Lessons Learned

I hope you are you geared up for the Christmas season because it is here! We will be baking, cooking, decorating and we cannot escape the CLEANING we will be doing. Sometimes I wish I could be like Mary Poppins. If only I could sing “Spoonful of Sugar” and smile as all of the dirty dishes wash and put themselves away. For most of us, life requires hard work and sometimes we do not feel like doing the work.

In the book of Luke, Jesus visits Martha and Mary. Martha is busy working. She is preparing an important meal for Jesus.   As she slaves away in the kitchen, she is frustrated with her sister Mary because instead of helping with preparations, Mary is spending time with Jesus.

^“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me. ”But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” ~Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

Can’t you just imagine the scene? Martha is busy running around getting everything ready for this important meal and there sits Mary—lounging by the feet of Jesus. Martha was not a happy camper.

I can relate to Martha. Can you? I know what it is like to prepare for a large gathering. I want everything to be perfect so I work and work until it is just the way I want it to be. There is nothing wrong with hard work, but when it prevents you and me from focusing on what really matters, then we have a problem. You see, Martha was so busy working FOR Jesus that she abandoned spending time WITH Jesus.

This can be the case for us too.

As followers of Christ, we often have good intentions. We help out at church by serving on different committees. We may lead a small group Bible study or sing in the choir. This type of work is so important but we must be careful that we do not get so busy working FOR Jesus that we fail to spend time WITH Jesus.

This time of year, there is much to do. Cooking, decorating and cleaning are usually a part of our holiday celebrations because we want everything to be “just right”. My friend, we need to be careful. We can pile too much on our plates or set our expectations of the holidays so high that we miss the whole point of celebrating in the first place.

This year, I hope you and I will reflect on the story of Martha and Mary and find encouragement from how Mary responded to Jesus. She was desperate to be in His presence. She listened to Him with an open heart and she was grateful for what He had done for her.

May we embrace the this Christmas season and worry less about how the food around our table tastes or how the house looks. Instead, let us focus more on spending time with our Lord and Savior and the people we love.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”      ~1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

Giving thanks for you!

~Joy

Have you seen one of those backup cameras inside of people’s cars? Maybe you have one in your own car. I think a backup camera is pretty awesome! When you put your car in reverse, it flashes up a grid to help you back-up right into place. It is so exact that it helps you back-up within inches of hitting anything behind you.

The camera is positioned in such a way that it gives you a much better perspective than you can have by only looking in your rear view mirror.  It helps you see what you normally cannot see.

Lately, God has been reminding me about perspective.  He has been reminding me that He can see what I cannot see.

God has a greater perspective than you or I do. He is not limited by time. He is not limited by space or anything else. He is God…the beginning and the end.

There are times when life is really hard and we are afraid about what we are going through. There are times when we wonder when or if we will get our normal lives back. We often wonder why God does not come in to rescue us from our troubles.  We wonder why life has to be so hard.

During those tough times, we must be careful that we do not fall away from God. We must be determined to lean on Him and draw closer to Him regardless of how we feel.

You and I must remember that we are merely human and we are viewing our situation from a set of human eyes. We cannot see what God can see.

You can find comfort in remembering that God knows the whole story of your life!

He can take your brokenness and turn it into beauty!

He can take your tragedy and turn it into triumph!

He can take the darkest moment of your life and turn it into something brilliant!

He really can!

If this blog posting finds you in a scary place in your life, remember; you and I cannot see what God can see. He has a clearer, higher perspective than we do. My friend, you can trust that He is working things out according to His good and perfect will.  Trust Him!

 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” ~ Psalm 56:3

Grateful for you!

~Joy

Today as I was driving to work, I was pulling out of the local Sonic where I get my sweet tea for the day and I was waiting for the stoplight to turn to green.

It was then that I saw her!

She was certainly hard to miss because of her tight hot pink zebra print yoga pants and her matching top. She was bright! She was noticeable and I am so glad she was in my path this morning because she brought me some much-needed encouragement.

You see, this young lady I saw was severely overweight. By medical definition, she would be considered morbidly obese, yet there she was—jogging down Main Street!

Did I mention she was wearing a tight, hot pink zebra print yoga outfit?

This girl had her iPod in one hand, a water bottle in the other, and determination written on her face!

She had to wait at the same stoplight where I was waiting, but did she come to a halt and just stand there waiting for the light to turn green?

NO!   She continued to jog (in place) while waiting for the light to change. I am telling you, this girl was on a mission!

She was making change happen in her life!

She was up! She was moving! She was headed somewhere and she looked like she could conquer the world. It was all I could do not to roll my window down and yell out—“You go girl! Keep it up!”

As the light turned green and I continued on my way….this girl made me think about my life. She made me question my determination when the odds are stacked against me.  She encouraged me to be more determined to run the race God has set for me to run.

What about you?

Are you headed somewhere in your life? Are you on a mission for God?  Are you running your race determined to fulfill your calling?

I wonder if you are geared up and ready to make change happen for the better around you. Maybe like me, you sometimes forget to attack life with this kind of attitude.

You and I cannot let the world define our successes.

We cannot allow the world to make us feel defeated.

If you and I are not grounded in God’s Word, we can get stuck right where we are and we accept our current circumstances. We can believe the lies of the enemy that there is too much stacked against us.

This is a lie!

God says we are more than conquerors through Him (Romans 8:36).

He says we are to be salt and light in this world. People should see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

Our God is a BIG God.  Nothing is impossible for Him. (Luke 1:37)

The young lady I saw this morning has a lot stacked against her. She could easily feel that she is too overweight to go for a jog. She could worry about how people will perceive her. She could come up with all kinds of excuses on why she cannot get out and get moving this morning…but she didn’t.

Instead, she went and bought herself some cute workout clothes and got busy running!

Be encouraged today my friend— God has work for you to do.

You are in the world but not OF the world. (John 17:15-18)

You are not supposed to fit in. (Romans 12:2)  God wants you to shine! He wants you to effect change for the better!

Let’s stop being complacent with where we are in our spiritual journey….let’s get out there and run our race!

Hoping you have a fantastic day!

~Joy

Let’s face it—-Sometimes the truth hurts.

When we ask someone the question, “Do I look fat in this”, we are usually fishing for some conformation that we do NOT look fat.   If someone responds with “why yes, you do look fat in that”….well….we may just have to throw something at them!

We really like it when people affirm who we are.  Even if it’s the truth, most of us do not like it when people provide “helpful” suggestions on how we can do better.

We live in a world where there is very little distinction between right and wrong.  Things that used to be universally considered as “wrong” have now become “ok”.  Most things are in the gray zone and it’s a scary place to live.

Our world has lost its moral compass and we are spinning out of control!

Ephesians 4:15 says:

^“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

You and I should seek to know God as fully as possible on this side of eternity. We should not be satisfied with the current state of our spiritual lives. No matter how close we feel to God, we should chase after Him more in an effort to know and experience Him more.

As we walk our life’s journey, we need to know Truth and then we are called to speak Truth to those around us. We should not shy away from speaking what is true and right.

This world will lie to you. Continue Reading

It’s been quite a while since I checked in with you!  The Greene family has moved and it has been a whirlwind.  If you have ever moved to a new state, you know what I am talking about.  Even if you have just moved down the street, you know how it feels to be displaced for a while.

When you move to a new place, everything is new.  You have to settle in to a new community.  You meet new friends and neighbors.  You begin a new chapter of your life.  There is a sense of adventure to moving, but there are also some pitfalls you can experience.  If you’re not careful, you can focus too much on the life you left behind.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is for us to live our lives looking back.  I wrote the below Joytime segment a few weeks ago when we were taking a bike ride.  Take a listen:

STOP LOOKING BACK!  Isn’t that just like us, though?  We have a tendency to keep our eyes and minds focused on what happened in our past instead of focusing on the life we are living right now.

Sometimes our past hold painful memories and we cannot forgive someone for what they did to us long ago.  Other times, we cannot forgive ourselves.  Sometimes our lives were so much better in the past than they are right now that it causes us to wish we could go back.  For whatever reason, we can get stuck.

Sometimes we cannot get over it and we miss what God has for us right now!

In the book of Philippians, we learn that the Christians are being exposed to false teachings and Paul reminds them about what it means to live for Christ.  Paul writes:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:13-14

Paul encourages the Philippians to keep straining ahead towards righteousness.  He reminds them that there is a heavenly prize he is aiming for and that prize is absolutely worth pursuing.

You and I are here to fulfill our God-given calling.   He never promised us easy!

It is through the circumstances of your life that God is making you more like Himself!

My friend, you and I are not on a quest to be more comfortable or more content here on Earth.  We are on a quest for Christ!

So, stop looking back!

Press on with your eyes ahead!  God is not finished with you yet!!

So glad you stopped by today!

~Joy

In the summer of 2011, Bryan and I sold our dream house in NC and moved 600 miles to Jackson, TN.  God had called us to a new place and out of obedience to Him, we packed up and moved.  In March of 2012, my new friend Marcie called me telling me that her Daddy (Tom Mapes), who was a radio talk show host, needed a guest for his radio show the next morning.  His scheduled guest had the flu.  Marcie suggested to her Dad that I fill in as his guest.  She knew about my and Bryan’s move to Jackson, TN and she thought listeners would be encouraged by hearing our story.  Although I had never been on the radio before, I agreed to be on Tom’s show.  I shuffled some responsibilities around at work and showed up at the radio station with my Bible in hand.  I was ready to share my “God story.”

After the show, I needed to get back to Union University to teach my class so I quickly left and returned to work.  By the time my class was over, Tom had left me two voice mails asking me to call him.  When he and I talked, he asked me if I would be interested in doing a daily radio segment aimed at encouraging the women in West Tennessee.  He told me I had a great voice for radio.  I was shocked!  Me?  Radio?  Seriously?   The longer we talked the more excited I became.  He said we could find a sponsor, and I could record the daily segments ahead of time, as my schedule allowed.  He asked me to pray about it.  So I did.   As I prayed, I felt God urging me to pursue this path.  But how?  I did not know a thing about radio, or having a formalized ministry.  It scared me, but inside my spirit, God was whispering that this was His plan, so….I took steps of faith to begin this radio ministry.

I begin talking with some folks about this idea and wouldn’t you know it?  God had already been working behind the scenes.  We had just bought a house the month before and my new neighbor just “happened” to own his own web-hosting company.   He told me he would host my website for me, for free.  A young lady in my Sunday school class just “happened” to be a graphic artist.  She told me she would design my logo for me, for free.  A friend at Union also just “happened” to do photography on the side.  He told me he would take photos for my website, for free.

After much prayer, I finally settled on the name, Joytime Ministries and Tom and I approached Jon Ewing of The Woman’s Clinic of Jackson about sponsorship.  Jon heard the demo of Joytime and said it was just what he was looking for regarding sponsorship!  Ever since that day, The Woman’s Clinic has been the sponsor of Joytime.

Along with airing Joytime daily segments, The Dove also implemented a morning show with Tom called, “Morning Praise with Tom Mapes and the Sisters of Grace.”  From 9-11 a.m. Monday-Friday, Tom and a female co-host would play Christian music and encourage listeners through Bible teaching and personal testimonies.  I have been privileged to be the Friday Sister of Grace for over two years.   Each Friday, with my Bible and sweet tea in hand, Tom and I go on the air to share with our listeners.  We have had shows where we laughed until our stomachs ached.  We have also had shows where we cried so much that we needed to replace the tissue box.   Week after week, we have left the studio feeling encouraged as we sought to glorify God through radio.

Today was my last radio show with Tom.  My days as a Sister of Grace have come to an end.  As I close this chapter in my life, and my family moves to NC this summer, I am forever grateful for Tom Mapes and Grace Broadcasting.  From time to time, God sends special people into your life to sharpen you and make you better.  Tom is one of those people in my life.   He has been a cheerleader for Joytime Ministries from the beginning.  He has been a mentor and friend.  Thank you Tom and the great folks at Grace Broadcasting for believing in me!  What an amazing journey it has been!

-Joy

I was born in Chicago Illinois to a loving mother and father, our family grew with the addition of my brother Robert and my adopted sister, Tina. I had a caring family but I often felt misplace because my dad was closer to my baby brother and never really showed me much affection. I lacked any social life, had no real friends and was bullied on almost daily basis. I was never done any harm by my parents, but I do remember my dad violently beating and raping my mother. I became withdrawn and the bullying I suffered ultimately led my parents to place me in a facility for emotionally disturbed children at 12 years old. She then filed for divorce and a protection order.

My dad was  allowed to visit the house for two hours a day to run his business. It was suggested to my mom from one of my doctors that I be told that the monster that beat and raped her and the man who was incapable of showing me love was not my father. My mom contacted my real dad in California and we met a week later. He told me how much he missed me and how he regretted giving me away every day since then. He showed me the affection I had been longing for my entire life and we made plans to see each other again the following week.The next week came and when I saw my dad he was crying uncontrollably. He then held me and told me that my step father came home, murdered my mom, shot my sister and then turned the gun on himself.

My doctors felt like the move to California would be too much to soon, they sent me to another mental hospital and then to another one once I got to California I became withdrawn, quiet and an emotional wreck. I didn’t fit in and started doing drugs, drinking, fighting and isolating myself from everyone. I was heavy into the punk rock scene, pierced my face with safety pins and spiked my jet black hair a mile high. My drug use escalated, one day my younger brother accidentally drank a soda that I had put some LSD into and that was it, my dad had enough.He took the money I had inherited and placed me into a long term drug treatment program, I spent a year there and while there I cut off the jet black hair, removed the earrings and took off the makeup.I hit the gym hard and  lifted weights every day. My body transformed, I entered that program a 120 lb skinny kid, and when I left I was a 165 pound monster of a teenager. I started my freshman year of high school  and this once skinny, social outcast became popular, I had new friends and was suddenly noticed and desired by  girls. I spent my high school years at the top of  social cliques.

While in high school I started taking a kickboxing class and I loved it.  I went to the gym every day and fought whenever possible.Within six months I became the Amateur California State kickboxing champion.  During one of my fights I was noticed by the producer of Baywatch and they asked me to be on their show. The short lived fame really went to my head and my ego exploded, shortly after filming I met my first wife, Lisa .We married and had two beautiful daughters, I was doing fairly well and fantasized about more upcoming fame and fortune. My ego was out of control, I was conceited,self centered and cheated on her every chance I got. Ultimately, after years of unfaithfulness, she left me .When this happened..then I loved her ..then I needed her, I begged her not to leave. All my childhood hurt resurfaced, I experienced the emptiness of losing my mother and being abandoned all over again. I lost my mind began using drugs again,I took the cowards way out and  abandoned my  family.

I drove to Astoria, Oregon and took a job as a bartender at a strip club. It was there that I was introduced to the needle. The second I felt the drugs hit my heart, in that very moment, it was like Satan wrapped his arms around me, almost as if he was embracing me and saying,”I have you now, you belong to me” I spent the next four years of my life homeless. I robbed people, I became a thief and did unspeakable things to get  drugs. I was lost, broken and at my bottom. I had overdosed several times and only by the grace of God survived. One day while on my way into a shooting gallery a pastor stopped me, this young man was passing out packages of Starburst and with a rubber band was a piece of paper attached to the candy. That paper was a bible track, he told me he could help me and begged me to stay with him and get help but I couldn’t fight the desire to get high. I left, and again God stepped in and saw to it that I got arrested. I spent just enough time in jail to realize that this wasn’t what i wanted. I had abandoned my precious little girls…I hadn’t seen or spoke to them in years. I got out of jail and got into rehab, I found A.A and N.A meetings and stayed clean and sober.

I was disowned by my wife and daughters but embraced by my AA family and the recovery church I was attending. I know God was with me every time I overdosed, that he was there when I was homeless and that he put that pastor in my life. Life started to get good again, I was sober for years and had a great job traveling all over the country for a large roofing company. I finally had my daughters back in my life and I flew to see them every chance I had,and I gave all the credit to God and to the twelve step programs I attended. I met my wife Charlene while attending a meeting in Vancouver,Washington. We had a instant connection,we got married and started a family. I gave her everything I thought she wanted, money ,cars and a beautiful home when what she really wanted was her husband home.

After all that time, her unsuccessful pleads for me to quit that job and find one closer to home and a traumatic miscarriage..she felt that the pain we were enduring was too great , I was unable to comfort her and she left me. That hole I felt my entire life came back that void got bigger and bigger. I thought I had done everything right this time, I loved her with every ounce of me, I was faithful, I provided her with every material thing she asked for.  In my despair, and after seven years clean, I put that needle back into my arm to kill the pain and attempt to fill that hole. My wife and I went through an ugly, very public separation. I became lost and confused and on the verge of being strung out on drugs again. However, this relapse was short lived and I found myself in church on my knees crying out to God..”Why? Lord, help me! Don’t let me do this again, whatever you need of me I am willing to do. YOUR will be done.” God delivered me from my desire to hide behind that needle, that  obsession was gone. I attended church, I prayed often, and after a long separation my wife called me. “Can we talk? I miss you, I’ve been thinking about us”

I drove straight to where she was living and we began to talk , my wife agreed to let me take her on our first date since our separation. That night God showed up big! On that first date as my wife got into the car, our wedding song played on the radio and my wife lost it, tears ran down her face. Then towards the end of our date another song that was played at our wedding came on the radio. We both knew God was working in our relationship, he was speaking right to us.

He spoke to her and asked her to leave everything behind and to trust in him. She told me she wanted to leave and start a new life far away from Washington. We gave everything we had away and loaded up both our cars with our children and just a few personal belongings and drove from Washington to Milan, Tennessee. We didn’t even have a place to live yet so we stayed with my brother. I quit working for that roofing company because as soon as I transferred to their Tennessee office they wanted me to go to New Jersey for three months and  I wasn’t willing to leave my wife again. I took a lower paying job working with my brother and the Lord led us to Temple Baptist Church. While there I rose my hand during a alter call, I was a sinner on my way to hell I needed a personal relationship with Jesus and asked him into my heart. I felt this overwhelming euphoria ,the hole that I had felt throughout the trials in my life was suddenly gone! I had never felt more complete, I was no longer a sinner condemned to hell, I had been redeemed by the saving blood of Jesus Christ and on my way to a eternity with God. My wife and I jumped into service, we became willing to be used for his glory,we taught a Sunday school class and prayed together . We strive to raise our children in a Godly home.. We aren’t perfect, and we often fail, but we try to honor God with the way we live our lives. Thank you Lord for saving me.

I believe that God has performed an amazing act of grace in my life and it is my personal ministry to tell others about it. Through everything I can look back and see Gods mighty hand of grace applied at just the right time in my life. He sustained me for HIS purpose. It was only when I met Jesus that I truly felt loved and fulfilled. He has shown me how to forgive myself and others, he has taught me how to become a loving father and husband by his example. Now Christ Jesus is my joy !