Joyfull Living

Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen Café features the theme “Simplicity”.  That is the name of the texture added to this picture. “The simplest things are often the truest.” This little pot of flowers, is pretty simple, but strategically placed by the entrance of my home, brings a boost of color and usually a smile when I see them.  Truly, it’s the simple things all around us that bring joy to the heart when we stop and seek for them.

A recent Sunday morning found me 'mid way ready' for church.  You know the phase, not yet complete, not ready to venture out of the house because 'the look' was not in place. My hair was half way done, make up was not yet applied and still in my robe, did not have my Sunday best on yet.  My son came home from spending the night at a friend's house and asked what my father in  law's vehicle was doing in the yard.  Since I hadn't heard them come up,  I had no idea.  Later, I found out my in laws were 'carpooling' to save gas on the way to church since they had to leave at different times.  The thought hit me, it wouldn't have been a good time for them to drop in, on a Sunday morning, since we were not yet 'ready'!  In addition to the physical side of getting ready, our spiritual side wasn't ready yet either!  You know, you're ready when you arrive at church, all smiles, hands extended to shake and the answer of 'just fine'

My mind was made up, today was the day.  I made my way into the closet to pull out the long neglected exercise ball.  The book demonstrating the exercises was open at my feet, along with the hand weights.  As I sat on the ball, ready to begin the quick work out, the telephone rang. This call was a prayer request that needed to be passed along through the prayer chain.  Several calls and prayers later, as I looked at the clock, my allotted exercise time was up.  Pushing through with a dedication to get this done, I did the exercise routine.  It was an easy exercise routine, but since I had not been diligent in working out, this was hard!  Ten minutes and it was done, but the effects were still going on in my shaky muscles.  For years, I had a fitness routine that worked for me.  Fifteen minutes of weights in the morning and a brisk walk in the evening kept my muscles toned, my body active and my energy level high.  But through the busyness of the Christmas season, one day of not doing

In my "Journey To Excellence" (my new year plan), this month focuses on Excellence In Worship . One of our favorite worship choruses in our church is "Sanctuary".  The words to this small but powrful chorus are: Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary Pure and holy, tried and ture With thanksgiving, I'll be a living Sanctuary for You Nothing stirs up a spirit of worship more than singing together in church a beautiful song dedicating our life to the Lord, a life of devotion and a sanctuary for Him to dwell in. But...excellence in worship, takes it a step further.  Farther than the church sanctuary where it 'feels good', and into our daily life where we must be prepared to be a sanctuary.  Let's break it down: Lord, prepare me, to be a sanctuary - There is nothing good in us.  We are all sinners by  birth, born with a sinful nature.  Through God's grace and forgiveness, we are cleansed and made new and given a new nature.  But, that old, sin

Was a new year's diet plan a resolution for you this year?  Is so, you're not alone. The new year for many people that means starting a new diet. And for many of them the next week, the second week of January, will be when they “blow” their diet and go back to square one. That’s why the Healthy Weight Network sponsors Healthy Weight Week during the third week in January, which this year is January 15-21.  Healthy Weight Week “is a time to celebrate healthy living habits that last a lifetime and prevent eating and weight problems, rather than intensifying them, as diets do. Healthy Weight Week promotes healthy non-diet lifestyles for children and adults of every size. It helps them move ahead to healthy habits they can live with long term - sound, reasonable habits that allow them to live well and get on with their lives. Eat well, live actively, and feel good about yourself and others.” Diets don't usually work.  It takes replacing bad health habits with better health

Do you have a go-to verse?  One that blesses you and encourages you over and over.  One that brings strength in time of trouble.  One that you repeatedly seek out and go to. Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Psalms 37:3-5 This passage ‘found me’ several years ago.  It reminded me to not look to the circumstances that are being faced, but to commit to the Lord and trust in Him.  Whatever is to be done, He can do it.  This passage through the years has popped up in devotions, sermons and through Bible readings.  During numerous struggles through the years, this verse would be found and bring hope.  Now, I look for it!  When I need to remember where to put my trust, where to turn or don’t know the outcome, I go to this Word and am helped. Praise God for

This week's Gentleness Challenge focuses on "anger".  Most everyone is affected in one way or another by anger.  Although the intensity and outbursts may change, anger wells up in us all at certain times.  To enhance the quality of gentleness in our lives, we must look deep at what is not gentle.  Anger is not gentle.  The giving end and the receiving end are ugly.  Anger makes us say things we wouldn't ordinarily say and act out in ways we usually wouldn't act.  A recent Sunday morning found me in front of the mirror wearing my Sunday best, having a good Sunday morning where the whole family was getting ready for church.  Breakfast had been cooked, kitchen was clean, lunch was baking in the oven and we were on time.  Perfect!  As it got to be time to leave, one son was having issues with the right shoes, one son was still eating and one was hogging the bathroom.  Quick as a spark, my anger lighted.  Sharp words were spoken, feelings got hurt and our drive to c

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself; it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.  Oswald Chambers God is worthy of worship - our worship, our best. 

“It’s habits that can imprison you and it’s habits that can free you and when thanks to God becomes a habit, so joy in God becomes your life.” At the beginning of this year, I wanted to work toward living purposefully.  To be aware of and daily seek to see God’s grace, mercy and love around me and be prepared to give them out. I printed off the January Joy Dare, which gives a daily challenge to find joy in the midst of the day.  This actually was printed off, but set aside until today – the 10th!  Today’s challenge was “to find 3 yellow things that remind you of fresh mercy”.    You were also encouraged to write them down and/or take pictures of them.  This morning started off gloomy as we awoke to some much needed rain.  Seeking some yellow seemed like a great challenge.  But the quote for January on the Year of Grace calendar says “Joy is always a function of gratitude, and gratitude is always a function of perspective.  I we are going to change our lives, what we’re going to hav

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  Galatians 5:22 Most mothers want their mothering (and lives) to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit.  These fruit are characteristics that are rooted and growing in the heart and overflow into the speech, attitudes and actions.  These fruits are easy to identify and also easy to see where they may lack.  The Gentleness Challenge is a focus on the fruit of gentleness in our lives.  This is an area I need some practice in!  Gentleness wasn't something I grew up with and a trait that with three sons, was not cultivated and grown.  But it is something I can identify in others and greatly admire. Any area of life we want to improve must be dealt with by commitment and practicing and implementing the thing we want.  God's Word is a great place to start to put into our heart what we want to come out. You have als

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. Psalms 66:2 Through this month’s Journey To Excellence, I’m focusing on Worship.  Focusing more in prayer time, to worship Him instead of asking for things for myself.  Some of the things to praise Him for are His love, grace, power, peace and strength. He does give those liberally to us.  But not only does He give those things, He IS those things.  He is: Loving Father (love) Mighty God (power) Prince of Peace (peace) Living Bread (provider) Wonderful, Counselor (wisdom) The God of Hope (hope) For every need we have, He not only has the answer – but He IS the answer.  The great I AM – with whom nothing is impossible can meet our need, with Himself.  May we sing aloud the honor of His name – it is who He is and that is all we need.

Our family Christmas traditions of course, involve food!  We enjoy separate Christmas meals with my family and my husband's family.  His side is larger and we all chip in and bring dishes to create a lovely and bountiful meal. My side is smaller in number and I usually do the cooking for them.  This year, prime rib was on the menu! I had never cooked a prime rib, but being assured by friends and family they were delicious and easy, I purchased one.  After scouring the Internet for directions, I found my method of cooking.   6-8 pounds boneless beef rib roast 1 tablespoon onion salt 1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper, preferably white 1/2 tablespoon thyme a few cloves of garlic peeled and sliced olive oil Bring the roast to room temperature. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Wash and dry the meat and rub olive oil on the meat. Put small slices into the meat and insert garlic slivers. Mix the spices together and rub th

Welcome to the Journey To Excellence!   This is my New Year's plan (versus resolution) to become intentional in striving for excellence. January will find me focusing on worship.   Seems appropriate for the New Year, the first month to focus on the Giver of all and seeking to acknowledge Him and His greatness. When we think of worship, church services usually come to mind.  In churches today "worship"  coverse a broad range.  There are churches with lively, expressive worship down to quiet, heartfelt worship.  Whichever element of worship we find ourselves in, remember that true worship comes from the heart...and... it's all about Him. In John chapter 4, Jesus met with a woman of Samaria.  This woman was living in sin and Jesus had just called her out on it. She quickly changed the subject from her sin to 'worship'.  She acknowledged that He must be a prophet and then began recounting the differences in worship traditions of the Jewish and Samaritans.  Jesu