Way back when, when I was just a poor undergraduate student at Western Kentucky University (go Hilltoppers!!) I had the honor of studying under the guidance of William Lane. Bill Lane is known by many as the mentor to Christian artist Michael Card (yep, he was around WKU when I was) and was one of … Continue reading Questions and Answer…and the church
Author: Jay Voorhees
Jay Voorhees is a pastor, writer, and community activist located in Nashville, TN. Jay currently is the pastor of the City Road Chapel United Methodist Church in Madison, TN, and is engaged in helping to connect others to the example and teaching of Jesus Christ and to take seriously Christ’s call to love our neighbors in radical ways.
Jay is the co-founder of The MethoBlog, a site that aggregates the writings of Methodist-related bloggers throughout the world, and is the former managing editor of The United Methodist Reporter. Jay has been involved in the United Methodist Church at both the local and national level since 1988. Jay is also the owner of Only Wonder Media, a boutique book and media publisher.
Questions and Answer…and the church
Way back when, when I was just a poor undergraduate student at Western Kentucky University (go Hilltoppers!!) I had the honor of studying under the guidance of William Lane. Bill Lane is known by many as the mentor to Christian artist Michael Card (yep, he was around WKU when I was) and was one of … Continue reading Questions and Answer…and the church
The Call to Justification, Methodist Style
If you have ever read this blog (and there doesn’t seem much of a reason to do so anymore since I’ve been so scattered in writing) you will likely know that I have been a critic of the United Methodist Bishops Call to Action, and the subsequent flurry of activity to restructure the church into … Continue reading The Call to Justification, Methodist Style
My Review of Roku 2 XS Streaming Player
Originally submitted at Roku Adds an enhanced remote for playing games, plus extra connectivity options. Roku 2 XS Streaming Player It simply works.... By Jay the Preacher from Nashville, TN on 1/9/2012 4out of 5 Pros: High quality picture, Great value, Easy to use, Easy to set up, Compact, Built in Wi-Fi, Video selection Best … Continue reading My Review of Roku 2 XS Streaming Player
Merry Christmas!
While I’m at it, is there a bluegrass band looking for a Christmas Song
And the baby was born, in a manger bed. Born of humble beginnings, so the Good Book says. Just an ordinary child, born in extraordinary times. Yes the baby was born, born to bring us new life. (c) 2003 by Jay Voorhees Singer needed badly, along with a fiddle, guitar, and mandolin break!!! But since … Continue reading While I’m at it, is there a bluegrass band looking for a Christmas Song
Planning for Christmas Eve — Re-Working a Traditional Song
It's been my practice for several years now to hold two services on Christmas Eve--an early one that is more family/kid friendly and a traditional lessons and carols late (at 11 p.m.). The late service is always the easier one to plan, for it really just involves readings and hymn selections. However, designing a service … Continue reading Planning for Christmas Eve — Re-Working a Traditional Song
A Quick Word for Advent
A False Gospel and the Church [Randy Cooper]
As I have thought about it these years, I believe I was captive to the false gospel ofGnosticism though one could perhaps speak of Donatism. Gnosticism is found in every churchbasement, and no seminary is free of it. Among other things, Gnosticism is our dualistic longingfor a pure church and our unwillingness to believe that … Continue reading A False Gospel and the Church [Randy Cooper]
Using the Common English Bible in Worship
For the past several months we have been using The Common English Bible in worship at the Old Hickory UMC where I serve and given that the good folks at the CEB have asked me to write about their translation during National Bible Week, it makes sense to share our experience. I confess that I … Continue reading Using the Common English Bible in Worship
Dance!!
Hands four!Head couples cross over. Balance and swing your partner(with the look and the smile, and the centrifugal force of two bodies spending fact, ending in the perfect position for the next move). Long lines forward and back(most of the time crooked, but sometimes straight and in time to the wonder of all). A quick … Continue reading Dance!!
Disciplemaking – Art or Science?
This weekend our neighbors at the Baptist church down the street are putting on a neighborhood fair, and as a part of that event they asked if I had any knowledge on someone who could lead a “square-dance” for them. what they didn’t know is that 100 pounds and 2 kids ago, I used to … Continue reading Disciplemaking – Art or Science?
Disciplemaking – Art or Science?
This weekend our neighbors at the Baptist church down the street are putting on a neighborhood fair, and as a part of that event they asked if I had any knowledge on someone who could lead a “square-dance” for them. what they didn’t know is that 100 pounds and 2 kids ago, I used to … Continue reading Disciplemaking – Art or Science?
Requiem for a Mentor
In 1975, I was 15 years old. Frankly, I fluctuated between nerd and punk on a regular basis – a kid without many bearings. I attended church pretty regularly (the fundamentalist Southern Baptist Church that my mother’s family had been a part of for years) but I was already beginning to know that somehow I … Continue reading Requiem for a Mentor
Rebuilding Trust — The Bishop’s and DS’s Dilemma
As I stated a couple of days ago, one of the struggles we face in the United Methodist Church is a lack of trust. While this is true at all levels, the place where it seems to be most before us today is in the relationship between the local church pastor and the D.S. and … Continue reading Rebuilding Trust — The Bishop’s and DS’s Dilemma
It’s Charge Conference Week!
The older I get, the more I seem to procrastinate in getting my Charge Conference paperwork together. Case in point -- our Charge Conference is Wednesday and I'm sitting here typing in this pointless post. I think my struggle comes in knowing that the hierarchy of our conference seems pretty ambivalent about the power and … Continue reading It’s Charge Conference Week!
The Dysfunctions of the Call To Action Process
“What’s your problem?” I’ve been hearing some shout at me on Facebook recently regarding my continuing concerns regarding the Call to Action thrust that is being pushed throughout the United Methodist Church these days. “Look, the church has been in decline for years,” these folks remind me. “If we don’t do something soon there will … Continue reading The Dysfunctions of the Call To Action Process
Get the churches to do it . . . they’ll do anything!
It’s been a week or longer since the CNN/Tea Party Republican debate, and frankly there is little I can nor want to say about that event, for the candidates and the conversation seem so far removed from the world that I inhabit that it’s hard to imagine that we are in the same astral plane. … Continue reading Get the churches to do it . . . they’ll do anything!
Get the churches to do it . . . they’ll do anything!
It’s been a week or longer since the CNN/Tea Party Republican debate, and frankly there is little I can nor want to say about that event, for the candidates and the conversation seem so far removed from the world that I inhabit that it’s hard to imagine that we are in the same astral plane. … Continue reading Get the churches to do it . . . they’ll do anything!
A Prayer of Remembrance on 911
Lover of us all, whose perfect love casts out all fear, we gather today remembering how our lives changed ten years ago. Only a day before, all seemed right with the world, and we were filled with anticipation and hope. And then, on the morning of September 11, planes became missiles and the twin towers … Continue reading A Prayer of Remembrance on 911
Only Wonder Understands 