The Dennis Jernigan Podcast

In this week's episode, Dennis Jernigan shares the story behind his song, "Live the Adventure", from the album "The Chronicles of Bren: Captured – Songs for the Journey". That mp3 is available at https://www.thechroniclesofbren.com/store/captured-songs-for-the-journey-album/ The lyrics can be found below.

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You will find the show notes and lyrics below:

Welcome to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast. The purpose of this podcast is to help you find healing for your wounds; find hope in your despair; find intimacy in your loneliness; find refuge from the storms of life; Basically, to help you find a deeper walk with Jesus. There is one thing I know after having lived all these years: God wastes nothing. Not our sorrows. Not our wounds. Not even our failures.

Hi. I am your host, Dennis Jernigan.
Today’s podcast is gonna be a bit different from most of my podcasts. This is the story behind the final installment of the music from my fantasy book series, The Chronicles of Bren: Book One: Captured. The collection of songs is called “Captured: Songs for the Journey.” 

This week’s episode is the story behind the last song in the series. That song is called, “Live the Adventure.”

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller

I love that quote. It almost captures my heart for this series of books. Almost. I have adapted a  personal version that has influenced the writing of these stories of and from the land of Bren.

“Life is either a grand, daring adventure or it is nothing at all.” Dennis Jernigan

My love of writing and my love of hearing great stories of people who have overcome impossible circumstances has led me to write…in spite of whether those writings are ever considered great or not. The reason I wrote The Chronicles of Bren series and The Bairns of Bren series is simple. I wanted to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren for generations to come. As a part of that legacy, I endeavored to write stories which depict the realities of life. Life is not easy. Life is full of sorrow. Life brings times of wounding of both body and soul. Life brings times of disappointment and even betrayal. 

My goal is to leave my family a legacy that explains how life, even with its many hurtful episodes, is meant to be lived with joy. And just how does one do that?

I personally believe that if one sees life and its circumstances - both good and bad - from the Lord’s point of view, insurmountable mountains become molehills. Impassable rivers become rites of passage. Unbearable grief becomes an opportunity to receive comfort. Fear is replaced with love. Rather than being something to somehow endure, life becomes the most grand adventure because a life lived with the Lord ever-present at one’s side sands away the bitterness of life revealing a many-faceted treasure of great worth. 

Forgiveness and humility replace bitterness with the heroic heart of a benevolent conqueror. My desire, as a dad and granddad, is that my heirs would come to see themselves as overcomers.

I believe Almighty God created the human imagination as a means of revealing His nature to mankind and as a means of helping the human mind understand and begin to unravel the wonderful mystery of Who God is. The gift of imagination has helped me see how even things that are meant to hurt me can be seen from a different point of view - and perspective is everything.

Why write in the fantasy genre? Simple. God used fantasy to rescue my heart and mind when I was just a young boy. I felt trapped in what I now call stinkin’ thinkin’ concerning my identity. I felt I was being held captive in my own mind but God did something amazing during my boyhood that carried me through to the day He set me free. 

From the time I was a little boy and all the way into my marriage and adult life, God has used fantasy, mythology, and imagination to rescue and save me. Just a quick case in point. When I was a boy, I felt constantly bullied and that my father could not possibly love me and that there was no escape and no one to rescue me…but each night as I fell  asleep, I was suddenly on the USS Enterprise. My dad was none other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk and my mother was Doris Day. Each dream I was captured by aliens and just as they were about to end me, my dad, Captain Kirk, would materialize and blast them with his phaser, not set to stun but set to destroy. My mom was always there singing Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be…Just a cool memory of how my mother used to comfort me. I believe the Lord used that recurring dream to keep me hanging on…to make me feel someone or something good was pursuing me. When it dawned on me that this was the case, I began to understand the role of imagination in the way I viewed the world and the massive creativity and divine order God set in motion by His own imagination.

What does any of that have to do with living the adventure? A simple example from my own life. When I was about 30 years old, I asked myself this question: When you get to the age of 65, what is something that you would look back on and regret not even having tried?

For me that was writing and recording music and authoring books. In college I was not allowed to major in song writing because they told me they saw no potential in me. I nearly gave it all up…but something deep inside of me kept nudging me to step out and see life as a grand adventure…so I did. And Father God has seen fit to spread my music literally all over the world.

I also wanted a large family, but many told me we needed to wait until we had enough money to start a family before we should even consider it. If I had taken that advice I would not have had the privilege of raising 9 of the most amazing men and women I know of on this planet. I worked hard to provide for my family, but set aside personal time to be with them a lot, and I also carved out time to write each and every day. But had I not dared to believe what the Lord was putting in my heart, I never would have taken one step toward any of my dreams. 

Even if you’re 65, it’s not too late to begin living out the adventure of things you have dreamed of doing. If you’re breathing, there is hope…and if you take that first step in the journey, your adventure has begun. What is your heart telling you right now? 

[Pro 13:12 NIV] 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

SONG

[Joel 2:28 NIV] 28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

I certainly enjoyed writing the three book series, The Chronicles of Bren. They honestly helped me get a better grip on Father God's point of view of my life. My hope is that you would discover joy and solace within the pages of the books and the melodies of the songs. May they serve as uplifting companions, guiding you to encounter Jesus even amidst life's toughest trials. 

Thank you for tuning in to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast. For more about my journey, music, and more, visit dennisjernigan.com. Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram, and explore my music on various streaming platforms. If you're keen on joining my team, consider becoming a Patron at patreon.com/dennisjernigan. Your support means the world to me!

The book "Captured" is now available on Amazon in paperback, ebook, and audiobook versions. Once you have finished reading captured, I invite you to read the next two books in the series. Book Two is called “Sacrifice” and Book Three is called “Generations”. All are available on Amazon. 

Soon, I hope to introduce you to the songs from book 2, but that will be at sometime in the near future. In the meantime, I encourage you to delve into "Captured" and then enjoy the songs inspired by its characters, all available for FREE. Simply head to https://www.thechroniclesofbren.com/store/captured-songs-for-the-journey-album/ to download the complete collection at no cost.

Thank you once more for being a part of today's podcast. Remember, you are deeply loved by God and by me. Dare to see life as a grand adventure - in spite of your circumstances - and dare to live that adventure with fullness of joy. Now go and be who your heavenly Father says you are.

Live The Adventure
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan
October 2012

Verse
Life is best lived with a sense of adventure!
You can wonder what flying is like
Or you can take to the sky!
Life is the best lived in wonder and splendor!
Even when you're knocked down
Just get back up and dare to believe!

Chorus
Live the adventure! 
Conquer the wind!
To the ends of the earth
And right back again!
Live the adventure! 
Dare but to dream!
Around every corner new sights to be seen!
But you'll never fly if you never try
To conquer the wind!

Live the adventure! 
Dare to believe
Knowing he cannot fly
Who won't spread his wings!
Live the adventure! 
Knight, take your horse!
Ride to the horizon,
Eyes fixed on the course!
But you'll never see what you don't believe!
And you'll never live what you never dare to be!

Verse 
Life is best lived with a sense of pure wonder! 
Even storms that we face can be seen
From a new point of view!
Life is best lived with a sense of pure wonder!
Dare to see far beyond
What most human eyes dare to conceive!

Chorus
Live the adventure! 
Conquer the wind!
To the ends of the earth
And right back again!
Live the adventure! 
Dare but to dream!
Around every corner new sights to be seen!
But you'll never fly if you never try
To conquer the wind!

Live the adventure! 
Dare to believe
Knowing he cannot fly
Who won't spread his wings!
Live the adventure! 
Knight, take your horse!
Ride to the horizon,
Eyes fixed on the course!
But you'll never see what you don't believe!
And you'll never live what you never dare to be!

Chorus
Live the adventure! 
Conquer the wind!
To the ends of the earth
And right back again!
Live the adventure! 
Dare but to dream!
Around every corner new sights to be seen!
But you'll never fly if you never try
To conquer the wind!

Live the adventure! 
Dare to believe
Knowing he cannot fly
Who won't spread his wings!
Live the adventure! 
Knight, take your horse!
Ride to the horizon,
Eyes fixed on the course!
But you'll never see what you don't believe!
And you'll never live what you never dare to be!

You, dare to be!