Twenty-One A Poem By Joy Aletheia Stevens ~ At One, Two, and Three, A lil’ babe, contented to be. But as a child of Four, Dreams of princes and castles galore! ~ At Five the girl decides “I shall be a princes bride!” And so the dreaming begins, At the core of her heart, the […]
To Live As Love: A Hearts Prayer
To Live As Love: A Hearts Prayer A Poem By Joy Aletheia Stevens ~ Open our ears, So that we might hear. Open our eyes, So that we might see. ~ Open our hearts, Lord, open our hearts! Pour in us Your life! God heal this strife! ~ Make us tender, Tender to Your Word. […]
What Kind of Listener Are You?
Conflict. Anger. Offence. They can kill our relationships and our families. Destroy our trust in each other and cause quite a lot of pain. And so much of it can be prevented simply in how we listen to each other. A while ago I was watching something and I saw out of the corner of […]
Happy Mothers Day!
My very first Mothers Day was a miserable one. My baby girl was still in the NICU and I had somehow contracted pink-eye, so I couldn’t even see her. My husband went to church and then the hospital and I spent most of the day by myself, trying to not cry and spread the infection […]
The Words of Love
I love words. Can you tell? I love the English language. I love the beauty that you can find as you string words together. I love the music and cadence you can almost feel in a well written script. I love the depth of words well turned. I’m often horrified by the lack of respect our […]
Hush My Voice
Hush My Voice A Poem, By Joy Aletheia Stevens ~ Hush my voice, do not say that word, Calm yourself, think with reason! Laugh less, do not feel the chord That connects you for this season. ~ You’ve never felt so calm, Yet never felt so distressed, You’ve never felt such healing balm, Except when […]
Love One Another: A Walk Through John 13 for Passover
It’s Good Friday, the night we recognize the Passover meal that was Christ’s Last Supper. His last evening with His disciples and His crucifixion. Today I want to spend some time in a passage of scripture from that evening, a passage I consider to be one of the most intimate, the most beautiful, and the most profound. […]
Lifting Him Up, Because He Was Lifted Up!
I talk quite a bit about the life God calls us to. A life of radical love for people and of an obsession and focus placed on Christ’s face. A life that isn’t easy but so very worth it. Sometimes when looking at this kind of life we are inspired and discouraged at the same […]
Saint Patrick: Out of Slavery and Into Love
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! It’s not one of my most celebrated holidays, but I enjoy Saint Patrick’s Day. When I was a child the day meant dodging a certain friend of mine, as I had nothing green to wear and she enjoyed the hunt of pinching anyone who lacked the color. I suppose that might […]
Fruit in Action
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 I like to joke about my name when reading this verse, “Look! ‘Joy!’ I’m a FRUIT! That explains SO MUCH!” I’ve been known to comment that I can get […]