…and has saved us and called us according to His holy calling, and not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. 1Tim. 1:9a
When the phone rings what do you do? Do you let it ring and ring and ring or do you answer it? Hopefully you answer it. Hearing a constant ringing can be extremely annoying. And trying to live and move around your home with a ringing phone in the background is almost impossible. Ridiculous even.
What about God? Has He ever called you? No, not on the telephone. But the example is the same.
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While enjoying my Sunday afternoon- iced tea in one hand, newspaper in the other, I stumbled across an interview with actor Shia LaBeouf. If you have children you might remember him as the star from the Transformers or Holes movies. His interview left me feeling pretty sad.
At 23 years old he is at the top of the fame and fortune mountain and has every material thing possible for happiness. Yet, he was quoted as saying, “I don’t handle fame well. Most actors on most days don’t think they’re worthy.” LaBeouf says. “I have no idea where this insecurity comes from but it’s a God-sized hole.
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My heart is grieved today. A thoughtful gift from my son has brought me a bit of pain. My eight-year-old received a packet of flower seeds at school recently. He carried them home for me in his backpack. My precious little boy thought long and hard about where he could put them. He wanted me to be surprised. He was so excited, he knew he had to place them somewhere I would find them almost immediately.
“Mom, have you been on your computer yet today?” he asked while getting ready for school. “No honey. I haven’t.” My laptop was where I’d last left it, by the side of my bed.
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Busy. Irritated. Frustrated. That’s how I feel. This month has been screaming by. So much going on, so little time. I feel like I’m on one of those nauseating carnival rides. And not the one you love to ride over and over again. The ride I’m on makes you sick to your stomach. The one you swear you’ll never ride again.
I desire for my children to have a wonderful life. I really do. What parent doesn’t want that for their little ones? From playdates with friends, to birthday party invites and the demands of school and home. Yes, all are very good things.
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“Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” 1Peter 5:7
I’ve had this condition most of my life. A condition that I am learning to live with. I desire to control things. Lots of things. Not just big things, but little things, important things, and not so important things. I try and give God a hand, all the time.
Hello. My name is Joanne and I’m a control freak.
From what my children wear, to who they will hang out with – where they will go to college, what they will eat, to what political party they will subscribe to.
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Do you have loved ones in Heaven? If you do, I’m here to tell you that they don’t miss you.
They really don’t.
Anyone close to me knows that my husband and my children are my life. I love them to pieces. BUT, when I was at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference last week, in the midst of other believers- worshipping God together through His Word, through song, and through our gifts of writing, I was home.
By day three, when I should have been aching to be with the ones I love, I spoke with my husband Paul. “I love you sweetheart, but I don’t miss you.”
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Have you ever experienced the joy of the Lord? No, I’m not talking about happiness. Happiness is not the same at all. Happiness relies solely on the external. Things like pleasure, personal experience and circumstance. The joy of the Lord is wholly different. Let me give you a few examples. Chocolate-peanut-butter ice cream makes me very happy. Blue jeans that fit make me very happy. Children who don’t argue in the car make me very happy. But, smiling while I’m grieving, being able to hug someone who has hurt me, and having indescribable peace when my world is falling apart, now that is the joy of the Lord.
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Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 NIV
We are in the process of searching for a church home. It hasn’t been the funnest experience we’ve had this year. But, as believers in Jesus Christ, we know the importance of fellowship with other Christians. God’s word mentions many times – the benefits of encouraging and growing from one another.
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
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