Author Archives: joyocala

I admit these words from Matthew 11:29 have not always been my favorite.  The world places enough burdens upon us; I wasn’t keen to think of Jesus placing yet another heavy yoke upon my shoulders. Listening to a preacher’s  message recently, I … Continue reading →

“The lesson I want you to learn is…it doesn’t matter what you look like, you can be tall, or short or fat or thin or ugly or handsome like your father, or you can be black, or yellow, or white, … Continue reading →

“Faith is a blessing. It is the ability to believe during the darkest times of our life that the Light will shine one day again!” I have observed countless comments, songs, jokes and inspirational posts on social media since this … Continue reading →

The title of this blog is taken from a One Minute Devotional entitled Grace for Today published by Christian Art Publishers.  I have been worrying and obsessing about a title and topic for this week’s blog, promising myself that I … Continue reading →

Every time I think I really know the Bible, I run into something new. “I am like a pelican of the wilderness” (Psalm 102:6a, King James Version). A Pelican of the wilderness? I checked the verse in other translations. The … Continue reading →

            During my junior year of college, I took a course in complex variables.  The professor was a kind, gentle, elderly man, and while he didn’t directly teach much of the material, he did a good job of telling us … Continue reading →

 Like most people, whenever I fly, it’s in coach. I walk past the first-class section as I board with a twinge of envy. I think, “gee, it would be nice at least once in my life to fly first-class”. I … Continue reading →

Have you ever felt the hand of God in your life?  Have you experienced good luck that was more than just a coincidence?  Has a troubling decision suddenly become clear to you? An old friend recently reminded me of an … Continue reading →

Close your eyes and see the very familiar photo of Jesus reaching out to the little children.  Hum the hymn, “Children of the Heavenly Father.”  Visualize Jesus’ soft voice, smile and His encouraging words for the children to come to Him, our … Continue reading →

I grew up a farm girl in western South Dakota and wheat harvest was always a very important and busy time.  This occasion was the culmination of intensive planning and toil and was the bulk of the family income for … Continue reading →