Jay Voorhees

Bishop Barber, Repairers of the Breach Invite Thousands of Clergy to Emergency Field Hearing to Address Extremists’ Subversion of Democracy in Tennessee

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Tennessee legislators, pastors to join Barber in call on clergy nationwide to take action to confront silencing of lawmakers – Zoom Link Here, RSVP Required TENNESSEE – Bishop William J. Barber II,  members of the Repairers of the Breach Prophetic Council and Tennessee lawmakers and pastors will hold an emergency virtual field hearing on Good Friday to … Read more

Pastor’s Pen: Home by Another Way

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As I’ve observed folks over the years, I’ve come to realize that there are two types of travelers. Some people are destination focused, working to get to wear they are going as quickly as possible. These are the people who will take the fastest route, only stopping for gas and snack breaks, and who are … Read more

Do We Really Want Others to Come?

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Yesterday afternoon I met up with Luke Lea, the pastor at Matthew’s Memorial UMC, and we set up a booth at the Madison Night Out Against Crime event at Madison Park. It was hot as blazes but we met all sorts of folks — business and community leaders, neighbors, folks driving by to see what … Read more

The World is a Complex Place

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I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the state of our world and the divisions we face, both in this country and in the broader world. Yesterday I was reading Howard Thurman’s book, Deep is the Hunger, written in the 1950s when I came upon this quote that seems even more true today: We are rapidly … Read more

WE have to do better…

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Yesterday, as I was driving home from a quick visit to Missouri, my phone began buzzing as news reports came in about another school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The story was far too familiar — a young man entered the school with a semi-automatic rifle and took the life of (as of today) 18 children … Read more

It’s All About Relationships

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. –John 1:1 One of the unique characteristics of our Christian tradition is our belief in one God in three persons — Father, Son, and Spirit. The “Trinity” (as we call it) recognizes that Jesus was not only the … Read more

Blessed are the poor, the hungry, and the weeping

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This morning, the scripture focus in my devotional time was from Luke 6. In particular, verses 20-21 jumped out at me: Then [Jesus] looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. … Read more

A Prayer for the Tennessee General Assembly

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Recently, I was asked to be the “Chaplain of the Day” and offer the opening prayer for the Tennessee State Assembly by Representative Bill Beck, who is the House member for our area. I was honored to have this opportunity and hope that I represented City Road Chapel well. Several folks have asked me for … Read more