Live your joy story!
gold and white analog watch
16 May

When It’s Crunch Time for Creativity

Joy
4 Comments
Affirmation
If you create anything — be it on a screen, with a team or in your imagination– you know the sound of a deadline approaching. That sound rang in my ears as I responded to requests for ministry event ideas. The deadlines varied for each task but here’s the list:...
Read more
book with red blossoms between pages
02 May

Maximizing The Middle of a Situation

Joy
10 Comments
A Season of Waiting
Everything I desire doesn’t appear all at once. Sometimes it doesn’t appear at all. However, some goals happen in phases, requiring me to seek God in my uncertainty, receive encouragement from others and learn how to adapt along the way. Whenever a new phase begins, I’m grateful if it comes...
Read more
25 Apr

And God Loves You Because…

Joy
6 Comments
Affirmation
A visiting pastor at our church shared what he gave his wife for her 60th birthday — a list of sixty reasons why he loves her. He said it was all she wanted. Our congregation gave a collective “awww.” He didn’t share the details. But it’s likely each line described...
Read more
18 Apr

Where Did You Leave Your Last Prayer?

Joy
12 Comments
Prayer Life
A few weeks ago, my prayer devotional began with this question: Of the things I strive to accomplish, what should I leave in God’s hands? My knee-jerk reaction said, “Everything.”  Simple tasks, desperate cries and seemingly impossible dreams each fit snugly in His care. Then with a deeper reflection I...
Read more
14 Feb

Letting Love Take Center Stage

Joy
6 Comments
A Lenten Focus on Faithfulness
Valentine’s Day holds a special meaning for me. It’s the day my husband asked me to marry him. My heart already knew Brady was “the one.” His proposal gave me the chance to say “yes.” But this Valentine’s Day is different. It’s the same day as Ash Wednesday, the beginning...
Read more
brown and red birdhouse
31 Jan

Easy Doesn’t Live Here

Joy
16 Comments
A Season of Waiting,  In Difficult Times
In my college days, I boarded the Wolverine Express to take me home. I joined the crowded train with other Michigan students showing our love for all things “maize and blue.” Sitting snuggly in my seat with my favorite trail mix, life felt easy. Eventually, I drifted from my snack...
Read more