Author: newkingjim

from the pen of Jeff Joyner

This is an old photograph of my Grandparent’s house in Virginia. Though the house has since been taken down, many of my memories from childhood still linger. The railroad track was right across the street, and the house would shake with each passing locomotive. The sound of the gravel driveway would always signal a glorious reunion was only moments away. The smell of chicken, ham, or fresh vegetables provided a comfort that nurtured a true sense of belonging. But what permeated most throughout the house, was the love our grandparents had for us.

It was always a highlight for me to sit down for meals, where we would enjoy all the fresh food cultivated on their farm. They would always conclude with some sort of homemade dessert, which my grandmother would lovingly prepare. When we were done, we kids would usually sit on the screen porch, too full to even consider going out to play. Throughout the years, I must have enjoyed hundreds of those meals at my grandparent’s house. Yet there was one meal in particular that always comes to mind.

It was dinner time and we were all called to our seat at the table. Surprised at how much food had been prepared, I asked where it all came from. My Granddaddy proceeded to tell me that they got it all from their farm, which was located outside of town. After hearing this, I blurted out, “I can’t believe all this food is free!” Everybody around the table began to burst out laughing. As a child, I obviously had no understanding of what was really sacrificed to put that food on the table.

I will never forget the sights, smells, and sounds of my grandparent’s house. They will be forever be imprinted on my heart. Yet there is a place which far surpasses that. It’s a place that Jesus has gone to prepare for me. A place I will have access to because of His great sacrifice. A place of joy. A place of peace. A place where the love of the Savior permeates throughout the entire house. A place where the sounds from the streets of gold signal that glorious reunions are only moments away.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.” John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬ NLT‬‬

from the pen of Jeff Joyner

As Christmas was approaching, I reflected on all that had transpired the previous few years. It seemed that everywhere I turned, people were hurting, pain was running rampant, and darkness was threatening to settle over the whole earth. As I pondered this for a while, I finally said in a one sentence prayer: “It’s a weary world, Lord.” As soon as I uttered those words, one of my favorite Christmas carols immediately came to mind:

O holy night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the
Dear Savior’s birth

Long lay the world in sin
And error pining
Till He appeared and the
Soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope
The weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a
New and glorious morn

Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine, O night when
Christ was born
O night, O holy night
O night divine

Jesus is the hope for a weary world. And though it may appear that darkness is settling over all the earth, it’s important to remember, that this Jesus who’s birth we celebrate is the Light of the world. And this LIGHT will come once again, to usher in another “new and glorious morn.”

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John‬ ‭1:5‬

I think this verse points to part of the problem about the lack of peace in both the church and the world. We have to make an effort. Peace doesn’t just happen. We can’t just say to ourselves, “I’ll just leave people alone and they will leave me alone,” and expect to attain peace with others. It would be nice if it were that easy, but it’s not. Wherever we go, there are people. Worse, wherever we go there are people who disagree with us, annoy us, and even deliberately cause trouble for us. I suppose we could just stay isolated at home and never go out, but I think that’s how crazy cat ladies get their start. (apologies to any non-crazy cat ladies).

Human beings are made to live in relationships with each other. We have friends and families. We have neighbors and co-workers. We have Christian brothers and sisters. Being in relationships with these people is critically important to being a human being. Yes, they are sometimes the cause of aggravation (so much aggravation, it seems). Yet God has created us in such a way that we need these relationships in order to function and serve God’s purpose for us. The New Testament doesn’t tell us to avoid people. In fact, it tells us to interact with people. It tells us to inconvenience ourselves in order to interact with people.

That brings me back to this verse from Hebrews. We have to make an effort to live in peace. We need to interact with people and we need to make an effort to do so in ways that maintain peace between ourselves and them. In fact, the verse says to make EVERY effort. Now, I’m often the king of moderate effort. I’ll make a few easy attempts to live in peace with someone, but I have to admit it’s often easier to just avoid them and live without them. The challenge, then: in order to make EVERY effort to live in peace with people, I have to look inside myself and examine what it is about certain people (oh, so many certain people) that irritates me. Even worse, I have to look at those things about myself that irritate others (oh, so many things).

I know, I know. That’s not exactly a Christmas message of joy to the world and peace on earth. Still, Christ came into this world to save us from our sins and to regenerate our spirits. We have the Holy Spirit living within us. We have the Word of God to guide us. It’s okay to look at ourselves and our feelings and thoughts honestly. God is there to guide us, to help us see ourselves clearly, to continually offer forgiveness for our sinful, selfish human elements. If we want to make EVERY effort to live in peace with everyone, that’s part of the process. So we can try to avoid people. Or we can make moderate efforts. Or we can make EVERY effort. That’s what Hebrews says to do.

from the pen of Jeff Joyner

I was having my coffee one morning, a few days before Christmas. To be honest, I wasn’t excited about Christmas at all. In fact, I was already tired of Christmas music, long before Christmas Day had even arrived. Instead of experiencing the hope and wonder of the season, I was filled more with anxiety and concerns for the future. And then, a song came to mind, that I have sung every Christmas, as far back as I can remember:

Silent Night
Holy Night
All is calm
All is bright

As I thought about these words, I began to understand that this song not only describes the birth of Jesus, but also depicts what Jesus brings to hopeless sinners such as us, when He takes up residence within our heart:

He can silence our worried thoughts, even in the midst of our darkest night. He imparts His holiness within us, to bring restoration to our broken lives. In the midst of this tumultuous world, we can experience a peace and calm, that only He can bring. And because He has given us the greatest gift ever given, our future is BRIGHT. We need not fear the days ahead.

Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, All is bright. May you experience all this and more, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke‬ ‭2:11 

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Continuing my thoughts on peace during the Christmas season, I find myself meditating on the words Jesus spoke to the disciples. He seems to indicate two types of peace. The peace He gives to us and the peace the world gives to us. Admittedly, I have never found the world offering me much in the way of peace. It feels more like the world is generally offering me anxiety, although that could just be my reaction to the circumstances around me.

I suppose the world does have things to offer that bring peace to humans. A walk on the beach. A hike in a forest. A place at the top of a tall hill or mountain with a beautiful scenic overlook. A financial windfall (I’d very much like one of those right now). These types of things are temporary, though. You usually have to go searching for them. When you find them, they don’t last long. You have to return to the busy, anxious place you started from.

Jesus promises a peace different from the world’s peace. He’s telling the disciples that even though he is leaving them physically (his death on the cross is imminent), he is leaving them with peace in their hearts. I think he’s telling us modern day Christians the same thing. Our faith in Christ gives us peace in our hearts. We don’t have to go searching for it. It’s within us. It’s the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s the hope of eternal life. It’s found in God’s written revelation (that’s the Bible) that almost all of us have sitting on shelf in our homes.

It’s good to seek the world’s peace, at times. It’s even better to seek God’s peace, which is available to us if we just take a few minutes to reflect on all that we have as believers in Christ.

from the pen of Jeff Joyner

Several years ago, I was in a band with CRU, a Christian organization based in California. For over 4 years, I spent most of my time on the road doing concerts, both in the US and overseas. One day, we got news from the national office, that they wanted us to record an album, to make available at our concerts. We were only going to have a limited amount of time to make the record, since we were scheduled to do an overseas tour within weeks.

After several days of preparation, the recording sessions began at a studio in Southern California. We all were feeling major pressure to get the record done quickly, so we could take it with us on tour. Our producer was in a “One Hit Wonder” band in the early 1960’s called The Dartells, so he had a lot of experience working with stressed out musicians. Though the first day was a bit shaky, we finally settled into a groove, and seemed to be on track to finish the project by the end of the week.

A song we still needed to record, was one that I had written, and sang the solo on. As the band prepared to lay down the tracks, I began feeling tinges of performance anxiety. Our producer called me in, and asked if I could sing a practice solo with the band, so they could have some vocals in their headset. Since it would be a practice track for me, he set me up in a hallway with a microphone, and told me to sing the song exactly like I did in concert. As the band played in another room, I sang my heart out in the hallway, feeling absolutely no pressure to perform.

After we were done with the song, our producer called me into the listening room. He had secretly recorded my solo, and wanted me to hear it. When it was done playing, he looked over at me and said, “that’s a take.” He knew that without the pressure to perform, he would be able to get the very best out of me. Though I tried a couple more times to improve what I did in the hallway, I was unable to.

I learned a lot from my hallway experience that day. I saw first hand the futility of trusting in myself, and my own efforts to accomplish what only God can do. Though it’s a lesson I’ve had to learn over and over again, I’ve seen that the more I allow Christ to live His life in and through me, the more I will experience His deep, abiding peace, in the midst of this chaotic and turbulent world.

“Cease striving and know that I am God.” Psalm 47:10

We’re starting into the Christmas season this year, and it got me thinking about peace on earth. Or the lack thereof. I’ve already seen news clips of craziness at Black Friday sales (which is why I’m sitting at home with locked doors). Ukraine is at war with Russia, dominating headlines. But many other smaller countries are also at war. We’re often unaware of just how much conflict is occurring outside of our own circle of reference. So (I use that word a lot) I’m going to spend a few posts considering what the Bible says about peace.

In Isaiah, we see the famous reference to Jesus as the Prince of Peace. The promise being that when Jesus rules, there will be peace on earth. My struggle with this concept is that, supposedly, Jesus is ruling in the hearts and minds of his followers. But our Christian churches don’t seem to be getting along all that well as we fracture and splinter over interpretations of the Bible. Many of us who attend church together find it difficult to get along with each other (if you don’t get along with me, I’m certain it’s not MY fault!).

Ephesians 2:14 says that Jesus is our peace. In the context of that verse, the general meaning seems to be that Jesus will heal the rift between Jews and Gentiles. Jesus will bring peace between two people groups who have never gotten along. It’s not too much of a stretch to suppose that Jesus can and will bring peace between our various churches and the various members of individual churches. If there isn’t peace, then we must be doing something wrong. Or not doing something right.

What that might be I’ll explore in my next post.

from the pen of Jeff Joyner

This is a picture I took a few years ago, out in the Oregon countryside. Though these trees had been here for quite some time, it was really the first time I had ever stopped and took notice. The Fall colors were so vibrant, that I had to pull over and take a few pictures. I remember asking myself why I had never noticed them before. The only answer I could come up with was, I was so consumed by the stresses of life, that I had failed to recognize the beauty God had placed around me. From that point on, I made a commitment to make these trees a regular part of my yearly “Fall experience.”

The following year, I decided to drive by the trees once again, to anticipate when they would return to their Fall splendor. As I pulled over to get a better view, my heart began to sink. An entire row of trees had been trimmed down some thirty feet, presumably as a result of a recent ice storm. There would be no majestic Fall display that year, nor for many years to come. At least not like the ones I had previously enjoyed.

God’s message to me was clear. If I allow the weight of the world to consistently pull me down, I can be in danger of missing the beauty that He has placed around me today. God has promised to walk with me each step of the way, through wooded valleys and lofty mountaintops. If I will only take time to recognize His beauty in and around me, I can experience His peace, through both the smooth and rough terrain. For the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm‬ ‭23:1-2

from the pen of Jeff Joyner

It was a normal Sunday, and my parents walked me to my Sunday School class at church. The first half of the class was filled with several planned activities to keep us four and five year olds occupied. During one of the games, I overheard a children’s worker asking another, if she would teach the lesson, because the regular teacher was sick. Though reluctant to do so, she finally agreed. Once the activities concluded, she walked to the front of the class.

Always the intuitive kid, I noticed that she seemed extremely nervous as she began. The lesson was about David and Goliath, and how God used the extraordinary faith of David to bring the giant down. As she continued, her nervousness seemed to increase. As I glanced around the room, none of the other kids even seemed to notice. It finally got so bad, that I closed my eyes, and said a silent prayer on her behalf. Then something happened that I will never forget. As she continued to talk about David’s willingness to be used by God, a peace began to come over her face. It was as if I could visibly see her begin to trust God, just as David did when he went against Goliath. Though I was a pre-schooler, it made such an impact on me, that I walked up to her, and thanked her for the lesson that day.

I don’t know who that Sunday School teacher was, or whatever became of her. But what I do know, is that the words she shared that day, have been permanently imprinted on my heart ever since. And because she was willing to trust God, and give Him everything she had, I was able to leave that Sunday School class, ready and willing to be a warrior for God, for the rest of my life.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭

As I’m preparing for yet another long drive to a city I haven’t been to before, I find myself recalling my first driving experiences in various locations. There was Philadelphia, where the roads are so small that two VW bugs have to battle to get past each other. There was Boston, where my innate ability to find my destination was disrupted by roads that start off in one direction and then meander off to places unknown. There was the Road to Hana, that was both beautiful and just a little bit treacherous with its unending, winding roadway. And there was Highway 82 out of Artesia in New Mexico. This one scared me because it was such a long drive through the middle of nowhere with literally no one else on this road in either direction.

                So many strange thoughts occurred to me while we were driving on Highway 82. Why is no one else on this road? Do they know something I don’t? Did I read the map correctly or am I actually driving towards Mordor? (This was before GPS and Mapquest existed and could reroute you away from Mordor). Roswell isn’t far from here. Are aliens abducting people from this road? Why did I choose this road in the first place? Why don’t they have some signs on this road saying, “Only X number of miles until you see people again”? What if my car breaks down out here?

                     We did eventually reach civilization that day. The experience has made me a little more cautious about choosing the roads I travel on. It’s a little more comforting to have fellow travelers around you. I know Robert Frost wrote that famous poem about the road not taken. It ends with the words, “two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” There’s something to be said for venturing out on unknown paths in your life. There’s much to be gained from the unexpected. But it doesn’t always turn out well. Just ask the Donner Party, who took the road less traveled to disaster.

                There’s a time for venturing out bravely into the unknown. There’s also a time for sticking with the known path and the safety of other people. How do you know which choice to make in the moment? I’ll let you know when I figure that out.