by Jay Kelly

“Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for He grants sleep to those he loves.” -Psalm 127:1-2

“…when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down your sleep will be sweet.” -Proverbs 3:24

Some of us (me, included) have the gift of easy sleep. When my head hits the pillow I drift off into rest and restoration quickly; the pillow is not even required. Others of you are challenged in this area. We feel our weakness and need for restoration every night when we lay our heads down. Each night our minds unwind, our bodies restore and we prepare for another day of productivity and purpose. Edgar Allen Poe has been credited as saying, “Sleep, those little slivers of death. How I loathe them.” Some of us wish that we were never weak and could just go, go, go.

Research studies have shown that increased gratitude leads to deeper and more satisfying sleep as well as overall well-being. Have you made a fundamental shift during our MONTH OF GRATITUDE? Do you enjoy any new habits that lead to a grateful spirit? It’s not too late to get serious about counting your blessings every day. If you don’t journal about anything else please consider journaling a daily prayer of thanks to God. Start today and continue until Thanksgiving. See what happens in your heart if you do.

It’s been rewarding for me to have a gratitude focus each of these last 31 days. I must admit, at times, I thought I was crazy for committing to this in a sermon over a month ago, but I’m glad I did.

To those of you who have been following this exercise please let me know how it has helped you and what you have learned. Email me at jay_kelly@mac.com.

HOMEWORK: Give thanks to God for his perfect plan. Our need for sleep humbles us daily and reminds us that we cannot push ourselves beyond very specific limits. We need to be recharged and restored. We need Him; we need rest.

Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps.

Remember that tonight is the end of daylight savings. Our clocks “fall back” one hour and we get an extra hour of sleep tonight.

Love you,
-Jay Kelly

PS, Happy Halloween! I obviously loved being a cowboy for Halloween. I’ve always cherished those second amendment rights. Have a wonderful holiday!

by Jay Kelly

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” -Deuteronomy 8:10

Amazingly our Month of Gratitude is down to the last two days and we haven’t given thanks for food. One of my favorite aspects of the holiday season was our special food items. My mom, dad and sisters, Shannon and Meghan, and I rushed to the door when the holiday box from Chicago would arrive full of Grandma Kelly’s special goodies. The most important item was the raisin/current bread. Second most important was the date nut bread, then potato chip cookies and last was the pitzels which are an Italian licorice flavored snowflake/pancake cookie that I never liked to eat, but we all respected the tradition and would have missed seeing them, if not eating them. Here’s a picture of my Grandma (Rose Marie Saviano) Kelly, me and our dog, Poseidon, back in 1966. Gram made her own pasta noodles, her own raviolis, stuffed her own italian sausages and created her own sauces. She was serious about her Italian cuisine and everyone loved her for it.

God blessed me with an amazing wife who is also the best cook in the world (I’m not kidding). Carol makes her own bread often and has learned from her mom to work wonders in the kitchen. Carol always makes her mother’s cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. Our Christmas dinner is a tender ribeye roast and Yorkshire Pudding. One Christmas in L.A. we had a “Bring Your Own Lobster” party with friends and boiled lobster and melted butter and celebrated the holiday in a Redondo Beach kind of way. Food is such a fun way to celebrate special days and make memories. Thank God for good food!

If you’ve ever spent time fasting from food you quickly realize how much we take this great blessing for granted. The smells are richer when you fast. A piece of fruit suddenly seems indulgent; a cracker has a wonderful crunch, a glass of cold milk satisfies you in a special way. Pay attention today.

HOMEWORK: Savor your food today. Eat slowly. Say thanks more than once. Give thanks to God for giving us a diverse array of delicious options that provide more than energy for our bodies, but also joy, tradition, personal expression and celebration.

Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps. See you one last day tomorrow.
Love,
-Jay Kelly

by Jay Kelly

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 1:10-11

What does it mean to receive a rich welcome? I love a good greeting when I’m awkwardly standing at someone’s door trying to figure out what it will be like to be at their place. Can you picture your self at the pearly gates? You’ve crossed over from this life to the next and may be feeling some things about the transition… and then you receive a RICH WELCOME into the eternal kingdom. That is guaranteed to be something special. You are totally at home, at peace, at rest once and for all eternity.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” -John 14:1-2

HOMEWORK: Design your custom dwelling place in heaven. God will want to spoil his kids. What would make it paradise for you? Be specific about the details. Give thanks for God’s awesome promise of eternal life.

Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Jay Kelly

By Carol Kelly (giving Jay a break today)

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,
And good news gives health to the bones.”
-Proverbs 15:30

I love hearing good news! And it is true that the person telling the encouraging news is usually smiling. I love looking at smiling faces as well.
There is new news everyday; some good and it seems a lot bad. Good news tellers are rare in this day and age, but need to be treasured! Sometimes we have to train ourselves to hear the good news. What good news did hear lately? How did it make you feel? Happier? Stronger? How did you feel about the bearer of the good news? Grateful? Then what did you do with the news? I bet you shared it with someone else. Good news is contagious!

HOMEWORK: Filter out the bad news today and train your ear to hear the good. Thank the “good news” bearers in your life and then practice being one!

Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Carol Kelly

by Jay Kelly

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” -Ephesians 4: 15

Who has loved you and loved your common purpose enough to confront you on your sin, your compromises, your hypocrisy or your apathy? Victory rarely happens on the field or off without leadership. Who has told you how it is? Who has put their relationship with you on the line because they loved you more than they loved being close to you at that moment? Give thanks today for the few, the proud, “Your Confronters.” Thank God for the coaches he has put in your life who have called you out and expected more from you than you expected of yourself. Do you have anyone in your life today that would speak the truth to you in love? Sometimes these specific challenges come from our ministry leaders, Bible Talk leaders, spouses and close friends and sometimes they come from more unexpected places like idealistic young christians, our children, our non-christian friends, etc. Who needs you to be their coach confronter today? They will thank you later if you speak the truth in love.

HOMEWORK: Today your homework is watching the 6 minute clip about the power of confrontation and expectation.
Enjoy!

Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Jay Kelly

by Jay Kelly

The power of music is undeniable. The musicians in our church move our hearts every Sunday to a place of worship that we couldn’t possible achieve on our own. The popularity of the Ipod (once known as the Walkman) has swept the globe allowing people to enhance their daily lives by adding a personal soundtrack to any activity. Workouts are inspired; boredom is replaced; memories are retrieved. Musicians once lead God’s armies into battle as the leaders of countless victories.

Music is a form of self-expression that is very personal. Though I am not a musician in anyone’s eyes I have several songs I’ve made up in my quiet times to express my thoughts to God. I have favorite hymns, favorite gospel, favorite country, favorite folk, favorite bluegrass, favorite Christmas, favorite Christian pop, favorite classical, and favorite choral music. Carol dedicated a song to each of our daughters that she would sing to them at bedtime and remind them that it was their special song. Carol’s mother did the same for all of her 10 children.

HOMEWORK: Give thanks for all ways music has enhanced your life. Go on a walk with God and sing some of your favorite spiritual songs to Him. You can bring a songbook with you, if you have one to help you remember. Pay special attention today to all the music you hear and enjoy.

Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Jay Kelly

by Jay Kelly

At our house we eagerly anticipate the Fall season. Of course, the holidays are upon us now. We’ve all heard in countless conversations the phrase, “time flies.” Older people love to add on their insight that it seems to go faster and faster as you age. Many of us mark time by the holidays throughout the year. They are roadside markers that offer us perspective on the progression of the years of our lives. God’s Word is rich with lists of memorials, annual holidays and specific celebrations that were to be honored annually by his people. Certain families emphasize different holidays more than others because of their ethnicity, religious background or childhood tradition. Whatever your list looks like suddenly you’re running down it again marking time and adding meaning to your life.

Valentines Day,
Easter Sunday,
Mother’s Day
Memorial Day,
Father’s Day
4th of of July,
Labor Day,
Halloween,
Thanksgiving,
Christmas,
New Years,

HOMEWORK: Meditate on the holidays that have meant the most to you throughout your life. What are the sights, smells, tastes and feelings that you associate with these memories? Give thanks to God for the ways your life has been enriched through the observance of special calendar days. Also, consider special plans you could make to celebrate your spiritual birthday, (your baptism day) when it arrives next on your calendar. Develop your own traditions as you celebrate your personal salvation holiday.

Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Jay Kelly

by Jay Kelly

“Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.”
–James 5:13 (The Message)

We serve a God who heals us in every way and seems to enjoy doing it. Jesus was creative, spontaneous and controversial in his healing habit. The human body God gave you to carry your soul through this short life even heals itself when you bang it up. If you bring the subject of scars up around a bunch of guys the conversation quickly turns into a competition for biggest scar and most dramatic story. Your scars remind you of past injury and the healing power of God’s design for your body.

HOMEWORK: Count your scars. Give thanks for God’s healing hand in your life. Make a list of past injuries that once hurt you deeply, but have now been healed. Your scars may be physical or emotional, but they are yours and you wear them as reminders of the power of God in your life.

Thank God that he heals us inside and out. Have fun growing in gratitude today. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Jay Kelly

by Jay Kelly

Even God took a day off! It’s hard for many of us to take an entire day off to do nothing, but rest, reflect and recharge. Fridays are supposed to be my day off. I am guilty of often allowing various responsibilities to spill over into my time off. Tomorrow I am going to take our dog, Divot, for a long ocean-front prayer walk at Lincoln Park. Carol and I will do yoga. After that I’m going to paint for a few hours (not paint the house, but work on a portrait I’ve been commissioned). I am going to spend time reading one or all of the three books I’m working through right now. Seems like I should do fiction only if it’s time off. Carol and I have been very faithful to Friday night date nights and I’m looking forward to our special time together. We’re going to West Seattle High School’s Homecoming football game. Both Paige and Chandler have been nominated for Homecoming Court.

God’s people have always been challenged by their ambitions, their greed and their lack of faith. Doing work on the Sabbath was punishable by death (Exodus 31:15), why? I’m thinking God had our interests in mind when he forced the issue with his children. “Take time off or I’ll kill you!” sounds like something a father might say to the children he loves who are driving themselves into the ground and not experiencing life the way it was designed to be lived.

HOMEWORK: Make a list of your favorite vacation memories and give thanks for the importance of time off. Why did you enjoy that time so much? What needs did it meet? Consider your schedule. Are you taking the time you need to follow God’s plan of weekly rest? Plan and schedule an entire day that will refresh you some time in the next week. What will you do? How will you feel? Pray for the faith and freedom to experience a personal Sabbath weekly.

When I think of total relaxation and refreshment I think of a nine mile hike at Lake Ozette along the Pacific coast. My tradition on my spiritual birthday (December 16, 1984) is to go camping with God. The pictures show my hammock with pillow and book waiting. My tent has an ocean view. I sleep to the sound of the waves after a day of hiking, singing, journalling, prayer and goal setting. Pray you have similar times that give you strength and joy.

Take time off… or else!

Have fun growing in gratitude. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Jay Kelly

by Jay Kelly

“Jonathan said to David,’Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.’”
-I Samuel 20:4

“And Saul’s son, Jonathan, went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” -I Samuel 23:16

25 years ago this month I was studying the bible with Gary Knutson at Bridgewater College outside of Boston. Gary and I always had relationship challenges, but he knew and loved the word of God and was devoted to teaching me the truth, whether I appreciated it or not. I would eventually be baptized on December 16, 1984. A few weeks before my baptism there was a campus devotional led by Frank Kim entitled, “Doing Well Spiritually over Christmas Break.” I was working that Friday. Gary wanted me to switch shifts or take a personal day or whatever I needed to do to hear Frank’s message. Gary was very concerned that if I were to be baptized before Christmas break and have a month in New York/New Jersey away from the body I might not make it. I wasn’t as interested as he wanted me to be and after several back and forth exchanges I hung up the phone in anger.

Over the years I’ve bumped into old friends from my early Christian days in Boston who have said with surprise, “Jay, wow, you’re still faithful?” I was the least likely to succeed in many people’s minds. I couldn’t have made it spiritually all these years without countless friends, “Jonathans”, who’ve helped me find strength in God.

I made a list of 60 names. I decided not to post them knowing I would likely forget the one person who is actually reading this and was forgotten for the moment. Make your own list of Jonathans. Who are the people who’ve helped you find strength in God over the years?

Have fun growing in gratitude. Hope this helps. See you tomorrow,
-Jay Kelly