Our Sweet Bee

Check out my new blogspot.  Our Sweet Bee.  I began a new little business.  I'm raising money for my 2 grandchildren Jayden and Brooklyn.  I began making scrabble tile jewelry.  It's been so much fun.  I've been very successful in selling them.  Thanks to my daughter Rian and her school and teacher friends.  Also thanks to my sister in law Jill and her school and teacher friends.  It's been wonderful and God keeps showing up and reminding me of His faithfulness.  All the proceeds go to raising money for Jayden and Brooklyn in helping build them a home that is handicapped accessible.  You can check out the link http://buildwiththeboyces.com  which explains more of their story. 

The prices are inexpensive, each charm or scrabble tile is $5.  I also have ball chains or black leather cords for $5 each as well.   Check it out then, email me at joankboyce@yahoo.com.  If you want something custom made, just email me your pic or logo or idea.  Or pick one that I've done. Thanks for taking a look. 

God continues to show up and show His faithfulness!

Reminder of God's mercy!

I haven't written anything for about a month.  I want to take the time to think and try to put my thoughts in a clear and thoughtful way.  That doesn't always happen, so I tend to not write a thing.  I have found lately though, the things I have previously written have been reminding me what God had taught me in my journey of brokenness.  I continue to ask, what is God teaching me in this place.  Why does God continue to break our hearts?   I was reminded of the story in John 11: 32-35 when Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus died,  Mary went to meet Jesus on the road.  When she came to where He was, she fell to His feet weeping.  Jesus was so moved in His spirit by Mary's brokenness that He also wept.  He wept with Mary.  His tears mingled with hers.  I think that when we cry and shed  broken tears for whatever reason, He cries tears with us.  When it seems that He's quiet, He's wiping our tears and listening to our heart, it's in those moments when He seems so far away that He's extremely close.  Psalm 34:18 reminds us that the Lord is close to the broken hearted.  I believe that the silence or what we think is silence is really the beginning of His dwelling place.  He's feeling our pain and He meets us at the point of our need.  His grace shows up in the tears and the silence!  He begins the healing process, sometimes it is to open up the wounds again to remind us of who He is.  The song that comes to my mind everytime I think about wounds, is a song from Point of Grace.  The lyrics are "heal the wound but leave the scar to remind me of how merciful you are."  So that's my thoughts for today.....to ask God to heal the wounds but leave the scar.  Every day I need to be reminded of His mercy.

Treasure of Brokenness

I've been thinking about brokenness and how God calls it sacrifice.  He calls it good.  I've found that God has so much for us to learn when we're willing to be broken for Him.  I was reading Max Lucado's devotion this morning, and it was a wonderful reminder of what is really important.  It helped me get perspective.  I often lose perspective in the midst of the the hullabaloo, the dirty laundry, the clutter, and the awesome, craziness of life.  But when we pay attention to the one who walked on water and the one who comes with the soft sounds of sandaled fee, we get perspective.  I desire to let Him lead me especially when I'm in the fog.  My momentary sufferings are so small when I think about His brokenness!

Sufferings of His Broken Heart

by Max Lucado
Go with me for a moment to witness what was perhaps the foggiest night in history. The scene is very simple; you’ll recognize it quickly. A grove of twisted olive trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark night.
Now, look into the picture. Look closely through the shadowy foliage. See that person? See that solitary figure? What’s he doing? Flat on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on his forehead?
That’s Jesus. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Maybe you’ve seen the classic portrait of Christ in the garden. Kneeling beside a big rock. Snow-white robe. Hands peacefully folded in prayer. A look of serenity on his face. Halo over his head. A spotlight from heaven illuminating his golden-brown hair.
Now, I’m no artist, but I can tell you one thing. The man who painted that picture didn’t use the gospel of Mark as a pattern. Look what Mark wrote about that painful night, he used phrases like these: “Horror and dismay came over him.” “My heart is ready to break with grief.” “He went a little forward and threw himself on the ground.”
Does this look like the picture of a saintly Jesus resting in the palm of God? Hardly. Mark used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a “man of sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3 NASB) We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief.
We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.
The writer of Hebrews would later pen, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV)
My, what a portrait! Jesus is in pain. Jesus is on the stage of fear. Jesus is cloaked, not in sainthood, but in humanity.
The next time the fog finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to him pleading among the twisted trees.
The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention. It may be the closest you’ll ever get to God. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one.

Happy birthday Justin!

Today Justin is 31.  Hmmmm.  Where did those years go?  My first son.....a precious gift.  I remember when the doctor said it's a boy.....Ken yelled out!  Alright!  We've been forever blessed!  I'm amazed everyday how God continues to use Justin.  In the good times and the hard times, we marvel at Justin's life.  He is a special man, who is living in difficult circumstances but he's doing it with passion, dignity and the grace of God.  Isn't that what it's all about! 

Thank you Justin for blessing our lives for 31 years.  You contnue to model and remind me what is really important in life.  Have a great birthday!  I love you! 

Seeking treasures, seeking Him

The other night, Jayden and Brooklyn were hanging out with us. I had just fed them dinner and gave them a bath.   Brooklyn was getting sleepy, so I grabbed her soft pink blanket to cuddle with.  Jayden was watching us getting comfortable on the couch.  He decided to join us,so he crawled up and sat by us on the couch. (that just never happens)  He pulled some of the pink blanket on him so that he was covered up too.  Before I knew it,  Jayden had curled up and fallen asleep on my shoulder and Brooklyn had fallen asleep in my arms.  What a special moment for me.....a moment I won't soon forget.  They looked so beautiful, sound asleep.  It was a moment of sheer delight to see them so quiet and still.  I know those moments don't happen often, but I'm glad that I was able to enjoy those few moments of sweetness.  I believe God desires sweet moments with us.  Those moments are gifts to us.  I believe He longs for those moments with His children.  I so often miss the moment of His sweet presence in my busyness.  But as I seek Him I find He waits and offers generous amounts of His perfect presence, another treasure I have found in the darkness.  As I've been seeking the treasure of His presence He graciously gives me what I need.   Continue to seek treasures! 


Romans 11:33  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

Gentleness ~ a treasure that's rich in humility!

I've been amazed at what God has been showing me lately.  I've discovered a new treasure called Gentleness....As I've been studying this past year the fruits of the spirit, I'm learning what it looks like to live beyond myself.  It's been very challenging, encouraging, crazy, exciting, stressful, meaningful, inspiring, all of these and more.  I realize more and more that God doesn't expect us to get it right, to be right, but to be faithful, to have an open heart.  He does the work. The 7th fruit of the spirit is gentleness, I thought I knew what gentleness meant, a gentle touch, a softness.  Gentleness in the greek is praotes.  It means humility, submission, teachability.  I learned that gentleness bows in submission.  It's the humble part of gentleness that bows to someone.  That's where it gets challenging.  Somehow, I don't really want to bow to anyone but Jesus.  But God has a plan for us and it's often with humility we accept His work in us.  Beth Moore says "gentleness  is an outward expression of feeling, but an inward grace of the soul, calmness toward God in particular.  It is the acceptance of God's dealing with us, considering them as good."

I love words like grace, gentleness and calmness.  Who doesn't want an inward grace of the soul?  When our hearts are open and ready, He comes and fills us with His gentleness that we can be prepared to live beyond ourselves.

Psalm 18:35
You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.

Becoming a comforter

I received a beautiful email from my sweet and dear friend Audrey.  She made a beautiful smilebox greeting card for me.....it was full of comfort and love.  What a unique and priceless gift.  She reminded me of some words that my mom shared with her to comfort her when she was grieving a tremendous loss.  She said, That God doesn't comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Praise to the God of All Comfort

 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

So a great reminder to me in processing through another loss, that God has great purpose and uses loss in our lives so that we are equipped to comfort others when they are in need.  He seems to be equipping me again and again. I can choose to say thank you Jesus for showing me and teaching me to become a comforter. It seems to be a natural flow for some.  It doesn't always come naturally for others.  But God does the equipping when we have open hearts to hear Him speak.  I pray for an open heart for God to do His work in me.  To do the equipping, the teaching so I can be an encourager to someone else, like Audrey was for me and my mom was for her, back 20 some years ago.