JOYCE: SO I AM A VERY FOCUSED, A VERY DETERMINED
PERSON AND IT'S KIND OF A REQUIREMENT FOR WHAT I'M DOING.
BUT IT ALSO PRESENTS A CONSTANT CHALLENGE BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS
GETTING INTERRUPTED.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND I JUST WANNA THINK.
WHEN I'VE GOT A PLAN OR A GOAL AND ANYONE OR ANYTHING
INTERRUPTS IT OR APPEARS TO BE THROWING IT OFF-COURSE,
I HAVE TO REALLY TRY
WITH A LOT OF PRAYER TO BE PATIENT AND...
SO I'M GONNA TELL YOU A FUNNY STORY.
I WAS ON MY WAY TO DO A CHURCH SERVICE AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING
I CAN'T STAND IT'S TO BE LATE FOR MY OWN STUFF.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: I MEAN, WHEN IT STARTS, I WANT
TO BE RIGHT OVER THERE, PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON
BECAUSE I'M MISS RESPONSIBLE.
IT'S MY DEAL.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT ALL GOES RIGHT.
WE GOT LOTS OF GOOD PEOPLE BUT I STILL WANNA BE THERE.
AND OH, YOU SHOULD SEE IF I GET STUCK IN A TRAFFIC JAM.
IT'S JUST LIKE...
NOW, YOU KNOW, I'VE--I HAVE SOME SELF-CONTROL
BUT IT'S, LIKE, IT'S A CHALLENGE.
HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT?
THERE'S CERTAIN SITUATIONS THAT ARE JUST MORE CHALLENGING FOR
YOU THAN OTHERS.
WELL, SEE, THOSE ARE THE ONES WE WANT TO ATTACK WITH GOD
AND--'CAUSE YOU TAKE GROUND ONE STEP AT A TIME, OKAY?
I'M REALLY PRETTY PATIENT WITH GOD NOW.
I'M NOT, I MEAN, 'CAUSE I'VE KIND OF FIGURED OUT, I'M NOT
GONNA MAKE HIM HURRY.
SO I MEAN, I'M OKAY WITH THAT.
YOU KNOW, IF HE GIVES ME WHAT I WANT IN A WEEK, THAT'S FINE.
AND IF HE GIVES IT TO ME IN 25 YEARS, THAT HAS TO BE FINE
BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GONNA MAKE GOD HURRY SO I'VE JUST--I'VE
KIND OF CHILLED OUT WITH THAT ONE.
BUT I STILL KINDA TRY TO CONTROL OTHER STUFF SOMETIMES.
SO WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO THIS CHURCH SERVICE.
WE'VE GOTTA PASS THESE TRAIN TRACKS.
WELL, THE TRAIN THINGY, BOARD THING, IS DOWN AND THE LIGHTS
ARE FLASHING AND NO TRAIN, NO TRAIN, NO TRAIN, NO TRAIN,
NO TRAIN, NO TRAIN, NO TRAIN.
AND THE TRAFFIC'S BACKING UP, BACKING UP, BACKING UP.
NOW PEOPLE START TURNING ROUND AND GOING THE OTHER DIRECTION,
TURNING--SO OBVIOUSLY, SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND THE THING WAS DOWN
AND THERE WAS NO TRAIN.
SO WE FINALLY DID A U-TURN AND SO NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE
THIS DETOUR AND GO THROUGH ALL THESE STREETS WE'RE NOT EVEN
SURE ABOUT AND I'M, LIKE, I'M GONNA BE LATE.
I DON'T WANNA BE LATE.
AND SO DAVE IS VERY GENEROUS IN HIS DRIVING IN THAT HE USUALLY
LETS A LOT OF PEOPLE IN.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: SO WE'RE DRIVING.
I'M, LIKE, WANTING TO GET THERE AND I SEE THIS CAR INCHING OUT
OF THIS SIDE STREET AND DAVE STARTED SLOWING DOWN.
AND OUT OF MY MOUTH COMES, "DAVE, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE
NICE."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: HE SAID, "NO, WE DON'T WANNA BE NICE, WE'RE ON
OUR WAY TO CHURCH.
THAT WOULD NOT BE A GOOD THING TO BE NICE ON YOUR WAY
TO CHURCH."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND IT WAS SO FUNNY, SO FUNNY.
SO I WANNA BE WHO I AM.
I LOVE MY PERSONALITY.
I LOVE WHAT I'M DOING.
I LOVE MY AGGRESSIVE NATURE.
SO THAT MEANS THAT I'M GONNA JUST--
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: KEEP WORKING WITH GOD.
AND SEE, THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS I KNOW HE LOVES ME ANYWAY.
I'M NOT GONNA GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE I'M PATIENT BUT I WANT
TO BE FULLY PATIENT BECAUSE HERE COMES THE PAYOFF.
ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?
AUDIENCE: YEAH!
JOYCE: YEAH, YOU'RE READY.
YOU WANT THIS, DON'T YOU?
AUDIENCE: YES!
JOYCE: OH MY GOSH.
JAMES 1:2 THROUGH 4, "CONSIDER IT WHOLLY JOYFUL,
MY BRETHREN, WHENEVER YOU'RE ENVELOPED IN OR
ENCOUNTER TRIALS OF ANY SORT OR FALL INTO VARIOUS TEMPTATIONS."
NOW, YOU KNOW, REALLY THAT'S A GREAT SCRIPTURE BUT NOBODY
REALLY DOES THAT.
I MEAN, IT'S LIKE DID YOU NOTICE HOW QUIET YOU WERE WHEN I
STARTED READING THAT?
NOBODY CHEERED.
NOBODY CLAPPED FOR THIS.
"CONSIDER IT JOYFUL WHEN YOU'RE IN ALL KINDS OF TESTS
AND TEMPTATIONS AND TRIALS."
WELL, YOU CAN'T BE JOYFUL ABOUT THE TRIAL BUT WHAT WE'RE
SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO DO IS TO LOOK BY FAITH BEYOND WHAT WE'RE
GOING THROUGH TO WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO FOR US SPIRITUALLY.
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
JOYCE: 'CAUSE, SEE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE
THE HARD TIMES TO LEARN TO CONTROL THE SOUL.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]