But I’m even more excited about our speaker who will be with us…Chip Jackson, Teaching Pastor from Fellowship Bible Church in Northwest Arkansas.  The summer before my 7th grade year, Chip Jackson was hired as the Youth Minister at First Baptist Church of Opelika, AL.  About two weeks later Chip and I ended up as roommates at a Centrifuge Youth Camp in North Carolina.  That week marked the beginning of a great friendship that shaped my life over the next 6 years.  He poured into my life and took a special interest in me.  There was much golf, talking about girls, trips to Lake Martin, junk food, Bible study, trips to Six Flags and mission projects with Chip over those years.  There is a passage now that I can’t read without thinking of him…

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

It was on a tennis court late one night at another camp when Chip led a group of us in memorizing this passage together…probably in 8th or 9th grade.

We’ve just recently hooked up again and I’m looking forward to spending some time with Chip this next week.  He’s coming in on Wednesday so we will have a chance to hang for a few days before the weekend.  Finding myself looking forward to talking to my old mentor again…still coming to him with stuff I’m struggling with and working through, but now as a young pastor.  Should be a life-giving time for both of us to be together again.

If you’re around Auburn next weekend, join us at Cornerstone on Sunday March 1…Chip will be preaching that day.

I’m sure this weekend will involve several things: an assortment of meat on the grill; a hi-performance ski boat; wake boarding; wave runners; golf; cruel pranks that might leave a mark; a sore back; sleeping good at night; staying up late telling old stories of the crazy stuff we used to do.

But to know why this weekend will be so special you have to know about Jim. I first met Jim about 22 years ago when I was in the 6th grade. He was a senior in high school and stayed at my house for a Discipleship Weekend that our church had. Over that weekend Jim took a special interest in me. He let me hang out with him and his friends and I got to sit in on all their bible studies. After they all left on Sunday afternoon I knelled on the floor beside my bed with my parents told Jesus that I wanted to give my life to him. This weekend marked the beginning of my relationship with Christ but also marked the beginning of my friendship with Jim.

Through high school Jim served as in Intern with our youth group and was a close mentor. We spent many mornings together at “The Grille” before school to talk things over…the usual high school temptation stuff…girls, drinking, peer-pressure, having integrity. We also did a lot of other fun and crazy stuff along the way. But the greatest thing Jim did for me was model what it means to follow Jesus. Looking back I watched him like a hawk…the way he handled school; his work ethic; his character; the cars he drove; the way he treated girls he dated; how he worked out. I can even remember his bible…a worn brown leather cover with Jim Harold Pierce II written in gold. Then I remember years later being so honored to stand beside him when he got married…that he would choose me to be there for such a special occasion in his life.

The neat thing about this weekend is that most of the other guys who will show up have had the same experience with Jim. And they are some of my best friends…Judd, Franko, B-Money and many more.

So pray for us as we celebrate and remember! Maybe I’ll update with a few pics along the way. Should be interesting.