For about 26 years now, Joseph has been living life without food, shoes and money. According to him, living his way helps him share the gospel.
When he began this spiritual journey he wore casual clothes and shoes, was clean-shaven, with short hair. He carried no money and no change of clothes taking a hold of Jesus’ biblical instructions to his disciples when he sent them out to minister to others.
When his shoes fell apart, he decided to walk without them and let his hair grow longer. As he walks, he said he prays continually.
Now he walks from place to place, town to town and city to city without planning to a place to sleep at night. Sometimes he is invited to stay somewhere, other times he prays all night.
“”I felt a calling in my heart to follow God, We live very complicated lives now,” And it’s easy to lose sight of our priorities.”
I want to make it very clear that I don’t think I am Jesus and I don’t try to portray Jesus, but I live a lifestyle like he lived.”
The interesting thing about this movement is the fact that he has affected so many lives through this medium’
Susan Yoder was said to have been driving while she noticed Joseph, according to her she knew she had to speak with him. To her it was a sign. She stated that she offered him money but he refused and there after she invite him to have dinner with her family:
“I take it as a divine intervention. I always, I am a firm believe in signs and James walking down to street that day was a sign to me maybe I needed to slow down,” Yoder said. She tried to offer him money, but he wouldn’t take it, so she invited him to have dinner with her family and friends.
While crossing the United States in the 90s, He gained the attention of the media which led to a documentary being made by film maker Sean Tracey. This led to the name “The Jesus Guy.” But Joseph doesn’t see himself as Jesus:
“I don’t believe I am Jesus,” he said. “No, I’m not crazy.”
Joseph has continued to move about, having traveled about 47 states through the years and about 20 countries to spread the good news of Christ and now he has become a well-known figure in the old city of Jerusalem, where he explores the life and path of Jesus Christ.
Brother James Joseph as he calls himself, chats with Ascension Of Our Lord School pre-schoolers while visiting the Church’s Perpetual Adoration Chapel Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 in LaPlace, La.
James Joseph had this to say:
“Our relationship with our Lord can be like the eye of the storm, the eye of the hurricane,” . “Even though we have all this stuff that’s going on, being with our Lord in that stillness and the quiet-even while you’re doing all of these things — in your heart it can be just with God. And God is simplicity itself.”
