Caregiver Devotional

Friday, June 16, 2023

Perfect Peace Revisited

Treasured friend,

Today, I want to share my father's favorite Scripture, his life verse. For him, this promise was a rock to build his life upon. I had an up-close seat to watch as he faced countless obstacles with grace, trust in the Lord, and peace. His example, and this uplifting passage, and still speak to me, even though Daddy has been in heaven for more than 10 years. I hope they have Father's Day in heaven -- and that somehow the Lord shows my dad how much I love and miss him--and how hard I try to follow his footsteps of faith, trust, and perfect peace.

He loved the song lyrics by Vivian Amsler Kretz based on this verse:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
Whose mind is stayed on Thee
When the shadows come and darkness falls
He giveth inward peace
O He is the only perfect resting place
He giveth perfect peace
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
Whose mind is stayed on Thee
CCLI Song # 150564

Blessings and prayers for your strength and comfort on this Father's weekend and all week long,

Julie

Thursday, May 4, 2023

The Magnificent Story!

Treasured friend,

We have news of a new book just birthed in our offices. It's called The Magnificent Story and it's a brief, clear, poetic and engaging retelling of the one unified story that begins before Creation and ends (or rather begins more magnificently than ever) with the return of Christ at the end of Revelation. It's the story of Scripture, the one magnificent story that could only have been crafted and fulfilled by our awesome Creator.

The book is lovely--featuring a four-color interior with tons of pictures and available in hardcover and paperback editions ... and the best part is that it's clear and easy to understand. It's designed to share in family reading or devotion times. And it closes with a prayer that invites every reader--young and older--to take up the role created especially for each of us in The Magnificent Story.

My first audience for the live presentation that goes with the book was a group of older adults--in a senior living facility. I told the story in 47 minutes and 12 seconds. And they sat rapt and engaged throughout--early on a Sunday morning, no less! It's that engaging and energizing!

If you've ever wondered how the Scripture fits together, or if you've ever tried to read the Bible but couldn't figure out where to begin, this book is for you.

Please, pick it up and share The Magnificent Story with those you care for. The moments you spend together with it could change someone's eternity ... or even yours!

Help us celebrate by viewing our Book Trailer

and checking out our website joymediaservices.com to learn more about this exciting project designed to share with your loved ones -- especially your aging loved ones!

Blessings and prayers, Julie

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Spilled Coffee

Comedy of errors alert.

Just the other day, Mom's spill-proof coffee mug turned into a dribble glass when the gasket gave way. We were taking her car for its emissions test, and the poor dear ended up with a huge stain down the front of her new blouse and her white jeans. Back home, she changed and soaked the stained garments in her bathroom sink. All afternoon and evening she kept rubbing and spraying and adding water. She left them soaking overnight. I offered to spray Oxy on the stains, but she didn't want any help. She's highly self-reliant.

Fast-forward to the next morning. I'm in my suite, doing my daily devotions before coming down to breakfast. I was reading in Colossians 3: "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other ..."

While I'm reading and praying, I keep hearing odd noises coming from her bathroom. No, not those kind. More like, swish and splash, swish and splash, swish and splash. It was rhythmic and kept going.

I kept reading ... compassion, kindness, patience ... Julie, don't bother her. Let her be.

Swish and splash. Swish and splash. Patience, Julie. Kindness.

Ok, Lord. I'm trying.

Finally after many minutes and no let-up, I closed the Bible and went to explore. I found Mom with a juice glass from the kitchen, bailing the sink one glassful at a time, and dumping the contents in the toilet. "Doesn't this sink have a drain plug lifter?"

"Sure, it's right here." And I pulled the plug, releasing the remaining soapy water.

"Why didn't you come help me? Didn't you hear what I was doing?"

"I was trying to be kind and patient." I read her the Scripture. We just looked at each other and laughed for a half hour straight. I think I even snorted more than once.

Patience, Julie, and kindness! And a bit of resourcefulness thrown in for good measure.

Blessings and prayers, Julie

Friday, December 25, 2020

A Hospital Christmas

Treasured Friend,

Mom instilled in me a love for decorating our home for Christmas. We’re kinda obsessed. In fact, the day we bought our new townhouse, the former owner showed us a closet under the stairs, with lots of bonus storage. We looked at each other and exclaimed in duet: “Perfect for Christmas decorations!” He rolled his eyes.

But two Christmases ago, our decorations were limited to Charlie Brown’s tree and a plaque gifted from a technician at the hospital. These made up our desperate attempts to bolster our spirits as I battled for my life.

Let me set the scene for you as I tell it in my new book, Don’t Let This Throw You! (Available on Amazon) We want you to know how God showed up during our Christmas 2018, just two years ago, so you can be on the lookout for Him today as you celebrate Christmas 2020.

On Christmas the hospital tried its best by offering a holiday menu. Culinary services in a hospital aren’t known for gourmet holiday fare. But they did try. They also allowed me to purchase a tray for Mom so we could enjoy our meal together.

Bridget, who was going to deliver our dinner, dressed as an elf that day. As we waited for her, we were looking for a TV program that wasn’t just our usual cooking, home improvement, and football. Lord let us find something that will help us focus on You.

We stopped on PBS when we heard Christmas carols originating in a great cathedral. After a few sets of carols and pop Christmas songs, an actor began narrating the story of the hymn: “It Is Well With My Soul.”

It’s a dramatic and powerful story. Horatio Spafford, a businessman who lost everything during the Great Chicago Fire, sent his wife and four daughters ahead of him to England on a ship. He was to follow.

But the family’s ship was lost at sea, and all of Spafford’s daughters drowned. He received a cable from his wife with the crushing message, “Saved alone.” He boarded the next ship to join her. At sea his captain called him on deck when they drew near to where the family’s vessel sank. Peering into the dark waters that claimed his daughters, Spafford penned the lyric of this beloved hymn.

This is a story Mom and I have told many times. Yet there was a portion I’d never heard before. After Spafford’s wife was rescued on that fateful night, in a rush of unbearable grief, she planned to throw herself back into the waves. In that moment a voice from heaven stopped her with the promise, “You have been saved for a purpose.”

My spirit keyed in on those words. Could it be that I, too, was being saved for a purpose? Most certainly, for that’s how our Lord works. He wastes no experience, and He allows nothing to touch us without eternally destined purpose. Saved for a purpose!

Soon, Mom and I began singing along with the cathedral choir. As we sang, our room became a sanctuary. My nurse started to come in to take my vitals, but she went out silently allowing us a few more sacred moments. Christ’s peace that comforted and soothed our brother and his wife all those years ago, met us on Christmas 2018 in the oncology ward. The Prince of Peace Whose birth we celebrated with a hospital ham dinner delivered by Elf Bridget and eaten beside Charlie Brown’s tree, was no less with us than He had been in years when we’d enjoyed a sumptuous spread among family and friends at Grandma’s dining table.

In this very different Christmas season, let’s relish the truth that no matter what, it is well with our souls. Mine. Mom's. And, if you have trusted Christ, it is well with YOUR soul right now. It is well. All is well. All because the Lord Jesus Christ entered our planet as a tiny baby on that silent, holy night.

Blessings and prayers,

Julie & Mom