Oozing or Losing our JOY???

Is oozing a word?  I think so, though I may not have spelled it correctly!  I would LOVE to be able to say that at all times I am "oozing" with JOY! To me that means overflowing, spilling out onto others the JOY of the Lord. 

BUT.....just this morning I felt that JOY "tippy-toe"ing right on out the door.  At one point, it may have even laced up it's running shoes!!!   My Type-A personality had planned a well-organized day, but nothing has gone according to schedule.  Not even the weather is cooperating with my plans today!  On top of all my interruptions, I'm concerned about one of our grandbabies who is sick, running high fever and feeling rotten.

So, I guess I have a choice.  I can LOSE my JOY by allowing the interruptions and distractions to take my eyes off of Jesus OR I can CHOOSE to stay focused on the fact that God is in control of all this "change".  Do I "practice what I preach" to others...."Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS"...or do I let these feelings overtake me and just give in to the fiery darts of the enemy?

Sometimes we need strength beyond our own.  OFTEN things are simply out of our control.  But we can ALWAYS lean on, depend on and receive strength from The ONE Who will always be there for us.  TODAY I CHOOSE JOY, and pray that I will OOZ JOY rather than LOSE my JOY!  Won't you join me as pray for one another?

"Father, we pray that you will continually remind us that You have everything under control and that Your plan is so much better than ours.  Please take away the overwhelming feelings of worry and the distractions that keep us from drawing close to you.  Fill us, now, Lord with a double portion of Your JOY!"

And the JOYful race is on.........................

Thanksgiving behind....Christmas ahead!  Do you have your running shoes on?

We do get so busy during this season, don't we?  And it's all good "stuff"!  Christmas parties with family and friends, church programs, school-related events, office get-togethers---just to name a few of the things that the season brings! 

And then, of course, there's the shopping and baking and decorating and cleaning and wrapping of gifts and traveling and.................................OH, MY!  No wonder we need our running shoes on!

Okay, friend!  I need your help! Will you PLEASE remind me that all the above mentioned "stuff" is just THAT: s-t-u-f-f!  And it's not the really important "stuff".  If we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we might never find our Christmas-flavored JOY JUICE!  And that's what we should be sipping on daily...the JOY of JESUS!

So, as siblings in Christ, let's encourage one another to keep our eyes on the REASON we celebrate Christmas:  "Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift!!!!!"  The JOYful gift called JESUS!

Thanksgiving JOY

Taking a few days simply to be with my family...so I'll see you in "blog-land" next week!  Praying that each of you will have a blessed and JOYful Thanksgiving!

Testimony of JOY

This past weekend was one filled with a myriad of emotions....from grief to joyful excitement.  But our God is such a God of perfect timing!  He evidenced Himself over and over again throughout the last few days....in ways that left NO doubt that HE IS GOD!

One of the gifts He sent to "encourage" was this testimony from a friend who lost her mother about a month ago.  She gave me permission to post it on this blog as a tribute to her precious mother.  As you read her heart-felt words, please be reassured that there CAN be JOY in the midst of heartache.

Angie's story:

 

"My husband wanted to know what I wanted for Mother's day this year.  I told him I wanted JOY JUICE by Joyce Ashley.  But he had his own ideas and planted a flower garden in our yard instead.  I would later learn it was not meant for me to get the book at that time.  I purchased the book at a local store the end of September.  My Mama went in the hospital on October 4, 2010.  I had the book with me as I sat up with her.  The LORD spoke to my heart on October 7, 2010 as I read page 39 about "JOY" and "happiness". 

Isn’t it amazing how GOD speaks to you?  As I was sitting up with my Mama at the hospital it was the fourth day and two surgeries behind us.  She looked at me and said, "You don’t look like my Angie."  I said, "Mama, who do I look like?"  She replied, " A tired girl with a long face."  That instant I put a smile on my face and she smiled back.  I said, "Mama, is this the Angie you know?"  She answered, "Yes it is!"

I learned then no matter what we are going through we can have JOY.  We may not always be happy about what we are going through.  Happiness comes from the circumstances around us, but JOY comes from having CHRIST in our heart.  She had a good night that night.  We had prayer and I will always believe GOD healed us both that night, her physically and me spiritually.

My Mama passed away on October 13, 2010.  The flower garden...the one I really didn't know I wanted....now holds some of the flowers that were sent to her funeral.  It will always be special to me, especially on Mothers day."

Now!  THAT'S a testimony of JOY!!!!  Thanks, sweet Angie for opening your heart to us.  You truly are an inspiration and example of how to "Rejoice in the Lord....always!"

(Testimony sent from Angie Thompson....in memory of her mother, Bea Jones.) 

And then comes the JOY of new life....

I usually don't post on the weekends but since I was unable to get to my computer yesterday, here's a brief post of what's on my heart today.

As many times of as I've said it and "preached" it, I found out firsthand the truth that "even in the midst of heartache, JOY can be found".  Philippians 4:4 says: REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS; AND, AGAIN, I SAY REJOICE".   And we CAN have joy....at all times....with the help of Jesus!

I posted on Thursday about the death of one of our sweet friends.  Well, yesterday I had the awesome privilege of spending the entire day with her daughter-in-love (who is VERY special to me).  She and her husband were broken-hearted over losing their mom, but joyfully excited over the impending birth of their first baby.  It was comforting to see the many friends and family who gathered at the hospital to support this precious couple.  Yes, there were many tears....some of sorrow and some of JOY.  But the common bond among most of these family members and friends was that they know God doesn't make mistakes and they can continue to trust Him.

Around 9:00 last night, a BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT little girl was born!  Talk about excitement!  The group of loved ones celebrated with hugs, smiles, laughter and lots & lots of tears.  Silent prayers of thanksgiving were lifted to our awesome God for placing in our lives an "instrument" of JOY.......a love gift named Anna Katherine!!!

Heartbreak & JOY

Can heartbreak and JOY be simultaneous?  In other words, can you receive devastating news and still have joy in your heart?  The answer is YES.....if you have a relationship with Christ.

Just a few minutes ago I received word that a special friend had not made it through surgery.  This was totally unexpected! The surgery involved replacing a pacemaker, but because this has been done so many times, the actual operation seemed somewhat "routine".  None of us for a moment thought it would be a matter of life or death!

This sweet lady was the mother-in-law of one of my dearest friends.  The family is in shock.  They are anything but happy!  However, because they know Christ, they have that sweet peace and joy in knowing that their loved one is in the presence of God.  She loved the Lord with all her heart, soul and mind.  So even though we will miss her greatly, she would not choose to come back.  She is praising the Lord and receiving her crown of jewels!!!!

The peaceful joy that belongs to this family comes from knowing Christ personally.  That's the only way we can get through these times of heartbreak without falling apart.  Yes, heartbreak and JOY can go hand in hand....but only when you allow your hand to be firmly grasped by our Heavenly Father.

Today's serving of JOY JUICE: Gingerbread JOY

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Run on over to the refrigerator and grab yourself a bottle as you read our challenge for today!

Do you remember the children's story "The Gingerbread Man"?  As soon as he came out of the oven, he started running because he did not want to get eaten!  "Run, run as fast as you can!  You can't catch me!  I'm the Gingerbread Man!" He thought he was in control.  BUT he got himself into a situation where he had to trust someone to get him across the river...and he chose the WRONG one to trust...the sly fox!  The Gingerbread Man was gobbled up by the very one in whom he'd put his trust!

Do you ever feel as if you are running through life---trying to make difficult decisions at every turn?  Often we try to handle things in our own strength.  When circumstances arise in which we feel out of control, we may end up listening  to the wrong person---especially if we're not careful and prayerful!  And then, many times, we are gobbled up be the very one we've put our trust in!

Well, I've go some GOOD NEWS!  We don't have to be like the Gingerbread Man! There is One Who we can ALWAYS trust.  His name is JESUS!  We DO have to be careful not to be "tricked" by the sly one, but with God by our side, we can run confidently and JOYfully. 

                   Run, Run, as faithfully as you can!
     Your JOY is knowing that you're in God's hands!

JOY in Sickness????

Yesterday we heard that our youngest grandbaby had strep throat!  Everytime he tried to swallow, he would cry!  His throat hurt so badly. And that's hard to understand when you're only 9 months old! THIS morning, we got a report that "sister" was sick!  Probably the same thing, but a worse case.  She was sick through the night with nausea and vomiting, as well as a high fever.  Poor children... and poor mommy & daddy!

My heart is heavy for them all and I so wish I could "fix" it  and "make it all better".  But the only thing I can do... is the BEST thing I can do: PRAY!  Isn't it such a comfort to know that God is always there to listen to our petitions and requests?!  He knows our needs and what our loved ones are going through so much better than we do!  And HE has it all under control!

THAT'S where the JOY comes in!  "The JOY of the Lord is our strength!"  Aren't we thankful for such a sweet relationship with Him?!  Yes, we CAN have JOY.......even in sickness!  IF we have Jesus as a personal friend!!!

Turkey, Dressing and JOY!

Whew!  I just finished making the cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving and have it in the freezer!  What a relief to have that already done!  That was top of my "list of things to do today"....so I consider my day a productive one!

I don't know about you, but it takes me a while to put together "Mama's recipe" for dressing!  The list of ingredients is long and though my measurements are not always precise, they have to be somewhat "close" in order for the end product to be tasty.  If there's too much cornbread and not enough broth, it cooks up too compact and not fluffy enough.  If you don't put the right seasonings, it may taste bland.  I depend on Mama's recipe because it's "tried and true".  There is no telling how many pans of dressing she has made through the years.   We were discussing our dressing recipe this morning, before I began my quest to make it the best!   Mama reminded me not to put too much salt!  She said she did that one time and it ruined the whole batch.

Our Heavenly Father doesn't make those kinds of mistakes.  He cooks up all kinds of "recipes".  You and I were made from similar ingredients, but different amounts of this and that.  He didn't have to guess about what to use to make us....nor did He need to depend on someone else's recipe.  And regardless of what we think sometimes, He did not make any mistakes!  His "recipe" turned out exactly the way He intended.

So this Thanksgiving, when you eat your turkey and dressing, stop for a moment to thank the Lord for the recipe He used to make YOU.  You are a "delicious creation" and He wants you to share yourself with others.  Of course, He'd be delighted for you to serve up some JOY JUICE while you're at it!

Prepare with JOY

The holidays are coming soon!  Seems that they roll around more quickly each year.  My parents used to say that and I didn't understand.  BELIEVE ME....NOW, I UNDERSTAND!

Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away.  Are you prepared?  Now, I don't mean do you have your house clean for your company or food cooked for your Thanksgiving feast.  What I mean by that question is....Is your heart prepared?  Do you have a thankful heart?

Just try to make a list of all your blessings and I'm sure that you'll soon find, there are too many to enumerate!  God has been so good to each of us.  I fear, however, that I often take many of my blessings for granted.  So I'm asking you to join me as we "prepare our hearts" for the season ahead.  Let's begin to see each blessing as a gift from God.  As we become more aware of all that He is doing in our lives, then our hearts will become more thankful.

And as I've said boocoodles of times: A thankful heart is a JOYful heart!  Start counting your blessings today!

Golden Age JOY

Oh, what a sweet time I had today with a precious group of women and men called the "Golden Agers".  They are a group of senior citizens who meet together once a month for food, fun and fellowship!  I had been invited to speak to this precious group....and you better believe, they filled me with JOY!

During our meal, there was LOTS of laughter coming from our table.  The gals were telling one story after another that made us howl with merriment!  The other tables asked us if we'd been into the "Joy Juice"! :)  And our answer was, "YES!"  The fact is....we all had, because each of us loves the Lord! 

Though most of these beautiful people are more than 20 years older than I am (I felt like a spring chick!), they were so vivacious and full of life!  One of the 85 year old ladies made the statement that she realizes that each day is a gift!  She wants to make sure that she is packing in as much for the Lord as she has strength to accomplish DAILY!  She does "everything as unto the Lord".  What a life-lesson for us all!

No, we don't have to do anything to earn God's love!  It's freely ours.  And nothing we do makes Him love us any more...or any less.  However, when our hearts are full of love and joy for Him, then we will not be able to keep from "bearing fruit" in His name.

Let these "Golden Agers" be an example to us all!  We don't want to sit, soak and sour....like so many people tend to do.  We want to be "on mission" for God, spreading His love, His message, His JOY with all those we come into contact with daily.  Start now!  Bear JOYful fruit everywhere you go!

Today's Serving of JOY JUICE

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Don't forget to drink your daily serving before you start your walk today!

God commands us to "walk" daily in His ways.  That means we are to obey Him.  To be obedient, we must read His Word to learn His instructions, commands and truths .  The Bible is the only instruction manual we need to get in shape spiritually.

Why does God want us to "walk the walk" and not just "talk the talk"?  Because He loves us and wants to bless our faithfulness and commitment to Him.  He wants to use us as His willing instruments to share the JOYful news.  Those of you who are parents know the JOY you feel when you see your children doing what you've taught them.  Sometimes don't you like to reward a child's obedience?  GOD DOES!

In Zachariah 3:7 we are told, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: If you will WALK in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house, and have charge of my courts and I will give you a place among standing."

In other words, God always has our best interest at heart.  And He desires to bless His children when we WALK in His ways!  Sooooo, go ahead and begin your stretching exercises!  We're going on a JOY WALK today!

"And the greatest of these is love"...Which leads to JOY!

May I suggest...if you don't already do so...please find a group of Christian sisters (if you're a lady) or brothers (if you're a man) and spend time together studying The Word and praying together.  Oh, what a special joy you will receive from praising God and allowing Him to "speak" to your heart through other Christians.

I've found that if I sit at home and don't surround myself with Godly people, I begin to lose some of my joy.  Now, whose fault is that?! No one's, but MINE!  How edifying and uplifting it is to share with others what God is doing in your life...and hear their stories, as well.  There is a common bond between sisters and brothers that love the Lord.  That bond is spelled L-O-V-E.

The scriptures tell us over and over and over again that we are to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.  That means letting go of grudges, putting away our judgmental attitudes, asking God to change our critical spirit into one of forgiveness, compassion and LOVE!

1 Corinthians 13:13 reminds us: 
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
 I can promise you that if you have Jesus in your heart and you let Him have TOTAL CONTROL over your life, then you will have faith, hope and LOVE...............and that will lead to an overflowing heart of JOY!!!

Gifts of JOY

Papa Pat and I got the news that "Toys R Us" was having a sale this weekend!  So, yep! You guessed it!  We decided this would be the IDEAL time to start our Christmas shopping! We struck out to the nearest "Toys R Us"...an hour and half drive....JOYfully making our list and giggling all the way!

We were EXTRA JOYful because we were planning on how to express our love to our four precious grandchildren.  We didn't begrudge the time out of our busy day, the long distance we had to travel, or even the money we were spending!  (Papa Pat, the CPA, was smiling when he pulled out his wallet! WOW!)

The reason we were able to JOYfully navigate through our shopping spree was because of one four letter word: L-O-V-E!  We love our four special "gifts from God" with every fiber of our hearts.  And we love to shower them with expressions of our love.

As I began to reflect on the enormity of our love for the grandkids, the Holy Spirit touched my heart!  Our love that we have for our families is just a thimble-full compared to HIS love for us!  Each day He goes to unimaginable lengths to "shop" for us by choosing the BEST things that will bring us JOY.  But how often we miss those expressions, those gifts of His love!  Some times we just take them for granted.  Other times we are so focused on other things that we don't "see" our blessings. Frequently we are simply self-absorbed and have an ungrateful attitude.

Let's put on the attitude of Christ; one of humility, servanthood, gratefulness and love!  Then we will recognize those beautiful gifts from God that are ours DAILY.  Don't you see that gift of JOY....just waiting to be unwrapped!?  It's YOURS!  Made especially for you and made with lots and lots of LOVE!

JOY on a Sleepless night

It's not very often that I have nights that I don't sleep well. But last night I awakened at 3:30 a.m. and could NOT go back to sleep.  In the past I would have flipped and flopped and puffed and pouted, but I've learned that when I am awake in the middle of the night, it is God calling me to prayer.  So that's exactly what I did! I began to pray.

He laid something specific on my heart and mind. And as I prayed I really began to "hear" Him clearly.  This time, my prayers were answered quickly and clearly.  Yet, other times, God chooses to make me wait!

I don't like to wait!  I'm not sure that anyone does.  But I'm a Type-A personality who likes to plan and move ahead with MY plans.  It's a hard lesson to learn, but we all need to realize that His thoughts and His plans are so much higher than ours.  That's in scripture!  And just in case we forget.....HE KNOWS WHAT'S BEST for us and He really doesn't need us telling Him what that "best" is!

I'm just thankful THIS TIME, that He did wake me up and "speak" to my heart quickly.  I thank God that He loves me/us enough to take care of every detail of our lives.  He knows what we need, even before we realize there is a need!  We can depend on HIM......even on a sleepness night!

When you find yourself unable to sleep, don't count sheep! Go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him for JOY in the middle of the night....JOY that come from spending time with Him!

A Lesson in JOY for JOYce! :)

This morning I was running around trying to pack four hours into three....you know what I mean?!  My list of "things to do today" was longer than usual and I was moving in fast motion, striving to get it all done before a noon "lunch meeting" with two ladies to discuss plans for an upcoming ladies' conference. 

I thought I had time to run into Wal-Mart and quickly pick up a few items before the noon meeting.  You know what always seems to happen when you're in a hurry...only three check-out lanes were open.  Like any well-organized, grocery-shopping, Type-A, speedy Gonzolez woman, I found the shortest checkout lane! You know what's coming don't you?  There were two people ahead of me.  The lady at the front of the line, had a buggy FULL.

"Oh, well!" I thought to myself.  "I've just got to wait my turn.  There's not at thing I can do about it."  Well, oh my goodness!  The poor lady must have been shopping for all her neighbors and family members, too.  She separated her groceries into several piles and wanted to pay for each of them separately!  I was standing there looking at the other lines, wondering if I should go to another lane...but all were full.

I was JUST ABOUT to get impatient, when a nice gentlemen passed behind me with his buggy and stopped.  He glanced my way and say, "Well, hello there, Mrs. Ashley!"  I had been so lost in my "not so JOYful thoughts" that I had not even recognized the husband of one of my good "teacher-buddy" friends.  I found my smile and greeted him, asking about his family.  Then he said, "I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your JOY JUICE radio program.  I listen every morning.  As a matter of fact, I've got all the guys at the plant listening every day.  We all look forward to hearing what you have to say."

Instantly, I heard that "still small voice" of God.  I felt so humbled, so encouraged.....yet so embarrassed because of my impatience.  Thankfully, the Lord had controlled my tongue and my reactions.  Now, what kind of example would I have been setting if the "JOY JUICE" lady had been acting in a manner not pleasing to God? (I guess I really was on the inside!  I had to ask for God's forgiveness.)  But I'm so thankful to Him that He put a guard over my mouth!

Lesson learned: You never know who is watching you.  Your "walk" should ALWAYS match up with your "talk"!  Since God has given me the message of JOY, I must strive to always be JOYful in all situations!  Even in the long line at Wal-Mart!

Today's Serving of JOY JUICE

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Drink up!  You're going to need all the spiritual strength you can muster for this Vitamin Beatitude!

Matthew 5:11 says: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."  Now, I don't know about you, but my natural reaction to an insult is NOT joy!  Jesus teaches that we should not give in to our natural human emotions of anger and hurt.  Instead, we should keep our focus on HIM...and the truth that we will receive blessing from reacting in a Christ-like manner.

Maybe we should compare insults to headwinds pushing against an airplane.  Used the right way, they can be an opportunity for us to rise higher and gain a better understanding of how God is working in our lives.

So when these times of persecution come, let God take the pilot's seat.  Depend on Him to steer you above those natural inclinations to retaliate.  Allow Him to fill you with love and forgiveness toward those who hurt you.  This Vitamin "B" is a great JOY booster!

Personalizing "The Lord's Prayer" Leads to JOY

In Matthew 6: 9-13 we find "The Lord's Prayer".  In this model prayer Jesus is teaching us that prayer is about relationship.  "By calling God, 'OUR FATHER,' we are personalizing our connection with God, as our own personal Father.  Jesus could have said, 'MY FATHER,' but He did not.  He was teaching us, and including us in this divine relationship." (from We Who Worship by Cheryl Salem)

How many times have we simply said this prayer with little or no thought?  We've memorized it and recite the words "by heart"......but do we really mean these words IN OUR HEART?  Remember, prayer is about what?????  RELATIONSHIP!  And God wants that personal relationship with each of us to be a two way street between HIM and us. 

So let's pray that prayer, in our own words, from our own heart, with our own special love/relationship with  our Lord:

"Oh, precious Heavenly Father, most hallowed is your name above all names! Oh, that Your Kingdom would come and YOUR will be done today and every day in my life...just as you would have it be in heaven.  Father, give me your daily portion of what I need....physical and spiritual bread to sustain me and help me through today.  And, Father, You and I both know that I have stumbled and fallen.  Please forgive me and help me to remember that I am, also, to forgive those who have sinned against me.  And keep me on the straight and narrow path so that I will not yield to the temptations of this world.  Cover me, protect me and deliver me from my evil enemy, Satan! Oh, Father, I love you and I proclaim your kingdom and your power and your glory FOREVER!!!!!!!!  AMEN"

Keep in mind that Jesus wanted us to use his "model prayer" as we are learning how to pray.  We are not being disrespectful or blasphemous in making the prayer one of personal supplication.  God wants us to come to Him OFTEN in prayer....opening our hearts to Him and pouring out our love of Him, to Him!  And that's when the JOY JUICE begins to flow and overflow in our hearts and lives!

PRAY WITH JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JOY Can Be Spelled F-A-M-I-L-Y

This weekend Papa Pat and I had the JOYful privilege of spending time with all our children and grandchildren. (Pictures on facebook!)  Oh, what JOY floods my heart and soul....just by being with them.  They are some of my most favorite people in the whole, wide world.  YOU know what I mean don't you?

As much we love our families, GOD LOVES US EVEN MORE!  Isn't that hard to comprehend?  How can He love us so unconditionally, so totally, so completely---when we've done nothing to earn that love?!  The only way I can even begin to wrap my little finite brain around that is to compare it to our children and grandchildren and the immense amount to love I have for them in my heart.  Even before birth I loved them; and now as they grow and develop, my love continues to grow for them with each passing day.  Our little grandbabies don't have to do one thing to earn my love.....the can just "be".  And that's how it is with God's love for you and me!  All we have to do it "BE" still and know that He is God and that He loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die for us!  WOW!  Now that's amazing love!!!!

Aren't we glad that we're a part of the "FAMILY" of God?  Let's spread the JOYful news of Jesus so that our family will continue to grow and that we'll BE able to enjoy spending eternity with our Father and one another.