jay voorhees

only wonder understands

Reflections on faith and life

  • A Den of Thieves

    I haven’t written here in a while. Life has been full, the Substack has kept me busy, and honestly, this old blog started to feel like a room I’d stopped going into. But something happened in the news yesterday that… more ›

  • Arab Hospitality

    From Red Brocade by Naomi Ship Nye The Arabs used to say,When a stranger appears at your door,feed him for three daysbefore asking who he is,where he’s come from,where he’s headed.That way, he’ll have the strengthenough to answer.Or, by then you’ll besuch… more ›

  • Small Kindnesses

    This morning I’m reading a poem by Danusha Lameris titled Small Kindnesses. The poem begins with a list of the small things that people do or say to one another in the course of the day, things like saying “bless… more ›

  • A Prayer from St. Meinrad 2011

    The winds are blowing through the Indiana hills. Like the winds blow,    Holy Spirit blow through my heart. Blow out the trash and scars   that build up like dead leaves in the fall,   wet and cold,   and laying there with… more ›

  • A Prayer for Love

    Lord,fill me with your love —   a love that is   radical,   exquisite,   long-suffering,   patient,   honest,   true,   magnificent,   overpowering,   empowering,   able to leap small buildings in a single bound,   sacrificial,   better than sliced bread,   and too wonderful for words. Fill me… more ›

  • Nate

    This morning, while I was driving to work, I got a text from one of the guys at our Showers of Blessing Homeless Resource Center: We have a man who made it into the quiet room with assistance from others.… more ›

  • Ponce

    Today, I was wandering through the parking lot when I saw a Crown Vic pull into the parking lot. I knew the car immediately. It was Big Mama, a woman I met through Ponce, one of our former residents in… more ›

  • We have to do better…

    Yesterday, as I was driving home from a quick visit to Missouri, my phone began buzzing as news reports came in about another school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The story was far too familiar — a young man entered the… more ›

  • Testimony to Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee on SB1610

    Senate Bill 1610 was written to make homeless camping on ALL public property a felony offense. It is likely that if passed this bill will be challenged in the courts as the Supreme Court has previously ruled that being homeless… more ›

  • Something has to change…

    It’s a familiar story. Persons without homes in Nashville try to figure out a safe space to stay while they figure out a means to move into stable housing. While the existing sheltering system is available for some, there are… more ›

  • An Open Letter to the Mayor on Bar Closures

    Dear Mayor Cooper, I want to begin by thanking you for the work that you and other city leaders are trying to do to balance the pressure between keeping the people of Nashville safe from the COVID outbreak, and the… more ›

  • The TN Legislature up to its normal ways

    A couple of days ago, I got a message from my friend Joseph. “Have you signed the petition on permitless carry?” he asked me. I had no clue what he was talking about. Now I will fully admit that gun… more ›

  • An Open Letter on the Nashville budget

    6/2/2020 TO: Mayor John Cooper and the Members of the Metro Council Dear friends, Like many of us, I have been watching the financial situation of our Metro Nashville government closely in the glare of reports regarding our inability to… more ›

  • Who or what do you worship?

    Last night, we saw the president of the United States stroll across a public park after having both police and military use tear gas and rubber bullets to clear that park of peaceful protestors. There was a curfew at 7… more ›

  • What’s Up With Da Masks?

    As we all know, one of the requirements for opening up society is that all should be wearing masks — not as personal protection for ourselves but rather to protect others from our germs. And, this past Sunday my sermon… more ›

  • Morning in Missouri

    The birds and the deer flit and glidethrough the picture window of my morning. As the steam rises from the cup,and the songs of praise resound in my ears,the cardinals and wrens race from tree to feederoffering their own songs… more ›

  • On the third day….

    I first met Willie not long after I started working here in Madison. The volunteer receptionist said there was a man at the door who seemed to be in bad shape. I went into the lobby where we meet with… more ›

  • A Prayer for the Tennessee General Assembly

    I was asked to offer the opening prayer for the March 25, 2019 gathering of the Tennessee General Assembly by Representative Bill Beck, who represents the district where both my home and church are located. Gracious God,    Creator of… more ›

  • Classes that should be taught in seminaries

    I know that everyone’s focus is on the Hooey in St. Louey this weekend, but honestly, for most of us, the day to day demands of ministry in the local church easily push those concerns to the back of our… more ›

  • Community Oversight Board Interviews

    This past Thursday night (January 17, 2019) I sat before a sub-committee of the Metro Nashville Council to be interviewed as a part of the discernment process for election to membership of our new Community Oversight Board, which will work… more ›