The James Jennings Project
Hitchhiking On A Narrow Road
The James Jennings Project: Music, Writings, Photography, and Faith
Original music,
writings,
fine-art photography, and
reflections on faith.
The James Jennings Project brings together James Jennings’ original music, writings, fine-art photography, and reflections on Christian faith. Explore the album Hitchhiking On A Narrow Road, the book Salt and Light: Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount, and photography from across the American landscape.
Music
I’ve been writing songs since early 1974, the same year I began playing the guitar, and found my life transformed spiritually. For me, the message is the thing that I most value. I believe these songs expressed my authentic heart at the time I wrote them and their lyrics convey something of consequence. While the message has always been foremost in my mind, the vehicle carrying that message only succeeds if the lyrics are well crafted, the chords, melodies, and harmonies attract an attentive ear, and the recording process captures a professional performance and arrangement. I believe that these songs meet those criteria. As years have passed, I view some of these differently today, but they are a snapshot of where my heart was when I wrote them. I’ve put some of my favorites into an album I’ve entitled “Hitchhiking On A Narrow Road.” (Isn’t that what a life of honest searching is- finding your way on a road where, on occasion, you find yourself alone, but you’re convinced to press on?)
I’m proud of these songs. You can find out more about that album by going to the Album link above.
Beside is the lyric video of the first song off of the album. More are available on my Album page.
Track 1- Leave The Past Behind
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”– Isaiah 43:18-19
While we can learn from the past, we shouldn’t let it hold us back from arriving at a better future. I wrote this song after going through a very painful time. I realized that I couldn’t let that sadness define or confine me. The images in this lyric video capture the joy of a new life that can emerge from a past that seems irreparable.
See more lyric videos from my album here.
Book
As a person of faith and someone who has often been disappointed with what passes for Christianity these days, I want my faith to reflect Jesus’ values. I believe that the fundamentals of those values are presented in Jesus’ most well-known sermon- the Sermon on the Mount. Some years ago, I began a year-long study of that sermon. As I posted my thoughts, many of my friends encouraged me to gather it together and publish it. So, that published book is called Salt and Light- Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount. It is a 43-day study of Jesus’ most well-known sermon, and I believe it is a tutorial for fixing what is wrong in the Church and the world around us. You can read more about it on my book page. If you purchase it here, I’m currently bundling the album and the e-book together. The printed book, Kindle, and audiobook are also available on Amazon. The e-book and printed version are available on Borders. Beside is a video excerpt from one day in the audiobook version. You can find more excerpted videos on my book page.
Salt and Light- Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount
Photography
I developed a love of photography in the 70s and 80s. Back in the analog days, it was much more difficult to get the perfect photo. My first SLR camera was stolen from my car. A few years later, I replaced it and I have a few photos from those days that I’m proud of. As technology has changed, I moved to using a cheap digital camera and then my cell phone. This all changed when I got my first drone. I began to see the possibilities of capturing truly unique photos and the power of processing them in post. In the last few years, I’ve learned a lot and have taken some exciting trips and captured scenes that have left vivid memories and some truly exceptional and award-winning photos. I’ve learned how to process them to bring out the best in those images, and how to professionally print and frame them. I’m still in the process of figuring out the best way to sell them. I currently sell them on high-quality 13″x19″ paper, beautifully matted, in a nice wooden frame with my signature and an attached card with the location and date. Because the framing increases the cost significantly, I make available both unmatted and unframed photo, as well as matted and framed photos. Beside is one of my favorite photos. That night in Southern Utah was cool and pitch black and there wasn’t another soul around for miles. There’s something really special about standing in the pitch dark under a clear sky. That is so much harder to find these days. You can find more of my photos on my Photography page. I will add more as time permits.
Factory Butte and Milky Way, Wayne County, Utah
These are the values I believe are transformative:
- Live Simply
- Forgive Freely
- Love Fully
- Embrace Truth
- Honor Wisdom
- Listen Openly
- Speak Gently
- Be Creative
- Explain Honestly
- Ask questions and challenge the answers
- Love your neighbor- both friends and enemies
- Consider Criticism Respectfully
Let me know if you are interested in any of my work. More importantly, I encourage you to show interest in helping people who are homeless, struggling, victims of injustice, or lonely. I’m fortunate that I’m not currently experiencing any of that- though I’ve experienced each at some point in my life. I encourage you to find a way to concretely love your neighbor. If you would like to contact me, feel free:
About James Jennings
James Jennings is a graduate of Emory and Henry College; took classes at Dallas Theological Seminary, Talbot Theological Seminary, California State University, and Germanna Community College. He is retired from a career in education and Information Technology. He is married and lives in the Virginia countryside, where he does battle with Stink Bugs, cat barf, and an expanding waistline.
As a boy, he was taken with Socrates’ mission as a “gadfly” and has since been an inveterate questioner and pest. He is uncomfortable speaking of himself in the third person. He is a work in progress. The book, music, and photographs on this site have consumed much of the last 3 years of my life. I hope they communicate joy, wisdom, and faith.
If you would like to contact me, feel free:
thejamesjenningsproject@gmail.com
I would love to hear from you. Blessings.
