On October 24, 2005, I opened the doors to my business, Krum Vet Hospital with a lot of hope, faith and high expectations of what God was going to do here in the little town of Krum, Texas. I will have to say that the last 5 years have been a fun ride and God has done MORE than I ever expected, asked, or imagined! I want to take some time today to look back on the last 5 years and say some THANK YOUS to many that made this dream of mine become a reality.
Anyone that knew me before this crazy idea, knows that I said I would NEVER own my own business...too many headaches, late nights, responsibilities, etc. Let someone else do that job! Well, I now know to be careful to never say never! God really started working on me over a course of two years and started putting the dream in my heart to open my own business. At that point in my life, it was the largest leap of faith I ever had taken and I was scared to death. Opening a business is always difficult, but when technically you don't have one single client, the odds go up by leaps and bounds (okay I had a few faithful followers who are still with me and followed me from practice to practice but not very many!). Everyone asked, bankers and all, did I think the idea and the business would succeed and I always said a confident YES because I just felt God's call to do this and that the area was big enough to support a vet. I didn't reall have any hard figures, just a dream in my heart, but I just had faith because literally this was NOT my idea! I have to thank John Thompson, the former President of First United Bank here in Krum, for taking that leap of faith with me. He did not know me from Adam, yet still had his bank loan me six figures to start this place up...to someone that at the time wasn't even 30 years old and had zero business experience....that was huge and I realize that. But, I think he must have seen my desire and passion and knew I had something to offer. There are a lot of great vets out there, and I've worked with several, but not every practice has the compassion, the heart, the dedication to treat everyone as family and as they are important. That is where I wanted to be different...I wanted people to feel welcome and not feel like just a number. I wanted them to be family, for me to know their families, to watch not just their pets grow old, but their kids grow up and just do life with them. And, I wanted to have a team of people with that same heart and focus and passion. I feel we do have that here, and no, we aren't perfect and there are days where we miss the mark, but that is the underylying heart beat of this business and I believe why it has been successful.
There were MANY people, some even friends that were vets, who tried to discourage me, tried to tell me that I wouldn't see success until after the 5 year mark, if I even made it, etc, etc...that was hard to hear but I just kept my focus and refused to quit. I remember like yesterday the day Trish and I (who God bless her is still with me), opened the doors and just stared at each other like, NOW WHAT? I didn't know if we would have one client that day, but before long, they started to come in and we gave out about a million estimates that day, had a major computer crash where we just had to fly by the seat of our pants for a few hours, but we made it. I looked back today to see what the day end total was that day...it was $915...I can tell you I've never been happier to make $900 EVER and never worked harder for it either! I really thought no one would show up if I'm being honest so when I went home that night, I had a big smile on my face.
Over the past 5 years, I've learned that word of mouth is better than any advertising you can do. WE have clients that drive from Dallas, Bridgeport, Lewisville, Carrollton (all at least an hour away), just to bring their pets here and that is amazing to me. They pass umpteen vets on their way here but they choose to come to our practice because they know we go the extra mile and we care for them. I've even had a client drive from SAN ANTONIO (and no, it wasn't my sister or anyone she knew!) for an appointment that anyone could have done but they trusted me because of a loyal client who just sung my praises. I mean, that is humbling and just makes me smile! I literally love my job, love my business and love what I do, and not many people can say that and I realize that. I think that dedication to do my best and continue to grow and learn has made me a good vet but more importantly, a good communicator. I don't talk down to clients, use big words (and I've forgotten most of them anyways--just kidding!), or try to pull a God complex on them...I just shoot straight from the hip, I'm honest and we always do the best we can do with the resources they have...and sometimes they don't have many funds! But, at the end of the day, we treat everyone with respect and that's hard to find in a lot of businesses now days.
I'm not saying the last 5 years have been easy...there have been ups and downs and times where I didn't know how I would pay the bills, but God has always provided. The last year has been tough because the economy has finally caught up with us and the community, as well as I had a tough year personally going through a painful divorce. There were days when I just didn't want to get out of bed, but I knew I had 10 people up here counting on me and my doors were open and I just couldn't let people down...so I got up, put one foot in front of the other, and I came to work. I never missed one day. I dried my tears, set my professional face on and I went to work and I tried my best to not make life hard on those around me because this wasn't their fault! Most clients didn't know what was wrong with me, but they just knew I was quieter, not bubbly/happy, and they were concerned. Praise the Lord I didn't run people off by my actions but I knew I could show up to work and do the job, but I just didn't have anything left for the "extras" that the day needed. My staff, God love them, rallied around me and really took care of things up here and shielded me from things they knew I just couldn't handle emotionally. I never let my baggage get in the way of the job as far as doing quality work, but I know that there were days that my bedside manner wasn't the best. So, to my employees and to my clients, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me when I was down. It has meant the world to me. But...I'M BACK!!!
We've had a lot of fun days but we've also had our share of some tough days...we all grieve at the loss of our elderly clients and this job teaches you a lot about loss and grief and how people take it...from their pets to the actual people. There are days when you are emotionally drained because you go through many tough euthanasias of pets you've worked so hard to save and keep going for years...and now their day has come. We cry a lot with the owners and feel their pain but we try to focus on the good times. We have many clients that are down on their luck...from job loss, to being widowed, cancer, health issues, to death of children...all phases of life....and we've walked it with them. We've even had the painful loss of a client through a murder/suicide of the couple after a euthanasia (yes there were many other factors involved but that was the straw that broke the camel's back). Devastating for me, for the staff...things like that you are tough to get over and shake you to your core...but we made it. But, then there are the happy things...births of children, adoption of children by families and the joys there, graduations, marriages, and of course a lot of new pets! Those days are the fun days and they make it all worthwhile to see the smiles that we can put on a person's face by a job well done.
That big leap of faith taught me alot about how uncapable I am but how capable God is...and I've learned most of what I know about running a business by just being thrown into the fire! Let me just say they teach you none of this in vet school! But, God has protected me and provided for me and allowed me to not make too many bad decisions so I'm so thankful for that. Again, I say a huge thank you to every client who has walked through our doors, for every employee that has spent time working hard here, and for every vendor who has worked with us to make my dream a reality. You guys make Krum Vet Hospital what it is in my mind! I look forward to the next 5 years and just where God is going to take us in the road ahead. And to all you naysayers out there, let me take this time to say that we made it!
To the future!
JOY
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Ringing for Jesus!
This week has just been so full of just jaw-dropping, knee-slapping, amazing things that I have enough inspiration for WEEKS of blogs. My mind is just running overtime with all that God is doing at this point, and I can hardly sleep at night! I'm like a kid the night before Christmas...just giddy with expectation!
I want to share something that is very personal, but hey, it's me...I know that doesn't suprise you! My life is an open book and I cannot hold back when God does something in my life! For anyone that knows me from the past, I was not like this before. But, it is part of how God is renewing and transforming me and I just have to share my heart! I digress...after I spoke at the conference, I had to leave for a wedding as I wrote about before. However, before I dashed off, the leader of the conference grabbed me and said before you go, you MUST hear this! One of the more mature women, whom I have never met, had been flipping through the program before the event began and was reading the speakers' bios. She came across mine and when she was reading it, God spoke to her very clearly and gave her a word about me so specific, she wrote it down. At that point, she didn't know me from Adam, nor did she know what I was going to speak about. So, AFTER I spoke, she was like, WOW...I need to tell her this!!! She pulled out her notebook and turned to the page and read it to me and I would like to share it below:
"Joy is a bell to be rung for Jesus. He wrung her out so He could fill her and then be wrung out through her to set others free."
Okay...that about dropped me to my knees if I'm being honest. Of course, I cried! I mean, I had JUST spoken and poured my heart out to a room full of ladies and sung Jesus' praises to anyone who would listen...I mean how prophetic...and how powerful! And, when God speaks...things happen!!! So, it is just so spirit-filling to have a word delivered like that about you. Plus, I had been praying for direction for a few months on the next step...and here is a faith building prophesy to head me in the right direction delivered right to me!
So, as always, God has set me feet on some firm ground and is guiding me and directing me. He's putting things into place in my life brick by brick and just rebuilding me...from the ground up...as I'm ready to take the next step. What Love...What Hope...What Faith He has and is giving me!
Ringing Loud and True!
JOY
I want to share something that is very personal, but hey, it's me...I know that doesn't suprise you! My life is an open book and I cannot hold back when God does something in my life! For anyone that knows me from the past, I was not like this before. But, it is part of how God is renewing and transforming me and I just have to share my heart! I digress...after I spoke at the conference, I had to leave for a wedding as I wrote about before. However, before I dashed off, the leader of the conference grabbed me and said before you go, you MUST hear this! One of the more mature women, whom I have never met, had been flipping through the program before the event began and was reading the speakers' bios. She came across mine and when she was reading it, God spoke to her very clearly and gave her a word about me so specific, she wrote it down. At that point, she didn't know me from Adam, nor did she know what I was going to speak about. So, AFTER I spoke, she was like, WOW...I need to tell her this!!! She pulled out her notebook and turned to the page and read it to me and I would like to share it below:
"Joy is a bell to be rung for Jesus. He wrung her out so He could fill her and then be wrung out through her to set others free."
Okay...that about dropped me to my knees if I'm being honest. Of course, I cried! I mean, I had JUST spoken and poured my heart out to a room full of ladies and sung Jesus' praises to anyone who would listen...I mean how prophetic...and how powerful! And, when God speaks...things happen!!! So, it is just so spirit-filling to have a word delivered like that about you. Plus, I had been praying for direction for a few months on the next step...and here is a faith building prophesy to head me in the right direction delivered right to me!
So, as always, God has set me feet on some firm ground and is guiding me and directing me. He's putting things into place in my life brick by brick and just rebuilding me...from the ground up...as I'm ready to take the next step. What Love...What Hope...What Faith He has and is giving me!
Ringing Loud and True!
JOY
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
God...You So AMAZE Me!!!
God has given me a whole lot of direction over the summer, and for that, I am so, so grateful! But with that being said, recently, I've just been praying "now what God"? I've been feeling that God is preparing me for the next step in my life, but I have not really known what that would be. As I've learned (albeit slowly), God reveals these things at the perfect time so I just need to be patient and wait on Him. So, my prayer has been that He will reveal which direction I should be heading and that He will give me the vision on His time frame and not mine (and in the meantime, I just sit still and wait on HIM)!
I've also mentioned recently that I felt my speaking engagement this past weekend was going to be the kickoff of something big in my life and God was going to use that to reveal some things afterwards to me...so I was anxious for the conference for a whole lot of reasons! (If you haven't read my blog about "Lessons Learned", then you need to read that one first to understand where I'm coming from.) Of course, after reading my blog this week, you know that is exactly what happened but I want to take it one step further...so think of this as a continuation of that blog.
Monday morning was just a morning of revelations to be quite honest. I was literally late for work because of all that happened to me that day! As I mentioned before, my sister and I both had speaking engagements in one week's time that were very similar and both had similar responses afterwards to two very different audiences. We both feel very humbled and in awe of how God is using our past pain to speak to others and for Him to be glorified in the process. God gave me a vision Monday that I just can't shake and I have to share it now. He gave me a vision of my sister and I BOTH speaking to an audience...about our struggles regarding divorce in general and how we originally dealt with them very differently, and then how I was presented with a second chance of sorts when it became my very own divorce. The audience was made up of all kinds of women...from teens to grandmothers...in all different walks of life. It makes absolutely perfect sense how God is revealing things to me from the past as I am now ready for that, but I never thought of us taking our 'sister act' on the road together! The subject of divorce is so incredibly painful to so many and statistics show 52% of marriages end in divorce, but when you throw in kids/adults who have divorced parents and have suffered through it on that side of the coin, it is almost impossible to find someone now days whose life has not been touched or impacted by divorce. Due to that, I know our "topic" is very relevant and timely in today's world.
After I digested all of this yesterday morning, I not only informed my sister, but I emailed the leader of the conference that I just spoke in this weekend, just to share with her what God has been up to post-conference. She emailed me last night and was just amazed...because she already had the topic for the next conference in the spring and what I'm describing fits in perfectly. AND...(this is the God-you-are-amazing-me part)...she had envisioned two speakers at each of the talks (which they haven't done before) so she almost fell out of her chair with what I was sharing with her! That just gave me chills and I was so glad I shared the vision before I had any preconceived notions as I knew absolutely NONE of this!!! Isn't God just amazing???!!! I mean, folks, I can't even make this stuff up! I don't have that great of an imagination...His plan TRULY is better than anything we could ever dream up, ask or imagine!!!
This is obviously a very new idea to me (guess not to God though) and I'm really praying for direction and clarity here, as well as asking my sister to do the same, and we will see what doors God opens for this vision in the future. I'm not sure what shape or form it will take in the future and if it will be part of our next conference or not...I have no idea...but I believe at some point, He will provide a way for it to happen regardless.
I talked about "Sun Stand Still" prayers a few weeks back and THIS is a big one for me right now...where God has a vision and a plan, I KNOW that He will make a way for it to happen and I have the faith to trust in Him for the supernatural! I would appreciate the prayers and support as I take a step prayerfully in this direction. I am so excited to see what the future holds!
Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
I've also mentioned recently that I felt my speaking engagement this past weekend was going to be the kickoff of something big in my life and God was going to use that to reveal some things afterwards to me...so I was anxious for the conference for a whole lot of reasons! (If you haven't read my blog about "Lessons Learned", then you need to read that one first to understand where I'm coming from.) Of course, after reading my blog this week, you know that is exactly what happened but I want to take it one step further...so think of this as a continuation of that blog.
Monday morning was just a morning of revelations to be quite honest. I was literally late for work because of all that happened to me that day! As I mentioned before, my sister and I both had speaking engagements in one week's time that were very similar and both had similar responses afterwards to two very different audiences. We both feel very humbled and in awe of how God is using our past pain to speak to others and for Him to be glorified in the process. God gave me a vision Monday that I just can't shake and I have to share it now. He gave me a vision of my sister and I BOTH speaking to an audience...about our struggles regarding divorce in general and how we originally dealt with them very differently, and then how I was presented with a second chance of sorts when it became my very own divorce. The audience was made up of all kinds of women...from teens to grandmothers...in all different walks of life. It makes absolutely perfect sense how God is revealing things to me from the past as I am now ready for that, but I never thought of us taking our 'sister act' on the road together! The subject of divorce is so incredibly painful to so many and statistics show 52% of marriages end in divorce, but when you throw in kids/adults who have divorced parents and have suffered through it on that side of the coin, it is almost impossible to find someone now days whose life has not been touched or impacted by divorce. Due to that, I know our "topic" is very relevant and timely in today's world.
After I digested all of this yesterday morning, I not only informed my sister, but I emailed the leader of the conference that I just spoke in this weekend, just to share with her what God has been up to post-conference. She emailed me last night and was just amazed...because she already had the topic for the next conference in the spring and what I'm describing fits in perfectly. AND...(this is the God-you-are-amazing-me part)...she had envisioned two speakers at each of the talks (which they haven't done before) so she almost fell out of her chair with what I was sharing with her! That just gave me chills and I was so glad I shared the vision before I had any preconceived notions as I knew absolutely NONE of this!!! Isn't God just amazing???!!! I mean, folks, I can't even make this stuff up! I don't have that great of an imagination...His plan TRULY is better than anything we could ever dream up, ask or imagine!!!
This is obviously a very new idea to me (guess not to God though) and I'm really praying for direction and clarity here, as well as asking my sister to do the same, and we will see what doors God opens for this vision in the future. I'm not sure what shape or form it will take in the future and if it will be part of our next conference or not...I have no idea...but I believe at some point, He will provide a way for it to happen regardless.
I talked about "Sun Stand Still" prayers a few weeks back and THIS is a big one for me right now...where God has a vision and a plan, I KNOW that He will make a way for it to happen and I have the faith to trust in Him for the supernatural! I would appreciate the prayers and support as I take a step prayerfully in this direction. I am so excited to see what the future holds!
Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.I don't have it all figured out by any means, but I'm straining towards the goal that God is laying out in front of me and I'm standing and believing that with Him, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Another new day full of God's wonders!
JOY
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Lesson Learned Ten Years in the Making
The saying "God works in mysterious ways" is an understatement if you ask me! Sometimes, God reveals things to me or does something in my life where everything just clicks and I sit back and say in amazement..."WHOA"! A "whoa" moment happened to me this weekend and I just want to share a bit of it with you. (As a disclaimer, since this involves my sister as well...I assure you I have received her permission to share the following!)
After I spoke at the conference Saturday, I hot-footed it to Tyler to go to a dear friend's wedding (we call her our little sis since she doesn't have any siblings!) with my family. My sister and her husband were in for the event, so it was even more special to get to be with the whole family in one weekend, as that NEVER happens. So, after all the wedding festivities and the hustle and bustle of the day, we were driving home to my mom's house late that night when they started asking me about my speaking engagement and how it went, etc. My brother-in-law, Shannon, wanted me to give them a quick synopsis of what I talked about and the response. After I gave them the run down, he was just in awe because it turns out that on the prior Monday, my sister had spoken at a Young Life meeting all about her struggles with my parents' divorce fifteen years ago. The outline of our talks were very similar, as well as the feedback we got from two very different audiences afterwards...I had no idea what she was going to talk about or that she was speaking that week, so it was a suprise to me, too. Shannon kept saying how amazed he was that we both were using our pain in a positive way to show what God can do with your life when you give Him control.
Now here is where it gets interesting so hang with me...I thought a bit on that and how it was interesting that within a five day period, we both were being very public and open with our lives, and since I don't believe in coincidences, I just thought...hmmm, God's up to something! But then, I just left it alone to be honest. Yesterday morning in my prayer time, however, God brought that back up to me and just revealed some things to me that I would like to share. First off, when our parents divorced, I was in college at A&M, but Holly was a senior in high school. She had to live and breathe the divorce, where I was able to escape it in a way. It was very traumatic on both of us, but for her, it was much worse at that time. She became very broken before God, and turned to Him for support and encouragement. I had the opposite response...I ran from Him and everything I had once believed. It wasn't really a conscious decision, looking back, but more of a "I'm just numb and don't want to think about it" type thing (what I've learned the enemy does best). I quit attending church, I partied...a LOT, I really quit going home and I avoided family at all costs. I didn't want to hear about the situation at all and for sure I didn't want to have to live it...I just consumed myself with my new life, and in my line of study, that was easy to do. I'm not saying I was a horrible person...but I wasn't very Godly either. I basically did what many do...I couldn't stand the pain so I found ways to self-medicate out of it. This went on, sadly, for years. Until I met my husband...and things just started looking different. We started talking, for hours upon hours, about how we had not been walking with God and we started becoming convicted about it and began to do something about it, as we both had that heart for God originally. Basically, God was softening our hearts and leading us back to Him. We began attending church and we were very blessed to find a great church in our area that we became very involved with and grew by leaps and bounds spiritually. It was as if life was lining up for us and we "got our acts together" so-to-speak.
So, fast forward 10 years...and here I am...now myself on the side of divorce, where I never, ever, EVER wanted to be (can I throw another NEVER, EVER in for good measure?)! I was so gun shy of marriage after my parents' divorce and that's one reason I didn't marry until I was 26 years old (and it is not that I didn't have offers!) and I was just so sure that he was "THE ONE". Brad knew I was so petrified of divorce due to my parents' marriage crumbling after 30 years (as we had talked about it often) and I pretty much hog-tied him and sat on him and made him swear to me that we would never divorce! He promised and reassured me that if we ever had problems, we would do whatever it took to fix them and divorce was just never an option for either one of us. I liked that answer. Well...we all know how that ended up! And I say this not to point a finger at him...quite the opposite...I'm pointing the finger at myself because I had such a wrong perspective on marriage! He and I could never keep a marriage going without putting God first, no matter what we promised to each other! Satan was bound to come after one of us and try to wiggle in between us, especially when we started sticking our necks out for the Kingdom...and that's exactly what happened. We were so unprepared for that type of attack and I think, no I KNOW, that not enough people talk to young marrieds about putting their spiritual armor on and how to stand up to the attacks that WILL come your way (not exactly what you want to hear when you are in newlywed bliss)! I say all of this to make a point (I promise it's coming)...God showed me very specifically Monday that I didn't respond in a Godly manner the first time around after my parents' divorce, so guess what? I got a second chance at it...without even realizing it, and this time I was more spiritually mature and I chose the right path...the one to walk in the spirit and not the world/flesh as I had done before. I REFUSED to self medicate out of the pain...I decided to walk in it, to embrace it and to LEARN THE LESSONS God brought my way. Again, I'm just now seeing the correlation between the two events so it is not like I originally saw this as a second chance!
Today, I linked the two events together...it was like a piece of a puzzle fitting perfectly. I'm not saying God allowed my divorce to happen as a punishment because I was a "bad girl" before. I don't see Him as vengeful towards me, but instead loving and wanting to discipline me and give me a second chance to get it right! I believe there are many reasons that my divorce was allowed, and some are due to what is happening on the other side of the mountain. But, I do see this as just one of the reasons and it all makes perfect sense to me in this moment.
In every situation, and I do mean EVERY situation, there is a lesson to be learned. I don't think we realize that (I know I didn't)...and this is why people keep making the same mistakes over and over again. And of course, God keeps giving us more chances to get it right. My parents' divorce wasn't my fault by any means, but how I responded to it most certainly was! Our God is just so loving and He gives us ample chances to turn to Him and live out the best life He has planned for us. So, today, I'm thanking Him for showing me how He has redeemed yet more pain from my past and used it for His glory!
I may be a slow learner...but when I get it...I GET IT!!!
JOY
After I spoke at the conference Saturday, I hot-footed it to Tyler to go to a dear friend's wedding (we call her our little sis since she doesn't have any siblings!) with my family. My sister and her husband were in for the event, so it was even more special to get to be with the whole family in one weekend, as that NEVER happens. So, after all the wedding festivities and the hustle and bustle of the day, we were driving home to my mom's house late that night when they started asking me about my speaking engagement and how it went, etc. My brother-in-law, Shannon, wanted me to give them a quick synopsis of what I talked about and the response. After I gave them the run down, he was just in awe because it turns out that on the prior Monday, my sister had spoken at a Young Life meeting all about her struggles with my parents' divorce fifteen years ago. The outline of our talks were very similar, as well as the feedback we got from two very different audiences afterwards...I had no idea what she was going to talk about or that she was speaking that week, so it was a suprise to me, too. Shannon kept saying how amazed he was that we both were using our pain in a positive way to show what God can do with your life when you give Him control.
Now here is where it gets interesting so hang with me...I thought a bit on that and how it was interesting that within a five day period, we both were being very public and open with our lives, and since I don't believe in coincidences, I just thought...hmmm, God's up to something! But then, I just left it alone to be honest. Yesterday morning in my prayer time, however, God brought that back up to me and just revealed some things to me that I would like to share. First off, when our parents divorced, I was in college at A&M, but Holly was a senior in high school. She had to live and breathe the divorce, where I was able to escape it in a way. It was very traumatic on both of us, but for her, it was much worse at that time. She became very broken before God, and turned to Him for support and encouragement. I had the opposite response...I ran from Him and everything I had once believed. It wasn't really a conscious decision, looking back, but more of a "I'm just numb and don't want to think about it" type thing (what I've learned the enemy does best). I quit attending church, I partied...a LOT, I really quit going home and I avoided family at all costs. I didn't want to hear about the situation at all and for sure I didn't want to have to live it...I just consumed myself with my new life, and in my line of study, that was easy to do. I'm not saying I was a horrible person...but I wasn't very Godly either. I basically did what many do...I couldn't stand the pain so I found ways to self-medicate out of it. This went on, sadly, for years. Until I met my husband...and things just started looking different. We started talking, for hours upon hours, about how we had not been walking with God and we started becoming convicted about it and began to do something about it, as we both had that heart for God originally. Basically, God was softening our hearts and leading us back to Him. We began attending church and we were very blessed to find a great church in our area that we became very involved with and grew by leaps and bounds spiritually. It was as if life was lining up for us and we "got our acts together" so-to-speak.
So, fast forward 10 years...and here I am...now myself on the side of divorce, where I never, ever, EVER wanted to be (can I throw another NEVER, EVER in for good measure?)! I was so gun shy of marriage after my parents' divorce and that's one reason I didn't marry until I was 26 years old (and it is not that I didn't have offers!) and I was just so sure that he was "THE ONE". Brad knew I was so petrified of divorce due to my parents' marriage crumbling after 30 years (as we had talked about it often) and I pretty much hog-tied him and sat on him and made him swear to me that we would never divorce! He promised and reassured me that if we ever had problems, we would do whatever it took to fix them and divorce was just never an option for either one of us. I liked that answer. Well...we all know how that ended up! And I say this not to point a finger at him...quite the opposite...I'm pointing the finger at myself because I had such a wrong perspective on marriage! He and I could never keep a marriage going without putting God first, no matter what we promised to each other! Satan was bound to come after one of us and try to wiggle in between us, especially when we started sticking our necks out for the Kingdom...and that's exactly what happened. We were so unprepared for that type of attack and I think, no I KNOW, that not enough people talk to young marrieds about putting their spiritual armor on and how to stand up to the attacks that WILL come your way (not exactly what you want to hear when you are in newlywed bliss)! I say all of this to make a point (I promise it's coming)...God showed me very specifically Monday that I didn't respond in a Godly manner the first time around after my parents' divorce, so guess what? I got a second chance at it...without even realizing it, and this time I was more spiritually mature and I chose the right path...the one to walk in the spirit and not the world/flesh as I had done before. I REFUSED to self medicate out of the pain...I decided to walk in it, to embrace it and to LEARN THE LESSONS God brought my way. Again, I'm just now seeing the correlation between the two events so it is not like I originally saw this as a second chance!
Today, I linked the two events together...it was like a piece of a puzzle fitting perfectly. I'm not saying God allowed my divorce to happen as a punishment because I was a "bad girl" before. I don't see Him as vengeful towards me, but instead loving and wanting to discipline me and give me a second chance to get it right! I believe there are many reasons that my divorce was allowed, and some are due to what is happening on the other side of the mountain. But, I do see this as just one of the reasons and it all makes perfect sense to me in this moment.
In every situation, and I do mean EVERY situation, there is a lesson to be learned. I don't think we realize that (I know I didn't)...and this is why people keep making the same mistakes over and over again. And of course, God keeps giving us more chances to get it right. My parents' divorce wasn't my fault by any means, but how I responded to it most certainly was! Our God is just so loving and He gives us ample chances to turn to Him and live out the best life He has planned for us. So, today, I'm thanking Him for showing me how He has redeemed yet more pain from my past and used it for His glory!
I may be a slow learner...but when I get it...I GET IT!!!
JOY
Monday, October 18, 2010
What an amazing weekend!
I know it has been awhile since I have posted, but it doesn't mean that nothing has been going on in my life. Just means I've been incredibly busy! I have so many things I want to write about right now, ideas floating in my head and on my heart, so I just need to sit down and do it!
I wanted to write a post to the women who attended the women's conference this past Saturday...you know who you are! I hated to leave early, but I had a dear friend's wedding back in Tyler that I just couldn't miss. But, ladies, thank you for being an amazing audience and for listening to me ramble on, cry and sniff for an hour. It was a cathartic time and I could just feel the Lord's presence in that room! How cool was that? I appreciate those of you who came up and shared with me what parts of my story God used to touch your hearts. To me, that makes it ALL worthwhile. As I said in my talk, when I said yes to speaking months ago, I just felt God telling me that there would be women in that room who needed to hear what HE was going to have me speak about...so to have that reaffirmed by you was just so wonderful. Preparing for that talk was such a journey to go back and revisit some of the past hurts and sufferings, but it was also a sweet reminder of the joy that the Lord has brought to me in this process! My cup overflows!!!
For those of you who wanted to come but couldn't make it, I'm working on getting a copy of the video and having a link to play my talk on my blog. Might take me a bit to figure that out but hopefully soon, I will have it on here for you to watch at your convenience. Advance warning: I go into the ugly cry a few times so this video is not for the faint of heart! So stay tuned...
God has used this weekend to speak some very specific things to me and give me some visions for the future...and where to go next. I think I had mentioned before that I had felt God saying that this weekend was going to be the kick off of something big in my life...and boy was that right! Things have begun to happen already and I'm just so excited for where the Lord is going to lead me!!! As I said Saturday, sometimes we just can't know the next step because we aren't ready yet...God will reveal it when we are ready and in His timing.
Today, I'm physically tired after a long weekend but spiritually my heart is so full and I'm just overjoyed...walking on air still! Thanks, ladies, for blessing ME and allowing me the favor of speaking with you. To God be all the Glory, Honor, and Praise!!!
God is Good!!!
JOY
I wanted to write a post to the women who attended the women's conference this past Saturday...you know who you are! I hated to leave early, but I had a dear friend's wedding back in Tyler that I just couldn't miss. But, ladies, thank you for being an amazing audience and for listening to me ramble on, cry and sniff for an hour. It was a cathartic time and I could just feel the Lord's presence in that room! How cool was that? I appreciate those of you who came up and shared with me what parts of my story God used to touch your hearts. To me, that makes it ALL worthwhile. As I said in my talk, when I said yes to speaking months ago, I just felt God telling me that there would be women in that room who needed to hear what HE was going to have me speak about...so to have that reaffirmed by you was just so wonderful. Preparing for that talk was such a journey to go back and revisit some of the past hurts and sufferings, but it was also a sweet reminder of the joy that the Lord has brought to me in this process! My cup overflows!!!
For those of you who wanted to come but couldn't make it, I'm working on getting a copy of the video and having a link to play my talk on my blog. Might take me a bit to figure that out but hopefully soon, I will have it on here for you to watch at your convenience. Advance warning: I go into the ugly cry a few times so this video is not for the faint of heart! So stay tuned...
God has used this weekend to speak some very specific things to me and give me some visions for the future...and where to go next. I think I had mentioned before that I had felt God saying that this weekend was going to be the kick off of something big in my life...and boy was that right! Things have begun to happen already and I'm just so excited for where the Lord is going to lead me!!! As I said Saturday, sometimes we just can't know the next step because we aren't ready yet...God will reveal it when we are ready and in His timing.
Today, I'm physically tired after a long weekend but spiritually my heart is so full and I'm just overjoyed...walking on air still! Thanks, ladies, for blessing ME and allowing me the favor of speaking with you. To God be all the Glory, Honor, and Praise!!!
God is Good!!!
JOY
Monday, October 11, 2010
Favor Flavored Conference...5 Days Away!
Just a reminder that the Women's Conference at Cross Timbers Church is THIS Saturday (gulp!) in Denton, Texas. It will be all day from 9am till 5pm and the cost of the conference includes lunch (for $25...this is a steal)! The day's topic is all about God's Favor despite the ups and downs of this fallen world we live in...and yes, I'm one of the five speakers (but I would be going even if I wasn't!). I'm nervously anticipating Saturday with much excitement regarding my part in the conference, and I'm just praying that God will be given all the glory!
I do hope many women will come and hear some great testimonies and that be doing so, their lives will be enriched by seeing what God's glory and power can do when we just give HIM the reins to our lives! However, even if you can't attend, PLEASE pray for each lady in attendance, as well as the speakers (double prayers for me!) and organizers. I know I would appreciate that greatly because we are all expecting God-sized things to come out of this event and we do NOT want the enemy to try to stop the messages that will be delivered on Saturday. I know our heart, as speakers and conference leaders, is to be able to communicate the amazing things God has done for each of us in a conversational, friend-to-friend way. Don't come expecting a sermon...come expecting a day of fun, celebration, and heart-felt honesty and authenticity woman-to-woman!
You can still register online and find out more info at: http://valshouse.org/Events.htm OR you can walk up and register Saturday (but the cost is then $30) at the door. Either way, I hope those of you that are local will come out and have some fun with us! God is the best at turning losses into contribution for His Kingdom so we give Him all the glory up front for what He is going to do on this day and in the days after!
Favor all around!
JOY
I do hope many women will come and hear some great testimonies and that be doing so, their lives will be enriched by seeing what God's glory and power can do when we just give HIM the reins to our lives! However, even if you can't attend, PLEASE pray for each lady in attendance, as well as the speakers (double prayers for me!) and organizers. I know I would appreciate that greatly because we are all expecting God-sized things to come out of this event and we do NOT want the enemy to try to stop the messages that will be delivered on Saturday. I know our heart, as speakers and conference leaders, is to be able to communicate the amazing things God has done for each of us in a conversational, friend-to-friend way. Don't come expecting a sermon...come expecting a day of fun, celebration, and heart-felt honesty and authenticity woman-to-woman!
You can still register online and find out more info at: http://valshouse.org/Events.htm OR you can walk up and register Saturday (but the cost is then $30) at the door. Either way, I hope those of you that are local will come out and have some fun with us! God is the best at turning losses into contribution for His Kingdom so we give Him all the glory up front for what He is going to do on this day and in the days after!
Favor all around!
JOY
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Sun Stand Still...Joy's Book Club Fave
You guys know that I like to read...a lot. It is a borderline obsession with me and I might just need a 12 step recovery program! I can read very fast, so I tear through a book like nobody's business. I have this problem...I really only like to read if I can read a book straight through. Doesn't matter if it's 100 pages or 800 pages. I devour it in one sitting. None of this wussy "read one chapter a night" for this girl. No way, no how. I know, I know...it is a sickness (but I don't really care!).
All kidding aside, I read a book last week that is a must read. If you only read one book a year, READ THIS ONE!!! It is the best book I've read in a long time...and that's saying something because I've read a lot of phenomenal books! This book will change the way you believe, how you pray, and how you picture God. The name of the book is Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick, who is the young pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the USA (Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC)
http://www.sunstandstill.org/
The book is based on the story of Joshua and how he asked God to have the sun stand still for an extra day in order to win the battle that the Lord had said He would give into their hands. And guess what? God said okay...and honored the request. You can read the whole thing in Joshua chapter 10 of the old testament. The premise of the book is that we have made God way too small and think Him incapable of doing the heavy lifting in our life (or in our world for that matter). Why don't we pray the impossible? Doesn't God's word say that with man things are impossible but with God, NOTHING is impossible?! So, why do we walk around defeated all the time? Because if we were honest, we would say we really don't believe to that level. Furtick suggests that we should pray "sun stand still prayers", as in ask God for the impossible. Dream big. Have audacious faith. And expect the supernatural to occur when everything lines up according to God's will.
Wow...let me say that again...wow!!! Jaw dropping, knee slapping stuff!
Before this book was even suggested to me, I now realize that God was lining some things up in my life to get me ready to just read the book. Because after reading it, I see that God is beginning to call me to something way bigger than me. I don't have all the details and all the vision yet, just glimpses, but I have a sense it will be something I could never do alone and might seem really overwhelming, that is until I read this book and my eyes were opened wider and my goals were set higher. I mean, I've been all about living for the Kingdom NOW, not just getting by, and learning how to tap into that Kingdom power. I've decided to not live with the "let's just hang on to heaven" mentality, but to get out there and LIVE God's best life that He intends for me! That's been my focus, that's been my desire, but I see now there is way more...my dreams haven't been big enough. I have been looking at everything with my human eyes and not my spiritual eyes. Sure, I've had faith...but audacious faith...probably not. This book is radically changing my prayer life. It's almost hard to pray that boldly and confidently, but I see very clearly that is what God is talking about when He says "He will give us more than we can ask or imagine". We don't dream big enough! And that seems so silly when you are talking to a God who SPOKE the world we know into motion. I think He can handle anything we throw at Him.
I'm sure I will be talking about this book and revelations from it for awhile (disclaimer!) and quite honestly, I'm still digesting it and tossing it around in my head. But, I'm straining forward and yearning for how God wants to use me in the future. I'm thinking big. I'm waiting to see how He's going to reveal some specifics to me. But the one thing I'm not doing...I'm not putting God in a box anymore. I'm standing on His promises and I'm believing some big things. Read the book and join me in your own God-honoring dreams!
Living in audacious faith,
JOY
All kidding aside, I read a book last week that is a must read. If you only read one book a year, READ THIS ONE!!! It is the best book I've read in a long time...and that's saying something because I've read a lot of phenomenal books! This book will change the way you believe, how you pray, and how you picture God. The name of the book is Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick, who is the young pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the USA (Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC)
http://www.sunstandstill.org/
The book is based on the story of Joshua and how he asked God to have the sun stand still for an extra day in order to win the battle that the Lord had said He would give into their hands. And guess what? God said okay...and honored the request. You can read the whole thing in Joshua chapter 10 of the old testament. The premise of the book is that we have made God way too small and think Him incapable of doing the heavy lifting in our life (or in our world for that matter). Why don't we pray the impossible? Doesn't God's word say that with man things are impossible but with God, NOTHING is impossible?! So, why do we walk around defeated all the time? Because if we were honest, we would say we really don't believe to that level. Furtick suggests that we should pray "sun stand still prayers", as in ask God for the impossible. Dream big. Have audacious faith. And expect the supernatural to occur when everything lines up according to God's will.
Wow...let me say that again...wow!!! Jaw dropping, knee slapping stuff!
Before this book was even suggested to me, I now realize that God was lining some things up in my life to get me ready to just read the book. Because after reading it, I see that God is beginning to call me to something way bigger than me. I don't have all the details and all the vision yet, just glimpses, but I have a sense it will be something I could never do alone and might seem really overwhelming, that is until I read this book and my eyes were opened wider and my goals were set higher. I mean, I've been all about living for the Kingdom NOW, not just getting by, and learning how to tap into that Kingdom power. I've decided to not live with the "let's just hang on to heaven" mentality, but to get out there and LIVE God's best life that He intends for me! That's been my focus, that's been my desire, but I see now there is way more...my dreams haven't been big enough. I have been looking at everything with my human eyes and not my spiritual eyes. Sure, I've had faith...but audacious faith...probably not. This book is radically changing my prayer life. It's almost hard to pray that boldly and confidently, but I see very clearly that is what God is talking about when He says "He will give us more than we can ask or imagine". We don't dream big enough! And that seems so silly when you are talking to a God who SPOKE the world we know into motion. I think He can handle anything we throw at Him.
I'm sure I will be talking about this book and revelations from it for awhile (disclaimer!) and quite honestly, I'm still digesting it and tossing it around in my head. But, I'm straining forward and yearning for how God wants to use me in the future. I'm thinking big. I'm waiting to see how He's going to reveal some specifics to me. But the one thing I'm not doing...I'm not putting God in a box anymore. I'm standing on His promises and I'm believing some big things. Read the book and join me in your own God-honoring dreams!
Living in audacious faith,
JOY
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