SPEAKING JOYFULLY
Is the Gift Card Still Valid?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com The pain jabbing in my leg muscle and hip kept waking me up at night. When I walked, the pain radiated. Trying not to limp proved difficult in my own strength, despite my best efforts to try to focus one foot in front of the other....
Shadows or Substance in the Light?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com “No, that doesn’t look good.” “Move this way.” “It’s better when you’re facing the light.” Friends – longtime and new - kept shifting and moving trying to secure good photos with each other in a conference facility better lit for...
Cleaning Up the Stain
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com The stain was there, and nothing seemed close enough or strong enough to fix it. When I spotted that swath of blue paint covering the top of my foot, I knew I had done something wrong. But let’s back up a little. For the first time...
The King, the Coronation and the One who Reigns
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com The world’s abuzz with the upcoming Coronation of the King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth areas. Who will attend? Who won’t attend? Where will certain people stand? What if there was this much press attention and...
9 Verses to Celebrate the Creator of Earth
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Earth (or a derivative form) is mentioned 729 times in the Bible, more than love (686); good (610); and life (565). The word water? You’ll find it in Scripture 617 times. Fire (or a derivative) shows up 364. Earth Day began April...
18 Ways to Love Our Neighbor without Spending Money
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com To truly love our neighbor isn’t about gifts or money, it’s about compassion shared, time extended, the you-matter-to-me moments that demonstrate care. It's a matter of our heart. Sometimes showing love for our neighbor means holding...
Chopped Trees and Calvary
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com My heart sank. I’d been expecting it because of the signs I had seen, but nothing prepared me for what I saw. Hundreds of tall trees had been chopped down a few blocks from me. What will rise up is difficult to envision, and it’s...
Parade of Delight
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com A parade shows up at our place each spring. Like marching musicians playing a variety of woodwind instruments, birds swoop from tree to tree singing their various songs. The cacophony of their varied calls somehow transforms from...
13 Timeless Passages to Welcome 3-23-23 Palindrome
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Every day comes with wonder, but some dates such as 3-23-23 arrive with a twist - as palindromes. When a date is the same whether we read it backward or forward, it’s known as a palindrome. March 2023 boasts 11 palindromic dates;...
The Stone with Power
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Yes, I kissed the Blarney Stone. Not because I believed that stone would do anything (which I don’t) and not because I believed it has any special power (which it doesn’t) but because I wanted to experience it for myself. To see this...