Welcome!


I have undergone many changes in my life in the last two years. Can you relate? It has been a series of trials and little joys and amazing accomplishments and deep sorrows. Life has turned one way then another and twisted back around again. There has been one constant, even when I don't feel or see it. God has been with me at every turn, through every valley, on every mountaintop. I have struggled with this. So many scars exist in me. The most painful today is the loss of my father. I have had many David moments over the last almost nine months. Mostly the angry, questioning, confused David moments. The moments where it takes all my strength and my tiny bit of faith to say, "God is good all the time." Or, "I trust You." These are truths that I have a hard time admitting, yet I cannot lie. Admitting your struggles and your fears and choosing vulnerability helps expose those deeply hidden things to the light of the Son. And in that light we can see more clearly. If things stay hidden they remain in shadow. Shadows in the dark can make us believe there's a monster in our room with us, but it is only a shirt hanging askew in our closet.

Friends, my journey toward peace and the mountaintop Psalms of David continues one day at a time. Some days feel as though they are just too much. Too many memories. Too much sadness. Too many questions. Other days feel as though every cloud has a silver lining, even the storm clouds, and sunshine is just around the corner.

I have titled this post Welcome! because I want to welcome you to my newest version of this blog. I thought it was time for a fresh look and, in some ways, a fresh start. I started a ministry called Fresh Hope several years ago as a way to bring refreshment to women. I want this "new" blog to bring freshness to you and your life. Life will always be a series of moments, whether mountain high or valley low or somewhere in between. But always remember to be Quiet in His Love. I have put Zephaniah 3:17 at the top of my blog so that you always remember this image of our Father God.He is The Mighty One, yet He also rejoices over us with singing. Such a powerful image!

On this new blog, you will find a variety of topics (as I write about them) and I hope you will follow me and share this little corner of the world with your friends and family as well. Today or sometime in the next few days, I will be launching a series on marriage. I am so excited to share it with you! It started from a research class I just finished in my college studies. I hope it will be a blessing to you.

Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to read here at Quiet in His Love. One of my love languages is quality time, and it means so much to me that you spent some of your limited time with me and my words. Please come again soon, friends!

Blessings,

Jolene

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Write On

Image
This morning, my husband and I went on a drive to Rochester just so I could get my picture taken with other women who had contributed to a devotional book. Just over an hour to drive one way for a photo. I thought it was a bit excessive, but in my heart I really wanted to go get my picture taken with the other ladies who had been chosen for publication. My husband knows me well and took the time to bless me with a drive and a coffee on the way home. He made his way into the event location filled to brimming with women, and maybe a handful of other men, so that I could do something that would bring my heart joy. I am very blessed! Sometimes joy comes in the simplest of things: having your picture taken, receiving a handmade card from a child or friend, getting a text from your mom, seeing a picture from years ago flash across your screen. What a gift it is to find joy in the little things. Yes, our two hours away from home turned into four, and there were challenges along the way, inclu
Read more

God is good...even when life is hard

Life is hard.  This is not new information for many of you.  I pray it's not your life motto right now.  Instead, I hope your life motto is more along the lines of: God is good even when life is hard.  That's something to hang onto and embrace.  You can count to ten and then remind yourself: God is good even when life is hard.  It's a simple thing to acknowledge the truth of that statement, and remind yourself that it doesn't just have to be: life is hard.  God's goodness flows over the hardness of life and smooths away some of the jagged edges. This is a good reminder for me right now as some struggles are happening in my family.  I try hard to not put my family's concerns out in the public eye because I don't feel that's necessary.  However, with one of our recent struggles, I have turned to five dear ladies for prayer.  They are my prayer warriors, and I am beyond thankful for them.  If it weren't for my Abba Father, my handsome honey, and my fiv
Read more

What I learned from a phone book... (Part I)

Written in 2007. Have you ever been so bored that you read the phone book?   And then you started wondering about Bill and Joanne Berkeley.   You started thinking about their gorgeous house at 280 Pleasant Lane .   Your imagination took off as you pictured the two-thousand-square-foot house with the spacious three-car garage and in-ground swimming pool.   Bill and Joanne were spending their Saturday afternoon grilling on the newly stained back deck.   Their three children were with them as they all sat down to eat the picnic feast set before them.   And after enjoying a rousing game of croquet, the five merry Berkeleys make their way into the house where they all contentedly tasted a delicious home-baked apple pie.   As soon as they entered the house, you noticed the interior lush with antique furniture, imported carpets, and top-of-the-line electronics.   But wait…the doorbell is ringing.   Who could that be?   Joanne knows!   The two elegantly dressed people standing at the door
Read more