And the adult superstores shall be as numerous as the stars in the sky.

I just spent a handful of hours northbound on 65 from the wonderfully inclined nashville city. My wife and I spent about four days hanging out at the annual YS national youth workers convention. We hadn't been in a couple of years, but had the chance to spend the time with two incredible women (one R. Furrow and another A. Johnson) who are continuing to listen to and follow God's wonderfully calling on their lives. Together, the four of us were challenged and encouraged in our faith, love, and in the youth ministry at center grove church which God has called us to be partners in. I made a few new friends like Brad from first baptist church in Williamsburg, Kay Why. We sat in on a seminar together, snapped a few photos and prayed for one another before parting ways. He has just finished a year as an interim youth pastor of a group of about twenty kids (jr AND sr high). After a brief conversation, it was evident that God has been blessing their "small" youth group with depth in relationships and transformed lives rather than with numbers...

As I spent the last few days in Nashville, reflecting on our ministry, fuming about our church community, listening to God, to brothers and sisters in Christ, to Dylan... alot of things began to percolate... not only in my mind, but in my heart. I began to see how inward focused I have become lately. I have forgotten my first love. I have stopped trusting my God. I have stopped jumping fearlessly into His arms with wild abandon. And yet, regardless of my own neglect of my soul and of the God who alone can nourish and sustain me, He has not forgotten me. Somehow, in my confusion, and inability to see two steps ahead of my self, I am held by the peace of Christ Jesus. You are my joy You are my joy You are my joy You are my joy.

And so, after miles and miles of billboards citing Scriptures adjacent to adult superstores, I arrive home. Not with answers to all of my questions, but with joy in my heart and a hope in the God who was doing just fine before I came around and who certainly doesn't need me now. And yet he desires me. He delights in me. He invites me to be apart of His story as salvation unfolds and His kingdom comes.

The timeless art of malfunction

Please come out to see me and the boys from rebel robot at Sophia's Portico coffeehouse in the basement of Olive Branch Community Church (corner of 56th and Broadway in Broad Ripple). We'll be sharing songs and musical ambiance to rattle and soothe your soul.

For more info check out www.myspace.com/joelrockeymusic.

See y'all soon!

Unnecessary exhaust

I know I know I know I know I know... It's been a while. Well, it may be little while longer... however,

Hey hermanos...

Just sitting here thinking about how life is going. Something tells me that things are about to shake up... let's try that again. Something tells me that things are about to shake up? Ahh! Much better.

The week has been unnecessarily exhausting. I couldn't necessarily say why. Perhaps the four hours spent driving to and from the Fort of Wayne on Tuesday somehow contributed to the matter. Nevertheless, it was a trip worth taking as Miranda and I surprised her mother on her birthday by showing up for dinner with the rest of the family. I believe her mother got a little misty around the eyes. It was also a joy to see our niece Megan after a few months being apart.

Last night I enjoyed the company of one Andrew Furrow as we cleaned through stuff in my office, discussing literature and speaking back and forth through mobile communication devices. These are surely times to be cherished. Meanwhile, don't you dare miss Andrew, myself and other exciting musicians as we perform at the CGPC Fall Festival this Halloween. Here is an 80 bit rate download of some work-in-progress just for the special few who may care. Enjoy!

Somebody get an organ to play

Time passes... slowly, quickly, away, by, on... these are all relative terms. Time passes, that much we DO know. But I digress.

I recently experienced something I've never experienced before and quite hopefully never will again. That being the wedding of my younger and only brother Jeremy. I also had the first-time experience of being a best man in a wedding. It was an incredible experience being able to stand next to my brother as he and his wife said their vows and as Pastor Greg Glover delivered a message of profound biblical proportions. I may have cried a bit. It cut me deep!

The reception held at the dolphin pavilion at the Indianapolis Zoo was really quite nice. We got to check out the dolphins and bust some fat moves to the phat beats of all your favorite dance party hits! I will tell you that you've never experienced anything quite like a Rockey wedding reception. Needless to say, all were exhausted by the end of the evening. Plus, my retarded tux jacket somehow mysteriously disappeared. I'm looking at a $130 fee on top of the $150 rental fee unless it turns up. I'm currently taking donations.

Recording has FINALLY started on the new album! Tracks for two songs are currently being laid down in the Mustard Room with more on the way. I'm so excited to being getting these songs on record and sharing them with others. I'll have some audio clips available soon.

Keep cool my babies!

joel

Gloria a Dios

 Hey Hey diddle diddle,

I just spent a week in Tulum with an amazing group of Sr High kids, my wife, and some other good friends. It was nothing short of amazing! This was not a mission trip as much as a partnership... I guess really that qualifies as mission and as Christian, I suppose there is a great deal of life that is missional in purpose... Kingdom missional... The mission of love, compassion, peace, justice... Jesus' mission.

Together with our hermanos y hermanas en Jesuscristo, we ate, laughed, played, loved, worshiped, listened, prayed, sang as one. Two cultures brought together by the Maker of all good things to learn from one another and to build bridges of cross-cultural ministry and reconciliation. Spending a week with friends of such depth and hearts the size of Volkswagen buses...

Gloria a Dios!

Not being there

I'm telling you, I surely missed being there (to steal an album title from Jeff Tweedy and Co.) at the Cornerstone festival with the kids from our Sr High youth group. However, my beautiful wife Miranda and I seized the opportunity of an early weekend together to road trip up to Lake Michigan for a couple of days. It was so incredibly delightful and I find no shame in admitting that during our stay in northern Indiana, we did absolutely nothing!

We ate a couple of meals, slept in a Days Inn, watched a couple episodes of Biography on A&E... but mostly all we did was lay around and read on the sand covered beaches cradled between the rolling dunes and the blue-upon-blue water. Miranda and I both wondered why we had never taken the opportunity to get away to Lake Michigan until now. We were both surprised at how beautiful the beaches and the water were. Neither of us remembered them being so from our childhood.

It was, in a word: Super.

By the way, until our little road trip, it has been years since I last listened to Wilco's Being There... I don't know why... I'd gotten so wrapped up in their last two albums, I'd forgotten how brilliant it is. BE THERE!

About the Great Escape

Dear hearts,

I know it's been longer than a fortnight since last we had a chance encounter. But things have been poppin' round these parts! I will proceed to indulge you with a few highlights from recent weeks.

Those who know me know that I have a hearty passion for crafting songs and worship experiences with others. I had the blessed opportunity to partner with several of the Sr High students in our youth ministry two weeks in a row to lead others in praise and worship before God. First, at Center Grove Church and the next week at Olive Branch Community Church in Broad Ripple. Olive Branch was a small intimate congregation, but the worship experience was passionate and challenging. Thanks Andrew, Ryan, Tyler, and Emily for your hearts and willingness to serve. Thanks also to all those who went along with us to Olive Branch; Annie, Gary, Chris, Miranda, Stephen, Kierstin, Rose, Brad, Erin, and her friend whose name escapes me at the moment.

Last week I traveled to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with nine Jr High students, my wife, and Emily Furrow to The Great Escape. When I reflect on the week, the first word to fall from my lips is still AMAZING. The week is always one of my favorite weeks of the entire year and God always blows my mind and encourages me and challenges me personally every year. This year was particularly exciting because two of our Sr High students, Kip Kyburz and Kaitlyn Salpietro, are serving on Work Crew for two weeks at The Great Escape. It was incredible to be there with them and to witness the ministry they're having with all of the kids who come in to the week of camp. There can surely be no greater joy I know than to see the fruitof spiritual maturity in young people.

By the end of the week, all of the kids had been met by God's grace and left challenged to surrender to loving arms of their Heavenly Father. My buddy Sam asked Jesus into his heart and we all celebrated. It was, again, AMAZING! It's always hard to come home after a week of close-knit community and learning about Jesus together such as that experienced at The Great Escape. However, I am genuinely excited and can't wait to see how these students will continue to be shaped over the next year. One of the most incredible things has been seeing God's heart for ministry grow in these Sr High and college students. And how awesome is it to be reminded by a Jr High student of how captivating and exciting God's Word is!?

Humbling, but truly awesome!

Now, I gotsta get me some sleepy-eye! Good night Suzie Lee wherever you may be.