin with. People still talk about you and the things they learned from your gentle teaching. And if I can be half the husband, father, friend, and minister of the Gospel that you were, I will count myself blessed.
May His ineffable grace be with you all,
J
