Author: Jesse

What’s the Tallest Building in Your State?

March 22, 2013

I love lists like this. When I was a kid, leisure time for me was reading through almanacs, world record books, and “top ten lists”-type books (and juggling of course). I found it amazing that the tallest building in Vermont is only 124 feet tall. Many cities in America have plenty of buildings at that…
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Happy Birthday Bach

March 21, 2013

My favorite classical composer, J.S. Bach was born on this date (Old Style date) in 1685. That would make him a whopping 328 years old today (peanuts compared to Methuselah). Enjoy this video that plays his Easter Oratorio:
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Bobby May: The Classy Juggler

March 14, 2013

We all have influences in our craft. One of mine is a fellow named Bobby May. He died in 1981 and started performing in 1922 (alongside Bob Hope). He is considered one of the greatest jugglers, particularly of American jugglers. He worked the Vaudeville circuit and performed flawless routines with ease. He also had tons…
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What They Didn’t Teach Me in Sunday School about Jonah

March 12, 2013

You know the story of Jonah and the Whale – the story that is widely taught to children around the world about the guy who gets swallowed by a sea monster. I thought I knew it too. But in preparation for teaching it to the Milan Free Methodist (Michigan) Winterblast kids last Friday night, I…
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Busy Days

March 11, 2013

This is “Upward Season”, as is known to many of us Upward entertainers. We are all criss-crossing the country, performing at some of the 3,000-4,000 Upward awards programs across the land. I’ve done 11 shows in the last two weekends alone. I love it, but it uses a good amount of energy. Today, I’m enjoying…
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A Father’s Prayer for His Daughter

February 27, 2013

A Father’s Prayer for His Daughter by Jesse Joyner Father in heaven, Please help me raise my daughter, to love her with your unfailing love, and to always tell her of her God-given beauty. Please protect her from harm and trouble. Empower her with love, grace, and compassion. Strengthen her with wisdom, courage, and integrity.…
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The Best Family Ministry Event

February 26, 2013

In my opinion, the best family ministry event a church can host surprisingly doesn’t include the whole family. But in a way, it does. I’m talking about the Father/Daughter Banquet. Some churches call it the Daddy/Daughter Dance or some other similar title. My own church in Richmond, VA has been doing this for 3 years…
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Friday Trivia

February 22, 2013

Since I’m in the Quad Cities, here’s a little local trivia: Name the Quad Cities area radio announcer who went on to bigger and better things in life, like leading the free world.
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Top 5 Games for Summer Camp

February 21, 2013

I travel to a lot of summer camps around the country each year. I have seen with my own eyes what games kids are drawn to the most throughout their given week of camp. And they are the same games no matter where you go. Kids are kids! Here are the 5 games that I…
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Children and Animals in Eternity

February 20, 2013

I am intrigued with the fascination that children have with animals. Is it because many domestic animals are more approachable and manageable (size-wise) for children? Is it because the animals are fuzzy and furry? Are there a variety of factors? Regardless, I think we all have a little kid in us when we interact with…
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The Impossible Paper Cut

February 19, 2013

I asked a group of elementary schoolers if they thought I could cut a hole in a regular 8.5″x11″ piece of computer paper large enough to fit 6 kids through it at the same time. We were able to do it with no problem! Are you also skeptical? Here’s how you do it…… Step 1:…
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Friday Trivia

February 15, 2013

I love trivia. I especially love random trivia that blows your mind. Here is something I recently learned that will blow your mind. Do you know the answer? Name a species of bird (that most of you have probably heard of before) that was one of the most abundant animals in North America (numbered in…
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How to Handle a Woman – Camelot the Musical

February 14, 2013

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here is some helpful sage advice for all us guys out there. You’re welcome.
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Immortality on Earth

February 13, 2013

There is a fascinating example in science of an “eternal” living animal: the Turritopsis nutricula. It is a tiny jellyfish-like creature that reverts to a juvenile after maturing to older life stages (an so on and so forth). It is a cell development process called transdifferentiation (say that ten times fast). It tops any list…
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Less is More

February 12, 2013

When I was in Port-au-Prince, Haiti last month, I had the privilege of visiting a children’s home/orphanage of about 30 kids between the ages of 10-17. My host, Scott, asked if I would be willing to teach the kids how to juggle. I was happy to do so. The only problem is that I did…
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No Chainsaw Juggling on a Plane

February 8, 2013

As both a chainsaw juggler and a frequent flier on Delta, I took notice when Delta’s newest safety video showed a placard disallowing chainsaw juggling. I love it! Watch the video and notice the sign at the 1:33 mark:
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The Uncle Charlie Only144 Sale

February 7, 2013

Buy over $1500 of Uncle Charlie’s music and other resources for only $97. The first one hundred buyers get a free “Live Show” DVD of my juggling act. Click on the image to get to the sale.
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Five Things You Should Know About Haiti

February 5, 2013

Haiti is on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (shared with the Dominican Republic) in between the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. I had the chance to visit two weekends ago and perform my juggling show six times in three days for children at various events (a school, some orphanages, and a church). My hosts…
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The Top 10 Travel Search Websites

January 16, 2013

I travel a lot for my work and for recreation with my family. I love the thrill of searching for and finding great travel deals – whether it be a flight, hotel stay, car rental, cruise, or some other fun getaway. Here at my 10 favorite sites for searching for and finding the best deals…
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The Easiest Large Group Game Ever

January 15, 2013

This is probably the easiest large group game ever invented. If you can think of an easier one, please let me know in the comments. Heads or Tails! This game of heads or tails involves EVERYONE in your large group. It is actually better the larger the group gets. There is an elimination factor to…
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This Is Why I Love My Job

January 14, 2013

Every so often I hear feedback from people who see my show. And over the years, I’ve heard the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s amazing, though, just how powerful some stories can be in inspiring you to continue doing the job/ministry/vocation you do. This is one of those letters….. I recently got this…
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The Flight 93 National Memorial

January 9, 2013

I drove to a show in Pittsburgh yesterday. Instead of taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike across PA (which is narrow, congested, and expensive), I opted to take the parallel four and two-lane state route 30 (a little mountainous, but otherwise clear of traffic and free). While driving on Route 30, I passed a sign that said,…
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Top 5 Posts of 2012

December 31, 2012

These are my top 5 posts from 2012 – based on number of hits to each post. I had no idea my top post would be about Facebook’s little favicon, but apparently I struck a chord with the curious computer geeks out there. Next were some resources for Children’s Ministry, including my top ten songs…
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When Children Grieve: From Bethlehem to Newtown

December 21, 2012

On a mild autumn morning twelve years ago, I found myself in front of a primary school class full of grieving children. I was their entertainment for the day – a juggler from halfway across the world, doing whatever I could to bring a little joy to their lives. The children were Palestinian kids from…
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The Problem with Santa

December 7, 2012

I have a problem with Santa. I’m not hostile towards the jolly fellow. He’s actually a really nice guy. But I still have a really big problem with him. Santa is a legalist. He makes a list. He checks it twice. He finds out who is naughty or nice. And then he rewards the good…
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How to Win at Heads or Tails

December 3, 2012

I can teach you a secret to winning at heads or tails – every single time. You can flip the coin a thousand times and call the heads or tails to your friends before you all look at the coin. And this is all using a real quarter. There are a few conditions: This works…
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Now Showing

November 30, 2012

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My Take: Dumb Ways to Die

November 29, 2012

This catchy and artsy music video will either make you laugh or make you a little creeped out, depending on your sense of humor. I thought it was hilarious, especially the character who “sold both kidneys on the internet.” Would you believe that this is a public service announcement from the rail Metro in Melbourne,…
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Free Photo Editing Resource

November 27, 2012

If you’re like me, then you know enough about photo editing to use basic programs like iPhoto but other big programs like Photoshop scare the begeebees out of you. You see, I want the versatility that Photoshop provides with the ease of use that iPhoto provides. Plus, I don’t need 98% of the bells and…
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Risking My Life for Food

November 25, 2012

Join me this Wednesday night at the Robinson Theater in Richmond, VA (2903 Q St, Richmond, VA 23223) from 7pm to 8pm as I do my first indoor performance of the chainsaw juggling act. This is a comedy juggling show for all ages. Admission is one canned or non-perishable food OR $1. All the food…
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How to Save Three Dollars

November 20, 2012

So you want to learn how to juggle but you don’t quite have the budget to go out and buy $5 balls, $7 rings, and $30 clubs. I have the answer for you. You could just use anything currently lying around the house, like balled-up socks, tomatoes, or kittens. But if you use socks, you…
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Everyone’s a Kid

November 17, 2012

I believe in eternity – that God created us to be in communion with Him forever. From a temporal perspective, our lifespans on earth are essentially a blip compared to eternal life. So humans on earth are all kids. We are simply growing up here on this earth until we die. Kids are full of…
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The Most Misunderstood Concept about God

November 13, 2012

Grace. I often ask groups of children when I teach them, “Will you go to heaven if you’re a good kid?” And I usually get the same resounding “yes!” from the crowd. Many adults in the Church would answer the same way. This is a big problem in the Church today, and it starts in…
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Why It Helps for Children’s Church to Be Fun

November 4, 2012

Let me be clear: The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not need a circus of pizazz to penetrate the heart of a child (or anyone for that matter). The love and grace of Jesus stands fine on its own to regenerate the hearts of children. But it sure does help to present…
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Captivating the Attention of Children

November 1, 2012

Anyone can captivate the attention of a child – or a group of children. All it takes is a smile and a little energy in your face. And those things come from a sincere heart to connect with the child/children. It helps to be able to perform some astonishing feat like a magic trick or…
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Every Child is a Winner by McCaslin and Biehl

October 30, 2012

Caz McCaslin runs Upward Sports, a global youth sports organization that promotes Biblical values, equal play time, and ultimately, the person and work of Jesus Christ. He wrote what he considers a “parent playbook” called Every Child is a Winner (Broadman and Holman: Nashville, 2002). My family and I got to visit the main headquarters…
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Faith Like a Child

October 25, 2012

My wife, Sarah, broke her pinky toe last week. Then she gouged the underside of her other foot on a broken piece of wood flooring (we have an old house – and I’m fixing the problem area today). So she’s limping around, ever-so-courageously, chasing our toddler and living normal life. Our toddler, Kezzie, has clearly…
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Shamgar: The Relief Pitcher of the Bible

October 9, 2012

I just read an article over at ESPN about the relief pitchers for the Baltimore Orioles, who did a fantastic job putting down the Yankees last night in the playoffs. Brian Matusz spoke about how being a bullpen pitcher can be a “thankless job.” Yet they are some of the most key players of a…
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How to Do the Chinese Yo-Yo (aka Diabolo)

October 4, 2012

The crowd favorite of my show is the Chinese Yo-Yo. Quite honestly, there are a lot of people out there that are way more skilled than I am at the Chinese Yo-Yo (also known as the Diabolo). But my intermediate skills at it still cast a spell over any crowd. Why? Because the object itself…
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Breakfast with Jesus

October 3, 2012

We can be pretty sure that Jesus wasn’t a vegetarian because he called his disciples over for a fish breakfast in one of his post-resurrection appearances. This was the original church fish fry. It doesn’t say that Jesus partook of the fish, but the meal was definitely his idea – so break out the tilapia!…
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The Engage Children’s Ministry Conference

October 1, 2012

I was just invited to teach a workshop at The Engage Conference up in Pennsylvania in November. If you work in Children’s Ministry in any capacity (pastor, leader, volunteer, etc.), please see if you can make this great one-day conference. Its only twenty bucks! Click Here for all the info.
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Fall Festival Ideas

September 27, 2012

If you’re a Children’s Pastor or leader of a community program for families, you’re probably somewhere on the spectrum of planning for your annual Fall Festival. If you haven’t started planning for one, its still not too late, but you only have about a month left, depending on when you hold it. Before I list…
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Nine Reasons Why I Love My Wife

September 20, 2012

Sarah and I celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary today. When we were engaged, we somehow came up with a joke that we would be married for 60 years before one of us died. But when you do the math, that leaves us dead at 82 or 83 and I’d like to live at least 20…
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Best Juggling Equipment Vendors in North America

September 19, 2012

This list is not exhaustive. I just want to list out some of the best places that I have found to get juggling equipment in North America. If you want to add a vendor to this list, please leave a comment! Dube Juggling Equipment – This NYC-based company has been a standard of quality juggling and…
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Free Classical Music Online

September 17, 2012

I’ve recently stumbled upon a rich resource of music from dozens of great classical composers (among other styles of music). All the recordings on this site are free and in the public domain. There are no copyright restrictions either, which means these recordings can be freely used for any purpose anywhere for any reason. The…
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Another Place to Find Me

September 15, 2012

Just found this listing site for entertainers. You should see my profile on there soon: www.LocoloboEvents.com
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Friday Video – The Upper Echelon of Juggling

September 14, 2012

Since I learned how to juggle, I have been amazed at the extraordinary technical skill of a juggler named Anthony Gatto. He is a Cirque du Solei performer and holds plenty of juggling world records. He sets a bar of excellence in juggling that is both inspiring and challenging at the same time. I hope…
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Including the Children

September 13, 2012

The battle of Jericho has been immortalized in the Judeo-Christian conscience as the epic moment when “the walls came tumblin’ down.” So why don’t we remember the dramatic battle after Jericho? It is known as the battle of Ai. Ai was a city further into the Promised Land from Jericho. Joshua tried sending a small force…
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God and Money

September 12, 2012

When I was in college, I remember having a cloud of worry parked over my psyche every single day because I knew that I was taking out a LOT of money for school and I was going to have to pay it back. And it was during college that I decided my life theme verse…
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3,470 Hours Per Year

September 11, 2012

3,470 hours. If you’re a parent, that’s about how many hours per year that your children are awake and not in school or church. Church-going kids spend anywhere from an hour to five hours a week in church or doing church-related activities. Another 50-100 hours is spent sleeping, depending on the age of the child.…
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A Little Shout Out From CBS 6

September 8, 2012

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The Princess Problem

September 7, 2012

Check out this article written by a professor at my alma mater, Taylor University. Her name is Amy Lepine Peterson and she offers a critique of Karen Kingsbury’s children’s books about princes and princesses. Here is the link to the article: http://tinyurl.com/9nbmofh Now that you’ve read it, here’s my thought: The character of a princess in…
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Living Up to Your Name

September 5, 2012

This past February, Sarah, Kezzie took a trip to Europe. We flew in and out of Barcelona. When we landed, we spent the day walking (a lot) around Barcelona. People told us we had to go see Sacrada Familia, so we wandered until we found it. Apparently, this is the big attraction in Barcelona, so…
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