Author: Kelly Joy

What’s in a Name

Naming my kids was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. How do you choose what a child will be called her entire life? How do you know from the moment you look at him, what name will fit his personality? It is a huge responsibility to choose what name a child will answer to, what name she will write on every form, what name she will speak over herself every day for the rest of her life. “Hi, I’m…”

We had a dog growing up named Spunky — that dog was crazy! My mom always said we should have named him something else. What if that happened with my kids?!?

I believe there is power in a name. What is spoken over you matters. The words you use are incredibly valuable, and a person’s name is spoken over them again and again from birth until death.

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3 Tips for Successful Small Talk

Growing up, I thought being an extrovert was a good thing and being an introvert was a bad thing. I was always taught an extrovert was outgoing, friendly, and a lot of fun — and an introvert was quiet, shy, and timid.

Anytime I had to take a personality quiz, I would try to pick the answers that would make me an extrovert. I thought that was what I was supposed to be — and if it says it on a piece of paper, then it must be true!

It wasn’t until adulthood that I learned the deeper definitions of extrovert and introvert.

Extroverts are people who are energized by the world around them. They love parties and being with people. It is where they draw their energy from. If they go too many days without social interaction, they will begin to notice a drop in their energy levels.

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The Crown of Motherhood

As I sit by the pool and watch my children play frisbee, I am so thankful I wear the crown of motherhood. It has not been an easy crown, but it has been so worth it.

I first put on this crown almost 16 years ago as my oldest son entered the world. His delivery almost killed him, but God’s grace is bigger than a doctor’s human error. People used to ask if he was a good baby and I never really knew how to answer. He wasn’t bad, but he was high maintenance — always wanting to be held, sung to, walked and rocked. We spent the first year of his life just me and him 24 hours a day, every day. We didn’t live near family and my husband was working and going to school full-time, so it was just me and Baby #1.

I miscarried Baby #2. It’s a feeling of loss that is hard to explain. How can you miss someone you never met? How can this tiny, tiny little life leave such a giant hole in yours? But it does.

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When She Doesn’t Have to Wait

God has this funny way of putting a dream in people’s hearts and then asking them to wait. That’s not normally how I roll. If I have an idea, I want to get started on it right away. I don’t like to wait.

I was 16 when God placed the dream and calling of ministry on my heart. That was 22 years ago! TWENTY-TWO! More than half of my life was spent waiting for this dream to happen. Sure, over the last two decades I’ve seen little glimpses of this dream coming true, but nothing that satisfies the yearning deep inside.

There have been many moments of disappointment. Times when I was sure the door I was waiting for was finally opening, only to have it slammed shut right in front of me! Could this really be God’s plan? Did I hear Him wrong? Maybe He had changed His mind and decided to use someone else instead…

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