Thanks for the JOYful memories of 2010!

The older I get, the more I understand the verse in the Bible that talks about life being like a mist, a vapor.  Time passes so quickly!  I can hardly believe that 2010 is almost over!  Though spotted with heartache and trials, I can honestly say that the Lord was good to pour out much JOY in my life all through the year.  And I'm sure that you can say the same.

These are some of my most vivid memories:

• Baby Jude was born on January 26th, 2010.
• Our first "EnJOY the Journey" Conference was attended by over 500 women!
• My first book, JOY JUICE: Delightful Flavors of JOY in the Lord was published.
• I enjoyed five book signings.
• We had a great family vacation this summer with all the children and grandchildren.
• Naomi had a "Princess" 3rd birthday party!
• Will had an "Elmo" 2nd birthday party!
• Nathan had an "Air Force" 5th birthday party!
• Pat was surprised with his 60th birthday party!  TRULY SURPRISED!
• Invitations throughout the state to worship with fellow sisters in Christ.
• A miracle baby was born at just the PERFECT time to one of my precious friends.  And I was there!
• My mom enjoyed good health throughout the year!  Such a blessing!
• 26 family members gathered for Thanksgiving at our home in Wray.
• God brought two special "partners in ministry" my way!
• Our radio ministry continues to expand!

I could go on and on and on....but instead, I want to challenge YOU to start counting your JOYful blessings of the year past.  Many of you experienced heartache, but because of your relationship with the Lord, you still found JOY.  "The JOY of the Lord is our strength!"

As 2011 approaches, let's rededicate our lives to being completely HIS.  Our prayer for the New Year:

"Father, thank you for the gift of YOU.  May we be your willing, JOYful instruments in the upcoming year as we share Your love with others.  Open the doors of opportunity for us to be used to further Your Kingdom. Thank you for your love, your direction, your protection and your JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's Serving of JOY JUICE!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Are you still basking in the afterglow of Christmas?

            Many times we find ourselves exhausted after the Christmas rush is over!  We’ve run and raced through the season and then……it’s over!  No more parties to attend, no more music programs to perform, gifts are opened and most of our homes show signs of hectic activity over the weekend past.  Are you guilty of thinking,  “Oh, I’m so glad Christmas is over!”

            We do tend to let our “busyness” steal the JOY of the season.  Today, I’d like to challenge you to take this time after Christmas has past and before the New Year begins, to meditate on the goodness of God.  None of us deserve His love; we have done nothing, nor can we do anything to make ourselves worthy of earning His grace and forgiveness.  Yet, He gives it to us FREELY.

            Over two thousand years ago, our Heavenly Father sent His only Son to earth….to walk and live among us….with the plan that he would DIE to pay the penalty for our sins.  In Isaiah 53:5, the prophet foretold:
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
             
         Won’t you join me in praising God for His supreme sacrifice?  He is the ONLY way to salvation and true JOY!

The JOYful Afterglow

The presents are all opened, lots of food devoured, and now everyone's gone home.  The house to soooo quiet!  Yet, I can bask in the afterglow of sweet memories made.....not only for the grandchildren, but also for us grown-ups, too.  Smiles of excited little ones, giggles and squeals of delight, cousins playing and enjoying one another's company, sleeping in new sleeping bags on the floor, sampling cookies and treats, and discovering neat surprises in stockings...are just some of the JOYful memories! 

One of the sweetest traditions that we started several years ago in honor of our parents is the lighting of our advent wreath.  This Christmas three of our four grandchildren were old enough to participate in the lighting (with a little help, of course!)  The candles represented HOPE, LOVE, JOY, and PEACE.  And in the center, was one white candle that represented CHRIST.  We all sang "Happy Birthday, dear Jesus" and had a time of prayer and thanksgiving.  THAT'S what I hope and pray our grandchildren will remember most of all!

What kinds of memories are we making for our children and grandchildren?  Let's make sure they are centered around Jesus......the source of ALL JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas JOY

Most of you who are reading this can probably empathize with me in that the time is FLYING by so quickly! Christmas is almost here!  I've tried to take advantage of every single moment of the last few days to cook ahead, wrap gifts, and get ready to spend a JOY-filled several days with our family.

All our children and grandchildren will be with us!  Isn't that a blessing?  ALL under the same roof at the same time!!!!!!  "Thank you, Lord, for this blessing of JOY!"

Sooo, I share that with you to let you know I will probably not be blogging again for a few days!  My prayer for you is that God will bless you with the JOY of Christmas!  Let's celebrate Jesus Christ's birth and praise Him for His indescribable GIFT!

Have a JOYful Christmas! 

Intentional JOY

Thursdays are usually my busiest day of the week.  And today was no exception!  What WAS the "exception" was that I determined to be extra intentional about recognizing JOY throughout my day.  And oh, my!  Did I ever see it....at every turn.  Just to name a few of the "JOY gifts" I received today:

1. I received a text from my favorite daughter first thing this morning with a sweet message.
2. A little later, I got a phone call from our almost five-year-old grandson telling me allllll about his Christmas program last night.  He was one of the "Three Wee Kings"...and he told me with much enthusiasm (and yes, JOY) about the songs he sang and what he wore.  He even passed the phone to his three year old sister, who had to fill me on on other interesting facts! 
3. Then, it was on to the radio station to tape JOY JUICE!  I taped two weeks' worth of devotionals today, due to Christmas being next week.  Would you believe that out of ten segments, my tongue didn't mess up one time!!!!  NOW, THAT'S A GIFT!!! Such a rarity!!!!
4. At the radio station I got to enJOY the company of two employees of the station who have become such dear friends over the past 2 1/2 years.  They've been such a help to me in my radio ministry and I got to tell them today how much God has used them in my life!  We shared some sweet time together!
5. Next, I was in route to the hospital!  Nope, not sick!  Just volunteer once a week as Chaplain.  I always receive a blessing from visiting and praying with the patients...as well as talking and sharing with the nurses and staff people.  I had such a JOYful time with all of them today.
6. Okay...I'm not finished yet!  I ran into several stores to do some last minute Christmas shopping and saw old friends GALORE!!!  I usually am in such a hurry, but today...I MADE myself slow down and enJOY the time of conversation with old friends.
7. THEN, I went to visit one of my NEWEST friends....that sweet, precious baby I blogged about a few weeks ago.  She'll be four weeks old tomorrow.   What a treat to visit with her and her mommy!

That's not all.....only a start!  But I think you get the picture!  Sometimes we are in such a rush that we don't recognize the MANY gifts of JOY the Lord pours out into our lives.  During the Christmas season, let's slow down enough to be aware of the blessings of JOY that God wants to give us. Get ready for the most JOYful Christmas ever!  JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surviving the "BUG"....Joyfully??????

Tis the season to be jolly.....NOT sickly!  But tell that to our son and his wife and THREE little ones!  The stomach bug hit ALL FIVE of them within minutes of one another.  Soooo, night before last was an "eventful" night to say the least!  It was NOT a "silent night" around their house!

Today, however, things seem much brighter.  All of them are on the road to recovery...which is VERY important to our almost five year old, grandson.  When he got sick, his first concern was: "But I have my birthday party on Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Looks as if the Lord will bless with good health and the party is "on" as planned.

Don't we wish that all of our troubles would get over and done with in just a few hours?  But that's not the way most situations work!  I guess if we never had our trials and difficulties, we'd not grow in our faith.  We don't really have to depend on God when everything is going smoothly!  It's when the going gets tough, that we go running to Him.

With the new year rapidly approaching, let's make a commitment to the Lord to go to Him BEFORE our trials even start.  It's a fact of life that we ALL are going to have our problems.  Let's stay "prayed up" and "filled up" with the Word of God so that when those difficulties come, we'll have HIS STRENGTH to rely on!

Okay, dokie!  Those are my thoughts for the day!  Stay well...don't let the "BUG" catch you.......unless, of course, it's the JOY BUG!!!!!!!

"Check-out" the JOY!

This morning my goal was to brave the COLD and make a run to the grocery store to prepare for the kids coming home for Christmas.  I always like to "cook ahead" so that I can really enJOY them while they are here.  Honestly, I kinda dreaded the ordeal.  I knew I'd spend too much money :) and I don't really like to fight the crowds.  But I put on my warmest clothes, my boots and gloves.....and off I went!

After two trips into the store (my buggy wouldn't hold it all the first time!), I rolled my cart up to the check-out lane.  Imagine my surprise when I was greeted with the most pleasant little lady at the cash register.  She greeted me with a smile and such a pleasant disposition.  The entire time she was ringing me up, she was asking polite questions such as if my family was coming for Christmas and where they were from.  As I paid for my "stuff", I turned back to her and said, "Thanks so much for making my shopping trip so pleasant this morning."  I was rewarded with the biggest grin I've ever seen from a "check-out gal"!  We BOTH experienced the JOY of the season.

As I was leaving town, I realized that it was past lunch time.....my tummy was growling, so I turned into the closest fast-food restaurant.  When I pulled up to the window to get my food, AGAIN I was greeted with a huge smile and such a pleasing attitude from the young man in the window. We exchanged "Merry Christmas" and both felt the sweet spirit of the season between us!

TWO SCOOPS OF JOY is what I received as a special gift from God this morning!  And sooo unexpectedly!!!!

So, the lesson learned from my "dreaded" trip to the grocery store:  You can find JOY anywhere.  God is just waiting to surprise us and bless us in unexpected ways and places..........even in the "check-out" lane!

Walk in JOY

So glad to be back in "blog-land" today!  The past couple of weeks have brought unexpected challenges, but we were able---in God's strength---to walk through them and see the JOY amid the pain.  Isn't it wonderful to serve a God of love and faithfulness?!

As I was studying this morning, the concept of WALKING IN THE SPIRIT kept coming to mind.  I'm preparing for an upcoming women's conference in January and it seems that God is pressing upon my heart that in order to live victoriously, we must WALK daily with Him.

What does it mean to walk with Him? 

1. Give your life TOTALLY to Him.
2. Trust Him with every decision...large and small.
3. Read and study His Word, so that you will know what He commands.
4. Have His Word "hidden in your heart", so that you will automatically apply it.
5. Surround yourself with Godly friends who WALK THE WALK and will be a source of encouragement and inspiration and support to you.

That's just for starters.....I'm sure we'll revisit this topic again!

For today......WALK WITH JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And enJOY this Christmas season!

The JOY of Serving Family

Hello, friends!

In case you've missed me :), I've been out of pocket the last few days and have be unable to "blog".  I had the JOY of being with one of my sons, his precious wife and their little boy.  They've been sick....and GiGi was BLESSED to be able to serve them for a few days. This was a special privilege and though I sometimes don't understand why God allows things to enter into our lives, I can still "count it all JOY".

I would like to request that you pray for my family, that we will continue to see His blessings of JOY in our lives!  Would you pray for complete healing?  Thanks, friend!

Now, out the door for a busy day!  I'll see you soooooon...in BLOG-LAND!!!

Have a JOYful day!

Christmas JOY with Friends

The JOY of the Christmas has begun!  Yes, it's just December 3 and tonight will be our SECOND Christmas party already!  But this year, I am determined to find the JOY in the little things.  Instead of getting stressed about all the dust and spiderwebs in my house, I'm CHOOSING to think that my friends are coming to enjoy the company rather than inspect my "not-so-perfect" house!  I'm CHOOSING to let others help me, rather than thinking that I am "superwoman" and can do it all myself! 

What are YOU choosing this Christmas?  Are you choosing to race and run and sprint through the days of December?  Are you choosing to see just how many activities you can pack into your month?  Are you choosing to see how much you can buy, how many sales you can find, how many gifts you can wrap before Dec. 25th?

Let's pray for each other during this busy time.  In our prayers, may we pray for God to show us the truly important things....like spending time with HIM and making sure that we focus on the REASON for the season: JESUS CHRIST!!!!!

My hope is that your Christmas (and mine) will be filled to overflowing with the JOY of JESUS!

The JOY of a New Baby

This morning I had the privilege of holding, loving, ooooing and ahhhhing over a precious gift from God.  The newborn baby is oblivious of the fact that her birth was perfectly timed by God.  She doesn't know (yet) that her arrival brought so much JOY amid the heartache caused by the unexpected death of her grandmother the day before.  She has been---and is---and will be such a source of comfort and joyful distraction for the family as they mourn the loss of their beloved family member.

As I left their home this morning, my heart was overflowing with gratitude to the Lord.  He knows everything we need, even before we know we need it.  He has our lives planned....and has had that plan since before the beginning of time! He created that new little bundle of joy and formed every little fingernail, every soft hair on her head, even those tiny eyelashes and peach fuzz.....knit together in her mother's womb...to become a MASTERPIECE of His making.  

Just think!  Many years ago, Mary held Jesus in her arms...just as my special friend is holding her new baby today.  I imagine Mary had many of the same emotions and thoughts that all new moms do.  "How perfect! How wonderful!  How much I already love him!"

The difference is that Jesus was born to die for YOU and ME!  God's plan for His life included suffering and death on a cruel cross.  I can't imagine that kind of love!   Oh, I think I know how to love...I LOVE my husband and my children and my grandchildren.  So much so that I can't even describe that kind of love.  BUT God's love far surpasses anything we can ever truly grasp.  A selfless love, a sacrificial love, an unconditional love---that's what His love is all about.

So as we ready ourselves for Christmas, let's enJOY the blessings, both large and small.  But let's never forget that little baby boy born so long ago in a stable in Bethlehem.  JOY TO THE WORLD!  THE LORD IS COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Chance to win a copy of "JOY JUICE"

Let me help you with your Christmas shopping!!!  May I suggest a copy of my book JOY JUICE: Delightful Flavors of JOY in the Lord!

For a chance to win a FREE copy, please make a comment on my blog about how YOU are striving to keep the JOY in Christmas this year.  The winner will be selected on Dec. 15th...to give you plenty of time to give it as a Christmas gift!

Of course, anyone who wants to purchase a book (or books) for gifts this Christmas, just email me at joyjoy01@windstream.net and I will mail them to you. I'd love to help you with your shopping! :)

Today's Serving of JOY JUICE

Have you had your Joy Juice today?  During this Christmas season, please don’t forget to add Joy Juice to your Christmas list. 

            How do we share JOY with others?  Let’s remember that JOY and happiness are two different things.  Happiness depends on our circumstances, what’s happening in our lives.  JOY…however…depends on JESUS!  We can do as Philippians 4:4 reminds us and rejoice in the Lord always, if we’ll keep Jesus as our focus this Christmas.  Sure, we have many fun activities….like parades and parties and shopping and baking.  But if we take our eyes off the real reason that we are celebrating, then we will lose our JOY.

            So what can we do to assure that we are keeping the main thing, the main thing?  I’ve got a few suggestions for you:

• Start your day with a prayer of gratitude, thanking God for the birth of His Son, Jesus.
• Read the Christmas story from your Bible.  Why not let that be your daily devotionals during this entire month?  You can find the story of our Savior's birth in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
• When you decorate you home, try to find a nativity scene that will be a visual reminder of the birth of Jesus.
• Worship faithfully in the church of your choice.  To gather with fellow Christians during any time of year is special, but at Christmas it’s extra JOYful!

These suggestions are just for starters.  I know you’ll think of other ways to invite Christ into your Christmas this year and in doing so, you['ll have LOTS and LOTS of Christmas JOY!