tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790842513195314432010-01-03T16:59:47.581-08:00"Now therefore, listen to me my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways." Proverbs 8:32Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.netBlogger530125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-12091775074380092272010-01-01T13:40:00.000-08:002010-01-01T16:59:02.033-08:00

Happy New Year! My husband led our morning devotion today. He began in the beginning, in Genesis. On the first day of the new year, our family tradition is to have a special time together, and begin in His word. "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 Friends, in the beginning God created. The word created, is the Hebrew word "bara". A verb. The action word,

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-15363394006589823972009-12-27T21:23:00.000-08:002009-12-27T21:28:44.353-08:00

Paul and I were visiting a nearby church this morning. We are kid-less, so we decided to head down the hill and listen to one of our favorite pastors, Louis Neeley. As he stepped up to the podium, he began, "Today I feel led to take a break from Romans and share what I feel the Lord has put on my heart. Our Calling." He shared 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, and went on to remind us that we are

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-71112531899992137572009-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-25T00:00:12.002-08:00

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. Isaiah 9:6 Overwhelmed this evening, just can't wrap my mind around a God who would come to earth for me. We serve an amazing God, don't we? Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas.

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-2701433020784428862009-12-22T17:09:00.000-08:002009-12-28T12:10:49.821-08:00

Shuttling my son home from his dentist appointment, I decided to check the mail. Peeking out, between Christmas cards and holiday ads, was a manilla envelope from In Touch Ministries. My heart skipped a beat. It was here. The January/2010 edition of In Touch Magazine had arrived. My article The Proper Care and Feeding of Ogres, proudly sits between pages 22 and 24, respectively. As a writer

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-37271712185166811382009-12-22T07:11:00.000-08:002009-12-22T10:10:52.464-08:00

I worked an eight-hour shift yesterday. In that time, I spoke to a woman who had been in a car accident, a mother whose baby was having a seizure, a teenage girl who had locked herself in a bathroom while strangers were in her home downstairs, an elderly gentleman who was angry about holiday drivers, and a father whose teenage daughter was getting annoying phone calls from a boyfriend, just to

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-263919973313415752009-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-21T00:00:01.650-08:00

Tis' the season for LOTS of Christmas parties. I attended two in the past week, and my desserts were a hit. I won 'Best Dessert' at the party on Saturday night, a whole $50. WooHoo! Since I LOVE to share good recipes, I thought I'd share them with you. Don't plan on cutting calories this week. As a matter of fact, wear your elastic pants for these tasty treats. And in January, you can join me on

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-30735240454572779152009-12-19T21:44:00.000-08:002009-12-20T07:55:58.711-08:00

"We saw His star in the east and we have come to worship Him." Matt. 2:2 If you haven't already watched the documentary, "The Star of Bethlehem", take a moment this week and pick up the DVD at your local Christian bookstore. Produced by Stephen McEveety, who also produced "The Passion of Christ", it will blow your mind. My Dad and Stepmom gave it to Paul and I last Christmas. We loved it.

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-2023220651393504962009-12-18T07:11:00.000-08:002009-12-18T07:11:10.285-08:00

Stuff. We all have it. Make no mistake about it, our houses, cars, rooms, cupboards and even purses are filled with it. Things you once loved or didn't, now stuffed in a closet, behind a chair, under a bed or overhead in the attic. If you were to make a list of all the stuff you have in boxes, stacked in the garage, or tossed beneath a cabinet, you couldn't. Forgotten stuff, used only for a time,

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-88516142069751469452009-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-16T07:04:21.032-08:00

Call 911. I want to turn myself in. My name is Joanne and I am an ornament-felon. My children will be including this sordid chapter of their childhood in their autobiography one day. It's a tradition in our home that each child hangs their own special ornaments. The older you get, the more ornaments you have made and collected over the years. So, it is very important to our younger children

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-22028138602846081672009-12-14T20:44:00.000-08:002009-12-15T10:24:37.961-08:00

Who is Your Elizabeth? As a third grader, my teacher made the big mistake of sitting me next to one of my girlfriends. It wasn't long after that I rightfully earned the nickname gabby. What did she expect? It's no secret that us gals are relational. Get a group of women together and we will talk and talk and talk and talk. We can't help it, it is how God wired us. When I have something big

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-79054619439973877002009-12-13T22:06:00.000-08:002009-12-13T22:06:39.919-08:00

It's that time of year again. Time to open our homes up and share some Christmas cheer. Some things are the same - like my annual "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree,  and some a bit different -like the hostess this year. BooMama hung up her garland and handed the mistletoe and eggnog over to The Nesting Place. So, make sure you take a stroll on over there to see all of the beautiful homes and give a

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-40099752644749633992009-12-11T09:58:00.000-08:002009-12-11T09:58:34.653-08:00

You asked me yesterday if I knew of any good Bible commentaries, and where you could find the prophecies Jesus fulfilled online. So here ya go! Here is a great site with Messianic prophecies cited here. . As far as Bible commentaries, yeesh, there are quite a few I enjoy. A good place to start would be the site Blue Letter Bible. It contains commentaries from the following: Bowman, Robert M.

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-68410098463197562272009-12-10T02:00:00.000-08:002009-12-10T02:00:03.838-08:00

Last Sunday morning, I was flipping through the TV channels before leaving for church. I was sad to hear how a pastor of a very large church began his teaching about the gospel of Matthew, the very beginning of the New Testament. He told his congregation, "The first chapter of Matthew is pretty boring, all of those begots and all…Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-32745814631271642852009-12-08T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-08T00:00:17.089-08:00

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away,was a young mother who made her own Christmas cards.For the past thirteen years, I've made our family Christmas cards. Yes, I am one of those mothers. What began as a sweet, sappy, form of entertainment for friends and family, has become a scratchy, irritating, noose around my neck.I have been racking my brain, trying to figure out what to do this year

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-13384753819605339652009-12-07T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-07T02:01:57.728-08:00

We were in the gospel of Luke today, learning about the "WHY" of Christmas. It made me think of a question someone recently asked me, "Do you think of the birth of Christ as a story or a message?"How do you think of the birth of Jesus?

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-81117208987243526052009-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-05T21:54:53.710-08:00

Some of you have been listening to Christmas tunes since last Spring. Believe it or not, I do love Christmas, but you and I can't be friends. Why? Because you can't admit the obvious. The obvious is this: after logging in hours of Christmas music listening time, there is at least one song you don't enjoy hearing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-32941442181841700352009-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-04T21:46:18.383-08:00

Susan Boyle. You know the name. You know the face. And you definitely know the voice. Susan has gone on to sell more than 701,000 copies of her first ever CD, since being released November 23rd, blowing the tops off of sales records held by Eminem and U2.Susan dreamed a dream.Born and raised in one of the poorest parts of Scotland, her voice was perfected in her church choir and at local pubs. At

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-71011041681101845152009-12-03T10:00:00.000-08:002009-12-03T10:13:10.580-08:00

Before you get caught up in the whirlwind of Christmas, take a moment to stop and focus. Focus on the message of Christmas, the truest and purest of all Holy Nights.Susan from Eternity Cafe has devoted forty days before Christmas on her blog, to take us by the hand. Sharing forty different reasons, thoughts and devotions, about the holiest of nights.The day God came down and became man.Yours

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-63749163372199711362009-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:002009-12-02T00:00:23.122-08:00

Samuel, our eight-year-old son, was given the honors of writing out a holiday greeting. What you see below, is the scientific never-seen-before-evolution of a Christmas plate.Pretty self-explanatory here. Grace is his big sister. And, as you can imagine, she didn't find this as funny as he did.He almost had it here. Except, he decided to rub salt in the wound and remind his sister Grace "P.S.

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-13127569540422519162009-11-29T18:04:00.000-08:002009-11-29T18:48:03.970-08:00

Growing UP! Monday. It's time to get back into the swing of things! How are you growing? What are you learning?Ok, I'll go first...How am I growing? Well, I can tell you this, my marriage is growing. We recently attended A Weekend to Remember marriage conference. It was our gift to one another for our anniversary this year.I know. I know. Crazy romantic aren't we?You should have seen the look on

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-61621904606536385942009-11-27T19:03:00.001-08:002009-11-28T07:37:08.700-08:00

Do everything in love.1 Corinthians 16:14Parenting is hard. Before I became a mom, I remember seeing other women with their babies, each time a-wishing- and -a- wanting I had one of my very own. My married girlfriends voiced my same desire, “Awwwww, I want a baby!” they chimed in unison. Never once do I recall any of us saying, “Awwwww, I want a teenager!” That should have been my first clue.Do

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-88027803016467290622009-11-26T20:59:00.000-08:002009-11-26T21:53:29.762-08:00

Thanksgiving is just about over. As Mr. Tom Turkey gets ready to make his exit, it makes me a little sad. I hate endings.But, like the words from that 80's song, "Every new beginning starts with some other beginnings end." It's time to say hello to Black Friday and the start of the Christmas season.Any of you getting up with the early bird to shop tomorrow?Before I say goodbye to my absolute

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-69470040907165192992009-11-25T19:53:00.001-08:002009-11-25T20:58:04.458-08:00

Wishing you a lovely, turkey-filled day!Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-61344602332105896212009-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:002009-11-18T20:01:02.466-08:00

There is an awful lot going on in my life right now. From articles to book proposals, a new church home, and let's not forget my family. Life is happening at a fast and furious pace, so it's time I take a little break from Blessed...Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to refocus on the number one calling in my life - my husband and my children.I am not sure if I will be gone a day or a week. But, I

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379084251319531443.post-63004580800451922902009-11-17T20:34:00.000-08:002009-11-17T21:30:19.640-08:00

As you can tell, by my most recent post, I am a BIG lover of all things Thanksgiving. Yes, I do love Christmas too, but have been discouraged with what the world has done to the holiday. Commercialism has given Christmas a big black-eye. So, when my friend Susan at Eternity Cafe shared her heart with me about redeeming the Christmas holiday, I jumped on board!There are only 38 days left until

Joanne@ Blessed...http://www.blogger.com/profile/07290913410660688626Proverbs31wife@comcast.net7