August 2007 Recap

Hey folks, I just finished an August tour that took me from Indiana to Ohio to Missouri to Pennsylvania. I got to minister at a Wesleyan church, an Assemblies of God church, a Baptist church, a Missionary church, and two Salvation Army venues. By the way, the Salvation Army is a church – they are very emphatic about that.

Though I have fun memories from each of the places I went to, I would like to especially share about my trip to Missouri. First of all, it was for a Kid’s Crusade at an Assemblies of God church. I grew up in the A/G denomination, so that brought back some fun memories for me (Royal Rangers and such). While at this church, I met a lovely little girl and her grandmother. The girl was about nine years old and she was blind. The grandmother wanted me to pray for Jesus to heal her eyesight. This girl has been blind since birth and can only see faint representations of light and dark. Nonetheless, she was cheery and joyful in spirit. I stood there at the altar with the request to pray for her – and I did. As far as I can remember, I have never prayed for God to heal the blindness of someone. I had just recently read the story of Jesus healing the man blind from birth. He healed him both physically and spiritually. So I know God can do it.

But this is me being honest here – it is so hard to believe sometimes. Jesus said in the book of John (chapter 14) that we will do even greater things than what He did on earth. What in the world does that mean? Lord, please give us a clearer understanding of these “greater things” and how to pray for healing in your name.

That brings me to the other experiences on my Missouri trip. I got to visit the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. That was a really neat tour through history. I learned a great deal about Truman that I did not previously know. I also got to see the grave of he and his wife Bess. I can’t imagine the stress of being the president over both the dropping of the atomic bomb, the founding of the modern state of Israel, and the onset of the Korean war.

Then I spent an afternoon at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. That was quite the experience. I have been there before, but only briefly. This time, I spent some time in their 24/7 prayer room. This place is incredible. There are people leading prayer and worship around the clock every single day. So I was able to step into a very peaceful place of worship led by some very talented musicians. And the neat thing is that they were not putting on a show or preaching to us. They were just up on the stage singing to God and praying. They were “lead worshippers.” Perhaps the best way to lead worship is simply by example.

That’s it for now. I’ll do another update for September when it rolls around. Sarah and I are moving to Richmond, VA in a week. Then we’ll be in Florida for labor day week. See you soon!

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Jesse

Dr. Jesse Joyner travels nationwide as a speaker and entertainer. His primary role is that of a performing juggler spreading joy and the love of learning to family and kids events. H earned his PhD in Educational Studies at Trinity International University (Deerfield, IL). He enjoys playing the piano, bird watching, and old houses. He lives in Richmond, VA with his wife, Sarah, and their three kids - the perfect number for juggling children.

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