There is a lady who works the drive thru at the Starbucks that I frequent. I don’t know her name. She is middle-aged. Thin. Tanned. (I always notice that because I am extremely and annoyingly pale!) Shy. More importantly, she is always…ALWAYS…smiling. This morning I was in line in the drive thru. And while I was waiting for the car in front of me to get their order, I heard this voice in my head say, “Do you know how much Jesus loves you?”. I immediately thought, “Oh no Lord. PLEASE not now!”. I knew those words were meant for the lady at the window. I rarely do that. I just don’t like to do those “drive-by’s”, as I call them. One sentence and you’re done kind of thing. And sometimes, saying stuff like that is a little uncomfortable. Especially when you know others are listening. I pull up to the window and contemplate whether or not I want to look like a weirdo today and I thought, “Joy, get over yourself and just say it!”. So, I get my drink and it’s my last chance and I say, “At the risk of sounding crazy….do you know how much Jesus loves you?”. She has obviously been caught off guard and she looks at me for a second and then says, “I don’t know much.” I sort of lost my speech at this point because I was not expecting such an honest answer. I figured I would get a simple “yes” and it would be over. All I could think to reply was “Well, He does.”.

She says ok and I’m off with my double short cinnamon dolce latte. I pulled away from her and my heart broke. It’s still broken. I keep hearing her words in my head over and over. “I don’t know much. I don’t know much. I don’t know much.” She doesn’t know??!! Has no one told her?! I mean, this woman has spent, at least, 40 to 50 years on this earth….and she doesn’t know? Has no one told this woman about Jesus? In my past experience with these kind of situations, most people say yes in response to the “do you know” question. Most people know the story about Jesus. Lost people know the story of Jesus. I ask that question to the homeless people I come in contact with all the time and every single one of them always say yes. Now…is every single homeless person I’ve talked to saved? Probably not. But they know and have, at least, heard that Jesus loves them. But not this woman. And I am honestly shocked….and sad.

I will see her again and I’m not sure what I will say. Or what she will say. I can only hope and pray that the lines of communication are opened further. I just can’t get over the fact that she doesn’t know….and that we haven’t told her. What are we doing?! How is it that a woman can live 50 years on this earth and not have, at least, heard that Jesus loves her? It amazes me how people will jump at the opportunity to go on a mission trip, but neglect the people in their own country…state…city…neighborhood…office…home. I am in no way insulting people who want to be involved in missions. I am all for missions. Of course, I am! I truly admire people who have a sincere heart to leave the comforts of their family and home for the sake of the lost. But not everyone is called to go to other countries. I am one of them. I have not been called to leave this country for the sake of the gospel. What amazes me more is that I have neglected my duty, and a command, to tell others the Truth. As I stated earlier, it is uncomfortable…and I get embarrassed easily. My cheeks turn red. I lose all ability to speak and it’s just not a pretty sight. It is easier to share the gospel from the stage than it is to share it one on one. But something must change. The church has taken the gospel to nearly every place on this earth, and somehow there are people in the United States of America who have not heard. If we call ourselves Christians, then we have no excuse for this. There is no excuse for a woman within 2 miles of my home…that I see numerous times a week… to have not heard that Jesus loves her. I have no excuse. Everything I say and do should be about Jesus. And it’s not. Every move I make should be about Jesus. And it’s not. Everything I now know about life and death…heaven and hell…the utter emptiness in sin and it’s vain pleasures…should compel me. But it doesn’t. I have become complacent and desensitized to the walking dead.

So, the question is, in light of the things said here, when YOU lay your head down at night, and you are all alone with yourself and with God…is…your…conscience…clear? Mine is most definitely not clear.
I don’t intend to offend, but this is no light matter here. I have to give an account. And you have to give an account. We will all stand before “Him who is seated on the throne”. And although He is full of mercy, and our sins have already been judged, how horrible it would be to have to say to Him who, for our sake, felt the full measure of God’s wrath for sins he did not commit, “Lord, I just didn’t want to be embarrassed”. God help us.

Thank you for reading.
Joy

I struggle, quite often, trying to come up with something to write about in these blogs. I enjoy writing…to a degree, but for the most part, when I write a song…it is out of necessity. In other words, there is something that I must get out. So, blogging has yet to “grow on me”. For some reason, though, there are a handful of you that actually read these things! So, for that handful…this blog’s for you. (Wasn’t there a beer commercial along those same lines…? “This Bud’s for you”) Anyway……

Today’s blog is about my dad. Sort of. Moreso an analogy he once told me. One I have never forgotten. My dad is a wise man. He is gentle. Meek. Quiet. Of few words, like myself. And he has the kindest eyes. He was a minister for over 20 years. Now….he is an Orkin man. He has to go into homes in neighborhoods that cops won’t even venture! And homes that you and I can only dream of possessing. He sees every walk of life. From the poorest of humans, who somehow can afford pest control, to the rich and proud. I know that he misses being behind a pulpit and may, at times, feel unimportant. (Yes, I call them pulpits. I was raised Baptist…can’t help it!) But I have told him many times that what God has him doing now is of extreme importance. He comes in contact with people that the “church” can’t reach. Or won’t reach. People that…and let’s just be honest here…the church would be embarrassed to have sitting in their pews. My dad loves the unloveable and he tells them about the Savior. One day, the government will realize that they can’t stop the message of Jesus Christ. Booyah! But that’s a whole ‘notha blog.

On to the analogy. My family and I go the beach every year. This story transpired, I think, vacation 2 years ago. My dad and I were walking along the beach and we were collecting seashells. The kids love those things. He picks one up. Broken, of course, as they most always are. Most people try to discover the shells that are whole because those are a rare find and quite beautiful. But my dad liked this particular broken shell. It was the inside of a shell. You know, the kind that look like tornadoes? He thought it was the most beautiful shell he had ever seen. He began to tell me that God looks at us like seashells. Most people would have discarded the shell he was holding because it was broken. It was incomplete. There was nothing spectacular about it. But my dad said that he could see what this shell originally looked like. He could see the original design of this shell. And to him…even the pieces were beautiful.

I’ve often wondered why God loves me. Besides the fact that I am His creation, I feel that there is more to it than just that. My dad cleared some of this up for me. I am a seashell. Broken. Damaged. Beaten by the waves. A part of what was intended to be a whole. Most people would discard me. And most people did. But God saw what was supposed to be….what He intended to be. And to Him….even the pieces are beautiful. Knowing that, I’d rather be a broken shell…with God…than a whole one…without Him.

Thanks for reading.

Joy

So……I came across this t shirt while watching a sermon online. The pastor was wearing it. Now let me say that I owned a t shirt similar to this one a couple years ago. It depicted Jesus as a Luke Skywalker character with a light saber and all. At the time, I thought it was harmless. In all honesty, I guess I thought it was “cool”. Whatever that is. What’s all the talk about t shirts, you say? Well, I have since changed my mind about being completely okay with these kinds. I realize that this discussion could lead down several different avenues…marketing Jesus, the Church as a business, etc. But I would like to stick solely to the topic at hand….a t shirt.

I guess my main conviction about this is that in the Bible, God reveals to man that He is holy. So holy sometimes, that we are offended at His holiness. So holy, that man would drop dead if they were in His presence. Isaiah and the disciple, John, fell completely on their face at the sight of the Lord. John even fell on his face at the sight of an angel in the book of Revelation. How much more at the sight of the risen Lord?! This is strictly my opinion. Call me crazy. Call me conservative, but when I think about Jesus, I don’t see Him behind turntables. Or holding a light saber. And I don’t think that He is my homeboy.

I would love to hear your thoughts….even if they differ.
Thanks for reading.
Joy

Haven’t blogged in a while, so here goes. A lot of cool stuff in the works. Possibly teaming up with different musicians to start a “travelling troubadours” kind of tour. The focus would be, of course, music, but also with a hands on approach in the cities we visit. We would actually spend more than 5 hours in the area. Imagine that! All of this, mind you, in still in the talking process.

Still working on new songs. Demoed one possibly for radio (which at best I have been unsuccessful at thus far!) with my friend James Joseph. It seems to have went over pretty well with “Team Joy” at Ardent. Radio is extremely unpredictable. And I, by nature, just don’t write that way. So, if this one, or any one, actually hits the airwaves….party, folks. Big party. And you’re all invited!

Still getting used to being without “my kids”. For those who don’t know, my sister and her husband moved from Memphis a couple months ago and took their kids with them. Boo hoo! I got to enjoy every single day for 7 years, 3 of the most extraordinary little people I have ever, or will ever meet. We literally were together every day. There’s a giant hole here now and Memphis just isn’t the same. Thank goodness for Skype! There’s tons of pictures of them on my Facebook page. Check em out.

Working on booking some shows in Nashville. Believe it or not, there are not that many places to play in Memphis. There should be, but there’s not. So, next stop…..Nashville. I’ve always enjoyed that city.

Oh! And if you haven’t paid attention to my posts and tweets about Jennifer Knapp….uh….what up? Make haste over to jenniferknapp.com and support her in whatever way you can. She is playing in Nashville on November 18th and I am SO there! More than that, support your local music. Support the musicians you enjoy listening to. We, as musicians, don’t go all over the world simply for ourselves. We go to sing for you. Go see their shows. Go buy their records. Even more, be a friend to them. Being a musician is hard work, folks. It’s not what you see on television. Nothing ever is.

Ok…lastly, and totally unrelated to anything previously said….2 things I am enjoying today….beenie weenies and my electric blanket.
Chow!
Joy

Gonna hit the road in a few minutes. Headed to do some recording with my friend James Joseph. I’ve always thought that was a cool name…. James Joseph. A little side note…he just got my married to one of my good friends, Candace. She’s kind of turned out to be the Ardent go to girl for background vocals. She appeared on Todd Agnew’s record “Reflection of Something” and my record “God and a Girl”, as well. They are both extremely talented.

Anyway, we are still working on demos. This particular one is for radio, so….. cross your fingers. Prayers are appreciated.
Joy