About

 Jay Forrest’s Blog

Progressive Christianity meets Christian Mysticism. This blog is honest with the evidence of science, history, and modern scholarship, while also focused on experiencing oneness with God through Christ, which has always been the heart of Christianity.

This blog is ecumenical, referring to the desire to promote unity, dialog, and cooperation among different Christian denominations (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant). We should learn from all, but cling only to Christ. To paraphrase St. Augustine, “In essentials, let there be unity; in non-essentials, let there be liberty; but in all things, let there be love.”

Rev. Jay N. Forrest, DMin

Brother Jay Forrest is a progressive Christian with a mystic heart. He is an ordained minister, lay hermit, mystic, certified meditation teacher, spiritual director, and author.

Brother Jay did his undergraduate work at Central Bible College and Global University, and received his Doctorate of Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Christian University. He is the author of The Deeper Life: Finding God on the Mystic Path.

Let’s Get Real

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15).

Hermits don’t like to talk about themselves, but I suppose you want to know a little about me. I will tell you the unflattering truth about myself.

I grew up in a broken home. I was physically abused by my stepmom, abandoned by my father, and constantly told by my mom how stupid I was. By the time I was a teenager, I was a pot-smoking drunk and a high school dropout. “Sex, drugs, and rock and roll” was my motto.

My mom has been married three times, and my dad four times. Following my dad’s example, I have also been married four times and have four children. The truth is, I am a failure as a husband and father.

I have not been a good Christian, either. I became a Christian in 1983 but backslid twice. The first time I went back to the world for three years; the second time, I became an agnostic and a Buddhist for over a decade. I started out in an Assembly of God church, then went to a Charismatic church, then a Baptist church, then a Catholic church, and have since joined the Episcopal Church.

I failed at ministry too. I attended Bible school, but I dropped out. Later, I did go back to school and eventually earned my Doctorate in Ministry. But it took decades. I wanted to be an Assemblies of God minister, but I got a divorce shortly after dropping out of Bible college. This disqualified me, so I got ordained in a small nondenominational church. But I was not successful in ministry, never lasting more than a year in any pastor position.

When I say that I am a sinner, I am not pretending to be humble. I have struggled most of my Christian life with lust and pride. So really, I am a failure. I consider myself a nobody, and I really know very little. But at least I know that I don’t know. And so all credit and glory belongs to God most merciful.

My path to the hermit life began when I discovered the mystics through reading A. W. Tozer. Later, I discovered the Desert Fathers and felt the call to prayer and solitude. This drawing to stillness in the silence of solitude has increased in recent years.

So, in 2024, I made a commitment to God to live the hermit life, adopting a simple Franciscan Rule of Life. I am a lay hermit, so I work full-time and live a simple life in the desert southwest of the United States with my wife, my adult son, and our cat.