tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79723416252501707422012-01-16T05:00:16.557-05:00Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-62895170177115370972007-11-17T22:14:00.000-05:002007-11-18T14:47:58.168-05:00

I've been slowly making my way through a book by N.T. Wright for several months now, and I just might finish it someday.  My snail's pace isn't because I don't enjoy the book, but more because life has a way of filling up.  It's actually been quite good - it's a very "big picture" look at God, the world, and the church.  Also it's another reminder of how distorted our view of God's Story has

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-40769300922195017852007-10-27T22:25:00.000-05:002007-10-27T22:45:06.625-05:00

I guess it's been quite a while since I've written.  I guess I just haven't felt very inspired to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) these days.  Same old, same old.  But there are a few things happening in my life:1.  I'm switching jobs in the very near future (about a week).  VERY excited about it too.  I'll be working for a professional brass instrument repair/production shop called the BAC

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-50597258028518871382007-10-12T21:27:00.000-05:002007-10-16T11:16:12.812-05:00

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. -Matthew 5:45 The range of humanity is absolutely enormous.  The capacity for good and evil within our race can make your head spin.  The same species that has landed a man on the moon, cured diseases, and written sonnets has also created a nuclear bomb, organized global sex-trade

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-90094309808415283082007-09-24T19:10:00.000-05:002007-09-24T23:14:58.451-05:00

I feel like I've been bumping into the theme of violence in a lot of different places lately - blogs, books, music, and preaching.  Seems to be a hot issue, too.  I first really started thinking about it when I picked up a copy of Derek Webb's latest solo album, The Ringing Bell.  Much of the content of the record centers around the idea that violence is our natural tendency - that it's the

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-80865762401618459262007-09-14T18:05:00.000-05:002007-09-15T10:23:50.576-05:00

It has been pointed out to me that I get way more excited about seasonal activities than the average joe. Take the Fourth of July, for instance. It was raining this year, and some of my friends were ready to break out George Foreman's Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine and call it a night. No, sir. Not on my watch. I insisted that my burger be treated right: prepared atop a traditional

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-31181892100748460362007-09-06T23:38:00.000-05:002007-09-07T00:55:58.659-05:00

I don't know that there has ever been a time in my life when I've felt less like a Christian.  And I don't say that because I'm suddenly in the scandalous habit of hanging out in bars, fishing for a one night stand.  I'm not.  As a matter of fact, I'm at home spending quality time with some oreos and a glass of milk.  What I mean is, I've never felt so detached from the values and the practices

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-88757439910391050452007-08-28T23:21:00.000-05:002007-08-29T18:39:35.889-05:00

I wonder if I'll know when to take the next step. Will the curtain drop down and cleanly separate act two from act three? Will there be definition as my life continues? My tendency thus far has been to take the words of the Lord and put them on like handcuffs. In the name of "faithfulness," I cling onto to yesterday's yoke and last year's inspirations. I stay up late and wonder if I'm still bound

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-20948252803065139832007-08-09T23:01:00.000-05:002007-08-10T14:07:54.138-05:00

And how is it that beauty fades so quickly? The glorious sunset is soon over. Beauty is, at best, the echo of a voice. And if we try to pin it down - literally, in the case of a butterfly collector with a specimen - we find that the key thing itself, the elusive beauty which keeps us always looking further, is precisely what you lose when the pin goes in. Beauty is here, but it's not here. It is

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-61074880353960181772007-07-30T00:50:00.000-05:002007-08-01T23:01:53.880-05:00

Can there be something in life that has power over us which little by little causes us to forget all that is good? And can this ever happen to one who has heard the call of eternity quite clearly and strongly? If this ever can be, then one must look for a cure against it. Praise be to God that such a cure exists – to quietly make a decision. A decision joins us to the eternal. It brings what is

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-26772822229309160912007-07-26T20:49:00.000-05:002007-07-28T20:53:43.658-05:00

I've really enjoyed re-reading some Donald Miller books since moving to KC - probably because his perspective on walking with Jesus is way different than that of my charismatic surroundings - and I guess I still get a kick out of feeling different every now and then. He's also an incredibly entertaining read, with stories that leave me wishing I knew all of his quirky friends. On his website,

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-7803582835735627292007-07-22T20:24:00.000-05:002007-07-22T22:28:34.741-05:00

Of all the metaphors found in the Word of God, one of the most widespread and powerful images is that of war. I got a fresh taste of this metaphor yesterday because I visited the World War I museum downtown (it’s the only such monument to WWI in our nation, by the way). It was fascinating to see so many artifacts, films, and photographs from a time not so distant, but very differret than

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-30570182853163838842007-07-11T22:52:00.000-05:002007-07-18T22:45:09.405-05:00

Two weeks ago at New Day, a leader in the congregation shared a revelation he'd had from the Lord regarding certain members of the church and where their hearts were postured. The Lord began by giving him an image in the spirit of an outdoor area - like a patio or a courtyard. It was a beautiful place, with a fountain and stones and sunshine, but it was absolutely full of the most hideous lawn

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-38295358638522871572007-07-02T21:32:00.000-05:002007-07-02T23:50:18.703-05:00

This is the question that Jesus asked before healing a certain man in the scriptures. It's a question that he asks me too. My answer sometimes doesn't come easy.This week in church Lloyd spoke about Jesus calling the poor in spirit "blessed." Apparently, the phrase "poor in spirit" is most accurately translated as "reduced to a state of begging dependency." Most of us feel desperate. It's

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-91839046950534943952007-06-21T21:10:00.000-05:002007-06-21T22:09:55.490-05:00

It can be a fine line between freedom and bondage; between healthy and unhealthy. It's one thing to fight for freedom, to reject conformity and religious bondage. It's quite another thing to pridefully and stubbornly separate yourself for separation's sake. I've camped out in a lot of this tension since moving here. The line I'm walking is the difference between two choices. The first option

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-29238056631620542952007-06-14T11:15:00.000-05:002007-06-19T13:25:29.979-05:00

The will of God can at times feel more like hostile take-over than like a gentle friendship. He is certainly a demanding God, isn’t he? Always wanting more of us. Always changing things around. Always moving and stealing away the things and the people we love. God disrupts our lives and steals the show. He doesn’t exactly share the spotlight with anyone.If I’m honest, there’s still a part of my

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-9991625599546246442007-05-31T21:11:00.000-05:002007-06-04T23:17:10.172-05:00

Somewhere down the line I have picked up the idea that it's only in our time alone that we see what's really inside of our hearts. While fellowship is important, it's in the alone times that we get the most authentic glimpse of who we are on the inside. Many a teenager has returned from a Christian camp or conference after an amazing time of growth, only to be warned that their spiritual high

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-78859883809047338752007-05-20T19:44:00.000-05:002007-05-20T20:12:17.448-05:00

Love believes all things. Yes, to believe all things means to believe that love is there – even though love is not apparent, even though the opposite is seen. Mistrust takes the very foundation away. Unlike love, mistrust cannot build up. Love hopes all things. Despite all appearances to the contrary, love firmly trusts that love will eventually show itself, even in the deluded, in the

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-47895163474986000172007-05-14T21:42:00.001-05:002007-05-15T13:39:07.588-05:00

"Many sufferings can assault a person, and worldly wisdom knows many remedies in defense. But all these remedies have the dismal quality that they save the body but kill the soul. They invigorate the body but deaden the spirit."-Soren KierkegaardI'm moving slowerI take a little longerBut I'm healing deeperI'm feeling strongerAnd it's tearing down defensesAnd opening my sensesTo the wonder of a

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-12737946290985710332007-05-12T12:48:00.000-05:002007-05-12T22:00:06.184-05:00

Every so often, someone will say something that echoes with me for years to come. As time passes, I keep finding myself coming back to little phrases - "keys" - that were given to me in my spiritually formative years. One that has held me fast lately is something that a friend spoke to me many years ago while on a missions trip to Monterrey, Mexico. He reminded me that "we are never changed in

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-36091685775845848422007-05-06T13:19:00.000-05:002007-05-06T13:30:25.807-05:00

Okay, I know I'm only 23... but here are four things that have made me feel really old lately.1. The music in church is too loud.2. The majority of my socks are black.3. I listen to NPR on my drive to work.4. Last night I referred to a group of teens as "young people."To combat this, I'm going to go see Spiderman 3, and maybe I'll get a jumbo popcorn... and a tattoo.

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-2060899684523806392007-05-04T23:08:00.000-05:002007-05-05T00:58:26.550-05:00

"For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For all flesh is like grass, and its glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord remains forever. Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-78785548357722159152007-04-29T22:44:00.000-05:002007-04-30T00:00:11.345-05:00

There are times when I hit the wall and realize that I'm just not good at this whole Christianity thing. I am far too mundane; far too concerned with literal, concrete, "down to earth" things. My heart beats faster when I go swimming in cool water on a hot day, when I enjoy a good meal, hear a symphony, or see a beautiful woman. But what about meditating on the Heavenly Jerusalem? Desiring

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-75757349885401519202007-04-24T21:04:00.000-05:002007-04-24T21:42:08.441-05:00

One thing that I have appreciated being in Kansas City and hanging around IHOP is the conviction of reality that people here press in for. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings and other troubling recent events, there has been a lot of fervent intercession for this dying generation. In a culture that bombards us with anesthesia and makes us numb to the tragedies occurring daily, I'm

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-69723960570079158022007-04-22T22:12:00.000-05:002007-04-22T22:47:59.809-05:00

I believe it was Mother Teresa who observed that "there are many people who can do great things for God, but few people who will do small things for Him."A woman I work with told me the other day that she trusted me more than any of our other co-workers. Mind you, I have been with the company for 6 weeks, and some of the others have been there for many years. It's taken only six weeks for her

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-89886140304257426702007-04-07T22:22:00.000-05:002007-04-07T23:55:51.224-05:00

"After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body and bound it in

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-16785836697708843192007-04-06T20:27:00.000-05:002007-04-07T09:09:58.096-05:00

Being Good Friday, there was a devotional set this afternoon in the prayer room that explored Peter's denial of Christ. It was excellent, and made me think of these beautiful words which I re-read today and decided to share here:"Consider how Christ looked on Peter, once he had denied Jesus. Was it a repelling look, a look of rejection? No. It was a look such as a mother gives her child

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-61967935060199324242007-04-03T21:48:00.000-05:002007-08-11T23:33:33.668-05:00

One of the most remarkable things about Jesus is how he was able to ignore the voices of men that flooded Him with both opposition and praise. And it wasn't that he just gritted his teeth and tuned them out - he wasn't thrown by man's opinion precisely because he saw what was really going on. He was always peering around the corner to see what was coming next. Things were never as they

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-77119544938279523732007-03-30T22:39:00.000-05:002007-03-31T08:38:51.527-05:00

So, I just realized that I had my settings fixed to where only other blogspot.com users could comment on my posts, but I just changed those settings. Now anyone should be able to leave comments on here - and please do. I Like to keep in touch this way and would love to hear your thoughts. Just click the "other" category and leave your name and/or blog.

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-37404788112542873162007-03-28T22:17:00.000-05:002007-03-28T23:06:24.565-05:00

If you've read my last 2 posts on suffering, you've probably figured out that I tend to chew on ideas for long periods of time and don't come to conclusions quickly. Sometimes it's a gift, like a greenhouse for wisdom and revelation. And other times it feels like my entire life is lived inside my head and I am deceiving myself by storing up a wealth of good intentions, but little more. For

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-75659173685601671032007-03-25T16:19:00.000-05:002007-03-25T17:03:58.286-05:00

Since my last post, I have been reminded of some truths that are important to keep hold of if we are to understand suffering and sacrifice in a healthy way. Last night, Mike Bickle preached a message dealing with the Millennial Kingdom, and in it he made the observation that Jesus more often than not used rewards as motivation to his followers. Take the Beatitudes as an example. The demands

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-74077215109284980472007-03-21T21:14:00.000-05:002007-03-21T22:34:39.390-05:00

"In ordinary human suffering there exists no self contradiction. There is no self denial in my wife's dying a natural death - after all, she is mortal. There is no self denial in my losing my possessions - after all, they are perishable. In Christian suffering, however, self contradiction is necessary. It is this that constitutes the possibility of offense. To suffer Christianly is not to

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-34194298083568125082007-03-16T20:03:00.000-05:002007-03-16T20:36:40.765-05:00

I was talking to a friend of mine last night. It was like a tall glass of water. I always enjoy talking to her, but I especially needed it last night, after a sort of lonely/adjustment sort of week. Seems like whenever I talk to her it's been at least a few months since the last time we've spoken, so it's always really easy to see the ways she's changed in that time. And what's more, talking

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-80824544236007352422007-03-10T22:33:00.000-05:002007-03-10T23:03:18.705-05:00

Well, after months of transition I find myself sitting here in the prayer room at IHOP. I drove out here with two friends on Thursday, and since then I have already purchased a cell phone, narrowed down a place to live, and have a strong lead on a job too. I've caught up with some dear friends, eaten some great KC BBQ, attended some great worship sets, and even won a few games of speed scrabble

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-23219815288762623432007-02-28T00:11:00.000-05:002007-04-29T15:09:13.354-05:00

"Hello. My name is Dave and I'm an Ephesian."At the end of December, I was at the Onething Conference in downtown Kansas City, put on by IHOP. As is sometimes the case with me, it has taken about 2 months for the profundity of a word spoken by one of the guest worship leaders to really sink in. The scripture he read was taken from Revelation 2:1-5, as Christ speaks to the church of Ephesus:"

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-20774060827556678382007-02-24T14:23:00.000-05:002007-02-24T14:54:39.168-05:00

I week or two ago I was re-reading part of a wonderful book by John Eldredge called Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive. A big theme in the book is the problem of "brokenheartedness." Usually I hear that phrase and just think of being sad, down, depressed, or wounded. But Eldredge observes that the problem is much more literal than that. The biblical language speaks of a heart

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-64565371258224441592007-02-19T16:46:00.000-05:002007-02-19T16:48:05.932-05:00

"Lovers may think that they have the highest good, but it is not so. No, love your beloved faithfully and tenderly, but let love to your neighbor be the sanctifier in your covenant of union with God. Love your friend honestly and devotedly, but let love for your neighbor be what you learn from each other in the intimacy of friendship with God! Whatever your fate in romance and friendship,

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-29010242555429703322007-02-19T16:44:00.000-05:002007-02-19T16:45:58.700-05:00

Just in case anyone thought that the spiritual climate in the US was "fine," here are some disturbing statistics I came across recently. They're taken from The Barna Group, who has been studying religious trends in the US for quite some time. This particular article dealt with the "12 Most Significant Religious Findings from 2006 Surveys." Their website has the full stories and is a good read:

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-43273362438890933212007-02-19T16:41:00.000-05:002007-02-19T16:44:05.791-05:00

While I'm inclined to agree with a certain friend of mine who holds the opinion that C.S. Lewis is over-rated, I just finished one of his books that I really enjoyed (and by the way, it's not that we feel that Lewis is bad... just slightly over-celebrated in general). Anyhow, the book is a novel called Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold. A really great friend of mine recommended it to me years

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-1220208150673200802007-02-19T16:37:00.000-05:002007-08-29T18:49:38.780-05:00

I've been bumping into a theme in the books I'm reading and the messages I've heard preached lately. It's the idea of "change-ability."I was reading some Kierkegaard in the car (during a fantastic road trip from which I just returned), and he had a beautiful passage on the famous bible story involving Abraham, God, and the command to sacrifice Isaac on the altar. He came at it from a pretty

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7972341625250170742.post-20703752515358206712007-02-19T16:30:00.000-05:002007-02-19T16:37:10.368-05:00

Many times, we think of God's judgments and rewards as external consequences that happen as a result of our sin or our righteousness. But the Lord has begun to show me that many of his judgments and rewards are built into our actions automatically. Sin leads to death - period. Righteousness leads to life - period. The issue of abortion in America is a good example. We usually think of it as

Dave Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00582916569435899002noreply@blogger.com0