From Stress to Joy

I was at an eye doctor appointment last week, and I happened across a little booklet entitled "From Stress to Joy". I thought, "ehh, what the heck, I'm gonna be sitting here for a little while anyway", so I started reading. Folks, what I read made me ponder my everyday life (which is usually what happens when I am paying full attention to anything of substance that I read), especially the part where you ask yourself some questions. For example:

• Am I turning this over to God and trusting Him, or am I worrying about it?

I wish I could say that I do turn everything over to him, but I don't. I am a crazy worry-wart (thanks Nanny for that phrase), and maybe slowly and surely I can let go of more and more. Who knows, stranger things have happened!

• Am I allowing God to work out His will, or am I doing my own will?

Hmmm, one could only imagine the answer to that question. I am definitely a "work in progress".

• Am I dwelling on negative thoughts, or am I asking Jesus to take them away?

I will admit, this is something that has been at the top of my prayer list. I would say that in the last 1 1/2 yrs, I have come quite a long way!

• Am I counting my blessings, or am I wanting more and more?

Wow, I think this booklet knows me too well! If you can tell me that there is someone out there who doesn't want something (whatever that something may be) more in their life - I would want to meet this person and have long talks. Don't get me wrong, I do count my blessings, but who doesn't want more? More time, more energy, more resources, more friends, etc.

• Am I looking for and claiming Bible promises for this situation, or am I hiding from truth?

I'll be the first to tell you, I wish I was one of those people that could take any subject and immediately flip my Bible open to a verse that applied to my situation. I find myself sometimes getting really frustrated with trying to relate scripture to my current situation (oh, how bad I feel to admit that I get aggravated trying to read the Bible!!!!).

• Am I spending quality time with Jesus, or am I so tired and overloaded that I miss out?

There are NO excuses for this question, and I know it. I absolutely DO NOT spend enough quality time with Jesus. But one thing that I do know right now, is that by recognizing that, I have opened up another window in my mind to make a more conscious effort to rectify this.

• Am I taking care of my health by eating healthfully, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly? "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore you honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is one thing that I can say that I have been doing a much better job of lately. And that goes for my whole household.

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So needless to say, my goals are to give my burdens to Him, go to the Bible more often, pray more often, and to trust and obey. And in doing these things, I hope that I learn to hear more clearly and recognize when He is speaking to me.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

help please..

Can anyone tell me what this is? Danny mowed around it to see what would grow....it started out as straw shaped stems, but then it bloomed reddish/pink.

Pedicures and pocketbooks!

As some of you know, I hosted a Thirty-One party a few weeks ago.....and I want to give a BIG thank you to those who came and bought some cute bags! With your help, I earned $112 in credit, and I also got 3 half price items! The following pics are a few of the items I ordered!

Organizing shoulder bag (much roomier than I thought it was going to be)

Small Sassy sac (I thought it would be bigger but really it is the perfect size)

I'm going to give this to Abby for Christmas (and I don't think I really meant for our bags to match!)!

I'm using this tote as a gym bag, and I love it!

This is the only bag that they messed up on (but a newly corrected one is on the way), the 'J' of course should be bigger than the other 2 letters. It's what they call their Julie tote (perfect for magazines, bible study, etc).

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After church today, Abby, my sister Cristin, and I went to get pedicures. I didn't take my camera to get all of our feet but when we got home I decided to take a picture of Abby and I. She did such a good job picking out a color for herself, that I decided to copy her. Be glad I didn't get a pic of Cristin's fingernails and toenails - it's this day-glo orange color - it would BLIND you! She's 14 so it's ok I guess.

Ocoee River fun!

We had an absolute blast today on the Ocoee! 5 miles was NOT enough!!

My crew....our guide Jordan (aka Jo-Jo), my sister Cristin, me, Danny, and my dad

Guide Mikie B, Darren, Abbie, Emily, Kelsey, Miranda

Guide Tiffany, Nancy, Christi, Troy, and our pastor Michael

Our mission trip support letter

September 7, 2008

Dear Friends,

We hope that this letter finds you and your family well and that you are experiencing God’s blessing on your life.

We are writing to share with you about an exciting opportunity that we have to serve Christ in Jamaica. From February 14-21, 2009, we will have the privilege of being a part of an American Caribbean Experience (ACE) mission team. Our team will be involved in several ministries that will include construction projects, tutoring children, and serving in local churches. We will be working with Danny’s parents, Finley and Ruby Johnson, who are full time missionaries in Jamaica.

We are very excited about this ministry but we need your help to do it. First of all, we need your prayers. Without prayer, nothing spiritual can happen. Secondly, we need to raise $3000 for our family. We hope to alleviate some of the financial burden by having local fundraisers. Please ask God if he wants you to give in support of this ministry. Your contribution would be tax deductible and receipts would be issued. Checks should be made out to Hope Fellowship and sent to: PO Box 1, Chickamauga, GA 30707. In the memo section of your check write “Jamaica mission trip”. A note accompanying your check can identify that it is to apply to the Johnson family mission trip costs, but this information should not be on the check itself.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter! Please know that the money is not as important to us as your prayers are. This is our first mission trip as a family, and we believe that the Lord will use it to impact our lives (and others) in a significant way. We know that God will provide a way for us to go as he has laid this upon our hearts. It is your prayers and encouragement that will strengthen and encourage us in this mission opportunity.

God Bless,
Danny, Lynné and Abby

12 years!

THEN

Ok, so the quality of these scanned pics isn't that great....but you get the idea!

NOW

Abby was grossed out by our kissing picture! I'm surprised she actually posed with us!

A whole bunch of nothing...

I actually cooked the other night......a Rachael Ray recipe...."Express lane dinner"....mozzarella stuffed meatballs, roasted broccoli, and potatoes (the potatoes are mine, not Rach's). It was so yummy, we decided to take a pic! Danny said that I have to add it to my usual routine....and that's okay because it was easy! Here's the link for the recipe.

My sister did Abby's makeup on Labor Day......can you tell?

Abby wanted it washed off before we could even get home.......we live less than 3 blocks from my parents!
(yes, that is my sweet Nanny bent over in the background.....imagine the fact that she is cleaning! Who da thunk it?)

Everyone, please meet Baby....this is my parents kitten, who just happens to be a hellion (spelling?). Don't let her sweet expression fool you, she is waiting to jump for the camera strap (trust me, the leg of my jean capri tells the story!)!