Jason Hayes

Moving Day!

Yes, we are officially moving.  No, not to the beach.  But, we are moving to a great home in our community with a big yard for Hayden to play in.  It is an older home and will need some serious renovations, but we are so excited!  Big trees and quiet streets!  We've got great memories of our old home, but look forward to many more in this new place.  We are blessed!  We'll be moving on Monday at 5 pm if you can join us!

Current Home



Our New Home

Connect Conferences 2008 Come To An End

Wow.  It's been a great few weeks as we've traveled around the country with our Connect Conference Tour.   A huge thanks goes out to everyone who was involved.  We were so blessed with great hosts in every city and an amazing teaching team to partner alongside as well.  In addition, we were so blessed to interact with amazing people each week and learn what God is doing across the nation.  Our prayer is that this time was beneficial for all and honoring unto God.  Stay tuned as we'll be releasing our 2009 event plans in the near future!

The Closer Look

Here's a book idea I started working up a few years back.  My writing skills have certainly developed significantly since this, but I still think the concept has something to it.  It's a devotional style book that reaches at connecting Truth to everyday life in a unique way.

If you want to give it a peak, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Maybe I'll make another try at it in the future.  Thanks to my buddy, Micah Kandros, for the photography and design.  Anyone know who that is in the picture?

Click below to download the Introduction and Reflection 1.

Download the_closer_look_proposal.pdf

 

Interview with Ben Arment

I couldn't be more fired up about the Catalyst Conference in a few weeks.  In addition to incredible program that I'll be taking in, we (Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and I) are giving away samples our new book, Lost and Found:  The Younger Unchurched and Churches That Are Reaching Them.  I had the opportunity to talk with my friend, Ben Arment, a few days ago.  Ben is the Experience & Innovation Director at Catalyst in Atlanta and founder of The Whiteboard Sessions. Ben and his wife Ainsley are former church planters and have two boys, Wyatt and Dylan. Here's a quick interview that I did with him via email about Catalyst.

1.  What is the purpose of Catalyst?

Catalyst is a movement of next generation church leaders who are passionate about impacting their communities, their churches and the culture for Christ.

2.  Why do you believe that Catalyst has become so popular with young leaders?

Catalyst is giving church leaders permission to challenge the process and act outside the box. It's a revolution of ideas in ministry, which appeals to young leaders who are trying to find their voice and their place of influence.

3.  What's you favorite thing about ministering to the people who come to Catalyst?

We see real, lasting change in the church as a result of pouring into these young leaders. We are humbled by this amazing level of influence that God has stewarded to us. We are mindful that leadership is a stewardship. It's temporary. And we're accountable.

4.  What is one of your all-time favorite Catalyst memories?

The mass dodge ball game in the arena stands out as one of our most unforgettable memories. It speaks to the sense of joy, spontaneity, and leveraged power that have come to define Catalyst.

5.  Is there anything that we should be paying extra attention to at this year's event?

This is the first time marketing guru Seth Godin has spoken to an evangelical Christian group. But he has identified Catalyst as a social movement that impacting the world for good. You'll also want to watch for some pretty big surprises on the stage throughout the event. You won't believe what we're going to bring into the arena this year. Additionally, we pray and expect God to move powerfully through the worship experience. Catalyst is a leadership event, but our time of worship sets the heart of every leader in its rightful place.

National Outreach Convention

Just wanted to give you a conference to be checking out.  I'm really looking forward to this year's National Outreach Convention.  It will be in San Diego, California and is November 5-7,2008.  I'll be leading a seminar or two about leading the Church to reach young adults.  I'd love for you to join us!  It should be a great conference.  Click on the logo for more information.

Going Public Again

Well, I've decided to re-enter the blogosphere after a couple weeks hiatus.  Honestly, I just haven't felt much like being "public" in the wake of the recent loss of our baby.  But, I've been so encouraged by all of you who have loved on our family during these days.  We're doing well now and are blessed in that we're focusing much of our attention on our future move.  Yes, we accepted an offer on our house and have a contract on a different home here in Hendersonville.  It's going to be a a busy next few weeks, but we are so excited. 

In addition to that big news, here's a few things that have been happening in my absence.

1.Lost and Found, the book that I'm co-authoring with Ed Stetzer, is officially out of our hands and to the editor.  Samples will be made available to everyone at Catalyst!

2.  Completed the Old Hickory Lake Triathlon.  Completed it in a personal best time and had no disasters like last time.  I was determined to come back strong!  Training now for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in December and Carrie is doing the half.  She is a superstar!

3.  We have four Connect Conferences behind us and they've all been a real blessing.  Thanks to everyone is Austin, Nashville, Charlotte, and Jackson.  Next is Orlando and Tulsa.

4.  I'm currently in a wonderful stretch of weekends at home. It's been fantastic to be at Long Hollow every Sunday. Today 's service was incredible!  You can view the current series HERE.

5. Working hard on my bible study for Threads.  I'm about 1/3 done with it.  It's coming along well!  We decided on the title this week.  It's going to be called, Blemished: How the Message of Malachi Confronts Empty Religion.

Thinking About Our Baby

As some of you have heard, we lost our baby this weekend due to miscarriage.  I can barely talk about it still, but did want to let the remainder of you know.  We know this is fairly common, but it's certainly not common to us.  We are heartbroken.  We trust in the Lord and find peace in Him at this time.  You can see more about it HERE from Carrie.  Sorry I'm so brief.  It's strange -  I make my living speaking, writing, and expressing my thoughts to others.  However, in this case, I just don't really know what to say.  And even if I did, I'm not sure I feel like expressing it.  As Carrie mentions in her post, we're finding refuge in the Lord and each other.  We appreciate your prayers and encouragement.  I'll be back into the blogosphere soon.