Well today we are still in South Dakota. This is Emily’s hometown. We played last night for her church gathering at a cool little park. We are staying at her family’s house and oh how beautiful it is! Her family lives on the most beautiful acres of farmland that I have ever seen. It is so quiet….and natural…and just reminds me of how amazing God’s handiwork is. I don’t get to see too much of it living in a city. We stay here for one more night and then on to Arkansas for a couple of days.
We have met so many amazing people so far. Cornerstone was definitely an experience. It seems that we left just before the rain came. Kansas City was small, but very hospitable. Lawton, OK just blew us away. They treated us as if we were their very own children. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the people that God will put on our path.
Thank you all for praying for us. We hope to see some of you down the road. Thanks for reading. All for Him,
Joy
Well, we have officially left Cornerstone. At a hotel right now showering up so we can get back on the road and head to Kansas City. All in all, I think we all have enjoyed ourselves here. It was a first experience for everyone. Met some great and interesting people. Saw some amazing bands that I had never heard of before. Got some great video footage and cool pictures. Keep your eyes peeled for them on the site soon. Stay tuned folks.
Thanks for reading.
Joy
So, I am sitting in a hotel room in Macomb, IL. Waking in about 7 hours to kick off the tour at the Cornerstone Festival. Well, not actually playing in 7 hours, but heading down there to get a primo camping spot. I am excited to see what God will do with 3 unknown musicians, traveling these great states, wanting to share the only Truth we know…the only Truth there is. I hope that you all will continue to pray for us throughout this month. Pray that our traveling will be safe. Pray that our money won’t run out. Pray that our hearts will be pure. And pray that Naomi will keep her sanity. Ha!
I hope to see you all sometime down the road.
Thanks for reading.
Joy
Back on 2/16/09 we posted a link of Joy’s performance on the Ardent Presents radio show which was featured on Break Thru Radio, and Now you can WATCH Joy’s performance on her YouTube page AND hear the show in its entirety (the BreakThru version was edited due to time constraints) at a higher quality mp3 on the Ardent Presents website!
(Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see a play button)
Enjoy!
Ok….this one is really gonna turn some heads. This is not for the seeker friendly…or the faint at heart. Here we go…
“The Son of God suffered unto the death, NOT that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His.” (emphasis mine) George Macdonald
As Todd Agnew always says…”And discuss…”
Joy
It’s been a while since my last written blog. I have been thinking about many things since then. I am currently reading a book called “Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future”. So, naturally, I have been thinking about Iran, and Russia, and Islam, and, of course, Israel. I wholeheartedly support Israel’s right to exist UNDIVIDED, but that does not mean that I am anti-Arab. I am not. If you are reading this and you are Jewish or Arab…I love you both. As a result of those ponderings, I have been thinking about the return of my Lord. Am I ready for His return? As far as salvation goes, yes, I am ready. I know where I will spend eternity. But am I ready to stand face to face with Him? If He were to return tonight, would my present conduct and behavior and spiritual state make me ashamed to be seen by Him? Or would I be confident that my life and heart is pleasing to Him? I think that I would be ashamed.
I have also been thinking about the music God has given me. What should I be doing with it? Where should I be taking it? When I am given the opportunity to stand on a stage in front of people, what message does God want me to convey? Have I been wasting time? Taking it too lightly?
On a more positive note, I have been thinking about how blessed I am to have the people in my life that I do. I have thought how wonderful it is to know that everyone in my family knows the Lord, and how horrible it must be to know that someone you love dearly is lost. I have thought about how wonderful my parents are. They have loved me from day one, even when I put them through H- E- double L, and continue to do so. And how wonderful my only sibling, my sister, Allison, is. We were always close growing up…slept in the same bed until she went to college. I remember moving into a house where we finally got our own separate rooms and our own separate beds and tried sleeping apart….but it didn’t last long.
I have been thinking about how it probably isn’t in God’s plan for me to have my own children, and that is why he gave 3 amazing angels to my sister, and in turn, to me. I know, as much as I possibly can, what it feels like to love a child with a mother’s love. I have my sister to thank for that….for letting me experience that with her children. I guess I have to thank my brother-in-law, Shon, as well. He did play a small part in their existence, after all. Shon accepted Christ around the same time I did. He was in the theater with me when I accepted Him. That movie changed more than one life that night. We were even baptized on the same day. I have never told him, but that was a special day for me. We were both raised into newness of life only minutes apart. It was special to share that same experience with someone you care for.
I am also blessed to have such a good friend, which I have discovered are few and far between. Her name is Naomi. She was there the day I was baptized. We had met only a few months before that day. But I remember stepping out of the water and she was there waiting with a towel. I am a blessed woman. An undeserving woman. My life is truly a testament to how gracious and forgiving God is. His name is Faithful and True. Do you know Him?
And these are just a few of my ponderings…..
Thanks for reading.
Joy
 |
 |
Joy Whitlock ©2008 |  |