Hello...again!

Hello blog world...I apologize for my long sabbatical, but I'm back! To catch you all up, since the last time I posted I left the rain and my wellies in Seattle and exchanged them for sunshine and flip flops in the beautiful city of Ventura, California. I've adapted to Cali living with much more ease than anticipated. That being said, I've also been inspired to start blogging again...so I'm happy to say hello to everyone! Excited for lots more thoughts about beauty, food, wellness, and most importantly, Jesus.

Today I was having one of those moments...[to myself] "I think I need to pray more. I really need to know what's going on in my life right now". [chuckle, then deep internal sigh] This conversation seems to have been happening quite regularly for me, and I finally had a breakthrough this morning while perusing Matthew 6. "Seek first the kingdom, and all these things will be added to you." Seek first. This whole time I've been approaching God like a school counselor. "Tell me what to do!" "Give me advice!" "I have no idea what the future has!" And so on. The key I was missing in this whole mess was His simple invitation to be with Him. Continually throughout the gospels we see Jesus calling us to "abide in Him". This answer seems all too simple, yet is the crux for receiving all the things I was already going to God about. "BE WITH ME" is the cry of the Spirit that we often ignore. Yet in those moments of "being", we start to "become", and in becoming, we begin to receive all the answers to our original questions.

So that is my challenge for today. Simply to BE WITH HIM.

Love you all, and can't wait to post more!
<3 Joy

One of those days.

I was thinking about that phrase (you know the one!) where people look at you at say "It's been one of those days" with a huge sigh and a begrudging look. I don't think anyone really defined for us what "those days" actually mean. Does is always have to be bad? Why couldn't "one of those days" be a day of exuberant happiness? I mean, when someone clumps their experience of the day with "those", why couldn't they be referring to a sunny day where their dog didn't pee on the carpet? Or one of those days where your underwear and bra match? But instead it is used to describe the passing of a day that is beyond description...usually in the bad sense.

And today was definitely one of those.

Welcome to the 7am morning shift at one of the busiest Starbucks in Washington. On Memorial Day Weekend. Yeah. Coffee and scones flying everywhere, the ripping sound of steamed milk, combined with a couple screaming children, a gaggle of spandex-clad bicyclist, and a few very annoyed middle-aged women having hot-flashes. All the while I'm thinking, If I stop smiling some profanity may escape my mouth and ruin someones day. Thus the perma-grin stayed put all morning, despite Half-Decaf-Soy-One-Hundred-Degree-No-Foam-Chai Man reordering three times.

[deep sigh]

Fast forward four hours, and I'm huddled in the corner of the back room on my ten, chewing on a celery stick. [Ok, so maybe I wasn't huddled. I was sitting on a chair. In the corner, though]. And of course, it was in the quiet moment that I was reminded of God's grace. Not just the grace preached in the pulpit, but the real, raw grace that Jesus makes available to us in moments of crazy life. It's interesting how it kinda sneaks up on you when you least suspect it. It's not just God giving us the ability to do what He's called us to, but I also believe it is the ability to continue having relationship with Him, despite our own flesh.

I was reminded in that moment where God prophetically speaks through Hosea in Chapter 6, verse 6 where He says, 

"I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings."

He wants us! He desires us! In the middle of our crazy lives, despite our self-centered hearts, above all else God wants us to know Him! It's those kind of reminders that keep us grounded, settled and in the right perspective. Let this be a reminder to you...that despite having "one of those days", Jesus is eagerly waiting to show Himself to you in the most unusual places. Even if you're not looking. And especially if it's one of those days. Don't forget to show love in every aspect of your daily life, even in that cup of coffee and cinnamon scone.

Tête-à-Tête: Thoughts on Faith & The Bible

One of the reasons I decided to start blogging was the limitless potential of writing space. I wanted to write about my faith and the Bible in a way that wouldn't be restrained by the 420 characters allowed in a Facebook status update. Which brings us to a new (and hopefully reoccurring) segment of my blog entitled, "Tête-à-Tête". For those of you that don't have your handy Dictionnaire Anglais-Français laying around, a tête-à-tête is simply "An intimate meeting or conversation between two individuals", literally (in French) meaning "head to head". These posts will be a smattering of my personal thoughts, observations and ideas about my relationship with God and my discoveries in the Word. Really looking forward to sharing with you all...

:) Joy

An Apology...

A dear friend informed me that I was a little long-winded in the last post, so I promise you, dear readers, that I will learn to be brief. Or at least I'll try...

:)

To Write, Or Not To Write?

Hello Blog World! This is the start of something new. Well, something creative for me at least. This is the unscripted, raw and slightly embarrassing expose of my life and musings. Needless to say, this will be interesting. And fun.


For my inaugural posting, I decided to reach back into some of my old creative writing essays, and pulled out one of my favorites: A Letter To Every Man On Earth.  The assignment? To write a proposal to a group of people, presenting a solution to a common problem. My topic? Men and communication. Enjoy....

Inquiry #3: Proposal

A Letter to Every Man on Earth

To every human with XY chromosomes (which means any male presently alive on the planet),

            This is a letter written, not out of spite and malice, but out of genuine concern for you as a male.  Since the beginning of time, I cannot begin to think of a larger plight against females around the world than the obviously apparent miscommunications between man and woman.  Trust me, although painful, like getting your hairy back waxed, this will be beneficial for everyone.  (That being said, I must put in this disclaimer: Although I, the author, am qualified to speak on behalf of womankind because I am female, there are certain generalizations and rules that will not be applicable to every female you encounter.  As you may have found in your short lifetime, we females function fundamentally the same but are wired differently than other women. Basically, there are rules but they don’t always work.  So…good luck being a man.)

            After painting that somewhat dismal image, you may feel that there is no hope of understanding us.  Fear not!  There is still hope!  Don’t put down this letter and retreat into the safety of Sports Center and your bag of Taco Bell!  Yes, we may be bewildering, infuriating, exasperating, and at times give you the intense desire to cut off your ears, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  If you can pay attention to these few points, I promise you’ll feel better about talking to us, and we in turn, will actually pay attention to what you’re saying/need!

1.    We have a built in “B. S.  filter”.  There is a difference between LISTENING and actually HEARING.  And we can tell the difference.

If you are reading this right now, and have the genuine desire to be able to communicate clearly with women, PLEASE pay attention.  Looking at your iPhone and nodding yes a lot does not count as listening and we can tell.  You may think to yourself, “What if I don’t care about the new shoes she bought?  And who the heck is Jimmy Choo anyways? ”  Find out why we care so much!  The reason we are telling you about this is because it’s something we find significant, fun or interesting.  The fact that we want to tell you about it shows that we value our relationship with you, no matter what level of relationship that may be.  WOMEN ARE LOOKING FOR AFFIRMATION AND VALUE! ! !  This is not necessarily always with the selfish motives insinuated by that statement either.  We are wired to find value in our relationships, and there is a particularly strong weight that we place on the males in our life.  So if you actually listen, ask questions, and look us in the eyes, we in turn will feel valued and begin caring (or trying to!) about the things you enjoy. Like basketball and why certain foods give you gas.  We might even stop talking long enough to listen to some of the aspirations you have for your life.  We might even have a real, meaningful conversation!  Gasp!

2.    If you’re hungry, PLEASE eat before talking to us.

I have never met a man I wasn’t scared of when he’s hungry.  It’s as if another demonic being takes over the male body when hunger strikes.  I’ve seen the “Hunger Demon” manifest itself in several different ways.  Rage.  Moodiness.  Intense sarcasm.  Even the stereotypically feminine whining can be heard from a hungry man.  These are the times when most girls will turn to you and say in that tremendously irritating voice, “Why are you such a craaaannnnkkky pants right now? ! ” It’s not that we think you’re normally cranky, but when the Hunger Demon strikes, it’s worse than the female PMS you have to put up with every 28 days.  It’s simple.  Tell us you need to eat!  I don’t care if the woman you’re talking to is mid-sentence.  She’ll appreciate you telling her that you want to listen, but can’t until there’s something substantial setting in your stomach.  My personal experience has taught me that mans’ ability to listen and pay attention is conversely correlated to his level of hunger.  If you haven’t figured this out yet, almost every woman alive will read into and misinterpret everything you do and say.  The clearer and more intentional you are about telling us what’s going on in your head and body, the less likely we are to take your hunger-induced rage personally.  Which means less tears for us.  Which means everyone is better off.  

3.    One word answers are unacceptable unless it is a “yes” or “no” question.  

And PLEASE do not answer with “I don’t know”!  I don’t know if I can emphasize this enough, but answering that way will annoy almost any woman you’re communicating with.  In those three simple words, we derive several different things.  A) “I don’t care enough to think about an answer”, B) “I wasn’t paying attention and don’t know what to say”, or maybe C) “I really have no idea”.  If you answered A) or B), please refer back to the point one in our discussion.  If you answered C), at least make something up or TRY to think of something.  “I don’t know” is one of the laziest answers in existence.  Granted, if you are being humble and are expressing the fact that you are uninformed on the subject, don’t just leave us with that.  We’re asking because we want your help, your leadership and your opinion.  At least try to help us find the answer, or give us some ideas of where to look.  And under no circumstances are you allowed to say “I don’t know” when answering the dreaded “Does this make me look fat? ” question.  It is a guaranteed slap in the face.  (Side-note: if a woman ever asks you that, she is looking for affirmation [again refer to the first point].  But if she is pleading with you for an honest answer, she has willingly opened the door for you to share your opinion.  Beware, even though she does appreciate your honesty, you may still receive “The Look of Death” from her. )

            At this point, I’m hoping that you men are feeling somewhat enlightened to the communication methods of females.  Granted, there is a plethora of “How To Understand Women” already published, there will never be enough books written, because every woman operates differently than another.  Please do not lose hope.  This simply means that you have to take the time to pay attention to the women in your life, to make a conscious effort to listen and understand them, and to communicate that you are trying to understand, even when you epically fail.  (Trust me, even the most consistent woman will react inconsistently and blame it on you. ) All of that being said, we love how different you are from us.  Despite the fact that your methods of communication are just as infuriating and confusing as ours, we want to understand you too.  We want to be understood so we can understand better.  We want to be heard so we can in turn actually hear what you’re saying.  The fact that you have read through all of this is another step towards that awareness.  So thank you sincerely from a woman who is still learning how to communicate the right way.  

Sincerely and with much appreciation,

Joy Severin

PS: GOOD LUCK.  (You’ll need it!)

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My name is Joy. I love Jesus, my life, cooking, photography, fashion, the outdoors and anything fun.