What began as a small corner of the internet to share my thoughts on faith, life, and culture has grown into something that has blessed me beyond words. Over the past two decades, I’ve been privileged to connect with so many of you who have followed along, commented, shared, and even challenged my writings.
As I prepare to mark this special occasion, I want to invite YOU to join the celebration!
I have already received some responses- but here is a guide that may help you- pick one or more questions and send me your response- I hope to get some from out of the country as well.
Jayopsis.com started as a way for me to jot down notes and research during back-to-back study halls while I was teaching Bible and coaching football at CPA in Nashville. A colleague showed me how to set up an online “web log”—what we now call a “blog.” If you look at my early posts, they were unorganized and had little content. I was just experimenting with a lot of time on my hands.
In November 2004, I wrote 13 posts, many of which were drafts of poems or essays I’d already been working on. Those early Nashville posts were a blend of football and Bible study, with a strong emphasis on apologetics. I was trying to flesh out the research I was doing at the time and integrate my faith into everything—including coaching.
Football was a huge part of that season in my life. I struggled with the ups and downs of coaching under tough circumstances while trying to maintain a Biblical view of what coaching should look like. We had some incredible wins during my time in Nashville, but we also had some heartbreaking losses—almost providential moments that God used to press and stretch me.
Looking back, there are times I wish I could have a do-over. I feel like I would be so much better now with what I know, but God had a different plan for me.
On December 7, 2010, I was fired as a coach. It's fascinating to look back and see that I kept blogging during that critical time. It took months to process the pain, shame, and anger, but none of those deep emotions show up in my posts. In fact, around that time, I wrote a series about my dramatic weight loss, with the title teasing: “The Blog Everyone Has Been Asking For.” People would click on it expecting me to address being fired, only to find me writing about my diet. Typical of me!
We moved to Nashville in 2004 and returned to Birmingham in 2011. Those memories almost feel like a different life. But God used that time to prepare me for what was next at Briarwood. I miss so many people from those years. It was a sweet, sweet time with my wife and girls—we only had each other, and the time we spent together was pure gold.
Favorite Posts from the Nashville Years
The Butter Slide of Praise
This one was short, but it meant a lot to me when I heard that Dabo Swinney shared it with his staff. It made me realize there might be an audience for my writing.January–June 2006
This was a period of intense reading and analysis on existentialism and postmodernism. I was devouring books and doing some really good work during this time.April–May 2007
My research on the history of Princeton was a highlight. I even traveled to Princeton with Dr. David Calhoun, which was life-changing research for me.2008
I wrote several posts on intelligent design, three or four of which were reposted on larger Reformed websites. I was so honored when people reached out to comment, including one who wrote:
"Wish there were more of you! You are in my prayers, with love. May the LORD bless you, always and in all ways. In Jesus' name, Amen!"Summer of 2009
This was probably the most in-depth Bible research I had done before the AI era. I dove deep into the Book of Romans, reading nearly every commentary I could find. Later, I turned my attention to Revelation, which helped me create content for a course on Romans and Revelation.January 2010
The Tennessean asked me to write a reflection on Coach Bryant, which turned into a series about my time as a walk-on at Alabama. It expanded my readership significantly. Some critics accused me of embellishing stories, but then a few teammates left comments confirming how true they were—those moments gave me a good laugh.
Between 2009 and 2010, I could tell my writing was maturing, and I was responding more to reader feedback. By December 2011, I finally passed 1,000 page views for the blog’s entire history.
When we moved back to Birmingham, the blog began gaining momentum, and readership continued to grow.
Current numbers: Oct 21, 2024- All Time830904
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