Author Archives: joyocala

Tomorrow we celebrate Valentine’s Day, or at least acknowledge it as such. There are several stories of how Valentine’s Day originated and all of them come from stories of Catholic saints all named Valentine or Valentinus.  Each of these men … Continue reading →

            Luke 5: 27-28 “After this, Jesus went out and saw a Tax Collector named Levi sitting in the tax collector’s booth.  Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me!‘   So Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi … Continue reading →

During social distancing I watch a lot of odd Youtube videos. Anybody remember the Ames Brothers singing Cy Cohen’s song I saw Esau? It starts out like the nursery rhyme: I saw Esau sitting on a seesaw.I saw Esau with … Continue reading →

Do you remember when the Holy Spirit was referred to as the Holy Ghost?  I do.  I also remember and continue to use a hymn that we often sang during the Pentecostal season.  But, really, it doesn’t need to be … Continue reading →

Those who know me might think that today I would blog about my beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the Super Bowl. The first team to win it in their home stadium! Oldest head coach to win. Oldest quarterback to win, … Continue reading →

In the church calendar, the Epiphany season lasts from January 6 to the day before Ash Wednesday.  This year that comes to 42 days.   We have only nine days left. Have we experienced an Epiphany this year?  Have we had … Continue reading →

As I wander in my mind recalling friends from the past, I was blessed to know them, share time with them and then life moves on.  My memories are wonderful. Sometimes distance separated us, sometimes life events caused one of us … Continue reading →

Do you realize that “dog” spelled backward is “God”?  I remember several years ago when I was working with vacation Bible school young folks, we had a craft project where the students used the words LOVE and GOD written on … Continue reading →

This morning I received a call from my friend, Muriel, with whom I share a ministry.  She was voluntarily assisting another friend, Alison, with a technology issue so that Alison could participate in future Zoom meetings of the ministry.  This … Continue reading →

This devotion marks five years that I have been writing for this blog. Where do I get the ideas from? Some are compelled by the date. For example, I always write about Maundy Thursday, Ascension Day and Thanksgiving because those … Continue reading →