Joyfull Living

 Romans 5:3-5  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. This verse is part of my weekly Sunday School lesson. I'll be the first to admit in the past I have 'cherry-picked' this verse. Meaning I have taken the good parts and pondered them, and discarded the parts I don't like so much!  Perseverance, character; and character, hope : This is a golden chain of Christian growth and maturity. One virtue builds upon another as we grow in the pattern of Jesus.  Most every Christian wants to develop character and have more hope. These qualities spring out of perseverance, which comes through tribulation. We may wish to have better character and more hope without starting with tribulation, but that isn’t God’s pattern and plan. Three th...

 "Overflow might look messy when gas is spewing out of a tank, but when God fills us to overflowing, it's beautiful, because we're no longer rationing our energy for ourselves and everyone who needs us. We have plenty to give when we are overflowing." This was from my devotion as I began a new week and the topic was refilling, trust and being still. God wants us to be beyond full, not hovering right above empty, but refilling our souls is a process that requires us to be still and trust.  What was significant about this new week is that I was on forced rest. A scratchy throat, slight cough and then a positive test result had me settled safely at home for the next few days. My first response was "I don't have time for this", but maturity has taught me, when you can't fight against something, lean in, listen and learn what God is trying to say.  So the week began, at home with a stretched out devotion time and words that filled my heart with a desire f...

  As much as I love New Year's Day and the exhilaration of a fresh new year, the month of January can also be pretty special. As the weeks go by this month, goals pop up in the mind and if we are serious about making a change, the goal goes to paper. But, if the goal or change is to stick, it must be practiced and developed.  As many shared the feeling of being happy to see 2020 leave, I've taken a pause to look at it from the other side. Through the year, a lesson was learned that there is really not much under our own control. The things I loved and faithfully practiced were simply wiped away. Church meetings, my job, relationships, hospitality, even the health I make a priority couldn't stand up to the challenges of the year.   Looking at several months of 2020, grief, sickness, loss, fear, chaos and politics were constantly in front of us. It was through faith that while our world seemed to be falling apart, we trusted that God was still in control. The circumsta...

 Early on New Year's Day, I was laying awake, wishing I could sleep in a little later, but pondered in my mind this was the first morning of 2021. The sound of a ping from the other room alerted me that a text had come in to my cell phone. If someone was reaching out this early in the morning, it needed some attention. Grabbing my coffee and my phone, the text was from a dear friend, sharing concern about a loved one who is struggling with illness in the hospital. The text conversation went from her sharing concern, to my giving an update. The loved one is in very serious condition and my friend shared the depth of her prayer of pleading with God for the miracle that is needed. But she also shared the alternative, if God didn't answer the prayer the way we would like, He was still in control. "Does that make sense?" she asked.  Wrapped in a cozy blanket, coffee and Bible in hand, our text conversation continued. Some hard thoughts were shared, thoughts of those criti...

There was a phone call that needed to be made and I had been putting it off all day.  A church friend from many years ago had passed away. I was a young mother, she was older, more experienced and a gal who was full of life! She was bold, outspoken, passionate and lots of fun. We weren't exceptionally close, but she had a fierce love for anyone she knew. Our paths grew apart, but her family always held a special part in our life with fond memories of days gone by. The phone call was to be made to her son, one I had not seen in over 20 years. Would he remember who I was, he was just a young man when I last saw him. The call was placed and as I identified myself, he greeted me by name warmly. A beautiful conversation flowed filled with memories and sharing of his mother's influence on many.  He did remember our family and shared fond memories of families in the church who meant much to him.  While we caught up from the years, he shared that in his grief, he found his mother...

Hello November! If there was ever a season I would like to hit the pause button to be able for time to stand still, November would be it! Fall is all around us, early November finds our hearts leaning toward gratitude and anticipating upcoming time with family and friends. From this point on, the rest of the year will be filled with sights and sounds of thankfulness and then will quickly move on to embrace the spirit of Christmas. The first of November is a time to reset our hearts. It is a month that recognizes gratitude and thankfulness. Through the years, I've participated in thankful challenges, made gratitude lists, daily thanksgiving journals, you name it, I probably have done it in the quest to capture a thankful heart and attitude. Over the years while counting my blessings, the list is usually the same...Faith, Family, Friends etc. But a heart of gratitude is more than simply naming a blessing, but digging deeper to get to the heart. Why are we thankful - how can I in turn...

Fitness trackers are a tool to help people in their journey to be healthier. I wear a little device on my wrist called a Fitbit. It looks like a watch but helps keep track of every step taken through the day, tells about my heart rate, sleep patterns and probably many more features I haven't explored yet. My favorite feature is tracking steps. When the fitbit is set up, it asks you to set a goal for daily steps. 10,000 steps per day is a good, healthy number, so that was my goal. Due to having a few distinct advantages - I love to walk and have short legs, I take many steps, my daily step goal is always met. The step goal is a little low and if you throw in a few long runs, the weekly step average is fabulous!  A friend introduced me to a fitness app to meet your step goal and I was immediately ready to crush it! But, instead of setting my own goal, this app calculated my average steps and set a daily goal for me, which was waaayyy over the low, manageable goal I had set! Loving a ...

"If you are going to do something, do it right." For years, this was our parenting mantra we used with the desire that it would implant diligence and faithfulness to our children.  "When you commit to something, see it all the way to the end." These were not just words to us, but a lifestyle, especially to our faith walk. My husband and I became Christians at the same time. From that point on, establishing a godly family was a key priority for us. Church attendance became a source of learning to walk this Christian life, to line up our values with the Word of God and to fellowship and grow from relationships with other Christians.  'Going to church' was not just something we did, but something we put our all into through worshiping, learning, growing and serving.  Faithful attendance was a natural outflow from the heart changes on the inside. For our family, church attendance is not something we think about or question on Sunday mornings - 'shoul...

  I LOVE October!  I think I say that about every month of fall! September is usually a special month due to my husband and I both celebrating birthdays. It is also usually the month the extreme heat of summer begins to fade away.  This September was a little different. Our family faced a month of very difficult and challenging situations. If we chose to keep our focus on the circumstances, like ocean waves, reaching higher and higher they threatened to pull us under. But God...  He goes before us and knows exactly what we need, when we need it.  I had decided to participate in a month long, daily reading challenge - One More Step. Every day brought strength, hope and peace directly from the Word of God. When we choose to focus on the greatness of our God instead of life's situations, God wins every time.  As we close out September and move into October, we call it the Journey Forward. Life often gives us a hard road with twists and turns,...

During a morning run last week, the radio program I was listening to continually gave warnings about a coming storm.  Hurricane Michael was expected to hit that day. The announcer shared "everyone in our listening area will be affected". It is a fact that every surrounding county is under either a hurricane or tropical storm warning. There WILL be rain and wind for all, but some may face catastrophic conditions. Just days ago, Hurricane Michael was a forming group of clouds and rain that quickly grew into a catastrophic weather system. In 24 hours, it will be completely gone from our area leaving only the aftermath behind.  Although our immediate area was spared from extreme damage, our neighbors in the panhandle of Florida are facing devastation that will take much time to rebuild from. Storms are a fact of life, it is not a matter of if, it is more of a 'when' they will roll through. They are a certainty and they will come. They can develop suddenly or come with...

Today is September 11, which is a very emotional day for our country. This is a day where as a country, we pause and remember the horrific day our country was attacked. We remember the devastation, the loss of life, mourning and grief of so many families.  The pictures of the attacks still play in our minds when we remember this day, along with our feelings of helplessness and unbelief.  On this anniversary of 9/11, the theme rings out "We will never forget".  This day is forever etched in the heart of America.  We are bound together by our memories and the strength shown through the selfless acts of unity.  In our family, September 11 is also a day we will never forget. It was a Sunday and as a family we went to church, enjoyed the afternoon together and then went in different directions for the evening. Our middle son Josh went to a get together at a friends house. My husband went to church services at our home church while I went to participate i...

Today is Good Friday. A day that Christians remember the death of our Lord on the cross. It causes us to pause and remember His great sacrifice, the pain, shame and death of His life - for us, to cover and provide atonement for our sins. He who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might become righteous in the eyes of God. It is so simple, yet such a profound love. Here is an Easter devotion from Billy Graham sharing about Good Friday. Good Friday celebrates the day our Lord died for our sins on the cross. I have often sat by the hour and tried to imagine the agony and suffering He went through because of our sins. At one point He said from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He meant that God had accepted His work on the cross as the penalty for our sins. Christ’s death on our behalf is the reason God can forgive us and still be just. And His death teaches us the depth and breadth that there should be in our forgiveness of one another. While that holy Friday was treme...

It's September 1st which probably ranks as one of the most favorite days of the year for me. I LOVE September, even typing it out makes me smile!!You probably are wondering what makes this month so special, but there isn't really a reason.  Crazy huh?  Both sweet hubby and myself have birthdays in September, but we don't celebrate all month!  No other special things occur in Septemeber, but I think it is the home and promise it holds that makes me smile. In the deep south, we've hit the 'dog days of summer'.  It is hot outside.  Not just hot, but miserable hot.   Hot, Humid and Hazy has been the weather forecast for months now. 'Cool' weather is still at least a month away, but September marks a glimpse that fall is coming. Oh, how I love fall!  Pumpkin everything, cooler weather, more outside time, time to bake, long sleeves, apple cider are some things that I'm looking  forward to. I can't see it or feel it, but I know it's coming!...

Independence Day has been one of the most celebrated events among nations. It is the birth and beginning of our beloved freedom. This July 4, let's reflect on the hard earned freedom and grace that we all share and enjoy. No one can deny that many of the founding fathers of the United States of America were men of deep religious convictions based in the Bible and their Christian faith in Jesus Christ. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, nearly half (24) held seminary or Bible school degrees. These Christian quotes of the founding fathers will give you an overview of their strong moral and spiritual convictions which helped form the foundations of our nation and our government. Here are the top quotes and bible verses that will inspire and motivate the family as they celebrate America's Independence Day: George Washington: 1st U.S. President "While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certai...

Galatians 5:22-23 reads: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.” These 'fruits" are beautiful and inviting characteristics that true Christians long to have in their lives. Spiritual maturity teaches that it is called 'the fruit of the Spirit', because it is only through the Holy Spirit that these flourish in our lives. Our efforts to produce these can fall flat, but when our prayer is to let these fruits come forth, God equips and guides us and enables these to flow from our hearts. These fruits are to be shared with others and will point others to Jesus and His goodness. For Christian women, God's Word encourages us to teach the younger women.  Let's be reminded that there is always a woman younger than us who we have the privilege of sharing and showing the ways of godliness to. Let's look at how powerful the fruit of the Spirit can work through us in practical ways as...

I classify myself as a 'fitness loner' since most of my fitness routines are done by myself.  I like to think I"m disciplined enough to keep a fitness routine and although I am consistent, the same routine is done over and over.  This is great to stay healthy and active, but is a  poor plan when additional results are desired. Recently the opportunity to attend a fitness class came.  During class we were using hand weights and our instructor would periodically ask "Does anyone need to go heavier?"  She would often encourage the class if the weight being used felt comfortable, it may be time to go a bit heavier. This is a benefit of group exercise, to be challenged to reach goals and to do a little more than what is comfortable. The instructor knew that if we were comfortable with our weights, we would not achieve the greatest results.  It takes tension and resistance along with more effort for continued progress In fitness, the more tens...

By nature, I am a very peaceful, calm and passive person. Those are good traits to have and can be a good balance to others who have those traits in a smaller quantity!  But  a key to everything is balance, every trait has its strengths and also tendency for a weakness.   Sometimes those quiet traits keep our faith quiet..too quiet to stop the voices of fear, timidity and the overwhelming vulnerability when we face trials and hardships. There are times in life and in our faith when we need to rise up and stand bold.  The great news is that we don't have to rely on our personality, but our strength and boldness comes from God.  His Word is filled with verses to equip us to be bold and courageous. To remind us that in our weakness, His strength can come through us.  I'm joining in a 31 day challenge to read a verse a day for braver living.  These reminders from the Bible are perfect to put God's promises in our minds and hearts. ...

There is power in the words we say, even the words we say to ourselves when no one hears.  The mind is the beginning of our words and then our actions. Destructive or Dynamic things can come from the first things that come into our mind.  It is our choice what to do when a thought comes into our mind, we can follow it and ponder it if it is good or we can replace it if it is bad.  Biblically replacing thoughts of failure can renew our faith, our thoughts and our perception.  God loves us, He created us and we are highly valued by Him.  If you have ever heard any of these thoughts before, flip the switch and turn on the light of God's Word to drown out the darkness of lifeless words.  1. Instead of saying: I'm such a failure!  say this - I'm made to overcome this. *2 Corinthians 10:3-5   "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have d...

Every now and then I come across something much older, but timeless.  "Which Faith Is Yours?" is a quote I found a long time ago, but outlines the difference in passive and active faith and which one we will choose. May this Lord's Day, our faith be awakened and our trust reach out to the Living God who will never fail us! Passive faith accepts the word as true but never moves.  Active faith begins the work to do, and thereby proves. Passive faith says, "I believe it! every word of God is true.  Well I know He hath not spoken what He cannot, will not, do.  He hath bidden me, 'Go forward!' but a closed-up way I see,  When the waters are divided, soon in Canaan's land I'll be.  Lo! I hear His voice commanding, 'Rise and walk: take up thy bed'; and,  'Stretch forth thy withered member!' which for so long has been dead.  When I am a little stronger, then, I know I'll surely stand: when there comes a...

Oh that dreaded feeling of disappointment.  Are you familiar with it?  It can be defined - " the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations."   In my own life, I have found myself actually lowering my expectations in hope of avoiding being disappointed.  But, it doesn't work... disappointments can never truly be avoided, they are a fact of life for each of us.   Lowering expectations or seeking any other avenue to avoid disappointments is vain, but we do have a powerful option to face disappointment head on - our attitude and our faith.    Christians serve a Savior who has overcome the world.  God has given us His promises and has a plan for each of us.  He has also given us a free will to choose how we respond to life's situations and trials.  He has equipped us each with a measure of faith.  It is up to us whether we will choose to allow the disappointme...