And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 Last June, a pastor and his wife from New Zealand were guest speakers at our church and I was very touched by their story. Both David and Greta Peters had suffered tragedies throughout their lifetimes but brought the message of God’s hope, learned by trusting in … Continue reading Faith. Hope. Love.
How are you keeping my friends? I’m vividly aware that our hearts, minds and spirits have been taking a battering with fear and negativity lately. On some levels, how can we not get sucked into the fear and worry for what is to become of our societies? Media reminds us daily of the overwhelming amount of Covid-19 cases and increased deaths across Europe and America … Continue reading The Reset Button
We made it through the first official week of social distancing! Charlie and I had started trimming back our social schedule even earlier, but school was closed a week ago last Friday, so the kids and I have been spending our time at home and in the garden since then. Overall, it’s been fine. The kids have been busy playing, planting seeds and watering our … Continue reading The One Who Sustains
This morning did not get off to a good start. It wasn’t dreadful but I found myself completely frustrated and even angry. Our lovely children, who really are lovely a lot of the time, chose to ignore me throughout the “getting ready” part of the morning. Asking once, twice, and even a third time to do simple tasks like using the toilet and getting dressed … Continue reading For The Hundredth Time
My daughter, Anna who is six years old, has been very curious about when her brother Luke, three years old, will officially become a child of God. We actively live out our faith, including with the kids and sharing with them who God is through prayer, Bible stories, and chats about Him. Whenever it has come up about accepting Jesus in our heart, Anna has … Continue reading Jesus In My Heart
The presents have been opened, carol services attended, and probably far too much food has been consumed in many households. Christmas Day has been and passed for this year, but I’m deliberately lingering in the beautiful wonder of the best gift ever. Since childhood, the Nativity scene has intrigued me. I would annually take time to set up my parents Nativity set and think about … Continue reading Best Gift Ever
It’s not always easy to live up to a name but especially when yours is Joy. The inspiration of my name came from my godmother, also named Joy, as well as the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc. (Galatians 5:22) I was one of the only Joy’s I knew growing up and sometimes I didn’t always want to have my name. … Continue reading Living Up To My Name
Being the daughter of a church pianist, I’ve always had a love for old hymns. Anytime I get to sing one at church or deliberately put one on to listen, I am taken back to my childhood and hearing my mom play the piano. My little girl, Anna, is pictured above with her Annie a few years ago at the same piano from my growing … Continue reading It Is Well
