Here's a Thought with Jay Daniels

Have you ever said something and quickly realized that you probably shouldn't have said it? Well, for this writer, it happens more than I would like to admit. There was one time, however, that a dear friend of mine got a little tongue tied and ended up saying the wrong thing... while praying in church. A few years ago, we were attending Bible study on a Wednesday night. It was a small church so there were only a handful of people at service that evening. Before the conclusion of our Bible study, a friend of mine was asked to offer a closing prayer. Her words were so moving and so sincere until the very end when she uttered these unforgettable words. "Lord, we ask that you forgive us of our farts. Excuse me, Father. Our faults." I never did let her forget that moment. In fact, I often reminded her of it. Well, a few years later, guess who did the same thing... Yep, this guy. Dear friends, let's remember that sometimes all we can do is laugh. Remember, if we can...

I just don't know what got into me this morning. Normally I would have been in bed asleep until 8 or so, but this morning, I wanted to go out and do something. So, I did. It's been a several months since I went out for a morning walk. As I've said, the temptation of extra sleep is hard to resist. Yet, there's something invigorating about starting the day off with a walk. It's as though for just a few moments that everything is right with the world... just me and my music going out for a stroll. To be honest with you, this morning had me feeling better than I had for a while. It was good to be out and about again. This morning it's cloudy and cool in Winchester... not exactly the most beautiful morning I've seen. Yet, as I took those many steps around the campus of Shenandoah, I was continually reminded of these words from the scriptures. Perhaps you, too, will be encouraged by the reading of them. "The steadfast love of the Lord  never ceases; his...

So many times, I have heard this expression used to define the difference between a leader and a boss. “A boss is someone who calls out orders to their employees while pushing from behind. On the other hand, a leader is someone that offers guidance and direction while working alongside their team.” It is easy to get caught in the “administrative bubble” – that are where we are so involved with our administrative tasks that we become detached from our team. Some of my fondest memories of leadership came from those that worked in the trenches with their team members. Over the years, I have been able to learn so much from my former general manager and still-current mentor and friend, Marc Tischart. He truly did lead by example. One thing that stuck out to me about Marc was his excited involvement in station events. It was fairly typical to send the on-air and promotions teams out for events; in most cases, however, management was not always on-site. This was not the case with Marc, h...

When I was a kid, every Sunday was special. Our family had a weekly ritual. Each Sunday after church, we would always go somewhere special for lunch. Some of those meals were uniquely memorable and unforgettable. These were the moments spent around the dinner table at Papa Wesley's and Nanny Tippy's during Sunday Lunch. Wesley and Jeanette Hall lived in one of the older homes on Beaverdam Road (Route 715). Theirs was one of the last on that main road that came through the village of Beaverdam, VA. Papa Wesley was known as the "unofficial" mayor of Beaverdam, while Jeanette (whom everyone called Tippy) was heralded as one of the best cooks around. They were my great grandparents, and I cherished the time I was able to spend with them. In my early childhood years, I can remember those times that we would spend with them on Sundays. We'd often go to church with Nanny Tippy at Zion Christian Church in Beaverdam. Before service, she had prepared much of the foo...

I can still remember a conversation that was had with a former professor of mine at Shenandoah University. She was talking about the difference between hearing and listening. You're probably thinking... "Wait a minute, Jay. There's a difference between them?" As it turns out, there is. Earlier this evening, I was happy to spend time with my brothers and sisters at Catholic Campus Ministry. Each week, we try to get together and discuss topics that relate to our lives as college and career-minded individuals. This week, the discussion revolved around empathy. Along with empathy also came this profound idea of listening.  Think about the last conversation that you had with someone. How did it go? When they were speaking, what were you thinking about?  Many times, as others speaking we are already thinking about our response. Because of this, we can sometimes miss out on what is being said... in the end, we may not fully understand their perspective or viewpoi...

Earlier today, someone made a comment that got me thinking. "Jay, at some point, even you were a kid, right?" As it turns out, yes, I was! Let me tell about when I was a kid (which was not THAT long ago). Some of my favorite memories revolved around the time I spent with Mom and Dad at our house near Lake Anna, VA. We lived out in the countryside, so you might say that life was pretty quiet. Heck, it took us an hour to get to the nearest Walmart on Route 3 in Fredericksburg, VA. Our house was in the woods just off Route 652. Some of my dad's family lived on the adjacent properties, so we were never far from other humans. Before I started school, Mom and I would often watch some of my favorite television shows together during the day. These were shows like Sesame Street, Arthur, Carmen Sandiego, and my favorite... Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. We'd spend hours watching those shows on "Channel 23" - our local PBS affiliate from Richmond. They provided s...

Have you taken time to understand your own heritage? Sometimes, you can learn a great deal by simply researching your own family's past. A few years ago, I did just that. I logged on to Ancestry.com and did some ancestral digging. After several days of work, I finally began to put records together and make some progress. The end result of the digging was finding that my paternal family history can be traced several centuries back to Europe. In fact, my Grandma's family tree links us with British royalty. Who woulda thunk it? Just imagine all of the stories found within those ancestry records. All of the misfortunes and all of the blessings. Unfortunately, those stories cannot be readily accessed at Ancestry.com, but just think of the possibilities. Each and every day, we are writing our life's story... the good, the bad, and everything in between. The things we say... the things we do... each of those things are written in our story. Think about this for a moment. When ...

For many of us, our faith is the cornerstone of our values system. Many of our decisions are based on our faith background. It helps to guide us through this journey that we call life. When is it appropriate to speak out on our faith? Are there times that we should keep quiet? Some may have different answers. Let me share the opinions of one that I spoke with earlier this week. It was during a class at Shenandoah University that I heard one of my teachers say these words. "To each of you, this is my own opinion and belief. When we study the formation of new life, I believe that it is the hand of God at work. There is no other way that I can describe it." Initially I was a bit surprised to hear those words - even here at a Methodist-backed university. Yet, I soon realized how blessed I was to be able to hear someone share their faith through their work. After class, I made the effort to thank that teacher for sharing her faith with each of us. I told her that people often ...

Back in January, I shared my views on a rather hot topic in this country - our current President. Needless to say, it generated a bit of reaction from all sides. Most surprising, however, was the fact that a number of folks were shocked and surprised at my comments. Yet, if folks had been paying attention to my thoughts and updates, would they have really been all that surprised? Friends, it comes down to an important virtue. Do we take the time to listen to our peers in an effort to know them better?  Social media brings with it a number of pros and cons. Never before in history have we had an easier way of communicating with our family and friends. With just a few clicks, we can message just about anyone about anything. It makes things almost too easy. On the flip side, however, we tend to take this convenience for granted. In many cases, we no longer invest the time in good, thoughtful conversation. Our main interaction with many is nothing more than a casual scroll throu...