SPEAKING JOYFULLY
Crash Confession
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Bam! I heard and felt the hit as my head jerked back and forth. Stunned by having been solidly stopped while backing my car out of the garage, I looked in the rearview mirror. Could this day get any worse? Uh, yessss. That impact I...
Six Ways to Extend Refreshment Beyond Summer
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com As summer draws to an end, have you noticed how we talk about ways we found refreshment during this time? Vacations, reunions, explorations. Beach time, mountain getaways, overseas travel. Camps, cruises and climbs to mountaintops....
Conform in What Way?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com The first and only Grateful Dead concert I attended found me dressed in a formal. As far as I could tell, only two of us wore evening dresses to that sold out concert in Atlanta. Being different from the deadheads just wasn’t done....
Unwrapping the Gifts
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Isn’t it a delight when someone gives us a great gift? In order to realize just how good it is though, we have to open the gift to discover what’s inside. “I’ve been wanting this” or “This is just what I needed,” we exclaim when we...
Booklovers Day – What to Read?
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Every day is a booklovers day in our house. With overflowing bookcases in multiple rooms, and a stack waiting by the bed, books call me to explore different locations, experience unique adventures, and to escape into...
When Fog Blocks the Way
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Dense fog prevented us from stopping at an anticipated port call on our Great Lakes cruise. This was one of those times when the decision wasn’t even questionable. After hearing the captain announce that we couldn’t go ashore, we...
Dangerous Places to Avoid on the Path
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Dappled light dances on the trail like scattered spotlights. Illumination shines through the trees dressed in their finest green as they stretch toward heaven creating a canopy of shade and coolness. The path appears idyllic as it...
What Happens When We Plant
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com What do we do when things seem dark, dismal, or difficult? We plant. We plant our hearts and minds firmly in the words and promises of God. We plant our trust deeply in the Creator and Sustainer. We plant goodness and kindness as we...
Superior View
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com The Superior view was in front of me, but unconsciously I found myself looking instead at the manmade tile and walls boxing me in. When I discovered what they called a tepidarium at the ship’s stern while on our Great Lakes cruise,...
Mom – Memories, Lessons and Legacy
©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com Forgive me, Mom, for this writing as I know you weren’t someone who sought attention, but on this 25th anniversary of your move to heaven, I know you’ve been in the presence of the grandest of glory that can ever be experienced. Your...