Tomorrow morning, I have the privilege of teaching a workshop at a conference (the LEAD Conference for the Potomac District of the Assemblies of God). The topic is about how to affirm and support children in their God-given callings in life. The content of the workshop comes from my recent research about calling. Here is…

Here is the sermon I preached yesterday at Eternity Church in Richmond, VA: “His Hesed Endures Forever,” March 27, 2022, by Jesse Joyner Scriptures: Psalm 136, Micah 6:8, and 1 John 4:7-12 The Ironman I have been a fan of the game of baseball my entire life. My mother got me into it. She herself…

My First Job Do you remember your first job? My first job was working as a waiter and dishwasher at Gayton Terrace, an assisted living community in the far West End of Henrico County. I was in high school at the time, about to get my learner’s permit for driving, and my parents were not…

In my PhD research about Christian variety performers, I am coming across a theme known as “agents of vocation.” That term comes from scholar Kathleen Cahalan, who found in her own research that “many people first experience a sense of ‘calling’ through another person.” Someone spoke into their lives in a way that led them…

My family recently visited the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel near Shenandoah National Park. Originally constructed as a train tunnel in the 1850s, the tunnel went defunct near the end of WWII (1944) when a newer tunnel was built close by to take it’s place. The old tunnel was left unused for some time, until…

Can you think of a time when someone spoke life into you through an affirming word? Did anyone ever tell you, “You’re really good at that” or “You should consider doing such-and-such with your life, it would really help/serve others”? I’m studying the topic of calling for my research and I am learning that we…

We continue our Eternity Kids Club series with two episodes for Thanksgiving! This is a ministry of our church in Richmond, VA (Eternity Church). Join Mr. Mike as he wanders around our house looking for things he’s thankful for….

On Monday night, I experienced a first in my life: I performed an entire show while wearing a face mask. Here’s the story: a retirement home had originally booked my show for March 28th, but that date got postposed for obvious reasons. Skip ahead to September 2020 and now the retirement home is letting people onto…

Hello! In today’s episode, we are finishing up our series called “Children of the Bible.” Over the past few weeks, we learned about different kids in the Bible and how God used them for big and important things. Click on this link to find all the Eternity Kids Club episodes. Simply click on the one…

Join Larry the Lizard and some of my other friends as we learn about the Bible and have fun at the same time. Warning: there will be flannel graphs! Every Wednesday and Friday at 11:30am EST at the Eternity Church Facebook page.

If you read or study about calling and vocation (which, by the way, comes from the Latin vocare, “to call”), you will most likely come across this poetic quote by Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” (1993, Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s…

We just wrapped up our third annual youth circus arts camp in Richmond, Virginia. This is the only camp of its kind in the state of Virginia. For two weeks every August, a few dozen youth participate in a day-camp where they learn how to run away with the circus! We teach them juggling, hooping,…

I recently got this question in an email from someone who is struggling with the way others perceive his love of juggling…. “I’ve been losing a bit of inspiration in the juggling world and could use someone with faith to support my hobby which is usually frowned upon. People just don’t welcome juggling. In my…

On one of my plane rides this past month, I watched a new documentary about the late Reverend Billy Graham. The film is called Billy Graham: An Extraordinary Journey. It is a wonderful summary of the life of Graham and the prolific reach of his ministry. There was one thing in particular about the documentary that…

I know we are a long way off from Christmas, but I want to share a resource with you that I came across recently. It is called “Miracle in a Manger.” I met the founder, Kim, who assisted me at my merchandise table for one of my juggling shows in Mississippi last month. She told…

There is a famous children’s song called Deep and Wide. You’re probably familiar with it. It goes… Deep and wide, deep and wide. There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide (x2). -Sidney Cox, early 20th Century The song was written by Sidney Cox, a major in the Salvation Army. He wrote hundreds of songs, but…

The word “vocation” comes to us from the Latin vocare, which means “to call.” Keller and Alsdorf point out that calling indicates a caller – and that caller is God. In their 2012 book, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work To God’s Work (New York, NY: Riverhead Books), Keller and Alsdorf say that vocation is…

Revelation Memory Verse. We made it! Thanks for joining me on this journey through the Bible for one memory verse per each of the 66 books of the Bible. They are all now archived at #mvotwyear on Instagram. May the Lord bless you. And know that in Him, it is finished.