Dr. Jay's Blog

Thanks to those of you  who commented on the absence of new posts. I've taken some time to redesign this space and on Monday the 17th, will launch a
new and improved version with other links and material. Thanks for your patience and your prayers!
Tomorrow, Friday, the folks at "K-Love" a nationally syndicated radio station will be broadcasting a feature story on the Wexford Starlight Car Cruise! After sending out a local rep, they found that their 'mission' and ours deeply coincided and wanted to tell the nation about our weekly experience here in Pittsburgh. With about 10 million listeners, that's quite a compliment and further confirmation that, in principle, we are consistent with what other folks are doing to build relational bridges in to their communities.
The story will be carried numerous times throughout out the day (98.3 FM)
and available on podcast later in the day.
Thanks to K-Love for the honor of being their 'feature ministry of the week'.


Blessings,
   Jay

This past week-end, I preached for the first time in six weeks. It was longest I
had gone between teaching opportunities in many years; in part because of our 'teaching team' approach to bringing God's Word, and in part because of travel.


The 'unexpected surprise' to me was not that I felt any loss in passion or clarity from the Spirit, (I didn't!); but that I did lose a bit of the discipline of bringing the Word in a timely fashion. 
Said plainly, I just rambled too much!  Let me be clear: I don't think there is any 'magic number' in terms of how long a message should be. Just about a month ago, I heard Pastor Rick Warren give a 'normal' Sunday message that was 55 minutes long. Other equally gifted guys can limit themselves to 25 minutes and be very effective.
In some traditions, the sermon is the central item in the worship service and is always an hour or more. In other, normally newer churches, it is always much shorter; believing that 'unchurched' folks have a 20 minute attention span because of television viewing.


What mattered to me was that, in reviewing the message, I had diluted the key points by adding to much unnecessary commentary. Fortunately, I had an opportunity to edit the message on Sunday morning, cutting the unimportant but not losing any of the essence of the text in Nehemiah 7-8. (How I thanked
God for another chance..!)


When it comes to sharing God's Word, 'less is more' most of the time; as long as you know you have brought the core truth in understandable terms. As for me, I'm going to work at 'keeping the rust' off; cherishing every opportunity to
preach/teach for the gift that it is..


If you care to see the 'reviewed version'; go www.northway.org and follow the prompts to 'watch the message'. How blessed we are!


Pastor Jay

After having shared a rather meaningful insight in to "truth" yesterday, I almost want to apologize for this; but life is full of balance, right?! 
This evening, not only do we have the Wexford Starlight Car Cruise, the largest
weekly Cruise in America, but we also have our third annual "Hot Dog Eating Contest" featuring Johnnie's Dogs. We had about 20 contestants last year; and even more expected tonight.
  It's rather hilarious to see folks 'eat themselves silly'; but it's for a good cause; the North Way Counseling Center, and it really is fun for the whole family. So, hope you can find your way to Wexford tonight: Cruise begins at
5:30 (well, people start coming at noon) and contest is around 7:00.. go
here to check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmWM93NLQ7k


 Blessings!
    Jay
  

In my preparations for this weekend's message in Nehemiah I was struck by this quote from A.W. Tozer, well known preacher from early in the 20th century.  He wrote, "Truth is a glorious but hard mistress.  She never consults, bargains, or compromises."

In my conversations with different people over the past several months I have encountered just how much bright people resist the idea of absolute truth.  Everyone wants to be "tolerant" of other perspectives and the idea that there is an absolute truth and that it might be revealed to us in the person of Jesus is difficult for them to accept, if not offensive.

However, the application of this goes far beyond my perception of other people.  It also goes into the root of my own lifestyle choices, the way I spend my time, money and other resources.  It affects who I speak to, what I watch and read, and even how I think about the future.

The fact that God's Word is truth, means that it is pervasive in every area of my life and something to which I must have the courage to hold my life up to in order to see how closely I am walking in alignment with God's will and purpose.

On the other hand, God Himself is gracious and forgiving and when I do fail to walk in the light of the truth, He doesn't hold it over my head as a hammer, He lovingly forgives and restores me in a relationship of unmerited favor and blessing.

I wonder how many times I have selectively taken truth out of particular situations or decisions because I may not have wanted to know it.  In the end, it's the only way to build a life on a sure foundation that can't be moved.

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

  The past two weeks have been a bit frustrating for me as my normally reliable
laptop computer has suffered a complete meltdown. This took place just prior to my leaving for a week-long trip which gave me no opportunity to have the problem addressed.
    What I've been reminded of is that quite a number of you have been kind enough to express a desire for me to be more frequent in my efforts to communicate; and I purpose to do so, just as soon as the new equipment arrives (tomorrow!).
    Speaking of communication, though one might not think of Tim Tebow as
 the NFL's greatest QB, there's little doubt that few, if any athletes have done
a better job using their 'celebrity' as a platform to share their faith and values.
Please check out this story about Tim's Father's Day gathering where 26,000
folks showed up in San Diego (not Florida, or New York, or Denver) to hear
him share!


   http://www.christianpost.com/news/26000-people-flock-to-hear-tim-tebow-speak-about-his-dad-76809/
   
   Each of us have a platform to share what God is doing in our lives; whether
 huge or just very personal. I recently had one friend who said that he just
 started 'listening' to others rather than talking all the time, which has opened
 up a world of opportunity.
    
   So.. communicate friends! Share the grace and love of God, His work in your life, and His love for others every way you can. You'll be amazed at how much of a difference you can make!


    Blessings!
      Jay

Over the weekend, I went with our family to my 7 year old grandson's "Little League" baseball game which happened to be during a very warm and rather oppressive late day time slot.  By the end of the game, as we were walking back to the cars, a piercing outburst began to take place between a couple of the "coaches" (read fathers of the kids) who were clearly and rather violently upset about some sort of philosophical perspective about how the game was being played.  This was no minor disagreement but literally was coming to physical blows before others broke up the two dads and pushed them away from each other.

I had to chuckle because that same passion has been around sports all of my life and continues to seem to be impossible to "control" even with 7 year olds all around.

This reminds me of the fact that "sin is always crouching at our door" as the scripture says and even in circumstances where we think we should easily be under control, we're not.  We need to be fully yielded to who Jesus wants to be in our lives so that such situations just don't happen.  In today's reading in Oswald Chambers "My Utmost For His Highest," he talks about getting beyond "self-interest" and to the place where pride, self-sufficiency and self-interest have been completely erased.

I know I am nowhere near that place in my life, but watching these two grown men scream at each other reminded me of just how quickly life can get ugly when we chose to hold on to our "self-interest" and not look out for the interest of others.

In the end, the only answer to such pride is surrender to Christ and His plan and purpose in our life.  As we all know, this is a daily discipline, not a once only act, and the powerful internal drive to protect self-interest reminds us of that nearly every day.

The good news is that Jesus invites us to "come and see" how He does it every single day. John 1:38-39.

Blessings!
Pastor Jay

P.S.  Watch out for those Little League games. . . they can be lethal!

  Not many folks take the time to seriously consider how they will 'leave their
 financial legacy' to their families and those that they care about. It's not an easy
 topic to broach, so we opt to ignore and let the government sort it out in the end. 
    What's very unfortunate about that is that the law favors the government and
 so resources that could have gone "tax-free" to any ministry, charity or organization that shares your values; gets taxed and diminished significantly.
    Just yesterday, we were blessed to have the CEO of Hefron-Tillotson, a major player
  in personal financial planning in our area, give a clear, detailed and personal
 presentation on this topic.
    What became clear to me is that most people take the path of 'least
 resistance' and leave their estates; small and large to their families. This
 seems to be the right thing to do except when you consider the potential
 consequences of taxation.
     All resources given to any ministry or charity are 'tax-free'; and not
  subject to any 'inheritance' or 'death' taxes. If you want to bless a ministry
 that has blessed you or advanced a mission that you care about, then 
 why not designate something of your estate to them before you go?
     In fact, our guest encouraged the practice of 'giving with a warm hand'
 meaning "why not give of your resources while you are still alive to see the
 blessing you have been".  I wonder how much of a cumulative difference
 we would make if a great majority of us decided to do so!
     Not long ago, a very wealthy Pittsburgh industrialist gave about $350 
  MILLION dollars to two Universities in our city; Pitt and Carnegie Mellon.
 It was with a little fanfare, but certainly not close to what could have been
 made of such a huge personal gift. About a month later, this individual
 died rather suddenly. 
   I, for one, was glad to see the photograph of this generous man smiling
 before a crowd of appreciative students and faculty. He had given with a
 "warm hand", probably not knowing that within weeks he would no longer
  have that ability.
     May we all plan NOW for what we want to see at that time when our
  journey on this earth comes to an end. Even better, why not DO something
  while you can still experience the blessing!
    
      

  When something seems to be working, we should stick with it unless or
 until God gives a new direction. It seems that in our "information saturated"
 culture, many Churches and ministries are jumping around from one 'new
 thing' to the next even though what they have been doing for quite a while
 has been fruitful and blessed.
    I'm not making a case for never changing our 'packaging' or even some of
 of our strategies; but in the fundamentals of our DNA (or Totems as defined
 by my friend Robert Lewis in his book "Culture Shift") hold the line!


    I recently visited Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, a place I've been
  to many times in the past; but not in last few years. There are a number of
 'packaging' changes; minor tweaks in how things are done, but fundamentally
  Rick Warren and his team just keep doing what has worked for the past 32 
  years. 
    Saddleback has gone 'multi-site' instead of building a huge auditorium
  on its Lake Forest campus, but the worship, teaching, and core values have
  not changed much at all. There are more 'hip' places all around in SoCal,
  but  I doubt that there are many that are more fruitful.


    The same could be said for our personal devotional life, our way of serving
   the Lord, where we are committed to a mission and so on. Faithfulness 
  over the long pull is the key to abiding fruit in ministry, in a Church, and 
  most important, in a life..


    Blessings!
      Jay

I just got off the phone this morning having had a very encouraging conversation with Emmanuel Pothen of "Influence International."

Emmanuel is the 24 yr. old son of Abraham and Molly Pothen whom we "adopted" as our national missionaries to India about 28 years ago!

Emmanuel and his wife Allison took a team from our Oakland campus to the nation of India and walked with them into the various villages, cities and particularly the compound where they minister to orphaned children and people in need.

Emmanuel was sharing how encouraged the team was by their experience and how affected they were by the magnitude of the challenge that we face in meeting human need around the world.

It's a wonderful gift to have someone of the spiritual capacity and intellect of Emmanuel Pothen and his father Abraham (who has his PhD from Fuller Seminary) on the ground representing the gospel on a day to day basis. 

It's the support of people at North Way and just a handful of others that have made this ministry an amazing and effective presence in the nation.  As we speak, over 40,000 people belong to churches that have been planted by the Bible school established by Abraham and Molly Pothen (which I personally visited some years ago) and the ongoing work of meeting the basic human needs of food, shelter and clothing of so many people.

We are talking in these days, at North Way, about social justice, but this is a different level of "justice."  This is survival at a human level and eternal destiny at a sovereign level. 

We are indeed privileged to be part of such things which are too grand for us to fully understand, but essential for us to pursue if we are to fulfill The Great Commission.

Please learn more by going to http://www.influenceinternational.net/ or reply to this posting and include your email (which will not be posted) and I will see that you connect with Emmanuel and his team.  (I applaud the people from Oakland who made the investment to take such an exhausting trip, but their lives will be changed and therefore so will ours!)

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

In our slowly devolving culture, the idea of 'honoring those who gave their lives
to preserve our freedom' would seem to be one of the last things that we would 
begin to ignore.
 I wonder. When people walk by a fully suited military man or woman in an airport or other public place and simply say: "thanks for your service", that puts them in the top 5% in our nation. And even then, do they have any clue just what 'that service' implies?


 Sear Parnell, in his new book "Outlaw Platoon", writes how deeply he felt about the sacrifices of our combat soldiers that no one comes close to appreciating.
"Lacing up our boots, strapping on our armor, packing our gear, loading our weapon to keep watch over our freedom is an every day experience".


  On Memorial Day, we HONOR those, in particular; in who gave their lives in the defense of our nation's liberty; dating back to the Civil War. (Bill O'Reilly's book:
"Killing Lincoln" gives chilling details as to the scale of sacrifice in that war).
  The practice was to put out a flag for a deceased veteran, to 'decorate' their
grave; thus the term 'Decoration Day' which was officially changed in 1971.
  It doesn't matter what you call it, it matters that you take the time to do it!
   Jay

Every year, those of us on the Wexford Starlite Car Cruise team pray for a warm
and sunny evening to launch the new season. Many folks have waited for nearly
nine months for this day.
 Last night did NOT disappoint! The first two 'Cruisers' arrived at 5:30 A.M to stake out their little piece of the campus; by the end of the night, another 8-10,000 more had joined them!
 It's very difficult to get an accurate count on the "number of Cruise Cars" and the number of "visitors" or "spectators". Hundreds of folks come, and go over the course of the 5-6 hours that people are gathered for the Cruise. But based on the amount of parking used, the amount of food consumed, the sheer mass of people in and around every row of cars on 25 acres of ground; we feel quite safe with this estimate.


 FLASH! I was able to connect with two new friends, Andy and John of 7linemedia.com who brought their start of the art "octocoper" with multiple digital movie and film cameras to site last night. By this time next week, we hope to post some video that will let you get some sense for the scale, the magnitude of this event; in brilliant ,high-definition video. Stay tuned!


 However, more than anything to do with numbers, it is the quality of the experience that cannot be overstated. People are just 'glad to be there'! Hundreds of small children, with their families; hundreds of 'bikers' with their powerful and individualized creations; and thousands of 'car people'; from their 
80's to about age 10 are everywhere!
  Andy, from 7linemedia commented to me that "this was just amazing"; coming
from some one who does 'big events' for a living.
 The secret is not the quality and scope of the vehicles; from a $400,000 Lexus
LFA, several NEW Ferrari Italia's, at least one hundred mustangs, corvettes, mopars, chevies and more..the secret is the people.
  Our volunteers are unparalleled! Roger Van Scoy has built incredible teams with John, Bill, Ken and Kevin leading about 70-80 other men,women and students (and forgive me if I've omitted your name!) in to the best working group of ministry servants I've ever been part of. They just "get it done"; no
matter the challenge, the conditions, the cost in time or effort.
  Thousands had a memorable evening. Painted faces of kids, smiling parents,
groups of students and thousands of individual folks from all over the tri-state region made this one of best Cruises ever.. and every knows it all happens 'free of charge' (thanks to our sponsors) at a "Church" where they are "welcome to come to everything we do" as DJ Denny Dutko said a dozens of time last night.
  Thanks to all.. and see you next Friday as we do it again!
    Jay

Update! First Cruisers were actually at 5:45 A.M.! We all laugh,
but how many of us wish our first worshippers were 12 hours early...?!
 Rich and Sam..you win the "Early Bird" award for 2012!  

If you had your heart set on being the "first" Cruiser at this season's "Grand
Opening"; as of 8:00 A.M today you're not going to make it! Three cars are already in position and will be there, with their owners/drivers ALL DAY as we
kick season #12.
 I've been asked many times why the Wexford Starlite Cruise has become the largest weekly Car show east of the Mississippi (and perhaps in the nation!). The
best answer I can give is that we focus on "people" first, cars, bikes and stuff come second.
   The family friendly environment, the 20+ food vendors, the (currently) copious
amounts of space for parking for both Cruise Cars and 'spectators'; and the fact that it is all FREE make for a great time for all! Friendships are formed, old ones are often rekindled and the marvel of 'man's love for machine' is acted out thousands of times with meticulous attention to detail.
   If you're new to all of this or have never made the effort to experience a Cruise, tonight would be a great time! We have no guarantees about the future,
but we have tonight and it will be awesome!
   Thanks to Roger Van Scoy, our volunteer director, his wife Brenda and all the team leaders and volunteers who make this THE place to be every Friday evening all summer long.
   You may not be first... but don't miss what may be the BEST ever!


    Jay

For quite a while, I've maintained the discipline of a 'morning time' of devotion.
There's no doubt that the brain and heart are most sensitive in the early part of the day before the clutter of life sets in.
 For quite a while, I've wanted to add the discipline of physical workouts to that morning regimen. (I've known for a long time that most trainers prefer early workouts for the benefit of 'carb burning' throughout the day).
  This was the first morning where everything worked! The day was mild and beautiful; I had a good rest and the schedule was clear. After a solid hour of riding, stretching and mild resistance training; I feel somewhat spent; but nonetheless, invigorated! There's little doubt that I had more energy to give to the work out; and thus greater benefit; plus it leaves the late afternoon and evening open to other things.
   I don't think I'm quite ready to call this a victory, but it is start that I hope to build upon in future days. Chris Crowley in his wildly successful book: "Younger Next Year" believes that one of the keys to sustaining daily workouts is to see them as your first responsibility of the day.
  After this morning's experience I can see why he's sold on this simple discipline and benefits it can provide..


  See you in the morning!


   Jay

  Today was another milestone in my journey of transition. For 31 years, I've
been privileged to serve alongside a group of men who have provided incredible wisdom and leadership in every imaginable circumstance.
   Years ago, Pastor Jack Hayford introduced me to the term "Servant's Council"
which is what he had named his group of Elders who provided insight, perspective
and covering in matters related to all of the 'business and administration' of the
local Church.
   We adopted that name here at North Way (slightly modifying it to Elders' Council recently) and have met at least monthly for 31 years. (not including scores of 'special meetings' along the way). The weight of stewarding the resources of a growing Church family is no small matter. It takes humility, wisdom, and a great measure of faith to trust God to provide without becoming
presumptive on the one hand, or fearful on the other.
   It has been my responsibility to serve with men who have given countless hours to this task; often at considerable personal sacrifice, and never with an
air of 'superiority' over other Elders. Prayer has been an undergirding conviction;
but as much as anything, it's been a humble transparency wedded to a willingness to defer to others when unity was the goal. 
    I can honestly say that of the hundreds (or thousands) of decisions we have made over three decades, we have never once acted without the deep affirmation and peace that 'unity' brings. (often coming with prolonged debate and dialogue).
    Today was my last (official) meeting with the Elders' Council. That same spirit 
still rules in the meetings and the new leadership is committed to building upon that foundation that was laid by nine men who simply wanted to be 'fully devoted followers of Jesus' 31 years ago. Now, 4000 adults locally and multiple 10,000's internationally still rely on the strength of this 'hidden leadership'.
   As is often the case, some of most dramatic, faith-filled and life changing decisions were made outside of the public view. It's the way of the Kingdom and had been one of the great privileges of my life to lead this band of brothers.
     Jay

For the past day or so I have spent a lot of time thinking about churches that cover the landscape of our nation.

Most of them, as you may know, have less than 150 members and those with 300 or more are in the top 5% of active protestant churches!

The issue that seems to currently beset most healthy churches is maintaining the balance between "discipling and caring for the people in the congregation" and the "mission to reach those outside the church family."  These two things should be in harmony with each other, but are often in competition.  Part of the issue is that most of the folks that want to be more knowledgeable about the Bible or more Christlike in their character through discipleship, don't have enough time to do that and to volunteer their time, talent or treasure in order to help reach others.

I know that's a gross oversimplification of the problem, but it is something that almost every pastor I talk to struggles to reconcile all the time.

Pastors are, by nature, sensitive to not laying demands upon their already "stressed out" people.  On the other hand, they feel the clear call of The Great Commission that was not just for the first century but applies to those of us who walk with the Lord in these days, as well.

It may be your responsibility to figure out where God wants you to give something of your time or your giftedness or perhaps your money to help advance the Kingdom.  My experience is that as you do that with faith, you will grow in your journey of faith in the Lord and become more like Christ in your character!

Blessing,
Pastor Jay

I read with interest that Pittsburgh is the #3 city on MSN "Comeback Cities" list.
http://money.msn.com/investing/americas-comeback-cities


Those of us who live here are not surprised. Sure, we all know our limitations
and frustrations with systemic problems in the architecture of government and
education; but it's the people that make this city 'great'!


I've had numerous conversations lately with folks that are 'new' to the area
because of job opportunities or education (mentioned in the article); and they
are universally impressed with just how 'real' and 'friendly' Pittsburgh people are.


You have to lived elsewhere to fully appreciate this. I had some time in a small town in Virginia; two years outside of D.C. and 3 1/2 years in Pasadena, CA;
along with extended visits in Arizona. All of these areas have their strengths, but
none have our balance or our character.


Of course, the article doesn't mention the spiritual fabric of the 'Burgh as it's more of an 'economic' look than a cultural one. Even there, however, I see
ever present signs of spiritual hunger and health; not in big numbers as much
as solid commitment.  It's in this one area that I'd love to be on the forefront
of a real comeback; or better, a whole new paradigm of city-wide spiritual
renewal.


So, even if you tempted to see what isn't so good about our city; just remember
it's already "America's Most Livable" AND it's coming back! The next five years
should be very interesting!


Jay

It's been a while since my last post because I've been taking some time to 'listen'
to what I'm supposed to be learning right now.
Six weeks ago, my 'chronic' (hate that word) back pain was pulling me down and
limiting some of my best hours of the day.
Coincidentally, my Home Group was in the middle of studying a book "The Essentials of Healing" by Bill Johnson and Randy Clark. (Both of these men were
greatly influenced by the ministry of John Wimber who was an acquaintance of mine over 20 years ago).  
The group determined that rather than 'just read' another book and put it on the shelf; they needed to pray for someone who was dealing with a physical issue and put 'our faith to the test'. I was nominated, voted on and approved before I
could even object!
The group prayed that night, but as usual, nothing dramatic happened. However,
the key principle in the teaching of Wimber and in this book; is that most healing
is progressive, NOT instantaneous. You have to continue to pray and believe!
For my part, the Lord nudged me to set aside any pain medications I was taking
to manage my problem and to 'trust Him' while the group prayed.
This may seem like 'no big deal'; but when you are living with every day pain,
trust me, it is.
Here's the latest. As of this Wednesday, it will be six full weeks of 'life without
meds' and best of all; the back pain is greatly reduced; and often not even
on my mind! 
My group is encouraged; but I am rejoicing! I know I have more 'healing to go';
that the process is still at work, but there is absolutely no doubt that the Lord
is working in a tangible way! 
I will update you in a couple of weeks. However, if you need a touch from God
for physical healing, find some folks who will believe with you; maybe read some
parts of the book I mentioned, hold on to Scripture when you have setbacks,
and you, too, may find that 'Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever!


Pastor Jay

Forty years ago, I thought any one who was 65 was OLD. Not necessarily
grumpy or inactive... just old.
I suppose that may still be the lens through which younger people view 
older people; but now that I'm here, it's much different than I ever imagined.


Life is full and rich; energy is seems to be nearly the same as 20 years ago,
and every day still presents opportunities to make a difference in this life.


There's no doubt that the 'physical body' is less forgiving and more fraught with
potential 'inconveniences'; but many other blessings more than compensate
for these potential limitations. I never dreamed that I would so enjoy a
45 minute ride a bicycle; pushing myself to near exhaustion, but the rewards
are too numerous to list. (I can still wear a sport coat that was a lovely gift
30 years ago!)


People are now somehow more "interesting" than before. We value one another
because of our plethora of experiences. We know that nothing in life is more
valuable than other people; and we tend to make time to appreciate and 
enjoy them. It's also fascinating that some of the people that touched my life
35-40 years ago are still the most important ones to me.. even though we
may not see each other as often as we would like.


Spiritually, there isn't room to do justice to this phase. We know heaven is
much closer than ever before; but we still want to 'live' in the fullness of
the grace of each day on this earth. Jesus is still 'all that matters'; but
giving Him the time (that you now have) is somehow more of a discipline
than when you were really 'busy'. I suppose it's because you have no ulterior
motive for seeking Him other than just your 'heart to heart' relationship.


I don't want to finish without saying 'thank you' to the many of you who help
to fill my life with your love, acceptance and forgiveness. Carol and my family
have a wonderful part of that; but many of you add the rich colors and 
textures to life. God has seen fit to bless me with good health for the most 
part, and that surely enables all of the above to happen more naturally.


So, bring on the Seniors jokes. (Carol leads that ministry at North Way, so
I will at least 'get in'). But don't look for me to slow down any time soon; to
put my bike away or trade in my outrageously fast car. I still play my music
on the 'loud' side and when it comes to my faith, family, future.. it's all about
the passion!
   Jay

One of the things that seems to be pervasive in all the circles in which I am privileged to travel is that healthy local churches are always in some level of conflict. More often than not, that conflict does not come from outside critics and government intervention, but rather internal dynamics and broken relationships.

I’ve observed this over the course of my ministry in so many ways that I know it must be grieving to God but even more, it seems to leave an indelible hurt on the people who experience it. Just recently, I was talking with a couple who had gone through a “split” in their local congregation and several years later had finally found another church where they felt like they could fit in.
However, in the intervening 5 years since the initial breakup they literally wandered around without a home church.

This is very common and happens particularly at times of transition and succession. It seems that when leadership changes people become somewhat insecure or perhaps fearful
about what may be taking place in the next season of the church’s life. It is then that they choose to turn on one another rather than to turn to the Lord in humbled prayer for a healthy time of
change.

Please pray for continued blessing in the transition here at North Way and also in the ministry that I feel increasingly called to address in some way through the partnership of good friends and the amazing support from my North Way family.

Let’s be honest, our church is our “other family.” It brings the enemy great pleasure when
people hurt each other and it brings God great glory when we grow in times of
change!

Blessings,

Pastor Jay

“16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for
us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:16-18