SPEAKING JOYFULLY
Only Takes One
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Sometimes it only takes one. The bright red rose began to bloom in my garden just before Easter. Its bud held promise. When that rose finally opened in its fullness, it was gasp-worthy! Layers of beauty surrounded by green leaves...
The Cross Gift – Shells and Symbolism
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Oh, what delight when my friend placed the cross in my hands. That cross had been crafted personally for me as a gift. Mounted on a sturdy wooden cross, four translucent shells etched in gold followed its shape. I thought about the...
When Resolutions Fall Short
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com There’s nothing wrong (and there can be a lot right) with resolutions, but it’s important to consider the “why” when making them, and what really matters if we fall short in keeping them. Are we doing them because of peer pressure,...
Beyond Mittens – Divine Design and Discovery
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com How can mittens make us think about Christmas – and God’s design? After years of creating quizzes on various holiday/winter topics from music to movies, hot chocolate and tea, and Winter Olympics and New Year’s Eve activities, I...
Cornucopia Sounds the Call at Thanksgiving
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Thanksgiving tables and fall displays often feature a cornucopia with fruits and vegetables pouring out of a horn-shaped basket or container. Some call it a “horn of plenty.’’ The term cornucopia actually comes from two Latin words...
Veterans Gave: 5 Ways to Give Back
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Veterans Day is different in so many ways. Many holidays honor people from the past, celebrate historical happenings, or promote clever marketing concepts. Veterans Day is a day designed to to say “Thank You” as we honor men and...
Creepy Mind Invaders – 3 Helps to Block Those Haunted Thoughts
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Like scary characters popping out in a haunted house, negative thoughts can burst into our minds stimulating fear, anxiety, or guilt. Mind invaders dangle into the passageways of our minds like strands of spider webs touching us,...
The Giveaway
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com The workman in our backyard held up a feather and pointed to it. “It’s a hawk feather,” I said through the glass in our sunroom. His eyes widened, and he pointed to the trees further back in our yard. I nodded. He looked up to the...
Is that a Shepherd and Protector I See?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. What looked like a white marble lion sculpture atop our neighbor’s semi-circle firepit was actually their new half and half – Anatolian Shepherd and Pyrenees dog. On the highest surface in the...
Seeing the Face of Jesus
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com “It would take a miracle,” the ER doctor said. Earlier that evening, when I arrived at my brother’s apartment, flashing lights from a firetruck, EMT vans, and a police car added to the surrealness and the shock. “They’ve been working...