Author Archives: Jay F Guin

About Jay F Guin

My name is Jay Guin, and I’m a retired elder. I wrote The Holy Spirit and Revolutionary Grace about 18 years ago. I’ve spoken at the Pepperdine, Lipscomb, ACU, Harding, and Tulsa lectureships and at ElderLink. My wife’s name is Denise, and I have four sons, Chris, Jonathan, Tyler, and Philip. I have two grandchildren. And I practice law.

Advice to a New Elder: They Smell Like Sheep, Part 12 (On Pastoring)

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Jay F Guin

By now it should be obvious that my talents don’t lie in the area of shepherding (in the traditional pastoral sense). But the series really needs a post on how to shepherd — and I’m the last person you should ask. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice to a New Elder, Elders, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

The Mission of the Church: Wrapping Up, Part 5 (Community Disciplines, Part 1)

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Jay F Guin

What habits, practices, rituals, disciplines might we engage in to help us learn to love each other — in practice, not just theory. I mean, how do I learn to love the person in the pew next to me — … Continue reading →

Posted in Missional Christianity, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Advice to a New Elder: They Smell Like Sheep, Part 11 (Counseling Boundaries)

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Jay F Guin

Both new and experienced elders often get in trouble when they to counsel church members. There are some real dangers here that most are not sensitive to — because we do so little elder training. I mean, elders are under … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice to a New Elder, Elders, Uncategorized | 16 Comments

The Afterlife, Lesson 5, Conditionalism: The Fate of the Damned

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Jay F Guin

Lesson 5, introducing Conditionalism and Edward Fudge’s The Fire that Consumes. Download Lesson 5. Right click and select “Save Link As” to download. (If you left click, it will stream.) Or stream:

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The Mission of the Church: Wrapping Up, Part 4 (The Call of the Wild, Part 2)

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Jay F Guin

So how do we get there? I’m not sure. But I know where it starts. This is from a comment I posted a few weeks ago: Does meeting with my earthly family at home provide something better than an assembly … Continue reading →

Posted in Missional Christianity, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Advice to a New Elder: They Smell Like Sheep, Part 10 (Smelling Like Sheep)

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Jay F Guin

I am a fan of the work of Lynn Anderson, the author of They Smell Like Sheep. And I’ve been blessed to have had a couple of phone calls and meetings with Lynn in which the elders of my church … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice to a New Elder, Elders, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

NEEDTOBREATHE: “Wasteland”

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Jay F Guin

I’m the first one in line to die When the cavalry comes Yeah it feels like the great divide Has already come Yeah I’m wasting my way through days losing youth along the way Oh if God is on my … Continue reading →

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The Mission of the Church: Wrapping Up, Part 3 (The Call of the Wild, Part 1)

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Jay F Guin

So what am I meant to be? What is it about the ordinary life of an ordinary American Christian that misses the point? Wolves gotta hunt. What do Christians gotta do? Well, love one another. We were designed from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Missional Christianity, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Advice to a New Elder: They Smell Like Sheep, Part 9 (Eze 34 and John 10, Part 2)

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Jay F Guin

Now, if we ignore the context of Eze 34, it’s easy to conclude that elders ought to be shepherds (true) and that their primary job is to heal the weak and injured, that is, care for their social and emotional … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice to a New Elder, Elders, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Mission of the Church: Wrapping Up, Part 2 (The Hollow Church)

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Jay F Guin

I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. I’m a lawyer. I represent lots of churches. And several years ago — at least a decade ago — I met with the church leadership for a congregation in another town … Continue reading →

Posted in Missional Christianity, Uncategorized | 26 Comments