Here's a Thought with Jay Daniels

At this time of year, we hear of great causes, gifts, and goodness. People doing good for their fellow man. Families and friends reconnecting after a long hiatus. But wait a minute... wouldn't it be nice if we intentionally did these things all throughout the year? Wouldn't it be nice if we did good, not because of the season, but because it was just the right thing to do?  And furthermore... when we do good things, let's just do them. We don't have to go bragging to the world about it.  A television station in Richmond is showing how much good their team members did by paying it forward. Literally flaunting it to the world on social media. Sure, it's a good thing that they're doing but... I say this. Question... Is that the intention? To pat yourself on the back? Or is the intention to simply do good? The moral of this story... Do good for the sake of doing good. Don't do good because you feel you'll get some sort of reward. Just do the righ...

This weekend, we are sure to hear many pray that God would bless America once again.  Please take what I am about to say with an open mind. Look around you. Things aren't like they used to be; that's for sure. However, we still have our homes. We still have our families. Goodness, we still have the freedom to worship as we desire. Let me take this a step further. Have you ever thought that what is going on in this country is indeed part of God's plan?  We are on our knees begging God to please bless America again. Perhaps we should remember that He has done so much for us already. Perhaps it's our turn as Christians to do the work. So, this weekend... be thankful for how God has already blessed this great land of ours. Not everything is going to be the way that we think it should be. Yet, God is still on the throne.  Give thanks unto Him and bless His name.

What a joy it was to gather together with my church family at St. John's tonight. Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists... most importantly, as Christians all gathered together to join in worship.  At the foot of the cross, it matters not about our church affiliation. What matters most where we put our faith.  This season, let's throw away the things that are distracting from our mission of spreading the Gospel to a lost and hurting world.

Earlier tonight, I had the pleasure of attending Evening Prayer and Communion at  St. Anne's Episcopal Church  in Winston-Salem. For those that don't know, I generally read from Evening Prayer alone before bed each night. This was the first time of gathering with others for this, as we do not have mid-week service at St. John's. It was a small gathering... maybe about 9 or 10 of us total. We were all seated adjacent to the altar.  Within the liturgy of Evening Prayer, there is a time for silence and meditation. Before we bowed for a few moments, Father Lawrence Womack reminded us to listen for God in the silence. Strip away the busy-ness and all of the entanglements and simply draw closer to Him.  Believe it or not, we are quickly coming up on a year since I first began attending St. John's in Waynesboro. It was there in the silence (during my second visit) that I truly realized what I had been missing from my worship experience - a truly deep and authentic c...