Dr. Jay's Blog

Yesterday, I met with a friend who works in the town where Carol and I get away from time to time for some refreshment and reflection.

This friend works in the car business (no surprise there!), but things have been tough for him over the past couple of years. His dealership was "bought out" by a national chain which is headquartered almost 2,000 miles away from the town where we stay.

My friend was downcast yesterday. He had been through a long December and literally said that hardly a "good word" had been spoken in the past 6 weeks. After a few moments of the typical superficial "hang in there" statements, I looked at my friend and told him that I was convinced that God was with him through this ordeal and that He (God) had something better for him if he could simply hang on and trust God through these dark days.

It wasn't much, to be honest. It wasn't anything profound to be sure, but as is often the case, the Holy Spirit used those words to touch my friend's heart.

We talked today and it was like an entirely different person was there. He spoke of opportunities that might be coming his way and of a few other positive things that he had not seen clearly before.

I'm not doing justice to the story but the point is that encouragement is a very powerful gift that all of us can give. When we can step outside of our own circumstance for just a moment and speak directly to someone's heart, specifically a word that injects hope into their situation, it can be like a cup of cold water to someone who's languishing in the dessert.

As Dallas Willard writes, "It matters for all the world to know that life is ahead of us." He means not just eternal life, but abundant life that God promises. This is a deep inner yearning of every human soul and in these difficult times in which we live I've encountered too many people to even adequately recall who have fallen into a sort of hopelessness.

And so it takes an army of folks such as yourself who can bring a word of encouragement, a word of hope, and perhaps change dramatically, if not forever, the heart's disposition of someone who desperately needs to hear the words "you can do it."

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

Most everyone associated with the city of Pittsburgh recognizes that today is "black Monday" in Pittsburgh. To the profound disappointment of "the Steeler Nation" the black and gold suffered a rather stunning defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos, despite being highly favored to win.

There are scores of reasons given for the loss, and not a few folks who attribute the win to Tim Tebow and his rather incredible string of 4th quarter victories marked by his now nationally identifiable "tebowing" at the end of the game.

For those of us here in Pittsburgh it means the end of another good season, but not a great one. It's the first time that we've been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in many years and it also represents a very significant "changing of the guard" for the future team in all likelihood.

This is where perspective becomes very important. As with all good Steeler fans, I'm disappointed but clearly recognize that it's a game that we lost in a season that's come to an end. The important things in my life are still in place and the real significant objectives and goals that I've laid out for the year are still very much in their infancy. It helps when you have something in life to cheer about beyond your sports teams.

And so, if you happen to be in mourning for the Steelers I suppose that's fine for a day or two, but I encourage you to go on with life and find another place to invest that amount of emotional energy.

Thanks to the Steelers for giving us something to look forward to every year and for making us proud for yet another reason to be a "Pittsburgher"!

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

There are times when God allows us to be tested to the max in terms of "waiting on Him" for a specific provision.

I am enormously pleased to share in this space that Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) has been approved by the officials in the Pennsylvania Department of Education to conduct classes here in Pittsburgh at the North Way Wexford campus beginning this spring!

I can't begin to tell you what a long and arduous process this approval has been but I'm also convinced that God's hand is upon this effort and that we will see substantial and lasting fruit as a result of these efforts.

My good friend Dr. Emanuel Naydenov has been diligently working to gain this approval, but it was the support of our local elected representatives in conjunction with the Dept. of Education officials that finally brought this in for a landing.

We will be offering both "An Introduction to the Old Testament" and "Systematic Theology II" as our spring courses followed by a specific summer intensive called "Theological Exploration of Leadership."

Please feel free to spread the word and we will post on our website the exact dates and other details as soon as they're made available. The main point I want to make here is that sometimes we are tempted to give up and it's not until we get to the very end of our own means that the Lord steps in and provides His "way through the storm" that the victory is secured!

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

For whatever reason, the last few days have presented me with several opportunities to talk with relative strangers about their journey of faith and understanding the role God might play in their life. Each circumstance was unique and different, but they all began with some reference to the New Year and a desire to see some things "change" in their lives.

It's interesting that though some people feel like they can manage all change in their life on their own, most honest people recognize that they need something more than resolve, they need another power to be released to help them bring about the change.

Clearly these conversations have simply been the first step in what I hope will become a more deliberate and ongoing path of discovery but I must say that I've been incredibly blessed at the positive response that people have had to the suggestion of pursuing what the idea of discovering God's power might mean in their lives.

Some people are more intellectually oriented and will want something that satisfies their mental paradigm, but most are just simply desperate enough that they are willing to take a leap of faith and lay hold of some fundamental principles that have been proven to work in the lives of others.

I'm not sure how much longer these doors will be open but there's no better time of year than the first week of a new year to introduce people to the idea that God may have a plan for them that He wants to unfold in the months ahead.

Looking forward to tomorrow's encounters!
Blessings,
Dr. Jay

Today I met with a group of pastors from the area that all wrestle with the same ongoing challenge: how to provide long term care for people who find themselves in difficult situations of physical, relational or emotional hardship.

Its one thing to care for someone when they go through a short term immediate crisis, but the situation becomes substantially more complex when such things become prolonged.

The fact of the matter is that most short term crisis do become long term issues. If the issue was serious enough to be called a "crisis" it often has lingering affects which may take months or even years to fully heal.

The problem is not that we don't care about the individuals, the problem is that we find it difficult to express that care in an ongoing way that meets the changing needs and seasons of the ones that are afflicted.

A system has to be in place where people are accountable to provide a touchpoint of care but to be honest, they must also have a passion to do so. Care without a heart for it becomes nothing more than a cold and obligatory phone call. On the other hand, a compassionate person is energized by being Jesus to those who are in a situation of extended afflication, struggle or need.

The hope that we have as we enter a new year is that we can ask God for breakthrough and even full release from such circumstance while we are yet extending that care. It's often through the hands of the care giver that faith is released and deliverance is received!

Blessings,
Dr. Jay

The snow bands, treacherous roads and cold temps made me wonder if my 'routine' doctor's visit would be worth the 45 minute drive. (My expectation had been lowered by the screening nurse).

Those of you who kindly check this space on a regular basis know that the last qtr. has been a bit 'sketchy'. There's no doubt that the transition in my own life led to prolonged times of reevaluation and reflection; and the inevitable lapse of production.