Mission of Mine

My church, Life Journey Christian Church, just finished a series called "Mission of Mine". The whole series focused not only on the missionaries/organizations that LJCC sponsors, but also on how the church family in a whole is in their own missionary mission. Halfway through the series, I was approached by my pastor, David Limiero, to see if I was willing to teach.

At first, honestly, I was shocked. I never thought I would be asked to speak at my own church. I told David I would pray about it. Maybe a few minutes later I told David "Yes". I spoke about my testimony, my missionary works, and the vision for my missionary future. I spoke at both services on 6/26/2011 at 8:30am & 10:30am. I've spoken at countless churches, mostly in India and Taiwan. This was first time I was completely exhausted afterwards.

Below is the iTunes link to my church's podcast. There, you can download our weekly services for FREE. If you'd like to download my podcast, the title is "Mission Of Mine: Chris Joy", and the date is 6/25/11.

New Chapter Ahead

For the past year it has felt like I've been in a constant single chapter of my life. In many ways it has. Usually, at least for me, chapters didn't last more than a few months. Spending time in Sequoia this past weekend, in the presence of God's beauty, I found out a few things about the next upcoming chapter of this book I call life.

First, God is pulling some major junk out I had somehow pushed deep into the back of my heart. I got reminded that I still struggle with acceptance. I have this very real fear of never getting married, simply because I have let the enemy implant the thought of unworthiness in my mind. Because of my past, I really struggle with the idea of being a father and husband. I got the opportunity to spend time with my pastor and his wife about this fear, and really brought clarity to my eyes. Thanks guys.

Second, I really want to spend more time in nature. Whether it be rock climbing, camping, hiking, kayaking, or snowboarding. Because I've been working out some much these past few months, I have more stamina, and I can now do things I never thought I could before.

Finally, I need to learn more discipline in my walk with Christ. I tend to focus more on the struggles/stress of the day, rather than giving it all the God. I'm far better at controlling my stress and emotions than ever before, but I still need to work on it. Fortunately, I have great friends, and an amazing church to help. They not only show me where I need growth, but they always show love through it all. Definitely blessed.

Theresa Dehnert: Mom, Hero, Forgiven

Like everyone in this world, old, young, Asian, European, American, African, etc, I have a hero. But what many may not know is that hero of mine is my mother. Strange, maybe. Impossible, absolutely not. You see, my mom always wanted the best for me. She knew where I would end up if she wouldn't have given me up for adoption. She could see my future. Deep down she knew I would grow up to be the man I am today. God fearing, passionate, loving, and crazy for Christ. That is why she is my hero.

My mom had to fight for her life, because she herself was an orphan. She grew up in a good home, but always seemed to be the black sheep of the family, and therefore she was rebellious. She wanted to be loved. Even though she grew up Catholic, she never experienced God's love, because religion was masking Him.

Around the time I came to Christ, when I was at the bottom of my well, I needed to forgive my mother, or I would of never known what true forgiveness was. It was tough. I hated her for leaving me, and for all the junk she made me go through. But I eventually learned to forgive her. Not only did I forgive her, but I forgot all the negative things. It was hard for her to forgive herself for giving me up, but through God's wisdom, love, and mercy, she learned.

I still remember that summer night back in 2005, sitting in my car in a movie theater parking lot, friends waiting for me inside. I decided to call my mom, and see how she was doing. The second she picked up the phone, the Holy Spirit swept over me and told me to pray for her. I asked her if she was OK, and she told me about the issues she was having. I don't quite remember what else we talked about, but I do remember telling her for the first time in several years that I loved her. I told her that I forgave her for everything, and I meant it. That night she came to Christ, led by the least likely of people, me.

She still struggles with many things, like us all. And I'm sure she still thinks about that time she promised to be right back and didn't return. But now she knows that God's love destroys the sins of our past, and that I do love her with all of my heart. She fights for our Father is heaven and loves her children & grandchildren with all her heart....

....and that is why she is my hero. I love you mom.

Hands - Give Me Rest

It's been a while since I posted on my blog. Mostly for being busy and/or lazy. Not too often do we Christians that love Metal\Hardcore\Screamo get blessed by a band with pure raw talent with their instruments, vocals, and lyrics. Hands has stepped it up, and brought the Spirit of God on all 3 levels. Here are the lyrics for their newest album "Give Me Rest", which was just released yesterday, July 5, 2011. Enjoy, I know I did :)


Hands - Give Me Rest (Lyrics)

1. I Will
2. Water
3. Cube
4. The Helix
5. Here I Am
6. Jovian
7. Northern Lights
8. 2005
9. Restart
10. Give Me Rest


1.) I Will

Can you feel the anger in my heart? I can't believe this is me. I built my house on shaking ground, and lit a match to watch it burn. Set me free. Rest my soul in you alone. Rise, from the quiet I will rise. Take my hand. Give me the faith to move mountains. Give me the strength to rebuild. Help me become a better man. Help me to understand your will. Let it rain. To remind me that there is something more.


2.) Water

Forgive me for falling out, it's just not the way I see you. Take me to the water. Let there be light! To reveal everything we've become. Take me to the water. I'm losing my faith at the hands of the dynasty. Take me to the water. I just want something real. From the shore, with the sea to my back. I can see a wasteland of blasphemy. Spoiled fruit, reaped from crooked trees. God, are these your seeds? Are these your branches? I'm so disgusted with all of this. I want to recover. Be still my brother. Be still so we may hear His voice. Let there be light. Take me to the water.


3.) Cube

Shut down everything inside that makes it work. All the wires to it's soul, and all the lights that make it glow. Kill the system. I don't want it anymore. Drag me through the fire. It helps keep me awake. The bulbs are blinking, the statics piercing. But it's hard to look away. Let's hit the ground. God damn this place. It's taken everything. Shut it down. Send your best to guard my soul. They will never sleep. They will never leave me alone. Somebody throw the switch, shut it down.


4.) The Helix

I am not alone. Would you clear the dust from my eyes? Would you recognize my voice if I would talk to you? Oh, I feel so tired. So wake me up. I believe your hands hold the sun. But in the deepest of my mind, I question everything you've done. Give me rest. I believe your breath fills my lungs. But it's a thought that's hard to swallow, I feel ashamed I can't hold on. Give me rest. I will take your hand. Just lead me through the dark. I will take your hand. Don't ever let me go. "Be still and know that I am God."


5.) Here I Am

On my knees in the wreckage of a broken church. I couldn't pull it together. How I want to believe that there's a light, at the end of this continuous shadow. And as the feeling disappears, here I am. Are you here? Wake up my son. Wake up my son. Why are you so afraid? Oh God, I'm begging you now! Open up my eyes!


6.) Jovian

Welcome. Light. Come into the light and meet the world. You are beautiful, open your eyes. Open up your eyes to see me here. I will show you the way. I will always be here. In your every hour, in your heart I'll stay. Take rest at the sound of my voice, I'm forever changed. Welcome. Breathe in the breath of life. I've embraced you. In my arms you'll never be alone. I've embraced you. Everything that I am, I give to you. You are all I wanted. You are all I need.


7.) Northern Lights

I found you. And you found me. You gave me a new song. You gave me something to sing. What a beautiful song. You gave me a reason, you gave me something to sing.


8. 2005

Burn this body down. To the ash and the dust, from which it came. I curse within my heart, but sing a holy song. I am a wolf among the sheep. I am calling out your name. I am broken at your feet. Release. Release me. I am bound by the chains of temptation. I am bound by the demons, staring back. Let your mercy rain upon us. Take hold of my soul and put this body in the earth. By your blood I am alive. By your grace I am released.


9.) Restart

I can feel my heart giving in to the weight of your design. And like a remedy your fixing me, while the world has left me blind. I sang for you, and meant what I said. But it's still hard to believe. I was burning my wick at both ends, but no light could be seen. I get frustrated. But I just need to let go. Lift me up (into your arms) and weigh me down. Reach straight into my heart. I've been holding on so long, but I just need to let go.I carried torches from east to west, and watched the flames burn themselves out. Fighting every battle, never trusting that you were on my side. I will fall into your arms and cry, you are God! Lift us up and hear our cry, you are God!


10.) Give Me Rest

Here I sit among the clouds. With nothing but the empty sound. I have seen the light of day. I have seen the water wash the blood away. Is my name in there?Send a smile to my daughter. Tell her everything is fine. And give my wisdom to my brother. Tell him to use it right. And to everyone I've wronged, the thought has never left my mind. You are the end and I am fading. Will I rest with you for all of time? Is my name in there?Give me rest. Tell my wife I adore her. That she is beautiful and kind. Here I sit among the clouds. I was wrong and You were right. Give me rest.

I'm Sorry I'm A Christian

Outside of the two F bombs that he dropped. What are your thoughts? This hit me hard about how the world views me, and how I truly walk this walk as a christian. He says it all to break these stereotypical thoughts of christians, and sadly, true motives/lives/actions of christians today. Do you fit the bill of a characteristic he said...do you?

In Search of Homeless

These past couple of weeks have definitely been something of interest in my life. I've been doing a lot of volunteer work over at my church's, Healing Place Church, inner-city campus/outreach building, Baton Rouge Dream Center. Even though there hasn't been a set standard on a certain type of area I've been serving in, I've found myself really hitting ground with homeless outreach. The passion I've always had towards serving people has found a place to serve a true purpose in people that seem to be hurting so much. I decided 3 weeks back to volunteer my time helping Charity Trahan, the main person that does all homeless outreaches in Baton Rouge.

Because of the holidays, and a limit list of volunteers, Charity was planning on shutting down our homeless hot-line number for the two weeks she was taking off for a WELL DESERVED vacation on her part. I decided to step up and man the hot-line personally, 24/7, and can I say, it's been one blessing after another. I'm not saying it's been facile. Getting a call in the middle of the night from a woman who just got out of the hospital looking for help because she has nothing to feed her 5 children is heartbreaking. Recently, the 'wonderful' Obama campaign has decided to decrease the funding on homeless housing, and I've been hit hard by the reality of Louisiana being the #1 state in the nation for homeless/runaway youth. Oh the pain of getting a call from a mother of 3 saying she just got evicted for not being able to pay the bills because of the economy, and having to tell her all the shelters are brimming...

Since I decided to dive headfirst into the campaign I've seen little light on the horizon for getting these people off the street, a warm meal put in their bellies, and see hope in their disconsolate and fatigued eyes. But under the surface God is definitely working everything out. The past 8 or so months the North Blvd overpass in downtown Baton Rouge has turned into a haven for a measurable amount of homeless people. My church's outreach group, NoPlace Outreach, has been working hard with these people for several years, and about a month ago news hit several other organizations about the living conditions of these beautiful people. Then God sent a man, Donald Mallet, to the overpass to bring the Word and order. Food, winter clothes, blankets, toiletries, mattresses, etc., started coming in bountifully, especially from a Godly woman by the name of Alice Lewis. Then, almost out of nowhere, a man by the name of Kody M. Higginbotham, MBA, with Sacred Hope Foundation, Inc. brought a vision and hope for these people. He opened up a new shelter, Sacred Hope 24/7 Shelter.

During these past 2 weeks since that shelter opened, I've seen people come and people go. There's structure, rules, regulations, and a real Godly foundation there. I've had the distinction of getting calls on the hot-line number, and actually being able to tell the people I know a shelter that's NOT hanging the notorious "No Vacancy" sign. Sunday night I get a call from 2 homeless men looking for a warm place to stay. I was able to tell them I had somewhere for them to lay their head, get a shower, a fresh pair of clothes, and a hot meal. So, I called up Mark McLaughlin, my marvelous roommate, and headed out to College and Corporate to pick up these men. Mark and I brought these guys to the shelter, and in an instant, their eyes lit up. Remember me mentioning Donald Mallet earlier? Well, he's running this shelter! He didn't have any more hot food from dinner, so he asked Mark and me to drive him to another person's house I mentioned earlier, Alice Lewis, on South Washington in downtown Baton Rouge.

She welcomed us into her prepossessing home with a big smile and a warm hug. Instantly I could tell she had the Spirit dwelling within her and her home. She had made a giant pot of chicken and corn stew, and another large pot of hot rice. She walked Mark and me around, sharing her desire to help people, tell us about the 2 books she has written, By Hands of Strangers and Go Ask Alice, and show off the beautiful children she rescued from horrid living conditions. She told us about these 2 sisters she adopted, Alisha & Kiara Lewis. These girls, when they were every young, had to endure things I never thought possible. Their biological mother had left her husband for another woman. This new 'girlfriend' made her tie up her 2 daughters under their trailer with threats of leaving her if she didn't. These 2 girls lived under the trailer for several months, and because there was no human interaction, they didn't learn how to speak, had no teeth, and very little hair. They were finally found by a social worker and put into the system. Ms. Alice heard their story and instantly adopted them. The girls are now ages 14 and 15, absolutely beautiful, and highly intelligent. One attends high school and Baton Rouge Community College, and they other also attends high school and LSU. Ms. Lewis has a total of 9 adopted children, all of which are successful or learning to become successful. We left her house, hot food in our arms, and a peace and hope to bring to the shelter.

We all have our stories, I for one was once homeless as well. I know the desolation of not knowing where the next meal was going to come from. I know the eyes of people around me silently judging me. It grieves me to see other people go through it. I'm following my calling to serve the people. If you would like to help Charity Trahan and her outreach, or just want to befriend some beautiful homeless people and visit Sacred Hope Shelter, or Ms. Alice Lewis, please contact me. We always need help, from volunteer work, to food, clothing, and air mattresses for Sacred Hope Shelter. Or if you know ANYONE that's homeless, young or old, PLEASE CONTACT our hot-line number at 225-505-5416...

MyStory Part 3 (Written By Carole Turner)

In 2005 he started drinking heavy. He tried attending church at the invitation of his neighbors but he still felt alone. He went to church service weekly for six months and no one ever talked to him. He felt invisible. So he stopped going and started drinking heavy again.

On his birthday, Christmas Eve 2005, he was drinking and driving and passed out while on the highway. He woke up in a ditch, drunk, hurt and police preparing to take him to jail. While sitting at the police station on Christmas Eve, waiting to be booked and processed, Chris broke down. Why was he always ending up back here? How did things get so messed up again? Why couldn’t he stay away from drugs and alcohol? In his tears and cries for help, he heard God speak to him about his life. God met him there, comforted him and spoke peace, mercy and forgiveness into his heart. Chris spent Christmas and New Years in jail, all together 10 days. After he was released he immediately went into detox and from there moved into Fellowship Ministries Church, in Hammond, Louisiana, which was a home for addicts trying to break free from their addictions. Over the three months he was there, God did a work in his heart. He helped him deal with all his pain, his addictions and showed him his future working with Orphans and reaching the nations. Finally Chris knew he had been delivered and set free from his addictions.

After he left Fellowship Ministries he went back to Baton Rouge but he had no place to live. He went to a Thursday night meeting for college and young professionals, Late Nite, at the church he had attended in Baton Rouge before going to jail, Healing Place Church. At the end of the service, he went to the alter to be prayed for and the man who prayed with him at the alter, Chris McDonald, also helped him find a place to live that night. He soon got a great job, met a beautiful girl and started dating her, made new friends, enrolled in ministry school and really felt like life had taken a strong turn in the right direction. But the relationship ended and it broke Chris’ heart. He again sought to blame someone, this time it was the church and God. But Chris knew that following this train of thought would only lead to more hurt and pain so he sought out a mentor. He started spending time with the McNabb family who helped him through this difficult time. He also started getting professional counseling again and God saw him through this painful break up.

In 2007 he knew it was time to contact his biological mother. He had to tell her that he forgave her. He knew that THIS was part of his healing. When he finally found her he discovered that she was addicted to prescription drugs. The life she had left him for, all the work, had taken its toll on her and now she was seeking comfort in pain killers. Chris told his mother that he forgave her for everything. He even thanked his mother for putting him up for adoption. He told her that if she hadn’t he would not have come to know Christ. Everything from being adopted by Wayne and Sarah, who introduced him to Christ, to being friends with Nathan who showed him there was life in Christ, to being roommates with Paul who helped him grow in Christ. All of it was working together for the good and he wanted her to know that.

From the forgiveness Chris showed his mother came a well of emotions and healing for both mother and son. Chris told his mother how Jesus had changed his life and she saw it by the action of forgiveness and grace that Chris extended to her. One night while Chris and his mother were talking on the phone, Chris led his mother to the Lord and they prayed together. She was the first person he had ever led to Jesus. Now they talk regularly, study the bible together and pray together.

The seeds of love that David and Lisa planted in Chris’ life when he was 12 showed him that family was possible. The friendships of Nathan and Paul gave him a safe place to fall and be himself, and the family and stability given to him by Wayne and Sarah grew into true heart knowledge that God the Father loved him. Chris now knew that no matter how many times he fell, God would be there with grace, mercy and love to pick him up. He saw the miracle of forgiveness and mercy in the relationship with his mother and everyday he was seeing more and more that our wonderful heavenly Father has adopted all of us into his family.

Chris is now 27 years old, and he is still very much a work in progress, like we all are. God has given Chris a wonderful story of victory over adversity, beauty from pain and strength from brokenness. Chris’ story shows the wonderful healing forgiveness and mercy can bring. It also shows how adoption can change a child’s life, no matter what age they are adopted; it is never too late to make a lasting impact on a child.
Chris has been on both short and long term mission trips to The Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India and Japan. He is currently serving at the Baton Rouge Dream Center, which is an inner-city outreach of Healing Place Church. He still has a strong call to the mission field, particularly Asia.

If you would like to support Chris, check out his web site, http://www.chrisnickjoy.com

Carole Turner
http://Thewardrobeandthewhitetree.com
carolesturner@yahoo.com