Haven’t blogged in a while, so here goes. A lot of cool stuff in the works. Possibly teaming up with different musicians to start a “travelling troubadours” kind of tour. The focus would be, of course, music, but also with a hands on approach in the cities we visit. We would actually spend more than 5 hours in the area. Imagine that! All of this, mind you, in still in the talking process. Still working on new songs. Demoed one possibly for radio (which at best I have been unsuccessful at thus far!) with my friend James Joseph. It seems to have went over pretty well with “Team Joy” at Ardent. Radio is extremely unpredictable. And I, by nature, just don’t write that way. So, if this one, or any one, actually hits the airwaves….party, folks. Big party. And you’re all invited! Still getting used to being without “my kids”. For those who don’t know, my sister and her husband moved from Memphis a couple months ago and took their kids with them. Boo hoo! I got to enjoy every single day for 7 years, 3 of the most extraordinary little people I have ever, or will ever meet. We literally were together every day. There’s a giant hole here now and Memphis just isn’t the same. Thank goodness for Skype! There’s tons of pictures of them on my Facebook page. Check em out. Working on booking some shows in Nashville. Believe it or not, there are not that many places to play in Memphis. There should be, but there’s not. So, next stop…..Nashville. I’ve always enjoyed that city. Oh! And if you haven’t paid attention to my posts and tweets about Jennifer Knapp….uh….what up? Make haste over to jenniferknapp.com and support her in whatever way you can. She is playing in Nashville on November 18th and I am SO there! More than that, support your local music. Support the musicians you enjoy listening to. We, as musicians, don’t go all over the world simply for ourselves. We go to sing for you. Go see their shows. Go buy their records. Even more, be a friend to them. Being a musician is hard work, folks. It’s not what you see on television. Nothing ever is. Ok…lastly, and totally unrelated to anything previously said….2 things I am enjoying today….beenie weenies and my electric blanket. Chow! Joy

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It’s been a while since my last written blog.  I have been thinking about many things since then.  I am currently reading a book called “Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future”.  So, naturally, I have been thinking about Iran, and Russia, and Islam, and, of course, Israel.  I wholeheartedly support Israel’s right to exist UNDIVIDED, but that does not mean that I am anti-Arab.  I am not.  If you are reading this and you are Jewish or Arab…I love you both.  As a result of those ponderings, I have been thinking about the return of my Lord.  Am I ready for His return?  As far as salvation goes, yes, I am ready.  I know where I will spend eternity.  But am I ready to stand face to face with Him?  If He were to return tonight, would my present conduct and behavior and spiritual state make me ashamed to be seen by Him?  Or would I be confident that my life and heart is pleasing to Him?  I think that I would be ashamed.

I have also been thinking about the music God has given me.  What should I be doing with it?  Where should I be taking it?  When I am given the opportunity to stand on a stage in front of people, what message does God want me to convey?  Have I been wasting time?  Taking it too lightly?

On a more positive note, I have been thinking about how blessed I am to have the people in my life that I do.  I have thought how wonderful it is to know that everyone in my family knows the Lord, and how horrible it must be to know that someone you love dearly is lost.  I have thought about how wonderful my parents are.  They have loved me from day one, even when I put them through H- E- double L, and continue to do so.  And how wonderful my only sibling, my sister, Allison, is.  We were always close growing up…slept in the same bed until she went to college.  I remember moving into a house where we finally got our own separate rooms and our own separate beds and tried sleeping apart….but it didn’t last long.

I have been thinking about how it probably isn’t in God’s plan for me to have my own children, and that is why he gave 3 amazing angels to my sister, and in turn, to me.  I know, as much as I possibly can, what it feels like to love a child with a mother’s love.  I have my sister to thank for that….for letting me experience that with her children.  I guess I have to thank my brother-in-law, Shon, as well.  He did play a small part in their existence, after all.  Shon accepted Christ around the same time I did.  He was in the theater with me when I accepted Him.  That movie changed more than one life that night.  We were even baptized on the same day.  I have never told him, but that was a special day for me.  We were both raised into newness of life only minutes apart.  It was special to share that same experience with someone you care for.

I am also blessed to have such a good friend, which I have discovered are few and far between.  Her name is Naomi.  She was there the day I was baptized.  We had met only a few months before that day.  But I remember stepping out of the water and she was there waiting with a towel.  I am a blessed woman.  An undeserving woman.  My life is truly a testament to how gracious and forgiving God is.  His name is Faithful and True.  Do you know Him?

And these are just a few of my ponderings…..

Thanks for reading.

Joy