2009 - What a year!
Yep, 2009 was a remarkable year - full of really bad things, and really good things.
From January to September I lived in 7 different "homes," traveled from FL to MO, to AZ, to ID, back to MO, then finally back to FL. I don' think I've ever traveled so many miles in one year.
Bad things - being "homeless," having to sleep in the car, running from smoke, asphalt, pesticide aerial spraying, more fires and smoke, herbicide, etc. Also, having trouble breathing, going to the ER, getting worse physically, etc.
Good things - getting to see family & friends I hadn't seen in years (in AL, MO, AZ, ID, NE, MT, etc.). Also getting to visit Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.
- God's provision through every hardship, the love of His people, and His comforting presence.
- making new friends, writing a book, coming home again!
As you can see the good clearly outweighs the bad here. =) Praise be to God!
So now it's a new year - 2010. I wonder what this year will hold? I hope there won't be as many bad things as last year, but as long as there are plenty of good things, how can I complain?
Some of my goals this year are
1) to keep working hard on my health and Lord-willing see major improvements
2) to keep writing, as God leads and directs
3) to raise greater awareness about Environmental Illness
As part of working toward goal #3, I've written a "Frragrance-Free" Challenge for you all on my other blog. I hope you'll check it out and give it a try! =)
http://supereigirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-fragrance-free-challenge.html
2010, here we come! =)
I wish you a wonderful & Happy New Year!
Grace & peace in Christ,
-Joanna
Friday, January 1, 2010
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Happy Birthday Jesus!
Well, I wasn't on the computer at all yesterday, so this post is a day late, but I still wanted to say Merry Christmas!
I didn't really get to do any of the usual Christmas activities this year. (Though we did get to put a tree up, thankfully that's one thing I wasn't allergic to this year!) =) Even without all the normal fun things, I tried to remember I could still celebrate Christmas in my heart.
When we lived in Colombia we had an unusual Christmas celebration. Our fake tree was about 2 feet tall, not much room for decorations. December is dry season where we lived so the weather was in the 80's & 90's. We got one trip to town in Dec. for our shopping, that's it. Neighbors shot off fireworks on Christmas Eve, etc. All those things were different from what would be considered 'normal' here. But honestly, those Christmases in Colombia were my favorite.
Christmas, after all, isn't the trimmings & trappings, (as the Grinch would say). It's a special day to remember that Jesus came to be Immanuel - God with us. I'm thankful for that truth every day!
So with or without all the fun activities, I can still say Happy Birthday, Jesus!
I didn't really get to do any of the usual Christmas activities this year. (Though we did get to put a tree up, thankfully that's one thing I wasn't allergic to this year!) =) Even without all the normal fun things, I tried to remember I could still celebrate Christmas in my heart.
When we lived in Colombia we had an unusual Christmas celebration. Our fake tree was about 2 feet tall, not much room for decorations. December is dry season where we lived so the weather was in the 80's & 90's. We got one trip to town in Dec. for our shopping, that's it. Neighbors shot off fireworks on Christmas Eve, etc. All those things were different from what would be considered 'normal' here. But honestly, those Christmases in Colombia were my favorite.
Christmas, after all, isn't the trimmings & trappings, (as the Grinch would say). It's a special day to remember that Jesus came to be Immanuel - God with us. I'm thankful for that truth every day!
So with or without all the fun activities, I can still say Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
my book...
Ok, it's official - the book is on its way to the printers! Praise the Lord!
This book has been a work of God's grace from beginning to end. He is so amazing!
Anyway, the book is called "Grace In Time Of Need - Encouragement For Those Who Are Suffering."
It has 52 devotionals and also includes several poems and some photographs from all my travels over the last year. I've copied out some excerpts below. I hope you enjoy reading them. =)
Ordering information is at the bottom of this post. Please feel free to tell others about it if you think they'd be interested. I'm relying on word of mouth to promote it since my publisher doesn't do advertising or marketing. Thanks & enjoy!
from “Never Say Good-bye”
... In His grace, God has made suffering a place of deeper communion with Jesus. We can experience that communion because Jesus is always with us. In every moment of pain, we can cry out to Him. With every breath of air, in each moment of peace, we can thank Him. We can listen to His voice and know He’s holding our hand. We can go to sleep confident He will hold us. We can wake up to His presence and to mercies new each morning. The best part of all is that we will never, ever have to say good-bye to Him! ...
from “A Sponge”
... God knows that I’m made of dust. (Ps. 103:14) I don’t think He ever gets tired of reminding me He loves me. Love is patient, after all. It’s not a bother to Him to repeat His promises over and over. He’s already repeated them from Genesis to Revelation. And His resources are unlimited. He can use any number of ways to send me encouragement again and again. I may be a porous sponge, always leaking out the encouragement God pours in and never getting quite full, but I know He will never stop pouring into me all that I need and more. ...
from “He Knows”
... Whatever situation I’m in, even though my circumstances may be different than His, I’m learning that Jesus truly does know. He can sympathize and share in my pain. That’s probably why Paul talked about the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. (Phil. 3:10) In every hardship, we can find some common ground with Jesus. We can let Him take us a little deeper into knowing His heart and understanding what He went through – all for love of us. ...
from “Blessed”
... What better method does God have for drawing us near to Him than through suffering? It is through pain, hardships, and affliction that God draws us closer to His heart. We’re not being punished – we’re being invited! Granted, it’s not an enjoyable process, but the end result of closer fellowship with God is certainly worth it. ...
Ordering Info. -
You can order this book at the Deeper Roots website (Deeperroots.com). Just copy this address into your web browser to go right to my book -
http://www.deeperroots.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/24_37/products_id/732?osCsid=ca66bc409b39b7e01e1b896024cbaf5f
=)
This book has been a work of God's grace from beginning to end. He is so amazing!
Anyway, the book is called "Grace In Time Of Need - Encouragement For Those Who Are Suffering."
It has 52 devotionals and also includes several poems and some photographs from all my travels over the last year. I've copied out some excerpts below. I hope you enjoy reading them. =)
Ordering information is at the bottom of this post. Please feel free to tell others about it if you think they'd be interested. I'm relying on word of mouth to promote it since my publisher doesn't do advertising or marketing. Thanks & enjoy!
from “Never Say Good-bye”
... In His grace, God has made suffering a place of deeper communion with Jesus. We can experience that communion because Jesus is always with us. In every moment of pain, we can cry out to Him. With every breath of air, in each moment of peace, we can thank Him. We can listen to His voice and know He’s holding our hand. We can go to sleep confident He will hold us. We can wake up to His presence and to mercies new each morning. The best part of all is that we will never, ever have to say good-bye to Him! ...
from “A Sponge”
... God knows that I’m made of dust. (Ps. 103:14) I don’t think He ever gets tired of reminding me He loves me. Love is patient, after all. It’s not a bother to Him to repeat His promises over and over. He’s already repeated them from Genesis to Revelation. And His resources are unlimited. He can use any number of ways to send me encouragement again and again. I may be a porous sponge, always leaking out the encouragement God pours in and never getting quite full, but I know He will never stop pouring into me all that I need and more. ...
from “He Knows”
... Whatever situation I’m in, even though my circumstances may be different than His, I’m learning that Jesus truly does know. He can sympathize and share in my pain. That’s probably why Paul talked about the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. (Phil. 3:10) In every hardship, we can find some common ground with Jesus. We can let Him take us a little deeper into knowing His heart and understanding what He went through – all for love of us. ...
from “Blessed”
... What better method does God have for drawing us near to Him than through suffering? It is through pain, hardships, and affliction that God draws us closer to His heart. We’re not being punished – we’re being invited! Granted, it’s not an enjoyable process, but the end result of closer fellowship with God is certainly worth it. ...
Ordering Info. -
You can order this book at the Deeper Roots website (Deeperroots.com). Just copy this address into your web browser to go right to my book -
http://www.deeperroots.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/24_37/products_id/732?osCsid=ca66bc409b39b7e01e1b896024cbaf5f
=)
Happy Thanksgiving!
"...give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." -Psalm 100:4b-5
I love this holiday! I think it's my favorite (or maybe tied with Christmas). I love the simplicity and sincerity of Thanksgiving.
I have a lot of things to be thankful for this year. It would take more time than I have to write them all out. So instead I've got a "Top 10" list.
The Top 10 things I'm thankful for in 2009:
#10. 2000 Honda Accord - my "home" away from home for many months this year.
#9. Grace Livingston Hill (it's a long story) =)
#8. my digital camera
#7. all the doctors and treatments that have helped me this year
#6. being home again!
#5. the wonderful opportunity to write a book!
#4. the incredible privilege of leading a friend to the Lord
#3. the Family of God - especially all their love, encouragement & prayers for me this past year
#2. my amazing mom!
#1. God's grace that never fails!
There you have it folks! =)
I hope you have a wonderful celebration of giving thanks to our awesome God for all He has done, is doing, and will do!
God bless,
-Joanna
I love this holiday! I think it's my favorite (or maybe tied with Christmas). I love the simplicity and sincerity of Thanksgiving.
I have a lot of things to be thankful for this year. It would take more time than I have to write them all out. So instead I've got a "Top 10" list.
The Top 10 things I'm thankful for in 2009:
#10. 2000 Honda Accord - my "home" away from home for many months this year.
#9. Grace Livingston Hill (it's a long story) =)
#8. my digital camera
#7. all the doctors and treatments that have helped me this year
#6. being home again!
#5. the wonderful opportunity to write a book!
#4. the incredible privilege of leading a friend to the Lord
#3. the Family of God - especially all their love, encouragement & prayers for me this past year
#2. my amazing mom!
#1. God's grace that never fails!
There you have it folks! =)
I hope you have a wonderful celebration of giving thanks to our awesome God for all He has done, is doing, and will do!
God bless,
-Joanna
Sunday, November 22, 2009
My new blog...
Hey there, just wanted to let you know about my new blog - Super E.I. Girl!
It's going to be specifically about information, stories, and struggles that come from living with Environmental Illness. "Super E.I. Girl!" is my super-hero name. =) Well, I'm not exactly a super-hero, but it does take some special abilities to live with this disease, namely a sense of humor, a wonderful caregiver, and lots of God's grace! =)
Anyway, one reason I'm doing this is to help raise awareness about Environmental Illness. It's what I call the "invisible epidemic." Studies show that around 20% of the population are affected by sensitivity to everyday chemicals. Several hundred thousand people in the US are affected by E.I., even if some of them don't know there's a name for it. I hope this new blog will be helpful for anyone with E.I. but also for the many people who have no idea what a real and difficult disease it is.
Anyway, I hope you'll check it out from time to time.
Here's the link: http://supereigirl.blogspot.com/
May you day be healthy and joy-filled!
Because of Jesus,
-Joanna
It's going to be specifically about information, stories, and struggles that come from living with Environmental Illness. "Super E.I. Girl!" is my super-hero name. =) Well, I'm not exactly a super-hero, but it does take some special abilities to live with this disease, namely a sense of humor, a wonderful caregiver, and lots of God's grace! =)
Anyway, one reason I'm doing this is to help raise awareness about Environmental Illness. It's what I call the "invisible epidemic." Studies show that around 20% of the population are affected by sensitivity to everyday chemicals. Several hundred thousand people in the US are affected by E.I., even if some of them don't know there's a name for it. I hope this new blog will be helpful for anyone with E.I. but also for the many people who have no idea what a real and difficult disease it is.
Anyway, I hope you'll check it out from time to time.
Here's the link: http://supereigirl.blogspot.com/
May you day be healthy and joy-filled!
Because of Jesus,
-Joanna
Saturday, November 21, 2009
It's done!
Praise the Lord! I finished the book! It never would have happened without so many people praying and my mom's wonderful help. =)
Now, Lord-willing it'll be ready for publishing in about 2 weeks I think...thanks to my awesome publisher - U. Howard. =)
Excerpts and ordering information coming soon....
Now, Lord-willing it'll be ready for publishing in about 2 weeks I think...thanks to my awesome publisher - U. Howard. =)
Excerpts and ordering information coming soon....
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