Category: Juggling
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“Holy Fools”: Exploring the Journey of Calling for Christian Variety Performers
Read More: “Holy Fools”: Exploring the Journey of Calling for Christian Variety PerformersI am happy to announce that my PhD dissertation has been published to ProQuest, an academic database for published research. I have made the dissertation open source, which means anyone anywhere can access the full content free of charge. Here is the full dissertation: https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/holy-fools-exploring-journey-calling-christian/docview/2622316783/se-2 Please share far and wide. I am very much excited…
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First Night Virginia!
Read More: First Night Virginia!I’m happy to announce that I will be returning to perform at First Night Virginia this New Year’s Eve in Charlottesville, VA. The shows will be at 6:30pm, 9pm, and 10:15pm at the First United Methodist Church in Charlottesville, VA on December 31, 2017. I hope to see you all there! Click on the link…
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Fidget Spinner and Water Bottle Flip Trick
Read More: Fidget Spinner and Water Bottle Flip TrickThe fad of 2016 meets the fad of 2017! It took me a while to finally get this combo trick, but the patience paid off….
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Three Surprising Things I’ve Learned from Juggling
Read More: Three Surprising Things I’ve Learned from JugglingJuggling is really old. Did you know that images of jugglers have been discovered on the walls of an ancient Egyptian tomb that is about 4,000 years old? Near the town of modern-day Minya, Egypt, you can visit the Beni Hasan tombs. In tomb number 15, you can see an unmistakable illustration of multiple women juggling…
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First Night Virginia!
Read More: First Night Virginia!I am happy to announce that I will be performing at First Night Virginia in Charlottesville on New Year’s Eve! My shows will be at 3pm and 5:30pm, respectively. Bring the whole family and tell your friends about it too. There are lots of other activities and entertainers for the whole family. See you there! Here…
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Juggling While in Motion
Read More: Juggling While in MotionLast month I successfully juggled while flying down a zip line. I had tried the feat three or four times previously and I always dropped about halfway down the line. This most recent time, though, I made it the whole way (about 100 yards). Here is the video evidence, followed by some thoughts on the…
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Fun at Eagle Church in Indiana
Read More: Fun at Eagle Church in IndianaEnjoy 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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Valentine’s Day Lesson for Children’s Church
Read More: Valentine’s Day Lesson for Children’s ChurchHere 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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Atlanta Tour Recap
Read More: Atlanta Tour RecapI 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 Easiest Way to Learn Juggling
Read More: The Easiest Way to Learn JugglingPerhaps 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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Fun in the Snow!
Read More: Fun in the Snow!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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Juggling Ice
Read More: Juggling IceI 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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How to Balance a Hat on Your Face
Read More: How to Balance a Hat on Your FaceEnjoy 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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Teaching Kids About Street Performing
Read More: Teaching Kids About Street PerformingI 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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The “How to Juggle” Trilogy
Read More: The “How to Juggle” TrilogyToday, 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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Not Your Ordinary Vacation Bible School
Read More: Not Your Ordinary Vacation Bible SchoolStarting tomorrow, I get to share at the “Not Your Ordinary VBS” at the First United Methodist Church in Monroe, LA. My family is able to join me for this trip as well! Please come if you’re anywhere near central Louisiana. Programs are in the evenings for the next few nights and start at 6:30pm.…
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First Baptist Church of Woodbridge Show
Read More: First Baptist Church of Woodbridge ShowA few weeks ago, I got to share my show with First Baptist Church in Woodbridge, VA. It was a cold Saturday in early Spring but over a thousand people still showed up! I did two shows – one in the large sanctuary before the egg hunt and a second in a small cafe-like setting…
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Winter Fusion 2014
Read More: Winter Fusion 2014Last night was the kickoff for Winter Fusion, a retreat for youth from churches in Virginia. I got to perform my unicycle routine as a little teaser for the full show tonight. It’s been a lot of fun so far interacting with these young people and meeting their leaders as well. The fun thing for…
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The Power of Juggling
Read More: The Power of JugglingIn my most recent newsletter (which you can access here), I told the story of how I had done a show for a high school where just days before I came one student stabbed another in the middle of class. A parent sent me a message after my show thanking me for bringing a little…
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Juggling Down a Zipline
Read More: Juggling Down a ZiplineVideo evidence of my adventure juggling rocks while flying down a zipline! According to the laws of physics, the balls are flying forward WITH me as I toss and catch them. I don’t have to compensate for my forward motion. I simply juggle as if I was standing still in place. It’s actually quite amazing…
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The Upward Show When My Luggage Didn’t Arrive
Read More: The Upward Show When My Luggage Didn’t ArriveIn nearly 15 years of doing shows, there have been two times where my luggage did not arrive in time for the show. The first time was on Easter weekend about five years ago. My flight was diverted (due to weather, I think) to a different city than originally planned. I rented a car and…
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Life as a Professional Juggler: FAQ’s
Read More: Life as a Professional Juggler: FAQ’sBy God’s grace, I am living a dream. I get to do what I love and I don’t even feel like I work. But what I do is serious “work” at the same time. I get a lot of questions from people about what I do, so I thought I would try to consolidate the…
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Historical Juggling Props Museum
Read More: Historical Juggling Props MuseumI have the privilege of being a personal friend of the curator of the historical props juggling museum, David Cain. That means that when I juggle in his area (like I did last week), I can pay him a visit and get a free tour of the holdings. Currently, the museum is in his house,…
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Advanced Chinese Yo-Yo Trick: The Elevator
Read More: Advanced Chinese Yo-Yo Trick: The ElevatorYears ago, I learned a trick with the Chinese Yo-Yo (aka Diabolo) that is known as “the elevator” or “the climb.” Since I use it in my ministry show to illustrate the resurrection of Christ (thanks for the idea, David Cain), kids who see my show call it the “rise-from-the-dead” trick. Whatever you call it,…
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Circus 4 Ever
Read More: Circus 4 EverI’ve got some exciting news. I have partnered with some other jugglers from the Christian Jugglers Association and we are happy to introduce to you a non-profit called Circus 4 Ever. This is an organization that exists to make an eternal impact on lives around the globe using juggling and circus arts. Our primary objectives…
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Meet Fellow Christian Juggler Bob Cates
Read More: Meet Fellow Christian Juggler Bob CatesHere is a video introduction of a friend of mine who is also in the Christian Jugglers Association. I love his heart for God’s Word and his skill at quality entertainment. Bob Cates on Faith Family & Show from Bob Cates on Vimeo.
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Developing a 45-minute Show
Read More: Developing a 45-minute ShowFor many variety performers out there, one of the challenges is filling a 45-minute window of time with engaging content for hundreds or thousands of people. Since I work mostly with audiences that include lots of kids, I have found 45 minutes tends to be a good length of time for family audiences to enjoy…
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Juggling-Themed Comic Clippings
Read More: Juggling-Themed Comic ClippingsThanks to juggler Jonathan Root for collecting and documenting this treasure trove of juggling-related comic strips (and even some editorial cartoons). To view the album of over 200 clippings, visit the facebook album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.171943646300156.1073741829.161343814026806&type=1&comment_id=597513&offset=0&total_comments=5
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Stick to the Word
Read More: Stick to the WordLast night, as I was setting up for my speaking/juggling presentation at Crosspointe Church in Norman, Oklahoma, my host wanted to make sure I was going to really teach the Bible rather than just entertain and then briefly mention the Bible at the end. He told me how he has seen some entertainers simply do…
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Hello, My Name Is…..
Read More: Hello, My Name Is…..A few weeks ago, I got to speak at Covenant Cedars Bible Camp in Hordeville, Nebraska. The weather was sunny, breezy, and in the 70’s all week. It is a wonderful camp on a river in the middle of rural Nebraska – a perfect location for a retreat from the noise and busyness of everyday…
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4 Great Apps for Teachers
Read More: 4 Great Apps for TeachersI love using big fun visuals for kids when teaching or leading games. These are some apps I recently found that I will definitely be using for my camp teaching this summer. I’ve been looking for apps likes these. It is important to note that these are apps that work best when you can use…
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Bobby May: The Classy Juggler
Read More: Bobby May: The Classy JugglerWe 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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Busy Days
Read More: Busy DaysThis 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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Top 5 Games for Summer Camp
Read More: Top 5 Games for Summer CampI 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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The Impossible Paper Cut
Read More: The Impossible Paper CutI 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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Less is More
Read More: Less is MoreWhen 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
Read More: No Chainsaw Juggling on a PlaneAs 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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Five Things You Should Know About Haiti
Read More: Five Things You Should Know About HaitiHaiti 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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This Is Why I Love My Job
Read More: This Is Why I Love My JobEvery 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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When Children Grieve: From Bethlehem to Newtown
Read More: When Children Grieve: From Bethlehem to NewtownOn 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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How to Win at Heads or Tails
Read More: How to Win at Heads or TailsI 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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My Take: Dumb Ways to Die
Read More: My Take: Dumb Ways to DieThis 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
Read More: Free Photo Editing ResourceIf 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
Read More: Risking My Life for FoodJoin 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
Read More: How to Save Three DollarsSo 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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Why It Helps for Children’s Church to Be Fun
Read More: Why It Helps for Children’s Church to Be FunLet 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
Read More: Captivating the Attention of ChildrenAnyone 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
Read More: Every Child is a Winner by McCaslin and BiehlCaz 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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How to Do the Chinese Yo-Yo (aka Diabolo)
Read More: How to Do the Chinese Yo-Yo (aka Diabolo)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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The Engage Children’s Ministry Conference
Read More: The Engage Children’s Ministry ConferenceI 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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Best Juggling Equipment Vendors in North America
Read More: Best Juggling Equipment Vendors in North AmericaThis 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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Friday Video – The Upper Echelon of Juggling
Read More: Friday Video – The Upper Echelon of JugglingSince 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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Friday Video
Read More: Friday VideoHappy June! I’m off to speak and juggle at a bunch of summer camps in Texas. Follow my updates from camp right here on this blog. My calendar will show you where I’ll be. For now, enjoy this fun video I found. I haven’t met these folks yet, but I’d like to someday since we…
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My Worst Juggling Injuries
Read More: My Worst Juggling InjuriesI get this question a lot. And the answers will probably surprise you. I have injured myself a handful of times while juggling (whether practicing or performing). By the grace of God, none of these injuries have been career-ending. I hope this list is an encouragement to you to keep going in work, ministry, family,…
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What is an Upward Sports™ Entertainer?
Read More: What is an Upward Sports™ Entertainer?Upward Sports™ Entertainer – an individual or group who performs and presents the Christian Gospel for the closing awards ceremony of a local Upward™ Sports league. That’s the basic definition. The goal of this outline is to be informative and helpful for Upward Sports™ league directors, Upward Sports™ parents/family members, Upward Sports™ participants, Upward Sports™…
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How to Juggle
Read More: How to JuggleJuggling is not as difficult as you would think. I learned how to juggle 3 beanbags when I was 11 years old. It took me about 2 weeks of working on it for 10-20 minutes each night to get comfortable with it. I’ve seen elementary-aged children successfully learn how to juggle in under an hour.…
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The Smoothest Plane Ride Ever
Read More: The Smoothest Plane Ride EverI flew to Syracuse, NY yesterday morning to do my juggling presentation for the Upward program at North Syracuse Baptist Church. I woke up around 4:45am to catch my early flight, so I figured I could catch some zzzz’s on the plane to New York. I boarded the second leg of my trip (Philadelphia to…
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The Ten Commandments of Using Volunteers in a Kid Show
Read More: The Ten Commandments of Using Volunteers in a Kid ShowThis can apply to anyone who performs shows for kids – jugglers, magicians, clowns, variety entertainers, teachers, etc. 1. Thou shalt use volunteers and audience participation2. Thou shalt use a variety of volunteers (age, gender, race, etc.)3. Thou shalt get and remember names4. Thou shalt respect the volunteers5. Thou shalt make the volunteer the star6.…
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Phoenix and Boston in One Weekend
Read More: Phoenix and Boston in One WeekendThis past weekend, I got to spend time in both Phoenix and Boston – and half of it was unplanned! I did a scheduled trip to Phoenix as I got to share my juggling presentation at a church on Easter Sunday in Prescott, AZ. The people there at Heights Church were great to me. On…
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The Juggler’s Prayer
Read More: The Juggler’s PrayerDear Lord, You are the great Juggler.From the celestial bodies to our human bodies, you toss and weave every planet and molecule in a pattern of indescribable beauty.We can manage only a handful of objects in the air at once.We can manage only a limited amount of schedules, relationships, and responsibilities on this earth.But you…
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Joggling the Richmond Half-Marathon
Read More: Joggling the Richmond Half-MarathonLet me start with a confession. I do not run much. I signed up for this half-marathon as a spontaneous, last minute whim because my wife was doing the full and I was tired of watching people do half-marathons and thinking (“I could do that”). So, without any training or stretching (except the biking that…
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Juggling a Chainsaw
Read More: Juggling a ChainsawDISCLAIMER: DO NOT ATTEMPT! I juggled a live, running, sharp chainsaw for the very first time last week in North Carolina. I guess I was tired of being a juggler for 15 years and having people ask me, “Soooo, can you juggle a chainsaw?” I would always have to say, “No, but I’d like…
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Ninja Juggling
Read More: Ninja JugglingThis post is pure fun. My friend, Duke Holbrook, and I ventured out to Triangle Park in Lexington, KY this past Tuesday for some juggling. But this was no ordinary juggling. This was “ninja juggling.” There is a strict dress code for ninja juggling – all black. Duke recommended that we not don the black…
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Popular Posts
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“Holy Fools”: Exploring the Journey of Calling for Christian Variety Performers
I am happy to announce that my PhD dissertation has been published to ProQuest, an academic database for published research. I have made the dissertation open source, which means anyone anywhere can access the full content free of charge. Here is the full dissertation: https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/holy-fools-exploring-journey-calling-christian/docview/2622316783/se-2 Please share far and wide. I am very much excited…
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The Easiest Large Group Game Ever
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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Merry Christmas from the Joyners!
Greetings from our family in Richmond, Virginia! We are thankful for you, our friends and family. We are also thankful to the Lord for His gift of the love to us all this season. This past year has been a roller coaster of experiences and emotions, specifically regarding our spunky little Annie, who is now…
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Book Release! Incredibly Bad Dad Jokes
I have been writing down my original Dad jokes for several years now, but recently they dramatically increased. While the past five months of my life have been the toughest for me as a Dad (with Annie’s medical crisis), the Dad jokes actually came out in full force during this season. You see, in my…
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A Children’s Ministry Poem
From the mouths of children come questions galore about heaven and angels and Satan and more. They speak what their hearts say without holding back, so the wonder of God is something they never lack. Oh God, who are you? Who inspires the minds of little ones many, so that they may find this Jesus…