Dr. Jay's Blog

To those of you who follow my blog, please accept my apology for not writing yesterday. It was late in the day when we discovered that Carol's mom had had a serious setback with her physical health and it appeared that perhaps God was beginning to call her to her eternal home.

It's quite an amazing moment when we think about losing a parent. Even though Carol's mom has lived a wonderfully fruitful 99 years(!) it's still difficult to imagine life without her.

Even though our family is prepared to see her move on to her heavenly reward, we still wonder about how to best walk with her through those final moments as she is still very lucid and aware of her surroundings and the people that are with her despite many physical ailments.

For whatever reason, things have stabilized for the time being so no emergency measures were necessary, however, it's still clear that her time with us is likely to be very short.

The profound peace we have is that we know she'll be with Jesus and that the Lord has much in store for her because of the decades of faithfulness she has demonstrated through her commitment to Jesus, involvement in church, outreach to others and sensitivity to God's Spirit.

I would appreciate your prayers for Carol, especially, as she comes to grips with the fact that she'll be losing the only parent she ever knew (her dad died when she was 6). Thank you for your support as we walk through this inevitable transition together as a family.

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

For those of you who follow the ministry of "Stacy and Hutch" on their program "Let's Talk" every Saturday morning on WORD FM you'll hear news of a difficult decision we had to make concerning the program.

Eight months ago this program was only a dream and there was no money in the budget to make it happen. We jumped out in faith believing that it was an opportunity to share the incredible skills of these two trained counselors with the city and people have responded in significant numbers by calling the program. Some of them have even ended up coming to our counseling center and attending our support ministries.

Unfortunately, we have not received enough financial support to sustain the program and have to "push pause" for the foreseeable future.

I pray that we'll be able to come back to this someday with a solid plan in place to support the ministry of Stacy and Hutch. I wonder how aware we are of how many people really need help and lifelines such as this which are anonymous and available to everyone. They may rarely get recognized but are deeply missed.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for the program and believed with us. Let's not stop believing and ask the Lord to make this simply a pause and not an ending point.

I suppose that's where I want to be with everything I believe that's God's will for my life....

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

Not a few sincere believers get hung up on the difference between a "trial" and a "temptation." This blog does not give me enough space to do justice to the difference between these events in our lives but in essence, it's important that you do know that there is a difference.

God does not tempt us in any way, Hebrews says, and the purpose of temptation is to pull us away from God. Temptation tugs at our inclination to sin and often rationalizes its consequences.

Trials, on the other hand, are often allowed by the Lord for the purpose of building faith. (See James 1) That's why in this section in the book of James he tells us to be thankful for the trials that come our way because they build our faith and enable us to be more pleasing to God.

I have to confess that my first response to a trial is not to rejoice, but the more I see my faith grow, the more I realize that these are necessary and keep me from becoming neutralized in my journey with Jesus.

Take a look at your life and see if you sense any trials or temptations. Stand against the one and rejoice in the other!

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

Sometimes change comes dramatically, but often it comes very subtly.

For the past several weeks it's been very hot and humid here in Pittsburgh and all of us have been coping with trying to keep cool while trying to perform our necessary tasks and sometimes even being comfortable in our homes.

But just over the past day or so the winds have shifted, the humidity has left and there's actually a very slight chill in the air.

I heard more than one weather commentator mention "this feels like the first hint of fall" and thus, another season will soon pass and another change will come.

I want to say that it's true of our lives as well. Sometimes change is very dramatic, but most of the time it's much more subtle. It's what you do over the long haul and what comes upon you in moments that God sovereignly determines that brings about dramatic change, often when you're not even expecting it.

Like the weather, I'm sure things won't settle for quite a while, but change is necessary if we're to keep growing in faith! Jesus referenced the inability of the people of His time to understand how weather revealed the nature of God and I want to learn from their mistake!

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

Recently I made contact with an old friend who I had not talked to in many many years. (That seems to be happening more and more these days as reunions become more frequent and personal events more public.)

What has really struck me about this conversation was this individual's hunger for more knowledge about personal faith. Though extremely intelligent, a PhD with very high credentials in biomedical research, they had literally fallen into the common trap of not pressing through their intellectual arguments that shut down faith and they were simply coping with life.

My simple reference to my walk with Christ and what God has allowed me to be part of in seeing this great church come up from the ground evoked a response of something more than just interest, but emotion about their desire to know more about who Jesus really is.

As we come to these next few weeks and particularly the Lee Strobel event (check this out on our website at http://www.northway.org) I plead with you to not think that anybody, regardless of their achievements or education or economic success, is beyond wanting to hear the voice of God!

Blessings in Jesus,

Dr. Jay

In the life of a pastor there are many times that you simply struggle through the day meeting needs and fulfilling obligations.

On occasion you are blessed with some high moments you really see God at work! Yesterday was one of those days for me.

The combination of the student worship band, multi-generational dedications and the inspiring message by Pastor Kent reassured me that the Lord has great plans for North Way's future.

You can hear or watch the message at www.northway.org and also take a step to be part of this community which is the focus of these weeks messages in August.

It was a great day and I'm believing for many more!

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

Over the last day or so there's been quite a bit of controversy about the nature of the spiritual commitment of our President. No one would argue that that is a personal matter, but demonstrating one's faith is something that Jesus was very clearly expecting from His disciples! (See John 15 as a definition of our love of God.)

In the coming days we'll be engaging with people who are hungry at the heart level for someone to connect with and perhaps a group to connect to. Let's get off the sidelines and demonstrate our faith, taking risks if necessary, so that there's no doubt where we are in our walk with Jesus. I know that when I recently spoke rather boldly of my faith, instead of being pushed away, it opened a door of inquiry and interest that I believe will lead to a significant breakthrough in someone's life that I honestly didn't expect. Let's take a stand! Eph. 6:12-13

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

I had coffee today with Saleem Ghubril who many of you may recognize as the founder of The Pittsburgh Project and now the director of The Pittsburgh Promise.

Much of what we shared was personal, but one of the things that I can relate to you was an overlap of principles that I have found in my own life and ministry.

That is that there is no substitute in ministry for long term credibility. Saleem has been extraordinarily fruitful in his ministry and has managed to gain the trust of many influential people in this city, but he's done it one brick at a time. When we talked about this it was clear to me that there were many years in his life and ministry when he wasn't sure how or when God would provide just what he needed to get through a given month let alone a year.

Having been there, I can tell you that the only way credibility gets established is by "proven fruitfulness" which God seems to give to those who trust Him, are faithful with what they are given and willing to hold it loosely for the glory of Jesus.

It was a wonderful time together and simply served to heighten my respect for this outstanding leader who God has placed in our community.

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

One of the gifts that I have been given from the Lord is long standing relationships with very godly men and women who serve in the mission field.

In a recent conversation with Mark Geppert, the Founder and President of SEAPC, I was reminded of the importance of prayer as the lifeblood of all that we do in ministry.

Interestingly, I think that could be true of all of life!

Prayer is so often relegated to something we do when we have time or is placed somewhere down the priority chain in terms of time commitment.

But in talking with Mark I realized that I've got to be convinced that prayer is the number one way for me to see the hand of God move in my life and ministry.

How about you? Can you say with the disciples "Lord, teach me to pray"? It's probably the most basic and yet important request that we can make.

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

I was struck by the comments of Dick LeBeau, the Defensive Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he was giving his acceptance speech at the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mr. LeBeau has accomplished an amazing number of things in the 7 or so years since he “should have” retired, as you’ll read in the short excerpt below. In reflecting on this, I’m very mindful of what I feel I’m hearing more and more from other “baby boomers”; though retirement has some appeal, the idea of being purposeful and making a contribution to something important in life continues to drive them to get up every day and be “sold out” to their cause.

“…I'll leave you with one thing. Life is for living, folks. Don't let a number be anything other than a number. Don't let somebody tell you that you're too old to do this or too old to do that. Stay in life. Life is a gift. It's a joy. Don't drop out of it. Don't let somebody else tell you and don't let your mind tell you.

If I would have gotten out of my life's work at 65 or 67, when they say is the age of retirement, here is what I would have missed, folks. I would have missed not one but two World Championship football teams that I got to be a part of. That's these guys over here. I got to be a part of a No. 1 defense that statistically had the lowest numbers in the last 35 or 40 years. I had my number retired from my high school. Had a building named after me in my hometown. I made the Detroit Lions all 75 year team. I was accepted into the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Now tonight I guess when I sit down, get off this speaking, which I'm gonna do, I'll be in the NFL Hall of Fame.

My mother always said, ‘Onward and upward, age is just a number.’ God love y'all. Thank you.” Dick LeBeau

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20100807/SPT02/100807007/

As I sat and watched the wedding of Adam Farrell and Brooke Adler just a short while ago, I was reminded of how profound the institution of marriage is in our culture. The words that were spoken, the vows that were exchanged and the images that were represented all affirm the profound level of commitment that is implied by marriage.

Yes, there’s that essential element of romance, and certainly great moments of fun and adventure, but foundational to it all is the purpose that God had when He envisioned marriage, that the “two should become one” and that one flesh would truly honor and glorify Him.

Somehow, just sitting through the ceremony and listening carefully as those thoughts were exchanged was a great encouragement to me in the midst of all that our culture seems to do to undermine such values.

I’m glad we’re on this side of maintaining marriage as God intended.

Blessings,

Pastor Jay

I had a great meeting today with Marc Hutchison who is the head of the North Way Counseling Center and also one of the hosts of the weekly radio show "Let's Talk: with Stacy and Hutch."

There are few things that I appreciate in a person more than passion for their ministry and calling and Marc has that in spades for what God has called him to!

One of the delicate issues with counseling, however, is that you can't really talk about it because it is by it's very nature "confidential." There are great victories that don't get told because the stories are private and therefore it's very difficult to raise support for these ministries.

If you're not a listener to Let's Talk on Saturday mornings on 101.5 fm from 9-noon, give it a try this Saturday! You'll be amazed at the depth of the conversation and the great job our folks do in engaging the questions of people from all over the city.

Also, if you can be a supporter of the ministry or a sponsor, that would be even better!

Marc's passion made my day. I just wish I could do more to make his....

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

Although today was very full in terms of scheduled meetings and long conversations, I find myself growing in anticipation toward the coming fall season of ministry.

We spent about an hour and a half this morning (preceded by a time of worship and a study of 2 Corinthians 5:11-20) detailing the anticipated ministry opportunities that we are preparing for the fall season.

One of the great blessings of this church is that we seek to maintain a balance between meeting the needs of people who are hurting or in some state of need versus the command of Jesus to make disciples of all nations through evangelism and purposeful investment in the lives of others.

This is probably the most difficult challenge that any pastor of a large church faces. Why? The needs of people are extremely burdensome and I don't go through a day without thinking of the heartache, pain and suffering of many of our people.

On the other hand, I know that the Lord has called us to reach the lost and in the words of Paul in the passage we studied to persuade, compel and convince the lost that they need Jesus in their lives.

The great comfort that I have is that there is an amazing team of men and women assembled to help provide leadership to an even more amazing church family who will take upon themselves the mantle of fulfilling this mission.

I've not been more excited about a season of ministry in a long time and look with great anticipation toward the launch which is just a few weeks away!

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

This is one of those days when there have been numerous things that have come across my "radar screen" that don't have clear answers.

Although that can be enormously frustrating, its also a reminder that Paul exhorted us that we "walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

As easy as this verse is to quote, it's very difficult to live out when other people's lives are going to be affected. I'm not as concerned about my own situation as I am about the people that I have to care for and that's when walking by faith takes an enormous amount of courage.

The great promise is that Jesus says He'll be with us in the midst of those times and therefore I can be confident that I'm not walking alone.

I hope that you're encouraged with this same truth!

Blessings,

Dr. Jay

Sunday was a beautiful day here in Pittsburgh. The temperatures were warm but the humidity was down. Following worship, every fiber of my being wanted to be outdoors exercising or just enjoying the beautiful weather in some way.

Instead, I had promised my Mom months ago that I would take her to see “The Student Prince” at the Civic Light Opera in downtown Pittsburgh. I have to admit that while driving into town my spirit was not rejoicing! However, when I watched just how much she enjoyed every moment of that 2 ½ hour presentation, I realized it was a very good thing to do.

We talked about a lot of things on our way home that afternoon and. even though most of my outdoor plans didn’t materialize, my heart knew that some sacrifices have to be made from time to time in order to honor those who God says are worthy. No one is more worthy in my life than my Mom and it was a joy to do so.

Who might God be calling you to honor in your life today?!

As I write this to you, there is a pretty heavy layer of clouds all over our campus as we prepare for tonight's Car Cruise. The forecast doesn't call for rain, but looking at the clouds one might think that tonight could be a washout.

This is a bit of a metaphor for much of our Christian walk. We don't often catch clear glimpses of the face of Jesus. He's often seen in the clouds (scripture talks about this) and as a result we are tempted to doubt Him.

I want to encourage you to believe that the Lord is in the clouds and they are simply there as a test of our faith to believe that He will come pouring through and bring His deliverance and provision at the perfect time.

I have seen this more times than I can recount, but every time it happens it's still a great gift from God to know that He's there even when we can't see, touch or feel Him! I look forward to a great weekend of worship with you.

Blessings in Jesus,
Dr. Jay

For those of you who read this blog with any regularity, I'm humbled and grateful for your interest in what God is speaking into my life.

As some of you know, I was away with my family for the past week and really enjoyed the interaction and time that God gave us, all 18 of us, together!

However, the most surprising emotion was what I felt when I walked back into my home. My spirit leapt with rejoicing as I walked through the door and realized that I was heading back into the very place God wants me to be at a really exciting time in the life of our church.

Being with some people while I was away who are struggling for purpose and direction in life reminded me of the great gift that we have as Christ followers. Every day we have a reason to get up and a purpose that God has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10) and knowing that gift awaits me after a vacation is an incredible blessing!

I trust you have that same sense in your heart if you're blessed to get away and come "home where your heart is."

Blessings,
Dr. Jay