As a

substitute school teacher for the Fayette County school

system, I meet a lot of students as I teach everything

from weightlifting to calculus. I know as much about

calculus as I do about intergalactic space travel, but

fortunately I can follow a lesson plan and keep order in

a class.

When a bewildered student

comes up to me with a calculus question, I find some

smart-looking student and ask him or her to put it on the

board for us. It works every time. If the collective math

test scores fall for Fayette County, it's probably my

fault!

A day does not go by that I

don't ask as many students as possible, "What do you

plan to do with your life"? I get some very

interesting answers. Believe it or not, most students do

have a plan, although many of these plans will change as

most of ours did also.

It was in one of these

conversations that I discovered the very interesting and

talented "double life" of Joy Manzel. Joy is a

senior at Fayette County High School. My wife and I met

Joy and her mother, Joyce, as neighbors when they lived

at the beginning of Brandon Mill subdivision not far from

our home. They had a beautiful home with several fenced

in acres with beautiful horses that they raise, train and

ride.

Joy's "double

life" is very full of good things, like family,

church, school, work and her Christian business on the

side.

This wonderful student has

taken a "hobby" and dedicated it to almighty

God. In their "spare time," Joy and Joyce

created a home-based business where Joy gives horseback

riding lessons in basic English and jumping using her

beautiful Arabian horses. She also creatively hosts

personalized "horse birthday parties." She

calls this neat business "Joyces's Elegant Steeds

Under Saddle," thus the acrostic JESUS. If that

isn't just too wonderful, they also host a Christian

horse camp near Harps Crossing Baptist Church

The beat goes on. With more

of Joy's "free time," she is a waitress and

actress at the new Baci Italian restaurant in

Fayetteville, which often hosts a dinner theater.

With all we hear in the

media of how the youth of today are all going to the

dogs, they need to meet many of the "Joys" of

life that I meet each week. It is truly refreshing to see

a teenager going through the throws of life and honoring

God through her life, her family, her work, her home and

her hobby. Joy is also a member of Family Harvest Church,

Peachtree City. Their pastor is Rick Probst.

Good job, mom, school,

work, pastor and, of course, Joy!

[The Rev. Dr. Knox Herndon

is the pastor of His House Community Church (SBC) and a

substitute school teacher in the Fayette County school

system, and a former Army chaplain. The church is

currently meeting in the American Legion Log Cabin across

from the fountain on the Square in Fayetteville. Prayer

line 770-719-2365; e-mail [email protected] ]