Joy E. DeKok's Blog, page 8
January 19, 2019
Kinds of Legacies ~ Your Life a Legacy
[image error]
Kinds of Legacies You Can Leave
What if your Satchel Story doesn’t lead to a steamer trunk full of memories? Give yourself a little time to ponder the possibilities of your life stories before you quit.
These practical ideas are not intended as a formal guide and are not in any order of significance except for the last two, which have a chapter all their own. Most of our Legacies are a unique combination of two or more of these topics.
My Legacy stories are here on the blog. You can search Mama & Me, Legacy Story, or Gentle Moments to find some of them. Most of them combine my love for old photos or my own nature photography.
If you want specific suggestions for these Legacies, email me at joydekok57@gmail.com, and I’ll create a special blog post with ideas.
Your Family Legacy
A By the Year or Decade Legacy
The Day You Were Born Legacy
The Days of Your Life (turning points) Legacy
A Few of Your Favorite (and Least Favorite) Things Legacy
Quotes Legacy If you want to publish this Legacy for profit, Google the words “fair use” or call a trusted legal advisor to get more help with this.
Parent & Child Legacy
Your Romance/Marriage Legacy
This Legacy story is beautiful, so I’m going to share it with you here.
I was in my thirties when I had the privilege of becoming friends with my beloved second-grade teacher. We went to lunch together, she came to my home for tea, and because she loved to send cards, she often wrote to me although we lived in the same town. She was single her whole life, but one day she handed me a picture of her a boy. She told me how she loved him, and he loved her. How they went to dances and were certain, they would be together someday.
That never happened and when she told her story, I heard the sorrow in her heart and saw the tears in her eyes. After more than fifty years, she still loved him.
The pictures, she showed me I saw her love for him and his for her. The edges were ragged from years of her looking at them and cherishing them. In their way, the photos told me a few silent details she didn’t.
And it all mattered to her and me so very much.
What if divorce is part of your marriage Legacy?
Divorce shame is the biggest reason some of my friends choose not to share their marriage memories. Let’s take a few moments to consider the value it adds to your Legacy.
In the movie Winn Dixie, the young heroine wants to know more about her mother. She knows her mom left her and the preacher and like most kids, she blames herself.
Can you bare enough of your heart to relieve your kids of this tremendous burden?
The way you love and have been loved matters to those you love.
Back to the list of potential Legacy topics . . .
Book, Movie, or Music Legacy
Grief Legacy
Creative Writing/Artistic Legacy
Keepsake Legacy
Pet Legacy
Garden/Nature Legacy
Travel Legacy
Educational Legacy
Business/Financial Legacy
Clothes Legacy
Sibling or Friend Legacy
A Car Legacy
A Hero Legacy
Your Life is a Legacy!
Joy
You can find the other Your Life a Legacy posts here:
Welcome to the Adventure That is Your Life
Your Satchel and Steamer Trunk Stories
The post Kinds of Legacies ~ Your Life a Legacy appeared first on Joy DeKok .
January 16, 2019
On Guard ~ Gentle Moments
[image error]
The November day was gray and quiet as I filled the feeders hoping the birds would come.
At first, they didn’t, and that always makes me restless. I was determined to stay put, but I had to do something. I focused my camera on the golden-brown beauty around me.
[image error]
[image error]
Finally, they came, but things weren’t normal; there were no cheeps and peeps. They flew onto the branches and watched.
[image error]
[image error]
Something was off. There was no time for leisurely choosing the tastiest seeds or nuts. Instead, it was a grab and go kind of day.
[image error]
[image error]
When they watched the sky, so did I. When they looked across the wildflower field, so did I. When they were startled by something unseen or unheard by me, I was unsettled too.
Somewhere out there an enemy lurked, and the birds were on guard.
Stranger still, the regular birds of warning were silent. No blue jay squawks and the crows didn’t caw. I wasn’t cold, but I was feeling downright shivery. Suddenly, in a rush of wings, they were gone.
I stayed, and my thoughts started to roam all over the place the way they sometimes do. I am a mystery writer after all.
It wasn’t long before my real-life concerns rushed hither and yon across my mind. There were little things and big things and a few bigger things zigging and zagging, and I’d been sitting there so long the shivers were now from the cold.
No secret enemy appeared from behind the bushes or the field, but there was an enemy prowling around in my mind as I let doubts and fears have a riot in my mind.
One brave little chickadee gave it another go, looked around, and left.
[image error]
His arrival and departure were a welcome distraction – a gift of sorts. In the seconds after he left, these verses I’d memorized years ago came to mind:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (ESV)
Relief poured over me, and I prayed, “Father, You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. You promise me Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”
The gears in my mind shifted, the chaos, retreated and peace took its place.
My circumstances hadn’t changed but my focus had.
Before I left my photo fort the house, I took this picture. I hope you enjoy it.
[image error]
Until Next Time,
Joy
P. S. What do you do when the worries and frustrations of life take over your mind?
This song . . .
The post On Guard ~ Gentle Moments appeared first on Joy DeKok .
January 12, 2019
Story Stoppers ~ Your Life a Legacy
[image error]
While you may not need all this information right now or ever, it’s good to be aware of these potential pitfalls and to know you can choose to overcome them. The cool thing about this section is that we’re going to acknowledge these six saboteurs and fight them with solutions. If you get stuck along the way, come back to this chapter to help you decide what’s stopping your story and get you going again.
The Damaging Duo
External critics are the easiest to recognize. These are the people in your life who may choose to discourage your project. They may not say anything negative, but you know that those raised eyebrows or rolling eyes are saying: “Your life is too ordinary to matter – it’s a waste of your time.” Some people will say this to you and possibly worse.
You have choices when these detractors attempt to stop you:
You can believe their lies and quit which allows you to blame them and be their victim. Everyone – including these critics – loses when this is your decision.
Or, you can investigate their motives and yours.
As Legacy Givers work through the wounds caused by external critics, we discover that those who those who offer harsh opinions or negative judgments are very often WRONG.
The first step in this process is to ask me: What motivates these unkind words? We can’t know without asking and most of us won’t because we’re simply not up to more condemnation. I prefer to resist conflict as well, and I don’t want to assume anything negative about these critics, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. In private, I consider what I already know they are going through or notice how they treat others and can often decipher if they are out to help or hinder me.
Tip: Save your answers to these questions so you can look back at them if the situation arises again.
Has this person ever been jealous of you or put themselves in direct competition with you? This unhealthy competition challenges everything you say or do. Names and explicit details may not be needed – write intuitively and see what you discover. You may recognize that uncomfortable feeling you get in your gut when you think about telling this person about something that matters to you and are certain they will do their best to one-up you or worse.
Unless your external critics are driven by the purest of motives, reasons, and wisdom, their comments are of no value to you.
Is she concerned that you’ll write about her? Has he shared his fears or his secrets with you? How can you assure him or her you will keep your promises? If you feel the need to write about a painful story that involves this person, be sure there is real value in it for everyone.
Is it possible your critic/s are afraid of your success? (Success here is defined by the fact you find value in your life stories. Your confidence can be very threatening to others.)
These naysayers can love you and still want to rein you in.
Some may even claim they are trying to shield you from hurt, but are they trying to protect themselves? If your story has a mess or two in it (and whose doesn’t?) are they afraid someone will think less of them because of their connection to you if you write about your shortcomings? Explore this and determine that you are going to forgive them for their self-centered fears in advance. Then, if the story is truly part of your Legacy, write it in a way that damages no one.
These three steps are my declaration of independence from these unhealthy motives. I don’t use real names when working through this – I come up with a code name only I understand.
I name my hurt and write about the situation with total abandon. No editing is allowed – spelling, grammar, and punctuation don’t matter. For me, this purging resembles projectile vomiting on to the page. The writing is hot, vehement, and at times, vile. If I’m using my laptop, I hit the keys hard. If I’m writing by hand, messy. I place only one requirement on myself at this point: by the end of this exercise, I am going to forgive whoever hurt me. I may or may not talk to them about this because hurting them isn’t the goal.
If the experience is valuable, I write this part of my Legacy again in the fresh light of forgiveness . My perspective at this point is about the lesson this story taught me.
I delete or otherwise destroy the original draft. This final act is by far the most important to me and represents me forgiving them and myself if my hurt has become anger, which is often the case.
Free yourself to be 100 percent forgiving and forgiven.
Your internal critic is the voice that sounds like you or someone from your past whose criticism of you has become part of your inner dialogue. I cannot tell you how many times I let one negative comment cancel out the positive ones. Each time I say them to myself silently in my heart, these words take on my voice and become part of my self-belief system.
This critic is the most dangerous of because this one is always on duty.
When we let these our let our offenses rule we sometimes react defensively and write Legacies that lecture. This technique in personal storytelling is hard on the Legacy Giver and impossible for Legacy Receivers. There’s an implied standard that says the Legacy Giver is always right and a demand that readers come to the same conclusions.
The Legacy Receiver is likely to respond with his or her internal dukes up in defense. The writing feels like an attack instead of a humble and gracious invitation into your life. Reading a Legacy that lectures feels like bullying because it is.
The best way to find out if you’re writing this way is to read what you’ve written out loud into a recorder and then listen. Do you sound angry, defensive, condemning, or harsh? Does the tone of your voice condemn you or someone else?
I succumbed to this technique once. I thought I was sharing my truest passion with the purest of motives on a certain topic. When I read it to myself, I was offended by my attitude and had not captured the beautiful passion flowing in my heart. Instead, I gave a predictable and scorching lecture. It was awful.
Perhaps the worst outcome when we choose to lecture with our Legacy is we are guilty of imposing two story stoppers on others – expectation and comparison.
Does this mean you can’t share your deepest beliefs? No. Or that you should make sure your stories will never offend someone else? No, again. You can write anything, and everything you believe is valuable to your Legacy.
Your tone impacts Legacy Receivers as much as what you write.
Another side of this coin is that we often use our internal critic to condemn ourselves. Self-bullying is as dangerous and damaging to you as any other misguided critic and is not humility.
When I’ve written from this place, my stories are full of self-doubt tinged with anger.
Uffdah!
Shame Off You!
People often tell me there are life experiences they want to share, but can’t. They know the stories are vital to a full and rich Legacy, but they are afraid. I get that, don’t you? We all have skeletons in the closets of our hearts we wish would cease to rattle and draw our attention back to them.
Now and then, regret tries to sneak out of the darkness and into the light of the page. Mine often feel like they are drenched in a dark, thick sludge of shame and stink.
Over time, the self-disgrace grows as we water and fertilize our fears with the scary question: “What if someone finds out?”
Fear this deep causes our souls to quake.
When this happens, it’s time to face these secrets. If you choose to do this exercise, write your answers down on paper you will feel comfortable discarding. I used recipe cards. Or maybe you’ll choose to let those brief notes be the start of a Legacy story. Trust your gut instincts.
What is the worst thing that would happen if I wrote this as part of my Legacy?
What if I read this in someone else’s Legacy – how would I respond?
Would writing about this help or hinder me or someone else?
If you were right, and the story is not meant to be share, it’s time to “shred your shame.” Or burn it and leave this exercise free from the regret and shame.
Exposing Expectations
While this part is similar to an external critic, it varies slightly.
Not all expectations are bad, but some are freedom killers.
The formatting was excellent, and I’d done a great job editing, the story was written with honesty and authenticity that met my self-expectations. Now, because one person wanted more than I could give, I decided the whole thing was a bad idea because there was no way I could live up to the expectations of one Receiver. I decided it was better to quit instead of inviting more hurt into my life. My Legacy wasn’t stalled; it was stopped.
Here’s what I did when the nudge in my hear to continue would not let me give up:
I asked this person what she expected. Then I asked myself, “Is there any validity in her answer and if there is, what action can I take?
Why does her opinion matter so much to me? Am I letting this person determine the worth of my Legacy?
If not, why does her response bother me? Are my expectations of myself too high? Or am I using her response as an excuse to quit?
When we let the expectations of others or our own unreasonable self-expectations rule, we silence the power of our Legacies.
The High Cost of Comparison
We all compare our lives to those of others. There are two main emotional results from this story stopper:
We feel superior (my life is far more valuable than yours) when we’re not.
We feel inferior (my life stories are of no value) when we’re not.
At a large event, one man shared this experience with me. Part of his life experience includes a crime committed against him by a family member. When he confided in a friend that he was going to write his Legacy with this experience as its nucleus, his friend said, “Who will want to read your story when someone far more famous than you has already written about it and is talking about it on late night TV?”
After telling me the devastation he had endured, he asked, “If no one is going to read it, why go through the pain of writing about it?”
By this time, we were both in tears, and I choked out, “Your story matters because no one can tell it the way you can or reach the same people you can. There may be someone here or out there who needs to know about the pain you have lived through and the victories you are now living in.”
At the end of the event, when asked if anyone had a question or story to share, this man stood up, told this part of his life story, and committed to all of us that he was going to share this as part of his Legacy.
Within minutes, men and women surrounded him. They were asking him to send them this part of his history. Many had been hurt the same way or loved someone in a similar circumstance and they wanted to share his story.
If he had let the comparison comment stop him, hundreds of hurting hearts would have missed out on his Legacy of hope and healing.
As far as I know, he’s still sharing this Legacy story everywhere he goes.
Crush comparison before it contaminates this truth: your story matters.
Factor in Your Fear
I don’t have that mysterious malady called writer’s block, but I do have the occasional flare of fear. It usually shows up as an excuse masquerading as a reason, and when I let it rule over me, the words stop.
Sometimes a photo causes a catch in my heart, or a memory keeps coming to mind when I’m walking, or doing the dishes. Now and then I’ll smell, see, or hear something, or can’t sleep at night because a moment from my life will not leave me alone.
Instead of writing the story, I resist it. That’s when I ask myself this two-part question:
Joy, what are you afraid of and why?
My answer may be a few words to a few pages before I reach the truth. This process reminds me of the danger, strength, and physical grace that are involved in the sword fights I’ve seen in movies.
Either my fear will nag my Legacy to death or my God-infused courage will defeat it and empower my Legacy.
Your Story Matters!
Joy
The post Story Stoppers ~ Your Life a Legacy appeared first on Joy DeKok .
December 3, 2018
Reader Survey
I am very grateful to you for being a faithful reader here on the blog and for stopping by today. It’s a busy month and I’m grateful you chose to spend some of your time here.
As we head into a new year, I want to give you more of what you want as readers of this blog.
Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions! This survey will remain open until 11:59pm on Saturday, December 15th.
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.
The post Reader Survey appeared first on Joy DeKok .
November 6, 2018
The Cloudy Side of Writing ~ Writing Life
[image error]
I love taking pictures of the moon. I am willing to go outside in almost any kind of weather get photos of God’s night light.
NASA says it is an average 238,855 miles away from here. And yet, on the right night, with the right camera, tripod, and focus, I can see details on its surface and can find craters with names! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_craters_on_the_Moon
Today I was looking through some old photos I’ve taken of the moon on its orbital way across the sky and pondered them as a possible question I’m often asked: “What’s it like when you get an idea you know you have to write?”
It’s a cool process but not as mystical as some folks think.
An idea often comes to me the way the moon shines through the tightly woven branches of our windbreak.
[image error]
The idea is there, and it’s bright, and it’s beautiful, but there are some things that need to be pushed back so the story can grow into something I can’t let go of.
For example, we were enjoying a Sunday afternoon ride through our favorite river town, Redwing, MN. We drove past a place called Whimsy’s Closet. That’s when I knew her name was Whimsy. Having a name made it impossible for me to ignore her.
By the time I got home, her voice and appearance were crystal clear, and her backstory was taking shape, but I couldn’t see as much as I knew was on the way.
[image error]
In the outlining stage, some of the clutter fell away, and I am now certain who Whimsy is, and I am emotionally attached to her. She has a beautiful story, and it will happen if I stay out of the story and let her do the talking.
By the way, I use the word outline loosely – I have one or two thoughts about a chapter that are guides to what might happen and are not a detailed roadmap. I’ve written the first seven chapters, and there are already more chapters involved in her story than I anticipated.
And things the idea is getting blurry and . . .
[image error]
. . . the storm clouds gather and the clarity of her story shifts.
This is the time when I must take more deep breaths and stay out of the way. Really – this is a thing.
I’d rather she didn’t have these clouds creeping into the story, but I know that without them she is a paper doll character whose pretty clothes can be changed and that is all.
Without the clouds, she would lack significance, beauty, and purpose.
One day, after hours of writing the raw draft, the first draft, and likely more drafts, her story will shine. Perhaps it will even cast a glimmer of Truth and gladness into the hearts of those who dare to read about her.
That’s this writer’s prayer and dream, and it’s what drives me back to my keyboard.
Until Next Time,
Joy
The post The Cloudy Side of Writing ~ Writing Life appeared first on Joy DeKok .
The Cloudy Side of Writing ~ My Writing Life
[image error]
I love taking pictures of the moon. I am willing to go outside in almost any kind of weather get photos of God’s night light.
NASA says it is an average 238,855 miles away from here. And yet, on the right night, with the right camera, tripod, and focus, I can see details on its surface and can find craters with names! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_craters_on_the_Moon
Today I was looking through some old photos I’ve taken of the moon on its orbital way across the sky and pondered them as a possible question I’m often asked: “What’s it like when you get an idea you know you have to write?”
It’s a cool process but not as mystical as some folks think.
An idea often comes to me the way the moon shines through the tightly woven branches of our windbreak.
[image error]
The idea is there, and it’s bright, and it’s beautiful, but there are some things that need to be pushed back so the story can grow into something I can’t let go of.
For example, we were enjoying a Sunday afternoon ride through our favorite river town, Redwing, MN. We drove past a place called Whimsy’s Closet. That’s when I knew her name was Whimsy. Having a name made it impossible for me to ignore her.
By the time I got home, her voice and appearance were crystal clear, and her backstory was taking shape, but I couldn’t see as much as I knew was on the way.
[image error]
In the outlining stage, some of the clutter fell away, and I am now certain who Whimsy is, and I am emotionally attached to her. She has a beautiful story, and it will happen if I stay out of the story and let her do the talking.
By the way, I use the word outline loosely – I have one or two thoughts about a chapter that are guides to what might happen and are not a detailed roadmap. I’ve written the first seven chapters, and there are already more chapters involved in her story than I anticipated.
And things the idea is getting blurry and . . .
[image error]
. . . the storm clouds gather and the clarity of her story shifts.
This is the time when I must take more deep breaths and stay out of the way. Really – this is a thing.
I’d rather she didn’t have these clouds creeping into the story, but I know that without them she is a paper doll character whose pretty clothes can be changed and that is all.
Without the clouds, she would lack significance, beauty, and purpose.
One day, after hours of writing the raw draft, the first draft, and likely more drafts, her story will shine. Perhaps it will even cast a glimmer of Truth and gladness into the hearts of those who dare to read about her.
That’s this writer’s prayer and dream, and it’s what drives me back to my keyboard.
Until Next Time,
Joy
The post The Cloudy Side of Writing ~ My Writing Life appeared first on Joy DeKok .
October 25, 2018
More Than a Bag of M&M’s
[image error]
It was just a regular-sized bag of M&M’s with peanuts and not guilt-ridden contraband. I told my husband I bought them and intended to eat them because I like them, and a small bag now and then is not a crime against my body or humanity.
He was all for that.
After pouring the bag’s contents onto a napkin made out of a paper towel, I started the preliminaries – I sorted the bright pile into little piles by color.
[image error]
Then I carefully considered them before deciding which group to eat first. This has been my M&M’s ritual for as long as I can remember. And I’m not the only one.
There was this day probably thirty years ago (maybe more) when Mama and I were having coffee at my kitchen table, and she wished for some chocolate, and all I had were two regular-sized bags of regular M&M’s from the treats I’d bought for kids trick or treating. (In the country, the brave kids that came to our door got a little extra for the effort.)
After carefully organizing my bits of candy-coated chocolate, I looked up to find her looking at my napkin and then looking down at hers.
I grinned at her. “So that’s where I get it.”
She nodded still a little surprised by our similar habit.
Not able to disguise my delight I kept talking. “Do you think this is a genetic thing? Or did I pick it up from you somewhere along the way of life? I like it that we both do this. Which pile are you going to eat first?”
Her look was one I knew well – a mix of sarcastic amusement with a little eye thing she did so well. “Well, Joy, I’m not sure. Which color are you going to eat first?”
This was the opening I’d been hoping for! Of course, she knew that, and I think she was counting on me to respond with my normal gladness. She knew me.
“Well, it depends. Sometimes I eat the color with the least number of candies and work my way up to the one with the most. Now and then I eat the color with the most first. Other times I eat the color I like the least that day. For example, there are days when the brown ones are my first choice and other days they are my least favorite. It’s all about my mood I guess. I used to get so ticked off at the old commercials that said they melt in your mouth, not in your hand. They always melted in my hot little hands. It seemed like false advertising to me. What do you think?”
The eye thing seemed to be locked in place on her beautiful face. So was the smirk where she kept the words she was thinking to herself. Finally, she got up and walked to my very first microwave. “I need my coffee reheated.”
That sounded good because coffee melted chocolate is the best. I learned that from Mama too. And being like her was such a satisfying feeling.
We sat back down across the table from each other and as we ate and drank in silence, both of us watched the birds at the feeders outside and did our best not to look at each other’s candies.
Relief washed over both of us when our treat was gone. I know this because I let out a sigh that would have blown out a candle across the room. Mama laughed, patted my hand, and said, “Like mother, like daughter.”
I loved her more at that moment. Because she got me and accepted me, and she sounded kind of proud when she said we were alike.
We laughed and drank another cup of coffee.
I don’t know if we ever ate M&M’s together again. It was a little stressful revealing this organizational habit of ours to each other although probably more for her than me because I was on the giddy side of glad that day. Because as much alike as she and I were, we were also very different. She tucked many things into her heart and kept them there. I tend to share whatever is on my heart.
As I write this, I wonder if there’s a name for this candy sorting thing with a bunch of symptoms, a list of meds to take, and doctors to contact, but I’m not going to look it up on Google.
I like sorting the colorful candy-coated chocolate drips into color-coded deliciousness.
Just in case you’re wondering, today I ate the red one first just because savoring that lonely M&M with the first hottest sip of my coffee seemed like the right thing to do.
Until Next Time,
Joy
P. S. I’m old enough to remember the M&M man, are you?
The post More Than a Bag of M&M’s appeared first on Joy DeKok .
October 12, 2018
Against the Wind
The wind was blowing the flowers and leaves around in almost constant gusts of 20 to 30 MPH the other day. Walking Sophie and Tucker I thought, “Another no picture day.”
As the wind blew against us another thought crossed my mind, “Why? There are plenty of non-moveable things to photograph.
Like these locust pods tucked deep into our windbreak.
[image error]
I sort of fell in love with lichens when I learned a long time ago that hummingbirds sometimes decorate their nests with them. (See this link: https://www.thespruce.com/all-about-hummingbird-nests-386644) Each tiny piece is intentionally placed.
[image error]
This knot where a branch once grew caught my attention briefly because, by this time, I was a woman with a cell phone camera on a mission!
[image error]
This new tree growing on the crook of an old tree got me to pondering about lots of things. Like the way I grow from the messes people older than me have experienced.
[image error]
This pile of debris that seemed so out of place but was actually in the right place at the right time.
[image error]
And these two . . . this robust tangle barely moved in the wind it was so well attached to a well-attached vine.
[image error]
And this little one that I thought was a wasted photo because surely it moved in the wind, but it too was well anchored. Lots of life lessons there. [image error]
And here’s a bit of new on the old again. A gentle lesson in the making.
[image error]
These guys reminded me of tomatoes – this is just the way my mind works.
[image error]
These berries hidden deep in the back of the bush made me wonder who they might be meant for.
[image error]
I thought, “Oh a grape and a raisin” even though I know it’s a Virginia Creeper berry.
[image error]
These small honey locust leaves are favorites and I may have smiled out loud when . . .
[image error]
I found a cascade of them!
[image error]
Sophie and Tucker were tired of photo stops and I got two of “those” looks and a couple of doggie sighs. Plus, my phone had just warned me that the battery was almost done, and the thunder rumbled a lot closer. I was certain it was time to go in, but something told me to look again. That’s when I realized God had saved the best for last!
[image error]
Doesn’t this bug look like he’s wearing a mask on his back starting with orange eyes?
So you sometimes see things in the objects around you? Or in these photos? Let me know in the comments.
Until Next Time,
Joy
The post Against the Wind appeared first on Joy DeKok .
October 9, 2018
With Love ~ Gentle Moments With God
“I love the dried and torn milkweed pods as they burst open in all their seedy and shimmery beauty. Oh, the delights of September!” Joy DeKok
About a year ago, I was delighted by the milkweed seeds, and I almost missed this bug standing his or her ground with so much courage. It was as if this guard bug believed that taking me on would have been no problem.
[image error]
It’s not the first time I’ve respected a bug, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
In the last year, I’ve thought about this insect who stood motionless but ready often and wondered why. Finally, I asked God, “What are you trying to teach me?”
It came to me today when I read these verses, and this red bug again came to mind.
1 Corinthians 16:13 – 14 (NLT)
13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.14 And do everything with love.
The words that nudged my heart were the last ones. Do everything with love.
These words are heavy with the authority of a God-sized command. The kind that makes me want to stand a little taller or kneel a little lower.
Agape . . . The love that is full of good will, benevolence (unselfish kindness and compassion), pure affection, and brotherly love.
It means at its root “to love dearly.”
In everything. The whole kit and kaboodle, the whole nine yards, and the whole ball of wax. (It says these things in one of the online dictionaries I found!) Merriam-Webster is a bit more proper and says, everything means “In all that exists and is important.”
He wants me to agree and disagree with love. To speak and listen with love. To rejoice and grieve with love. To work and rest with love. To serve and be served with love. And so on. There are no exclusions.
Now, a year later, came this gentle and heart-grabbing reminder: the love in verse 14 is the motivation for the actions in verse 13 and everything action I take in my earthly life as a believer in Jesus Christ.
I love the way He teaches me about Himself and me in these gentle moments. How does He teach you?
Until Next Time,
Joy
I’m reading through this devotional – in the updated language. I love it so much I have it in the print copy (rare for me these days!) and on my Kindle so I can read it no matter where I am. I’m thinking about getting the Audible copy too because it blesses me that much!
Click on the book cover to go to Amazon and learn more about this devotional that continues to stand the test of time.
From the Amazon Description: In a barren wilderness, L. B. Cowman long ago discovered a fountain that sustained her, and she shared it with the world, Streams in the Desert ® — her collection of prayerful meditations, Christian writings, and God’s written promises–has become one of the most dearly loved, best-selling devotionals of all time since its first publication in 1925.
Filled with insight into the richness of God’s provision and the purpose of His plan, this enduring classic has encouraged and inspired generations of Christians. I heard the flow of hidden springs; before me palms rose green and fair; The birds were singing; all the air was filled and stirred with angels’ wings.
Now James Reimann, editor of the highly acclaimed updated edition of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, again brings us the wisdom of the past in the language of today, by introducing this updated edition of Streams in the Desert. With fresh, contemporary wording and precise NIV text, the timeless message of the original flows unhindered through these pages, lending guidance and hope to a new generation of believers.
We never know where God has hidden His streams. We see a large stone and have no idea that it covers the source of a spring. We see a rocky area and never imagine that it is hiding a fountain. God leads me into hard and difficult places, and it is there I realize I am where eternal streams abide. Day by day, Streams in the Desert will lead you from life’s dry desolate places to the waters of the River of Life — and beyond, to their very Source.
Do you want to receive updates when a new blog post is published? Click here and you’ll be added to the list! https://joydekok.com/contact-joy/
The post With Love ~ Gentle Moments With God appeared first on Joy DeKok .
October 2, 2018
Then Sings My Soul ~ Gentle Moments With God
The other day, I watched this lovely goldfinch ride a blade of prairie grass as the wind blew her about with gusts up to 25 MPH and a storm headed our way. As she hung on and sang because that’s what birds are created to do.
As I watched and listened, I felt a gentle moment from God whisper across my spirit.
[image error]
And I got to pondering . . .
These days true respect (to consider even if one doesn’t agree) is rare, and disrespect (condemnation/contempt) is far more common and is often considered right and brave.
Most days I want to hide out and sometimes I do. The other day I told Jon thought I might like to become a hermit and was only half kidding.
And just so you know, I’m not talking only about the terrible things that happen on a political (national or international) level. I can hardly believe what I’ve heard in my walks around the lake, in coffee shops, and hospital hallways.
Or worst of all, in the secret responses that run through my mind.
Uffdah!
Sometimes the only way out of the peace-stealing anger born of my self-focused frustration is to remember who God is and worship because that’s one of the things believers are born again to do.
This is one of my go-to verses when I need to remember who He is:
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
I have no idea how many times I’ve hurried to a hospital restroom or to a quiet corner in our house or to my photo fort and read this verse out loud or in a whisper.
As the Word of God brings peace, the words to this mighty hymn wash over my spirit and my soul sings again. Sometimes all it takes to calm the angry chaos are the words, “Oh Lord my God . . .”
Even if you’re not into singing, the lyrics are one of the greatest poems I’ve ever read – talk about a celebration of truth for the soul!
How Great Thou Art
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
It’s true God – how great Thou art!
Until Next Time,
Joy
From Hope Publishing regarding the words to How Great Thou Art:
Words: Stuart K. Hine (c) 1949, 1953 The Stuart Hine Trust CIO. All rights in the USA its territories and possessions, except print rights, administered by Capitol CMG Publishing. USA, North and Central American print rights and all Canadian and South American rights administered by Hope Publishing Company. All other North and Central American rights administered by Integrity Music Europe. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Here’s my favorite recent rendition of this lovely hymn:
Looking for a new novel to read? This one grabbed me by the heart and still hasn’t let go!
To check out the book on Amazon, click on the cover.
Amazon Description:
What if You Woke up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?
Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on—with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. So when he shows up on their doorstep out of the blue, they’re shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he’s changed. Radically.
His anger is gone. He’s oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he’s been but knows he’s been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he’s been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.
But then shards of his old self start to rise from deep inside—like the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury—and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.
In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, James L. Rubart explores the war between the good and evil within each of us—and one man’s only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.
If you want to receive updates when a new blog posts, go sign up here: https://joydekok.com/contact-joy/
The post Then Sings My Soul ~ Gentle Moments With God appeared first on Joy DeKok .
