Joyfull Living

We've welcomed November and watched as it moves quickly along! One week from today is Thanksgiving - which switches our lives into holiday mode for the rest of the year. Looking ahead, we know these days will be filled with more activity, more tasks, busyness and a shift from our normal routines. When we look at the holidays from that perspective, it makes my heart rate increase and an anxious feeling begin in stomach! But as a Christian, I know there is a beauty in savoring the season when I remind myself that these days can be filled with peace and joy instead of dread and anxiety. Thanksgiving and the Christmas season are opportunities to sit and ponder the blessings of God. We begin by counting our blessings and thanking Him for them. This often requires us to look past our pain, struggles and situations and look for a spark of hope, a tiny thread of something good we can grasp. When we look, we can always find something good and something to be thankful for. This season offers

  A trip to the mountains makes fall come alive for me! The area we live in doesn't provide much change of the seasons through weather or scenery. I do my best to bring on the fall atmosphere in my home through scent, sight and taste, but my efforts only go so far. We just returned from a trip where fall was truly experienced! A log cabin on the banks of a river, streets lined with the beauty of brightly colored changing leaves, walks along a lake, mountain drives and fresh, cool air. This is what fall looks like! It brings life to the soul! Today is November 1 - and this month brings a beauty all its own - the beauty of  Gratitude.  Like my fall mountain experience, November truly captures a spirit of gratitude as we turn our minds and plans towards the Thanksgiving holiday. Gratitude is a mind shift that moves us to thankfulness. We are reminded and think on the blessings we have and thank God for all His goodness to us. Here are a few benefits that gratitude brings Gratitude glo

 I was the first person to arrive at the early morning group fitness class. The trainer greeted me with a smile and comment "you smell good" and asked what I had on. She probably didn't realize that was one of the greatest compliments I could receive! Scent is my love language! Growing up, due to my mother's severe allergies, we lived truly unscented lives. We used unscented soap, shampoo, laundry soap etc. Anything with the slightest amount of fragrance gave her a severe headache.  When I got married and began keeping my own home, scent truly exploded! I deliberately look for the strongest scented personal and home products. There are scented plugs in the walls, candles, wax melts and diffusers always providing home fragrance. My laundry is clean and freshened with scent boosters.  What was funny about the comment from my trainer, was that I didn't have any scent on. The fragrance simply lingered from my clothes and self.  My scent fascination is biblical!!  I lo

Years ago, when our home was filled with 3 sons growing up, there were lots of harsh words being slung around. As a young Christian mom, my desire was to train them in godliness and this verse was used alot in that training: A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 It was a desperate attempt to keep the peace between the boys. I'm not sure they ever got the gist of learning to answer softly, but there was a lot of harsh words that stirred up anger! Today is Day 1 of The Power of Words - October Daily Bible Reading . This is the focus verse for today.  Years later, this verse is an important one to learn and allow its truth to settle into our conversations.  Did you know that your words can affect how others view Jesus?   It’s not just your relationship with that person you’re in contact with that’s at stake when you choose harsh words that cut and divide and cause pain. If you’re a daughter of Jesus, if your life is surrendered to Him, every si

  Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.”  Unknown The words we use have tremendous power. We can choose words that speak life or words that speak death. When our words are infused with God's grace, the potency of godly words can revive, heal, and change our lives. Ungodly words have the power to bind, imprison, and destroy.   Countless times a day, when it comes to what you hear and say, you have choices to make. When you hear the words of others, you can choose to receive them as truth or reject them as lies. And every time you open your mouth to utter a word, you have the opportunity to speak life or the temptation to take it. The Bible is God's Word and has a lot to say about our words. Beginning October 1, will  you join me in a daily Bible reading focusing solely on the power of words?  Click HERE for a printable copy and let's dig into the power our words hold.  If you want to change anything - start with your words

 This weekend, my social media feed was filled with beautiful pictures of my friends and their daughters. Sweet smiles, gushing words full of emotion and love and an overload of sweetness. Turns out it was National Daughters Day.   Our family was blessed with 3 sons and we don't have a clue about a home filled with ruffles, frills or dainty things. Our home was loud, fast and active!  So today is National Son's Day, and I was ready to share a post of my boys!  Each of our boys are now adults, living away from home and making a life for themselves. We couldn't be more proud of the men they have become. National Son's Day gave an opportunity to reflect back on the days when they were young and the wonderful memories I cherish. The sweet baby boy years where they loved to snuggle. The childhood years where we cheered them on at the ball field, the teenage years where they kept a mama on her knees in prayer. Now as men they are responsible, self reliant and making their mar