General

“A BABY!”

Posted by joaniebruce on Feb 13, 2015 in Blog, General | 3 comments

The house is quiet. No water running … no music playing … no baby crying … yes, I said “baby.” Not my baby, but my daughter’s. I am finally a “Nana.” And, this Nana, has had the privilege and fun to be staying at my daughter’s house for the last week, helping out after her baby boy was born.

I can’t tell you how full my heart is right now. This little boy … and I do mean “little,” has screamed, cried, frowned, smiled, smirked and laughed his little way into the deepest portions of my heart. He only weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces when he was born, but that pint-sized bundle of joy knows exactly what to do to imprison his Nana’s heart.

My friends and family all said, “There is nothing like having a grandchild.” They were oh-so right. This love that sweeps over you when you look down at the baby in your arms is one of the strongest kinds of love God plants in our hearts.

For me, having my three children was three of the happiest times of my life. Watching them smile and giggle is always fun for a new parent, but seeing my grandchild for the first time has resurrected that feeling of euphoria. What a precious future my husband and will enjoy, of being called “Grandpa” and “Nana.” We can’t wait!

Writing? Painting? At My Age??

Posted by joaniebruce on Jan 27, 2015 in Blog, General | 4 comments

Since I love to write books … and I love to paint portraits … I often think about how these two activities are similar. What is it in both pursuits that interests me enough to keep me coming back for more?

First of all … although I enjoy painting and writing, I believe with all my heart that without God, I am nothing! God gave me the ability to do both, and I believe He expects me to use those abilities. Therefore, when I use them to honor Him, obedience makes me happy.

Secondly … I enjoy how happy it makes others. It’s a true joy to watch the faces of my customers when they see the portrait of their loved one for the first time.  How exciting! And I get emails from friends… and strangers as well… who read my books and say the stories have touched their lives. Now that is inspiring and pushes me to keep writing.

Thirdly, since I started my painting and writing pursuits late in life, it helps me encourage others to reach deep inside themselves and try new things. No matter your age, you can always try something new. If you step out in faith, and let God guide you and bless your obedience, miracles might happen.

So go … try that new undertaking! Learn how to draw, or paint, or crochet, or knit, or make necklaces. Or …  maybe some other adventure. I promise you….it will be worth it, and you will be blessed!  🙂

“Rolling With the Flow”

Posted by joaniebruce on Jan 20, 2015 in Blog, General | Comments Off on “Rolling With the Flow”

How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming? This year I only had four. And, unfortunately, I’ve already broken three of them. Lol  I relapsed on the third day of the year, started back up the next day, and so far, I’ve attained all of my listed goals … to this date. (Knock on wood.) But sometimes, if life throws me a curve ball, I give up. Are you that way? I get so busy trying to accomplish a certain thing, that when God throws a monkey-wrench into the works and messes up all my plans, I tend to forget that He must have let it happen for a reason.

There are a lot of things I enjoy doing in my life: Spending time with my children, playing with my music, painting, writing, making jewelry, cooking, knitting, crocheting … you name it, and I’ve probably tried it at one point or the other. But, when I get into one project, I hate it when something intervenes, and I have to move on to something else.

This morning I was making a necklace, bracelet and ear ring set when my favorite tool, the flush cutter, broke into two pieces. How frustrating! I was so in the mood to finish this necklace. A broken tool meant I could not accomplish that goal.

How are you when your goals are thwarted? Do you stomp around and scream at the top of your lungs? Or do you resign yourself to “plan B?”  Even though I’m not a “screamer,” I have been known to complain loudly when something interferes with what I’m doing. However, one of my goals for this year it to recognize that everything God allows in my path is for a reason, and to “go with the flow” and trust His plans. Being flexible is beneficial in today’s changing world, and although I fail here and there, I’m trying.

(And can you believe one of my resolutions was NOT using clichés as much in my writing. Rats! )

Would You Like A Smile Today?

Posted by joaniebruce on Dec 8, 2014 in Blog, General | 2 comments

This Christmas season, we think about giving to others more than usual, but have you ever thought about tithing more than your monetary income? Think about this: Of the 1440 minutes you live each day, how many of those did you give yourself? NONE! And the talents you might have… a perfect musical pitch, a beautiful singing voice, a talent for drawing or painting, a talent for making others feel at ease … how many of those did you give yourself? NONE! If God gave us these things, why shouldn’t we please Him by sharing them with others? We tithe our income and sometimes we tithe our time, working in a soup kitchen or a food bank, but rarely do we think of tithing on everything that might have been given to us freely.

During my childhood, my family plantedt a HUGE garden, and my parents practiced tithing their “first fruits.” So … as an adult, when our vegetables came in, the first mess of peas, beans, corn, etc. went to someone who didn’t have a garden. It was something we enjoyed doing because sharing always brings a smile…not only to the person you share with but to yourself as well.

That feeling of joy when sharing vegetables with others can also be obtained by sharing talents. Would you like a smile today? Share your abilities with someone else: Paint a picture for someone. Sing a solo in your church or play for the offertory. Sing a song for a hurting child, or use your peacemaking talent to help another’s relationship. I guarantee…..it will make you happy. 🙂

“I Forgive You”

Posted by joaniebruce on Oct 22, 2014 in Blog, General | Comments Off on “I Forgive You”

Isn’t it nice to hear those three little words? “I forgive you.”

Forgiveness has been defined as the “intentional and voluntary process by which a person experiences a change in feelings and attitude toward an offense, letting go of negative thoughts such as revenge or anger and thereby gaining the ability to wish the offender well.”

Forgiveness is an intentional decision, and I can think of three reasons why I should make a daily decision to have a forgiving spirit:

One: I am not perfect. Sometimes, I do things that hurt others and need their forgiveness. If I hold a grudge or withhold forgiveness from someone who needs it from me, it’s possible I might be treated the same way. The Bible says we can’t be forgiven by God if we aren’t willing to forgive. (“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15)

Two: God forgives us of ALL our sins. He hates sin, and yet He’s willing to wipe out our complete “sin history.” All we have to do is ask. Why can’t I show that much love to others and forgive them when God is so gracious to forgive me? (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn 1:9)   

Three: It’s been proven that an unforgiving spirit breeds bitterness in our hearts, and bitterness in turn affects everything in our own lives … our thoughts, our actions, our attitudes … even our health. The acid of bitterness corrodes the vessel that holds it.  (“Follow peace with all men … lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” Heb. 12:14-15)

Am I willing to embrace the spirit of forgiveness? Every day? I should be. What about you? Is there someone you need to extend a hand of forgiveness to today?

Can you think of other ways how a forgiving spirit affects our lives in a positive way?

Unexpected Kindness

Posted by joaniebruce on Oct 14, 2014 in Blog, General | 2 comments

The other day, Ben and I stopped by Dairy Queen (my favorite place) and placed an order for two small blizzards. When we pulled up to the window the cashier informed us that the lady ahead of us had already paid for our order.

We just looked at each other with our mouths open. Ben turned to the worker and asked, “Why?” She said she didn’t know except the man in front of that woman had paid for her ice cream, so she wanted to return the favor. 🙂  So……guess what we did? Yep, you got it! We paid the money for the order of the car in back of us. How much fun was that to watch the faces of the family behind us when they realized they were getting their ice cream for free! It made me wonder if the lady in front of us had watched us in her rear view mirror. Lol

One good deed can start an avalanche of kindness. 🙂 What about you? Have you done something nice for someone today???

God Loves Frogs Too!

Posted by joaniebruce on Oct 4, 2014 in Blog, General | 2 comments

Every year, around Mother’s Day, my children buy me four ferns to hang between the posts on my front porch. This year, not long after I hung my ferns on the porch, I was petrified to see two little bulging eyes staring back at me from the bottom overflow section of my hanging pots. Tree frogs!

When I first pulled back the fern fronds and saw those eyes, I was terrified until I realized they weren’t monsters living in the bottom of my pots, just harmless little tree frogs. But now, watering my ferns became a problem. I was afraid I would drown them by filling the overflow pot with water, or I would run them out of their “homes” and divide their little family. They also have a tendency to “sing” incessantly at night, and their noisy croaking was NOT one of my favorite songs. To me, the tiny, harmless little beasts had become pests … or so I thought.

One day soon after I discovered the frogs, I found little pieces of chewed up leaves all over the cement under each fern, and tiny grasshoppers were eating my ferns for breakfast. Now I had another dilemma. If I sprayed the grasshoppers with insecticide, it would kill all of the beneficial insects like the praying mantis who eat mosquitoes and flies, and, I wasn’t sure what it would do to the tree frogs living in the ferns. I swept up the dead pieces of fern and fretted over what to do. Then … the next morning when I went outside, dreading what I would find, I was pleasantly surprised. There were no more dead leaves on the cement. The frogs took care of the problem for me by eating up the grasshoppers.

That life-lesson made me think. I’ve seen people shun or ignore others because they make them uncomfortable, or because their good qualities are not immediately apparent? We are ALL God’s workmanship, and He created each one of us unique, and for a reason. Just like the frogs have a purpose here on earth, God gave each of us a perfect purpose too. I want to strive to honor, serve, and love others just because God loves them and created them for His glory.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Stuck on the Interstate at a dead stop!

Posted by joaniebruce on Sep 27, 2014 in General | 2 comments

Yesterday, I was on my way to a drawing class when I got stuck in traffic on the interstate. What a pain! I almost panicked! We sat still in total gridlock for fifteen minutes, and all the time my head was chanting:

I have to get going.

I can’t be late!

I am the teacher,

for goodness sake!

 Don’t laugh! I’m sure you’ve all been there … impeded in traffic because of a wreck up ahead or because of what seems like never ending road construction. Sometimes, I think a delay is the end of the world, and I wonder why the Lord lets this happen—He knows I’m in a hurry.

And then … AND THEN … I remembered something I said just before leaving the house. I think my exact words were, “Lord, please protect me as I travel.”

Suddenly, while I sat there beating an impatient hand on the steering wheel … it hit me … The Lord might be protecting me while I’m here “resting” in the middle of the road. If I had been fifteen minutes further along on my journey, I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and might have been involved in an accident. So…..instead of moaning because the Lord was making me late for my class, I decided to thank Him; for saving me from possible disaster, for protecting me from harm, and for answering my prayer. And you know what? I was five minutes late for my class, but my heart was full … because no matter how impatient I feel, facing those irritating situations that God allows into my life, He still knows what’s best for me, and He’s looking out for me.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thess 5:18

“The Warrior’s Bride” Book Review

Posted by joaniebruce on Sep 22, 2014 in General | 2 comments

Wow! This book is fantastic. It’s a wonderful treasure of information for married women…military and civilian. Even though the authors promote this book as encouragement for military spouses, all of the principles and guidance found here are applicable for any married woman. It covers subjects all the way from handling the fear of your husband’s death to dealing with a husband whose job requires him to be away from home and the family for long, extended periods of time. It encourages every woman to realize that God forgives us in spite of our faults and is standing on the sidelines begging us to come to Him for reinforcement and wisdom. It also urges the struggling woman to turn to God for love and wisdom in dealing with all circumstances of life.

What I loved: I loved reading the personal testimonies revealed by both Carrie Daws and Kathy Barnett. They used their personal struggles to help illustrate their tidbits of advice and encouragement for the military spouse, and these personal touches are what make the book so genuine and tender.

What I didn’t like: Nothing. This book has a wealth of information, and anyone would be able to find encouragement and assistance within its pages.

I loved this book. I cried when I read about the strong emotional clashes the authors endured, and I laughed at their personal glimpses of life in their worlds as military wives and mothers. But personally, I came away with an enthusiastic decision to have a more positive attitude toward all things in life. If I could give this book six stars, I would. But I give it five stars…..and firmly believe, it’s worth every star!

3 Steps for Reacting to Negative Comments

Posted by joaniebruce on Aug 16, 2014 in General | 3 comments

Does is scare you to open yourself up to criticism? I’m always afraid of presenting my creative ideas and offerings to others because of the fear of rejection. However, if the Lord gave me an ability to be out there in the open and evaluated by others, no matter how good I try to make it, I know I will experience criticism. When my writing is rejected or condemned by others, or when someone wants to offer advice to improve the look of one of my paintings, I’ve learned that reacting positively makes hearing the negative side of feedback a lot easier to bear. Not only does it mature you as a person, but it actually helps improve your next project. Therefore, I’ve learned three steps to reacting positively to criticism.

First of all, in the beginning, I allow myself to experience the negative emotions that come with rejection … but only for a short time. Wallowing in self-pity is not productive, even briefly. However, we do need time to allow the initial hurt to pass.

Secondly, I try to evaluate the negative remarks to see if what the person said could be true. Did I make a fatal mistake in the plot of my story to make it unbelievable? Were my characters really shallow or too perfect? I can gain valuable information from advice if I open up to the possibilities. Sometimes I discuss the negative comments with a friend, and their insight is often enlightening. If there are no suggestions in the remarks … simply criticisms … then I move on to the next step.

Thirdly, I try to forget the past and move on ahead … let it go. I have a gut-reaction to give up and never touch the paint brush or the next book project I’m working on again … but only for a short time. Having a positive attitude works wonders on your self-esteem. And, if I temporarily drop what I’m doing, move on to another project for a short time, and come back when I’m in better spirits, I find the future for my writing or painting seems brighter.

What about you? Accepting criticism is hard for all of us, but God offers wisdom for reacting to those negative comments with the right attitude:  “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase learning.” Prov. 9: 8, 9