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.

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord, our God, who sits enthroned on high, but lowers himself to consider the heavens and the earth. God takes up the weak out of the dirt, and lifts the poor from the ashes, setting them with the princes, the rulers of his people. You, O God, lift up the lowly and humble the proud, setting the table for us to eat together.

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord, our God, who sits enthroned on high, but lowers himself to consider the heavens and the earth. God takes up the weak out of the dirt, and lifts the poor from the ashes, setting them with the … Continue reading The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord, our God, who sits enthroned on high, but lowers himself to consider the heavens and the earth. God takes up the weak out of the dirt, and lifts the poor from the ashes, setting them with the princes, the rulers of his people. You, O God, lift up the lowly and humble the proud, setting the table for us to eat together. →

A comment on my previous post which will probably won’t make anyone any happier…

In my previous post I raised some questions related to a statement that Amy DeLong made in regards to change and grace. Several folks have rightly suggested that I took the sentence in question out of context, and that Amy was obviously referring to change in regards to GLBT folks who have spent their lives … Continue reading A comment on my previous post which will probably won’t make anyone any happier… →

Oh, I’m probably going to tick all sorts of people off….

Earlier today, a buddy of mine sent me a link to an interview on the Believe OutLoud website with Amy DeLong, who was recently tried for being an open lesbian and for performing same-sex marriage/covenant ceremonies. In the end, she was acquitted on the first charge for she refused to talk about her sexual practices … Continue reading Oh, I’m probably going to tick all sorts of people off…. →

Living in the Now (Matthew 6:33-34)

33Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. —Matthew 6:33-34 The Christianity that I grew up with was always looking to the future. “When … Continue reading Living in the Now (Matthew 6:33-34) →

The Dilemma Of Leading a Church in Decline

One of the hallmarks of my ministry as a solo pastor is that I have been sent to congregations that at sometime in their life have been growing and thriving places but due to  difficult pastoral appointments, changes in community community demographics, and poor decision making at crucial times along the way, these congregations now … Continue reading The Dilemma Of Leading a Church in Decline →

It’s Time to Help Mercedes

I was in a Justice For Our Neighbors meeting last week (an amazing faith-based organization that is providing counsel and assistance on legal issues to immigrants) when I learned about a young lady named Mercedes Gonzalez. Mercedes was brought to the U.S. when she was 2 and has been a successful newcomer to Nashville. She … Continue reading It’s Time to Help Mercedes →

Revised Thoughts on the Tennessee Annual Conference 2011

Editor's Note: It must have been late last night because I posted this on the wrong blog. I'll be removing this from Just Nashville, which is generally focused on Nashville advocacy. The comments in italics below represent some additional commentary on the first post. --jv  It’s late and I don’t have the energy to think … Continue reading Revised Thoughts on the Tennessee Annual Conference 2011 →