'Joy: To the World!' Part Four - Final Excerpt

-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s The Big Deal About Christmas?

-
If you are at all compelled by Christmas: The childlike wonder, the seasonal lighting up of the darkness, the joy of giving, the comfort & love the holiday brings, it is not what they call the 'magic' of Christmas that is at work here.  It is the true 'Spirit' of the season, God's own gracious, loving abundance given in Jesus Christ who said, “I am the Light of the World” (John 9:5). Advent makes space in the four weeks leading up to Christmas to contemplate all of the beauty wrapped up in it; so as the carol implores, "Let every heart prepare Him room."  This winter is full of so much difficultly but there is one anthem/prayer that will really lift you up.  Listen to Whitney deliver this live medley here:  https://youtu.be/C3a4UgyLFRA Truly wishing you a merry Christmas! Ken & Joy
Read more

‘He Is Risen!’ — Easter Art

-
Image
Recently I’ve been enjoying a free channel on TV: Makeful has 4-hour competitions to find the Landscape & Portrait Artist Of The Year - I’m slowly learning what the panel of judges are looking for - they might say this is a painting about nothing! Where’s the subject?? (That’s the point!!) Framing the scene: cold, damp stone = Death Subject: empty space = Resurrection  Focal points: (near) burial cloth,  (receding) cross... the horror, grief and darkness fades away with the dawn of Sunday:  “O death where is your sting?” — see 1 Corinthians 15 Carving these words into the wood also etched them on my heart in a profound way this Easter: LOVE TOOK MY PLACE  Joy created a diorama of Easter story — the cross and the stone sealing the tomb:
Read more

Embracing the Mystery

-
Image
My name is Joy. People often say that I live up to it, although life has sobered me some and, unfortunately, I probably laugh less and carry more burdens than I used to. I’m the wife of a pastor, and the daughter of missionaries. My husband and I met in Bible College, married, went to Regent College to do masters studies, and then right into full time ministry. We took over a church plant and ministered there for almost nine years. During that time we were very busy raising our five children, two of whom have cleft lip and palate as well as Autism. They’re all precious gifts that circle us with love. Over three long years ago my husband, Ken, started feeling very tired and experienced aching muscles and cramps. He carried on pastoring but would take days to recover after each Sunday. As doctors tried to determine what was wrong with him, we went through one of the worst phases of a long-term illness — not having validation. It wasn’t until February of 2005 that we received the diag...
Read more