Jay West

At Bridge of Faith Community Church we believe

Matthew 18:5 HCSB

5 And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.

Jay started attending on Wednesday night at Bridge of Faith. We call our Wednesday nights organized chaos.

We bus in about 80 kids within a 10 mile radius of Rockaway Beach.

We feed the kids a hot meal and teach them Bible study then bus them back home

Jay started coming with some friends and helped them get the drinks ready.

Jay did not let everyone know he was here. He came in and quietly did his job and then he would leave.

Caroline later joined Jay and come to find out this is how their family worked. Jay would go investigate things and then bring the family in later.

Later in this passage of Jesus says,

Matthew 18:10-

Matthew 18:10–14 HCSB

10 “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven. 11 [For the Son of Man has come to save the lost.] 12 What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99 on the hillside and go and search for the stray? 13 And if he finds it, I assure you: He rejoices over that sheep more than over the 99 that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

I chose this scripture today because most people start attending Bridge of Faith on a Sunday morning and then when they build up the courage they start coming on a Wednesday night but not Jay

Jay loved the kids.

Caroline told me how one kid would always put his nose in his drink because he couldn’t see that well and Jay would say oh now that is yours.

Jay was a Gentleman

Well Groomed

Handy

Loved his wife

Loved his family

Cared for other kids in the community by coaching

Coach

Jay started the little league football program in Haysville

Growing up as a football coach he would always wear shorts and the boys could never complain about the cold weather because their coach was over there in shorts

Jay coached his boys in football and would step in when others were not able to keep going.Christopher shared with me a time when they were younger one of their coaches could not coach because of physical things and Jay gave a speech to go play for him because he can’t be out here.

As I look back on Jay’s life, at times Jay made me feel like I was one of his players and he was my coach.

As coach he was a servant leader.

Thrift store (Saving money and getting the job done)

Greenhouse working away all alone

Bringing a whistle to Wednesday night

Father

He loved his family and you did not mess with his family

BJ described just spending time with Jay in the woodworking shop right before his son was born

Christopher described a time at the school after Columbine where he had been hunting the day before and forgot to take his gun from the truck and got in trouble for it.

Jay went to the school and stood up for them

He was an advocate for his kids

Husband

Caroline shared with me that he was a great husband

They were married 35 years

The boys saw through them what marriage should be

Caroline said he spoiled me rotten

Caroline cared for him so well

Grandfather

The boys said boy he changed when it came to grandchildren.

He let his grandchildren get away with far more than i could have.

Hardworker

Jay loved to work and he cared about those he worked with.

I would call and talk with him on the phone

Jay was a fun guy and I am going to miss him

1 Corinthians 15 HCSB

1 Now brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand on it. 2 You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed for no purpose. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then He appeared to over 500 brothers at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one abnormally born, He also appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed. 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith. 15 In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under His feet. But when it says “everything” is put under Him, it is obvious that He who puts everything under Him is the exception. 28 And when everything is subject to Christ, then the Son Himself will also be subject to the One who subjected everything to Him, so that God may be all in all. 29 Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I affirm by the pride in you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord: I die every day! 32 If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with only human hope, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame. 35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 Foolish one! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the future body, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; for one star differs from another star in splendor. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; 43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth and made of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 Like the man made of dust, so are those who are made of dust; like the heavenly man, so are those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the man made of dust, we will also bear the image of the heavenly man. 50 Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. 51 Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15

Closing Jay suffered so well I am amazed