Joyfull Living

We're not talking finances here, but something of greater value.  A recent question from a devotion. .."What do you think is the difference between spending your life doing something and investing it in something? "  Do you have a way of regularly evaluating how productive you are being for God?  As an active part of my local church, I 'do' a lot. Along with many other church workers, we have an active church, due to those who do a lot. A recent addition of a weekly meal brought out several new and different tasks a Family Ministries team I am a part of do and love.  Food planning, shopping and preparation, connecting with many gracious volunteers turns out a fabulous meal each week.   Being a 'doer' gets things done and we often see fantastic results. But investing, that is a little different.  Where 'doing' can come easy, investing asks us to put forth a little bit more.  We lose that mode where we simply do the ta...

Here we are again...about to enter the most wonderful time of the year!!  It is still early enough to be in the planning stages where we begin to set the tone for the season, will we choose to have a fun, family filled holiday, a quiet, meaningful one, an active one, filled with all the food and celebrations?  Whatever our preferences, it affects our planning and activities.  There is so much to enjoy about this season.  Of course we must reflect on the true meaning of celebrating Christmas which is the gift of our Lord Jesus.  That is the greatest gift and should impact all we do.  We love others because He first loved us, we give, because He gave, we have hope because He lives. I know...all this Christmas nostalgia can quickly fade when we're rushed to go to another event, or try to find the right gift in the middle of a crowded store full of disgruntled, rude people!  We will face those times, so it is best to be prepared.  A patien...

A daily blessing that comes through my email everyday is Today's Marriage Prayer . It is an invitation to draw closer to each other through marriage and closer to God. It's a dare to fight for your marriage. It's a challenge to pray with, and for each other every day.  I have a passion for our home, for making it a haven.  This prayer brought out those beautiful things stored up in my heart as a powerful prayer to God who is able to bring it to pass. Marriage Prayer – Making Our House a Home Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this home and everything in it. It’s comfortable. It’s unique. It’s a place that reflects our personality, unlike any other place on this earth. There’s something about our own bed, our own kitchen, our own couch… that brings comfort to us. It’s a gift that keeps giving day after day. Thank you for the talents and the strengths we each bring to our home. Help us to use them together to wisely take care of our thin...

We don't choose our family, God places in the one where we need to be!  I'm thankful to have been raised in a family that loved me and did their best for me.  My parents have passed on, but leave wonderful memories of their love to hold on to.  The family I was raised in is small in number, but big in love. The family I married into, was also ordained by God and I am so thankful!!  Much bigger and more traditional, but a true blessing.  AAHHH, family...and I'm so thankful for them!

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Of course one of my blessings is that of 3 sons.  God's gift and each one is unique and cherished.   After all those years of 'boy life', action packed days, God blessed our family with a sweet girl...a daughter in law - love.  Love these people!!  Makes my heart smile!!

For a Christian wife, the highest human relationship (under God) is her husband.  God showed me extra grace, because He gave me one better than I deserve.  25 years of marriage and each day I still thank God.

Here we are at the week of Thanksgiving!  All those plans to stop and give thanks daily through the month of November....began strong and then life happened!  Most days, I've tried to notice and be thankful for the abundant blessings God has given me.   But this week, I want to focus each day on the biggies!   Day 1 - Salvation   I didn't come from a Christian family.  By following the natural road of life familiar to me, many wrong choices were mad along with many wrong actions and the path to destruction was wide and I was heading full force down it.    God graciously reached into my heart and shined His light to help me realize, there is something better and it is called grace. Grace given in spite of my sin to bring about a lasting change in my life. Christ died on the cross to forgive all of our sin and shame. His Word promised a new life when we accept His forgiveness.    Some of my favourite verses are Psalms...

    Recently our church celebrated its 164th Homecoming.  This is always a great day where we thank God for His blessings and enjoy fellowship with former church family and spent time getting to know new families. For many of these Church Homecoming years, I've admired those ladies who arrived at the back door, dressed beautifully, carrying their dishes of delicious food, walking leisurely into church, greeting others all with a smile that radiated true joy and contentment. On the other hand, I usually arrived after a morning spent cooking up something that I hoped was presentable and taste worthy of church homecoming, dressing children, losing track of time, and arriving breathless (blowing through the kitchen door to drop the food off) to find a seat and usually late! This year's Homecoming Sunday found me with a food dish baking in the oven while at the ironing board with plenty of time to spare and a heart full of thankfulness.  The though...

Being an active for years, I've learned to love the energy and vitality a healthy lifestyle brings. I've also learned that the greatest benefits come from stretching the limits. When the muscles get stretched by making them do a little more than they are used to doing, they rebuild, but stronger. They grow through resistance.  Healthy is not one big lumped together term, it is a combination of small decisions to do what is best for the body.  It involves the food we eat, exercise we do and how we build endurance and strength.  A recent morning after a work out class followed by a run, I was walking into a store before heading home.  While walking, my leg muscles started making themselves known, and reminded me that they had worked hard!  In one of those crazy fitness guru moments, I thought....this feels so good!! There is a Bible verse in I Timothy 4:8 ..."For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profita...

Last week, I had a day filled up to the brim.  After work, there was 1 hour before I had to go back into town for my son's soccer game.  During that hour, dinner had to be prepared, some laundry done and a few more things that filled the time slot quickly. Pulling up to the house, I noticed in the neighbor's field a new, baby calf had arrived. This is a big field and the cows are usually not by our section.  But today they were.  The sweet baby calf was nursing and the mother was cleaning it, it was so precious!  I quickly went to get the camera and moved to the fence.  They stayed still, taking care of their needs, not a care in the world.  Inching closer and closer, with fascination and awe, the stillness of the moment was beautiful.  My earlier rush was forgotten and my spirit calmed.  Finally they moved on I was able to finish my list of to dos.  But now, I went about with a thankfulness that I stopped and took a breath and not onl...

Sometimes it's the simplest things that mean the most, especially in our relationships.  Here is a cute little acrostic with some easy, but powerful ways to keep the marriage love alive... M - Make every moment count.  It's often easy to take for granted those every day things we do. Notice them and cherish them. A - Affirm your spouse daily. We love him...let's tell him...every day.  Look beyond the familiar, what exactly is it in him we respect?  Let him know. R - Reconcile often with apology and forgiveness. When we're wrong, admit it and move on.  Forgiveness can build up a marriage. R - Respond with respect.  We know him so well...what he's going to say, do and how he will respond. A sarcastic response tears him down and belittles, give a polite response or simply a smile! I - Initiate with courage.  Love lavishly, be bold in expressing love. A - Always love gracefully.  God gives us great grace, it is intended to fill us...

      A Sunday in November...what could invoke a greater attitude of thanksgiving and worship.  A cute little printable resource found at Sweet Blessings  gives a print out of a daily Bible verse for the month of November.  Today's reading is found in Psalms 147:1-7   Praise the Lord ! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.   He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.   He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.   Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.   The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.   Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God.   When we hear the word 'worship' for years it brought the image of standing up, singing hymns in church.  Traditio...

What a gorgeous Saturday was! It was the morning I've been waiting months for, with a little bit of coolness in the air. Plus it was Saturday and I had no plans for the day and all my family was at work or doing other things. What could I do for a whole Saturday morning? It began with a warm cup of coffee and some devotional reading, of course wrapped up in a blanket!     Then there was the 5K this morning.  I haven't done one of those in months.  Should I pull out the running shoes?      Yes, that is exactly what a morning like this needed...outside activity!  The heat and humidity of summer have hindered my distance running.  Along with doing walk/run intervals which my body had gotten accustomed to, I wasn't sure if I could go 3 miles straight.  But the cool air felt fabulous and I began slow...all the way to the finish!       The easy and comfortable choice may seem best, but it often i...

Through many years and many levels of fitness and healthy living, there is one thing that has been essential to me.  Eating well, exercise, sufficient sleep all work together and can always be tweaked for proportion and increase.  A recent article highlighted one of my favourite tools, strength training.  My fitness routine incorporates hand held weights and I love the benefit they give, added strength, increasing endurance and results of toned muscles. To build a healthier body, you need a strong foundation that can withstand the aging process. It’s never too late to create new habits. Strength training for many people isn’t as fun as walking, spin class, yoga or playing sports. But it’s hard to deny the short- and long-term benefits of hitting the weights, including: Increased bone density Stronger ligaments and tendons But the benefits don’t stop there. Muscle allows us to continue to be active, functional and healthy. It’s critical for activi...

Our family has 3 sons and they have all been active and involved in sports from early ages.  There is a longer gap in age with our last son that with the older 2.  Growing up, the younger son was always on the go to a sports practice or game to watch his brothers.  Since he wanted to do everything they did, he made the baseball and soccer fields his little havens.  Finally he was old enough to play!  Looking back through this blog, I found lots of sweet memories made on the sports field with the youngest.  (I've highlighted the older two for years!!).  Baseball was the favourite for years... Then we gave football a try.. Then he hit soccer and found what he loves to do...   Now that the baby is almost all grown up, it is great to reflect on the years of sports activities and life lessons learned from teamwork.

Many of our gifts or benefits received can be traced to a sacrifice from someone. Our salvation, our country's freedom, things like scholarships and so many other benefits come through someone's sacrifice.  For many years in our family, my husband has worked especially hard to allow me to stay home when our children were young.  We see sacrifice in our families, in the jobs we work, in our churches and community. But how often do we acknowledge these sacrifices?  How easy it is to just accept the benefit without pondering where it came from.  Our greatest gift for Christians is our salvation and it comes from the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord giving His life to redeem us.  Today we celebrate Veteran's Day where we stop and acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice of those veterans who gave their life for our country. We also recognize and appreciate those who in the past or present serve in our armed forces.  There is great sacrifice given daily a...

Now, please don't judge me about my vanity, I am a woman and it is important to look the best I can.  But I am actually talking about my bathroom vanity counter today!  Partly.... During my morning make up routine, the last step is a liberal mist of hair spray, you know, to seal the hair for the day!  The problem is that 'liberal mist' gets all over. My sweet husband is a perfectionist and I'm sure he could come up with a way to eliminate the problem.  But I am a 'get it done quick' type and just want to spray and get on with the day. But my poor bathroom counters get all gunked up with that residue.  Wet wiping them makes it worse and who has time to pull the heavy duty bathroom cleaner out on the spur of a moment? So, I found this little recipe, very cost effective and gave it a try!  Mix in a spray bottle.... 2 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol a few drops of dishwashing detergent if desired, 15 drops of essential oil...( I did desire ...

Talk about an oldie but a goodie!!  It's utterly amazing to discover what this lady - Jane Wells (1886) wrote more than a century ago holds true even today. Her four simple rules can take us a long way to enjoy a wonderful married life. Marriage Advice Jane Wells (1886) Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger. Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break. Believe the best rather than the worst. People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them. Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.

  Today is Sunday...the day of worship.  It is more than the decision to get up and go to church more than a day to rest, more than a relaxed morning.   It is a time to turn complete attention to the Lord, to how powerful He is, to recognize how great He is and reflect on His great love for us. Worship changes us as we look to Him, we become like Him.  If we want more grace, kindness, power to overcome obstacles, mercy, comfort, peace, it is found in Him.   What do we worship?  It will change us, let's seek for godly changes!