S6 Episode #12- Jay Hewitt
THE ONE WITH Jay Hewitt
This week we are honored to welcome Jay Hewitt to the podcast! Jay is a pastor, author, and motivational speaker whose life journey is an awe-inspiring testimony of courage and faith. Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer at thirty-seven, he found strength through God, embracing his purpose as a storyteller. In his memoir, I AM WEAK, I AM STRONG, Jay shares his extraordinary quest to become an IRONMAN while battling cancer. Residing in Orange County, California, he cherishes his wife and daughter and continues to inspire others with his resilience, unwavering faith, and empowering messages, reminding us all of the boundless strength within.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Opportunity can be found everywhere –even in life’s obstacles. Jay Hewitt’s unwavering journey stands as a testament to this truth, confronting his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. In his powerful and inspiring memoir, I AM WEAK, I AM STRONG:Building a Resilient Faith a Resilient Life, Hewitt shares his deeply personal journey of facing a terminal brain cancer diagnosis and explores the profound lessons he learned about resilience, strength, fatherhood,and faith.
Through his memoir, Jay Hewittchronicles an extraordinary journey –completing a full-distance IRONMAN™ while bravely undergoing cancer treatment. Amidst the toughest of trials, Jay’s unyielding bond with his daughter serves as a powerful driving force, inspiring him to be an unwavering example of resilience and living out the mantra of finding strength in weakness Jay boldly dives into the struggles and profound questions that emerged after his diagnosis, particularly concerning his faith. As a pastor, he found himself in a defining moment – choose to live out the very principles he had preached to others, or turn away?
Hewitt’s honest and insightful storytelling allows readers to connect with his vulnerability and embrace their own. Jay weaves the following themes throughout I AM WEAK, I AM STRONG, deeply resonating with today’s readers:
•Empowering Resilience: Unveiling the Power of Overcoming Obstacles and Discovering Inner Strength
•Faith Amidst Uncertainty: Navigating Life’s Challenges with Trust inGod’s Plan
•Embracing Vulnerability: Unraveling the Notion that Weakness is theGenesis of True Strength
•The Enduring Connection: Intentional Parenting as a Testament ofStrong and Resilient Faith
I AM WEAK, I AM STRONG is a powerful story of hope, faith, family, and perseverance. Hewitt’s compelling narrative inspires readers to confront their own struggles with courage and optimism, reminding us that Godhas the power to move mountains and help us climb them.
LISTEN
WATCH
SHOW NOTES
When Jay was in his 30’s, he was pastoring a vibrant church, he had a wife and daughter and everything was going right… until it wasn’t. Out of nowhere Jay had a seizure. This sent him on a path that would lead him to finding out he had a cancerous brain tumor.
As a pastor, Jay had walked many people through their toughest challenges. Now he is the one walking through a challenge and he found that he had to put his faith into practice.
Two pivotal questions Jay found himself asking in the early days after his diagnosis:
God, why me?
God, can I trust you?
Jay shared that he didn’t feel angry, but he did feel confused about what God was doing in his life. He sought God in prayer in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot, and God reminded Jay of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul concludes that when we are weak, it is then that we are strong.
God’s grace is sufficient for you. His power will be demonstrated in your weaknesses. When we are at our weakest, we can often see God’s greatest displays of power.
“God, how can I join you?”
Jay decided to attempt to do something that he typically would not have been able to accomplish at his best. Yet now, when he is at his weakest, he felt God prompting him to do an IronMan Triathlon. He realized that in this huge obstacle, there was an opportunity to not just tell his daughter about faith, but to actually show her what resilient faith looks like.
FIGHTING THE RESISTANCE
Can you actually believe that God is reliable? Do you believe that He sees you and will come through for you? YES! Look back at your life story and see all the ways that God has already provided for you. He will continue to provide.
It can be hard to admit that you are weak. However, once we admit that we are weak, we have access to God’s strength.
God sees the big picture and He knows what He is doing, even when it doesn’t make sense to us.
Advice for pastors: Have your own pastor that is outside of your church who can pastor you.
TROUBLE IN THE TRAINING
Every time Jay hit a roadblock or his body couldn’t handle what he was putting it through, he would pray:
“God give me STRENGTH and give me HELP.”
This is a simple, yet powerful prayer to pray! And every single time Jay prayed this, God provided a person to help him.
God will provide in ways that you never could have imagined on your own.
If you need help, just pray the word, “help”. And then look around you and see who God might be bringing to help you.
Due to COVID-19, Jay’s race ended up being virtual. This allowed him to set up his own course which would end at his house. He would be running home.
Hold on to the hope of Jesus and get back up in the strength of Jesus.
When you pray for God to give you strength, you will still need to take the first step. When Jesus healed a paralyzed person in the Bible, Jesus always told them to get up. The person was healed, but they still had to trust and stand up.
CHARACTER OF GOD
God is trustworthy. We can take Him at His word. When He says He will demonstrate His power through our weakness, we can believe Him.
God is trustworthy in His concern for us. When we are walking through something that is earth shattering, we can begin to wonder, “Does God even see? Does God even care?” But through this journey, Jay has seen God’s hand at work every step of the way. Even when things were devastatingly hard, God has always been near. Instead of feeling abandoned and unloved, Jay has never felt more loved.
God sees you and He cares about every detail of your life. When your heart breaks, it breaks the heart of The Father. Sometimes you can’t see it in the moment, but when you cross the finish line, you will be able to look back and see He was with you all along.
CHOOSING JOY
“The joy of The LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
During his training, Jay learned that gratitude is the gateway to joy. Sometimes we cannot summon joy on our own, but focusing on the things that you can be thankful for can be the first step in helping us to experience true joy.
When Jay crossed the finish line at his home, he said to his daughter, “God is going to put dreams in your heart. Do not be surprised when the enemy tries to knock you down, but hold on to the hope of Jesus. In His strength, get up, stay strong, press on, and I promise you that you will see that anything is possible with God. You have to hold on to hope and get up in His strength.”
One day we will arrive home to Jesus’ arms and know that we did everything we could to get home to his arms.
Jay’s book is a field guide to resilient faith and resilient living. In the book, Jay attaches the practical application to every part of his story.
If you have a calling on your life, you will get knocked down at some point. In those moments you will need to decide if you will continue to trust God and get back up.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you want to grow spiritually, you need to ask 2 questions:
God, what are you doing in my life (my family, my work, etc…)?
And how can I cooperate?
NEXT STEPS
Here are a few action steps to help you dip deeper this week!
Take some time this week to ask God the two questions that Jay shared at the end of the episode:
God, what are you doing in my life (my family, my work, etc…)?
And how can I cooperate?
Spend time in God’s Word and see what He reveals to you about these questions. What response do you receive? What is the first step you can take in order to be a part of what God is doing in your life?
CONNECT WITH JAY:
| Instagram | Website | Buy the Book |
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The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes Biondo and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.