tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67408772997370927502011-04-21T14:09:09.717-04:00Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-30200742948411588982009-01-05T21:03:00.002-05:002009-01-05T21:13:14.542-05:00

At the beginning of each year, many of us take inventory of what we are doing and compare it to what we feel we should be doing with our time. We vow to add the “should do’s” to our schedules and eliminate some no-noes from our habits. This tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions stems from the belief that we have control over our choices.Some have grown jaded through the years and sworn off

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-53470536741032182202008-10-16T14:35:00.005-04:002008-10-16T14:46:21.063-04:00

So how do business people help the church work?Imagine Joe, the new dairy manager. Right away he notices ice cream production is way down. He reads Ice Cream Monthly and he knows there’s no shortage of ice cream lovers. Joe rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. He increases milk orders by 20% and begins hiring new staff. There’s only one problem. Joe never discussed his ideas with the senior

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-23932111031584762502008-10-09T11:51:00.004-04:002008-10-09T11:56:13.771-04:00

The church has a problem. It’s not what you may think. No, I’m not talking about tumbling attendance rates, financial shortfalls, music wars or the staggering number of our adult children walking away from Christ. The real problem, according to many, is that these pastors are just so darn disorganized.  “What we need,” say some, “is to look at the church like a business. Of course the church

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-5108096903552333142008-09-27T12:50:00.000-04:002008-09-27T12:53:26.683-04:00

Every kid dreams of being invisible. The power of invisibility is the stuff of science fiction and superheroes. Wouldn’t it be great to enter a room without anyone knowing you’re there? Or would it?As the newcomer in town, I feel a bit like the Invisible (wo)Man. I walk into my children’s schools, the YMCA and yes even my church and I feel invisible sometimes, as though I’m out of phase with the

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-30192028362521114592008-09-20T13:07:00.002-04:002008-09-20T13:16:35.930-04:00

Walked into a Christian bookstore last week and noticed Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller) had a tag sticking out from under it. Never one to pass on a sale, I strolled over to check it out. Instead of a 20% off deal, I found a warning label that said Read with Discernment. It read:We want you to know that the author may have espoused thoughts, ideas, or concepts that could be considered inconsistent

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-72325927036533250762008-09-08T15:52:00.000-04:002008-09-08T15:54:50.990-04:00

Today, we celebrate our one month anniversary in RDU, as many call it. We decided to rent a townhome in Morrisville until we feel confident the schools will work out for our children. Question: How do you fit furniture from a 2400 SF, two car garage single-family home into a 1700 SF, no garage townhome? Answer: When you figure out how to fit a gallon of milk into a quart jug, be sure to let us

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-57649438651445539312008-09-08T14:43:00.000-04:002008-09-08T15:02:21.705-04:00

Finally. I'm posting the conclusion to our cross country trip (two months after the fact) for those who wanted to know. We'll get caught up soon.Wallaces Do Whitewater?!Call it a midlife crisis. I was looking for boat rides, nice scenic boat rides when it hit me. I’m not that old yet. I’m not ready to retire to Jungle Cruise status. Let’s go whitewater rafting. So in a moment of unbridled

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-661608017606349892008-07-18T12:19:00.000-04:002008-12-09T12:05:56.459-05:00

Behold the Waffle Iron Our plan was to hit Grand Coulee Dam on Wednesday, but our late departure called for a schedule revision. We had non-refundable hotel reservations in West Yellowstone and motivated by our mutual cheapness, John and I decided to make the long haul eastward. We lost an hour to Mountain Time and several hours to rest stops and running last minute errands in Spokane, as it

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-79845795891403943452008-07-15T17:50:00.000-04:002008-07-15T17:53:22.736-04:00

Note: As of July 15, we are spending time with family in Atlanta but here are some highlights of the last month.Getting Out of DodgeCould it be true? We closed on our house, no hitches. God is good.OK, we did hit one bump – packing. We bought the sales pitch - hook, line and sinker. Don’t rent a moving van. Try the convenient portable storage container approach. Here’s how it works. Some guy

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-42287845651565775832008-06-14T12:25:00.000-04:002008-06-14T12:27:31.461-04:00

“A man of steel and velvet,” author-poet Carl Sandburg used these words to describe Abraham Lincoln. The phrase became for many a metaphor for the ideal male persona, the perfect combination of strength and tenderness to which men must aspire. Stu Weber expounded the vision in his groundbreaking book, Tender Warrior (1993). Weber defined “four pillars of a man’s heart,” identifying leadership,

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-48517453302552990852008-06-03T15:08:00.000-04:002008-06-03T15:10:36.589-04:00

Apparently my abulia has left me a little behind in my posts. So here’s the rest of the story.At the end of April, we declared our house “good enough to sell,” despite numerous noble intentions left unaddressed. We listed our home and prepared for a long and grueling process given the current market conditions.To our shock, we received a full price offer within three days (didn’t mention that

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-77098796045646148682008-05-13T19:14:00.000-04:002008-05-13T19:17:25.221-04:00

In 1967, Charles Hummel wrote his classic, The Tyranny of the Urgent. He describes our tendency to forgo the important matters in life in favor of those that scream the loudest at the moment.Recently I’ve experienced another type of tyranny – fear. One of this week’s “Word of the Day” entries from www.dictionary.com was abulia. Abulia is the loss or impairment of the ability to act or to make

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-43899682175332456502008-04-22T16:27:00.000-04:002008-04-22T16:28:38.198-04:00

Seattle is in a bad mood. Yup, everywhere I go people are gruff, “nice spring we’re having, huh? grumble, grumble . . .” Maybe it was the rain, snow, sleet and hail that besieged us last Thursday and Friday . . .and Saturday . . .and Sunday. Maybe the lack of sunshine for the last eight months is finally taking its toll. Maybe it’s the fear of looming floods once the record snow pack begins to

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-25827617362336942992008-04-08T14:18:00.000-04:002008-04-08T14:20:15.741-04:00

Due to personal and family commitments, we will go on a brief "blogging fast" in April. Check back on April 22 for our next post. Thanks!

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-58028186983851860132008-03-24T23:45:00.000-04:002008-03-24T23:59:20.130-04:00

Next year my son starts middle school. We just received a brochure explaining all the electives offered at his new school. Foreign language, band, orchestra . . .he can even take model rocketry.At the bottom of the page I noticed a little disclaimer that just might erase my son’s dreams of mastering the viola. It seems that kids who fail to test at grade level on the reading portion of the WASL (

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-88041027821853718512008-03-19T10:40:00.000-04:002008-03-19T10:50:27.569-04:00

Do you recall a person in your life whose constant attitude was, “I’ve already made up my mind; don’t confuse me with the facts”? Most of us have made a few bad decisions for lack of information. But have you ever become so committed to a course of action that you intentionally closed your mind to information that might persuade you against it? Perhaps it was the time you chose not to check a

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-87688633012061980932008-03-11T12:59:00.000-04:002008-03-11T13:08:03.312-04:00

Today, I opened the Bible to Matthew 20 and read the Parable of the Vineyard Workers. Here’s the synopsis. A landowner hires a group of workers in the morning, a second group three hours later, and a third group two hours after that. At the end of the day, he pays the last group first, then the second group and finally the early birds. Every group is paid the same amount. The early birds cry foul

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-17913711509291641022008-03-05T00:54:00.000-05:002008-03-05T01:00:36.749-05:00

Our desire for approval can cripple us. If you care about people, you want to meet their needs. But life is busy. Sacrificial service disintegrates into good intentions. Out of sheer survival, you become calloused to the needs of others. You’re ashamed of your indifference but overwhelmed by the level of adversity around you. When you finally roll up your sleeves, you feel you can’t do enough.

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-54977863134730238872008-02-25T19:04:00.000-05:002008-02-25T19:06:20.075-05:00

Once there was a man who set out to get rich so that he could afford all the things his heart desired. He hung pictures of expensive cars and boats, luxurious homes, exotic vacation resorts, and the latest entertainment technology on his wall. He believed that these pictures would motivate him to work hard for the things that he wanted. He devised strategies to meet persons of means and

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-6910933927078700532008-02-12T14:13:00.000-05:002008-02-12T14:18:19.256-05:00

I just finished reading Lifesigns, by Henri Nouwen. Though written in the 1980’s, I found his message timely for 2008. He says we are driven by fear or love. The two cannot coexist. “Fearful questions never lead to love-filled answers,” Nouwen claims.I often think of love as the opposing force to hatred or apathy, but seldom have I considered love the alternative to fear. Yet how often does sheer

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-64643111795627672032008-02-05T14:48:00.000-05:002008-02-05T14:53:26.406-05:00

I plopped down at my desk. Staring back at me was the Bible I hadn’t cracked in several days. Next to it was yesterday’s “to do” list with less than half the tasks crossed off. Lingering in the background was a darkened computer screen loaded with fresh emails which, with the faintest touch of the mouse, would steal the spotlight from the gold-edged pages waiting for today’s verdict. What a

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-48361256088445528182008-01-18T20:15:00.000-05:002008-01-18T20:17:44.646-05:00

I picked up my purse and said to the kids, “Come on; let’s get in the van.” It was as though I’d fired the gun for the 100 meter sprint.Both kids grabbed their shoes (to put on in the car) and said to each other, “Hurry, hurry, we’re late.”For once, I wasn’t running late or short on time, but their programmed response revealed more that I cared to know. My frantic pace was reproducing itself

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-50581059384511183172007-12-24T13:05:00.000-05:002007-12-24T13:10:31.850-05:00

Scrunched into the backseat of our Russian chariot, we began our final tasks. Our driver, Igor, took us to the apartment home of Sasha and Natasha. We climbed into what looked like the elevator from the Shady Rest hotel and entered our home for the next 4 ½ days. We were exhausted and I wasn’t sure I wanted the added stress of being a house guest. However, Sasha and Natasha’s hospitality quieted

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-25264331618187016102007-12-17T19:27:00.001-05:002007-12-17T19:38:10.469-05:00

Ten years ago today, we touched down in St. Petersburg, Russia. Two days later, we became parents of two wonderful children, Hannah and Samuel. Most parents have stories of both the exhilaration and mind-numbing fear they experienced when they assumed responsibility for another human life (in our case, two lives).Do you remember your first night with a newborn? Is he still breathing? Is she warm

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-7635194881111068782007-12-10T16:40:00.000-05:002008-02-14T14:06:33.124-05:00

Do you often feel confused about what God wants? Do you even resist what you think might be his expectations? Are you conflicted, wanting to follow God yet not sure you’ll be happy where he leads? Sometimes this lack of clarity is the result of a distorted or inadequate view of God. You may have been taught or just assumed that God wants certain things. How can you know for certain what God

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-83510214579541385322007-12-03T17:57:00.000-05:002007-12-03T18:04:37.987-05:00

Other people’s priorities can cloud my judgment, thwarting my ability to make decisions. If I stay at home with my son, but can’t afford piano lessons or little league, I’m denying him opportunities. If I focus on maintaining my home, I lack the time to volunteer at school. If volunteer activities consume my day, I’m folding laundry instead of helping my daughter with homework. If I go back to

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740877299737092750.post-36715880085911833872007-11-27T13:33:00.000-05:002007-11-27T13:37:07.926-05:00

Guilt and shame are related to each other but are not the same. Guilt is objective; it is the state in which you find yourself when you have violated a law, moral code or personal value. You experience painful feelings of regret associated with your behavior. You feel guilty because you are guilty. This guilt motivates you to change. Shame is subjective; it is a feeling of humiliation based

Joycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00455457819451778678noreply@blogger.com0