Author: Jesse

Scripture Memory for Kids

July 8, 2016

I have an acronym for scripture memory that I use at camps: MVOTW. It stands for “Memory Verse of the Week.” You pronounce it, “muh-vah-twuh.” Kids love saying it and we put motions to the words to help us remember whatever verse we are working on. Most camps and vacation Bible schools have a theme…
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Faith Development Resources: Recommended Websites

May 24, 2016

Center for Children and Theology (resource for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) – https://cctheo.org/ Hillsong Kids (music and curriculum) – https://hillsong.com/kids/ Go Fish (music and curriculum) – http://gofishresources.com/ For HIS Kidz (speakers and entertainers for evangelistic events) – http://forhiskidz.com/ MinistryToChildren.com (free resources) – http://ministry-to-children.com/ Kidology (ministry resources) – http://kidology.org/welcome.asp Group Publishing (“big box” curriculum) –…
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Faith Development Resources: Pre-Teen

May 23, 2016

ELEVEN TO TWELVE YEARS Biblezines series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, various dates. Thomas Nelson publishers has created a series of whole-text Old and New Testaments printed in the style of a modern magazine. They call them “Biblezines.” There are different versions for different genders and age groups. There is Revolve for girls and Refuel for…
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Faith Development Resources: Late Elementary

May 18, 2016

EIGHT TO TEN YEARS Adventures in Odyssey. Produced by Focus on the Family, Adventures in Odyssey is a long-running radio program that is set in the fictional mid-American town of Odyssey. Whit is the wise elder statesman of the community who helps kids figure out solutions to life’s problems through a Christian and Biblical perspective.…
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Faith Development Resources: Early Elementary

May 9, 2016

FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS Lucado, Max, Randy Frazee, and Karen Davis Hill. Illustrated by Josee Masse. God’s messages for little ones: the story of God’s enormous love. Grand Rapids, MI: Zonderkidz, 2012. Well-known pastor and author Max Lucado leads a qualified team to present this devotional for children. With 31 devotions, the book can be…
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Faith Development Resources: Preschool

May 3, 2016

This is the second list in a series of posts I am doing that list resources for ministry in both the church and home in regards to nurturing faith in children. Here we turn to the preschool age group. TWO TO FOUR YEARS Arch Books. Various authors. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House. There are…
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Faith Development Resources: Early Childhood

April 22, 2016

INTRODUCTION Finding quality resources that help nurture the faith development of children and families can sometimes be difficult. This is the first post in a series, broken up by age-level focus, that can be of help to children, family members, and ministry leaders as they navigate the pilgrimage of the Christian faith. I will start…
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The Caterpillar and the Butterfly: Easter Activity

March 24, 2016

This family or children’s ministry idea comes from Ivy Beckwith, the author of one of my assigned readings for my class at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School about ministry with children. Here is the description as I put it in my paper. I would encourage you to take this simple idea and make your own creative…
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What Cain and Jesus Share

March 24, 2016

What?! You’re comparing Cain, the first murderer, to Jesus? How dare you! Follow me here. I was writing a paper about ministry with children and I suddenly discovered in the Cain and Abel story something I had never seen before… You probably already knew that Cain was the first child to be born (remember, Adam and Eve…
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Fun at Eagle Church in Indiana

March 7, 2016

Enjoy this short video of the machete juggling at the Upward closing ceremony for Eagle Church in Whitestown, IN! @jessejoyner juggling machetes at the Upward Awards Program 😳😁 Thanks for the incredible gospel presentation and show. You rock! #jessethejuggler #eaglechurch #upward #machetes A video posted by Eagle Church (@eagle_church) on Mar 5, 2016 at…
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The Family Prayer Corner

February 26, 2016

Yesterday, I worked together with my five-year old daughter to set up a little prayer station in our house. My wife and I got the idea from her school, which uses a lot of hands-on activities that teach kids about spirituality. I’ve always been a little skeptical of creating ritualistic prayer spaces because I want…
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Valentine’s Day Lesson for Children’s Church

February 15, 2016

Here is a brief presentation I gave for the kids at my church on Valentine’s Day 2016. I do some juggling in it, but if you give a similar lesson (which you are free to do, of course), just insert your own version of something impressive to demonstrate to the children instead of juggling. The…
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Four Ways to Help Kids Get Excited About the Bible

February 15, 2016

(Picture above thanks to JaredFanning.com). Also found at http://visual.ly/top-10-most-read-books-world Here’s the file of the image: In my previous post, I shared about a large group game idea called “Super Bible Trivia.” I wanted to follow that up with a few practical tips that help us share the wonder of God’s Word with children. Here are a…
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Large Group Game: Super Bible Trivia

February 12, 2016

I’ve played a fun game with large groups of kids over the years that I call “Super Bible Trivia!” This contestant-driven stage quiz game is more of a staged drama than an actual serious quiz game. But it is set up so that the kids think it is a normal quiz game at first. Don’t worry, they’ll…
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Atlanta Tour Recap

February 10, 2016

I just got back from three shows in the greater Atlanta area over the weekend. I had a wonderful time visiting three churches. At each one, I got to perform my show and share about the story of Christ. My prayer is that God’s Word will be planted in good soil in the hearts of…
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The Sheep of His Pasture

January 31, 2016

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3, NIV
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Questions Kids Ask About God

January 30, 2016

One of the worship response stations that I’ve used at multiple retreats and summer camps is a table where kids can go and write down questions they have about God or the Bible. We call it “Question Cards.” There are Bibles on hand at the table and adults on hand as well to help answer…
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The Easiest Way to Learn Juggling

January 29, 2016

Perhaps you took a how-to-juggle seminar in third grade gym class, like me. Or maybe you warmed the bench (like me) on the baseball team and taught yourself how to juggle baseballs with all that time on your hands. But maybe you haven’t learned yet. Or the things you’ve tried have all failed. Over the…
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Cardboard Craft: Noah’s Ark

January 28, 2016

My daughter was making a zoo with blocks and her little plastic animals. I figured, “Why don’t we just make a Noah’s Ark since we have all these animals?” I’m not the most crafty person in the world, but I know how to cut cardboard boxes. So I started cutting up an Amazon shipping box.…
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The Role of the Children’s Pastor

January 27, 2016

I’m reading a great book on ministry with children right now called Children Matter by Scottie May, Beth Posterski, Catherine Stonehouse, and Linda Cannell (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 2005). Here is a quote that made me stop in my tracks: “Our responsibility is to create an environment in which the child can learn about and enter…
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Fun in the Snow!

January 26, 2016

Happy Monday and enjoy this little video my daughter took of me trying out the fire during this past weekend’s snowstorm….
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The Line Up Game

January 25, 2016

Here’s another great group game that requires ZERO set-up or materials. It’s called The Line Up Game. There are many variations to the game. This can work with any group with three or more people. You can split the group into smaller groups to compete against one another. The goal/point of the game is for…
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An Undivided Heart

January 24, 2016

I love the simplicity of Scripture. The ability to rely on God and to have an undivided heart comes from Him! “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness: give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name” (Psalm 86:11).
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Lance Brown: Speed Painter

January 23, 2016

When I spoke at Mt. Lebanon Camp last summer, I got to meet someone who brought a very creative presentation to the campers on an evening in the middle of the week. After our worship service was over, we had a special program for the campers where they could wave glow sticks and wear glow-in-the-dark accessories in the…
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Godly Play: A Model for Ministry with Children

January 22, 2016

Godly Play is a teaching system used by many churches around the world to educate children about God, the Bible, and also invite them into the Christian narrative. Jerome Berryman developed the curriculum and he was influenced by the educational theories of Maria Montessori. I observed Godly Play in action once when I was in…
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Is Jesus Our Superhero?

January 21, 2016

A metaphor that some people use for describing Jesus Christ is that he is our superhero. But, I feel that the metaphor (like most) breaks down here – and so much so that I am uncomfortable saying that Jesus is my superhero (and teaching kids the like). Here’s why: I believe that Jesus is beyond the…
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Juggling Ice

January 20, 2016

I ordered some silicone molds that make perfect ice spheres about the size of a baseball. I put them in the freezer and out came the ice balls for juggling. I went outside and tried them out. I was able to do it – and of course my hands got very cold! The balls began to…
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Large Group Game: Hot Potato Extreme

January 19, 2016

Here’s a great group game that actively involves everyone and no one gets “out.” It also involves an element of juggling that anyone can do without practice. It is like large group hot potato juggling. Here’s how it works: Have the group sit in a circle. You can do multiple circles if you want to…
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Talking to Kids About Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 18, 2016

The great thing about a holiday is not just the fact that many people get the day off, but it also carves a memorial into the annual calendar that commemorates something or someone that we as a society deem important. When children see that they have a day off of school and that people are…
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We Were Made to Marvel

January 17, 2016

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Sunrise at Masada

January 16, 2016

Masada was the final Jewish stronghold when the Romans took Jerusalem and the surrounding areas in the early to mid 70’s AD. It is small rocky plateau in the desert just west of the Dead Sea. Herod built a grand palace atop Masada in the 1st Century and ruins of his palace still remain. Today…
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Longest Celebrity Marriage?

January 15, 2016

Celebrities, including Hollywood stars, music icons, and famous people around the world have a reputation for short and numerous marriages. But there are always examples to the contrary, and I write this to show that lifelong monogamy is still possible. I personally believe it is only possible by the grace of God. I think I…
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A Brain Game for Ministry

January 14, 2016

I like finding neat science tricks and visual illustrations that can be used to help communicate Biblical concepts in teaching. I found this neat brain game trick which I like to call the “curved arcs” from Steve Spangler Science. He sells the pieces I bought below. But you can also make your own and he…
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How to Balance a Hat on Your Face

January 13, 2016

Enjoy this new video I just posted on balancing a hat on your face. Always remember two main things: Keep your eyes fixed on the highest point possible on the object you’re balancing. Tilt your head back farther than you think you should. Let me know if you have any questions!
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Super Easy Scripture Slides and Images

January 12, 2016

I recently stumbled upon a fast and free way to make Scripture slides for Children’s Ministry (or any other ministry, for that matter) with an array of free and attractive backgrounds. And it may already be in your phone/device. It’s built into one of the popular apps out there – the free YouVersion app of the…
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Vintage Richmond in the Public Domain

January 11, 2016

I love Richmond, VA history. I especially love finding old photos showing the way things used to be in this lovely east coast city. Some things have changed dramatically and some things have stayed mostly the same. I just found out from smithsonian.com that the New York City Library recently made nearly 200,000 photographs, documents,…
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Guess the Mystery Location

January 10, 2016

I passed this little community on the way home from one of my shows recently. You are very familiar with the name. Perhaps some clues in the pictures will tip you off. Where am I?
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The Power of Collaboration

January 9, 2016

We visited the Auguste Rodin special exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts yesterday. We learned something interesting that caught my attention: at lot of Rodin’s work as a sculptor was done collaboratively by “the school” of Rodin. In other words, while Rodin was the creative genius behind the design of his works, there…
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Bring Me Game Ideas

January 8, 2016

The ‘Bring Me’ game is a group activity ideal for engaging children. The leader requests random items, and the first person or group to bring the item gets a point. The game uses technology as it allows for internet-based scavenger hunt challenges. The leader needs to adapt the items according to the group’s characteristics. The…
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Teaching Kids About Street Performing

January 7, 2016

I performed for a small group of three to five year-olds at my daughter’s school today. They were studying about Europe, so I figured I would teach them about Europe’s rich tradition of busking (another term for street performing). I showed them a picture of a busker at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland as…
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Overcoming Stage Fright

January 6, 2016

I performed at a company holiday banquet on Sunday night in Pennsylvania. As I was eating dinner with the owner and his family, one of his children asked me, “Do you ever get nervous before your shows?” My answer was a quick and simple, “Yes.” Then I explained a little more. Yes, I still get nervous…
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The “How to Juggle” Trilogy

January 5, 2016

Today, I posted a short video on how to juggle five balls. That completes the “trilogy” of instructional videos on three, four, and five ball juggling. Here are all three (in order of three, four, and five). Let me know what you think!
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Teaching Kids About Money

January 4, 2016

Thanks to Dave Ramsey and other financial teachers, we were inspired to use clear labeled jars to show our daughter how much money she has and how to categorize it. I know that she will grow up in an even more digital world than we did, which means money will become more and more “invisible”…
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My Predictions for 2016

January 3, 2016

The US Presidential Election will dominate the news cycle and thus the culture and conversations of Americans. The media will exploit the opportunity for every dollar they can get out of it and we will be terribly exhausted from it all. The global economy will be strong and on an upward trend overall. Russia will…
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Downton Abbey Premiere RVA

January 2, 2016

Tonight, Sarah and I joined a bunch of friends for the USA premiere of Downton Abbey. I used to make fun of Sarah for watching her “soap opera,” until I started paying attention to the plots more and got into the series along with her. We also happen to live in the city that has…
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The Wreaths of Williamsburg

January 1, 2016

One of the benefits of being a traveling performer is the opportunity to see a lot of neat places. I often arrive extra early to my events because I like to scope out the area and have plenty of time for set up and “Murphy’s Law.” I had a gig last night at a restaurant…
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Top Blog Posts of 2015

December 31, 2015

Hello readers! Like many other sites, I’d like to offer you the top ten posts of the year from right here at jessejoyner.com Thank you to all of you who take time to read my blog. I’m not a professional writer. I hope to provide blog content that is helpful to people who work with…
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Juggling and the Meaning of “Immanuel”

December 29, 2015

Having fun at the Christmas Eve service at Commonwealth Chapel a few nights ago. This is a video of Jacob and I knocking the candy cane out of Pastor Rob’s mouth while passing around him! The teaching focus was on the fact that Jesus entered the world as a gift to community (Immanuel means, ‘God…
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Merry Christmas from Jesse Joyner Juggling!

December 27, 2015

My buddy Jacob Clarke and I got to share some juggling at the Christmas Eve service at Commonwealth Chapel in Richmond, VA a few nights ago. Here is a video of us practicing at my house before the service. May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of…
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The Interrobang as a Metaphor for the Hypostatic Union

December 18, 2015

If you have no idea what that title means, that’s OK. It is actually fairly simple to explain those weird words, which I will attempt to do. The “hypostatic union” is an important theological concept to understand about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It basically says that Jesus Christ is one person, two…
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Virtual Reality and Faith

December 1, 2015

Now this is very intriguing, definitely worth some more reflection. But I’ll just put it out there: When the Paris terror attacks occurred a few weeks ago, someone took a screenshot of an online role playing game. Where were the players? In the virtual cathedral paying their respects to the victims of a tragedy that…
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What Kind of Fruit Did Adam and Eve Eat?

November 29, 2015

Ask a group of kids (or adults for that matter) what kind of fruit was growing on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden and most people will quickly say “the apple.” The problem with that answer is that the Bible does not say what kind of fruit…
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Five Ways to Redeem Halloween

October 27, 2015

As a Christian who grew up in the church and in a Christian family, I have seen many various ways that Christians respond to the cultural phenomenon that has become Halloween. Like many things in life, there are extreme ways to celebrate (or not celebrate) something. Some Christians avoid Halloween and anything having to do…
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