Joy's Recent Blog Posts

  Shame… we’ve all felt it… Probably from a very early age. We did something wrong and got caught, and then felt the shame. And then every time that memory comes up, that same feeling returns as well its condescending voice. The shackles of shame are strong and can be multi layered. We can have…

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash If you’ve lived very many years, as I have, you’ve most likely come to understand that we experience many different seasons throughout the course of our lives. Just like in nature, seasons change. Sometimes we welcome the new season, and other times we mourn for the ones that are…

Today’s my dad’s birthday. He’s 86 years old today, but his last five birthdays have been in heaven. I miss him. Although I have experienced many losses over the course of my life, I find grief and the grieving process to be a curious thing. I can’t speak for anyone else, just myself, but the…

I don’t know about you, but I tend to have a lot of dreams. I am of the belief that oftentimes God speaks to us through our dreams, so I usually write them down to have a record of them. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a series of dreams where I’ve encountered various…

Photo by Shahadat Rahman on Unsplash The basement of our house is not finished, but has been relatively dry. If you live in the midwest, you know what I’m talking about. Finished basements can become livable functional space, whereas unfinished basements can be usable, or they can be damp, scary, and the stuff nightmares are…

  We’ve all experienced it.  We’ve prayed selfless prayers for others believing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God would materialize the answer to our prayer because, after all, it was a “good” prayer to help someone in desperate need of a miracle.  But, the answer didn’t come in the way we expected. I…

  I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not (wink, wink), but our world is in conflict.  Conflict is everywhere.  It’s played out across the airwaves on TV, radio, and internet land.  Adults throwing full-blown hissy fits and politics demonstrating as much decorum as a playground brawl. So, it’s out there in the big, wide…

We sit together just enjoying the stillness. We refer to the place we’re in now as the sweet spot. Peace lives here, and this moment is not lost on us. It wasn’t always this way in our marriage. We’ve come full circle, and the sum of the journey would not be complete without each part.…

I find mosaics intriguing.  Beauty created from broken.  Perhaps you’ve seen table tops made from broken pieces of china or art work made from sea glass formed out of fragments of discarded bottles.  Stained glass windows which adorn cathedrals and churches would not be possible without the individual and many times oddly shaped pieces of…

We sit across the table from each other.  He calls out the heaviness in my heart, and it is only then that I realize its full weight. It’s been a season of change, of loss, of new places, and of growth. The corners of his mouth rise in a gentle smile.  The kindness in his…

  One day I found this letter board on clearance.  I knew I wanted to put it in my breakfast nook where I often have my quiet time with the Lord. I asked God what I should put on it, and immediately this verse came to mind.  I had to look it up because I wasn’t…

Growing up, my sister Jeni and I sang duets in church.  After we were both married, we didn’t do it as often, but on occasion.  One particular time we had chosen to sing the song “When Praise Demands a Sacrifice.” Our families shared a house at the time, and we were practicing in the living…

Dear Dad, I wasn’t really expecting to write you this kind of a letter so soon, but here we are anyway. It’s hard to know where to start, but “thank you” seems most appropriate.  Thank you for your love and support through the great times and the difficult ones.  Thank you for loving the high-pitched,…

We live in such a crazy, fast-paced world.  The very things that were created to help us slow down and enjoy life have, in fact, complicated and compounded our busy-ness.  While thankful for technology and the conveniences of the time we’re living in, I sometimes long for the unplugged version. It’s so easy to be…

  So… I had a birthday yesterday, and it was a BIG one… I turned 5-0!  Fifty!  Half a century! Haha!  That last one sounds really old!  But, you know what!  I’m so excited about it!  I wear those 50 years like a badge of honor.  Indeed the days are long and the years are…

We all have a circle, don’t we?  And when we stretch our arms wide and draw them close, those dear souls swept in are our inner circle.  Who is in your circle?  Your spouse, closest friends, confidants.  We need each other.  We all need a “good” circle. And isn’t it awesome to be counted in…

Hey you, ya you… the bleary-eyed mom at the bus stop with the rumpled hair and yesterday’s shirt embellished with fingerprint smears of jelly… YOU ARE WORTH IT* And you, beautiful one… who finds no representation of your present reality among the pages of the latest fashion magazines… YOU ARE WORTH IT* And you, brave soul…with…

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 Photo credit:…

Photo credit:  Jale Feeman So…. this is how the week started out…. Vehicle #1 is down for the count.  No big deal, right?  We can share two vehicles between the three of us. Fast forward to Tuesday, vehicle #2 also goes down for the count. Ok, we still have one vehicle… we can make this…

Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you.             Prov. 4:25 (amp) So last weekend, Todd and I were looking for something to watch on Netflix that didn’t require any brain power.  I chose the genre of “Reality TV.”  People are…

                 There is freedom waiting for you on the breezes of the sky, and you ask              “What if I fall?”  Oh but my darling, what if you fly?”  – Erin Hanson He talks about it all the time, Pastor Tom does.  He…