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November 2, 2026 | Let His Words Shape Yours Welcome to November! We are entering a season filled with words like thankfulness, family, gratitude, and joy. Yet, for many of us, this season can also bring fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and the overwhelming desire to control every moving piece of our lives. As the weather grows colder, the leaves turn beautiful shades of rusty red and gold, and our days offer fewer hours of sunlight, I invite you to embrace this changing season as

Throughout our lives, the people who influence us change. As infants, we look to our parents or those who raise us. As we enter elementary and middle school, our circle of influence grows to include teachers, coaches, pastors, friends, and classmates. By high school, we are surrounded by even more voices from celebrities, musicians, peers, counselors, teachers, and sometimes even those who challenge us. As adults, our influencers continue to change. Spouses, children, friends

Monday Devotional | Choose Joy Daily Just last night, I met with a group of women, as I have been doing for several weeks now, for Bible study. It's an incredible community of women from all walks of life coming together to study, learn, and share God's Word. We are currently studying a book called Rooted, which helps us connect with God, the Church, and discover our individual purpose. Through studying together, I have learned the importance of leaning in, praying, and liste

Dear Friends, I have a little news to share with you! When I first decided to share The Joy Movement 365, my hope was simple: to share the devotionals that I have written and continue to write, to share the lessons God continues to teach me, and to remind others that joy is something we can choose, even when life doesn’t go according to plan. As I have continued writing and sharing my heart, I have felt drawn to a name that better reflects what this space means to me. The Joy

Children are still learning how to navigate their emotions, insecurities, friendships, and fears. Sometimes their own struggles spill over onto someone else. Hurt people can hurt people, and often they don't fully understand the damage they leave behind. As adults, we can see the hurt unfolding. We can recognize when someone is being excluded, ignored, or treated unkindly. And as parents, we have a responsibility to teach our children another way. We can teach them that they

Here's where I struggle. We don't have to be liked by everyone. We don't have to understand why they are mean. Why they shut us out. Why they choose to ignore us or speak poorly about us. We do, however, need to surround ourselves with people who love us for who we are, who cherish our existence, and who encourage us to grow closer to Jesus. Sometimes I can't find that quiet because I'm too busy being angry at them for their actions. And where does that get me? Nowhere. So i

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (NIV) How can we possibly mind our own business when social media gives us a front-row seat to everyone else's? We scroll. We compare. We wonder why someone wasn't invited, why someone stopped calling, why someone seems to have everything figured out while we're still trying to make sense of our own lives. The gateway to comparison i

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” — Philippians 4:6 NIV I do not remember exactly when the epiphany happened or where I was standing in my house. But by the time I dipped my new mop into its brand-new water system, I was having a full conversation with God. That’s right. Somewhere along the way, I stopped simply mopping and started praying while I mopped. By the time I realized

Humility is a noun, while humble is an adjective. You probably already knew that, but hearing the difference may help explain how I view the two within my Christian life. I want to be a humble Christian who demonstrates humility each day. I have a wonderful book called My Personal Promise Bible. It is filled with Scripture connected to words such as caring, faith, peace, thanksgiving, humility, and many others. Often, a word will speak to my heart, and I will turn to its page

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” — James 4:6 NIV To be humble is to recognize that our possessions, achievements, and abilities do not make us more important than anyone else. Humility does not mean thinking poorly of ourselves. It means remembering who God is, and understanding that everything we have is ultimately a gift from Him. I was in my mid-forties when my life took another turn. My family had lived near my parents for several years, but we decid

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” — John 14:6 NIV The cross is more than a reminder of Jesus’ suffering. It is a bridge from sin to forgiveness. From separation to relationship. From despair to hope. From death to eternal life. Sin created a distance we could never cross through our own goodness, strength, or effort. We could not build our own way back to God, so Jesus became the way. Through His death and resurrection, J

The Bridge of the Cross: Day 4 of 5 “By his wounds you have been healed.” — 1 Peter 2:24 NIV When I experience pain or weariness, I must remind myself to stop and pray. I can open Scripture and remember Jesus’ suffering, His teachings, and His promises. I can bring Him my anxiety, fear, confusion, and sadness instead of trying to carry them by myself. One word that often returns to me during those difficult moments is JOY—Jesus Over You. Placing Jesus over my fear does not me

The Bridge of the Cross: Day 3 of 5 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20 NIV As I sat alone in the pew looking toward the cross, one pivotal thought came to me: I may experience suffering, but I will never suffer alone. I was physically alone in that church, but I was not truly alone. I belonged to Jesus, and He was with me. Following Christ does not mean we will never experience hardship, anger, anxiety, grief, or

The Bridge of the Cross: Day 2 of 5 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 NIV I can still remember the sound of the wooden cross dragging across the tile floor of that quiet church. It sounded like burden. It sounded like pain. It sounded like suffering. As the cross moved down the nave, I thought about the weight Jesus carried. He carried the physical weight of the cross, but He also willingly carried the weight of our si

The Bridge of the Cross: Day 1 of 5 “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10 NIV One of my most memorable services in the Episcopal Church occurred when I attended a Good Friday service alone in my late twenties. The church was dark, cold, and quiet. The silence swept across the tile floor and settled over the pews. There was no casual conversation or joyful music to distract us from the importance of that day. We were there to remember the cross. Good Friday invites

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” — John 14:6 NIV It has been a few days since I last posted, so you have not received a devotional from me in your inbox. At first, I felt as though I needed to apologize. After all, this is The Joy Movement 365. Shouldn’t a name like that mean I have something new to share every single day? But the purpose of The Joy Movement 365 has never been to create pressure, either

“Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” — Proverbs 24:4 NIV Recently, I walked through the house that had been part of my life for more than 45 years. Its land and walls will now belong to another family. I placed my hand against the walls and thanked God for the memories held within them. I thanked Him for the joy, the lessons, and even the difficult experiences that shaped me. I also asked for His continued protection over the family that

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.” — Proverbs 24:3 NIV Our house was the first one built in our neighborhood. Over time, we watched craftsmen construct the other homes that would eventually hold our neighbors, friends, and families we had not yet met. Every home began with an empty piece of land. Then came the foundation, framing, walls, and finishing details. The process was gradual, noisy, and sometimes messy, but every stage had a pu

“By wisdom a house is built.” — Proverbs 24:3 NIV Telling my parents that we had decided to move was incredibly difficult. They were hurt, sad, and probably a little angry, even though we were moving only 15 miles away. We knew why the move made sense for our family, but knowing our reason did not remove the guilt or sadness. Sometimes following the direction God has placed before us disappoints people we deeply love. The night before closing, I thought about our unknown futu

“Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” — Proverbs 24:4 NIV When Scripture speaks of rooms filled with precious treasures, I do not believe it is describing expensive furniture, beautiful artwork, or perfectly decorated spaces. The real treasures within a home are the memories created there. They are family dinners, children laughing, late-night conversations, prayers whispered beside a bed, celebrations around a table, and forgiveness offe