Connecting With Jay (Page 3)

“Watching experts perform a skill, watching them over and over again, improves people’s confidence but not their ability.” That’s the conclusion from a study by Ed O’Brien and Michael Kardas at the University of Chicago. We watch YouTube videos, gain confidence, and then fail miserably. There’s a…

More than 3,000 Christians were killed worldwide last year for their faith, twice as many as the previous year, a report by the charity Open Doors has found. Of the 11 worst countries for Christians to live in, all are now classed as places of extreme persecution – more than ever before in 26 years of the World Watch List, which is published annually by the charity. Open…

While the concept might have originated in Europe, it was William Morrison and John C. Wharton of Nashville who made it become a reality. In 1897, they created the machine which used air and sugar to popularize the spread of a new product. They called it fairy floss. It still has that name in Australia. In much of the world, it is called candy floss. In France, it is…

As many of you have noticed, our youth are gearing up for Lads to Leaders which is a leadership training program that we participate in every Easter weekend over at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.  Thousands of kids up through college age come from all over to present their speeches, lead songs, read scripture, present their art projects and scrap books as well as…

Because of the long hours I spend in my office, many of them alone, sometimes things get a little quiet. The radio on in the background breaks the silence but it is still somewhat lonely. While stretching or taking a break, I usually go to the exterior doors near my office and look out their windows since the only window in the study is quite high and about all I can see…

Dear Families in the Lord’s Church, Good morning and happy New Year 2019 to you all, we hope you’ve enjoyed God’s blessings of all kind for the year 2018. Stay faithful and keep rejoicing in Jesus-Christ our precious Savior!  2018 was good year for Mission South Haiti at the Delmas Church of…

I sat in a meeting. The discussion was heated. The conversation heavy.  Hearts were burdened. Chests were puffed. Sorrow, pain, arrogance, curiosity, humility, fear, courage, and forgiveness sat together in a single room.  As I looked around the church, I just kept thinking—Church is hard. Church is hard for the person walking through the doors, afraid of judgement.…

In the mid-1800’s, a young Irishman named Joseph Scriven was engaged to be married to a young lady. On the day before the wedding, he rode out to meet his fiancé at a river. Upon arriving, he was devastated to learn that her horse had been startled and thrown her into the water, where she drowned. He said later, “The bottom of my world seemed to disappear.” He turned to…

It made sense, after someone explained it to me, why our high school football coach would always disappear in the middle of the third quarter. I remember during my first game on the varsity squad, I looked up from the sidelines (where I spent most of my time) and noticed that he was gone. (It was a lot quieter.) I couldn’t figure out what had happened. I was afraid the…

New studies prove the benefits of giving—not just for the recipients but for the givers. Of course, you don’t donate to reap the benefits of giving. You donate because you feel love for the cause. Tennessee Children’s Home is worthy of your love. 1.    Giving makes us feel happy. A 2008 study by Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton and colleagues found that…