“The Missing Ones” Book Launch

Posted on December 18, 2021 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

Dear Readers,

I am so very blessed and excited to announce that my first book has been published and is now available on Amazon! The Missing Ones: A Journey of Hope and Healing for Families of Prodigals is a faith based manual to provide help and encouragement for families dealing with hurt caused by:

abandonment
addiction
grief
loss
dysfunction
damaged relationships
estrangement
unfaithfulness
and more

The Lord stirred this work in me several years ago and I believe that the truths and tools He gave me in the process are needed by so many families! Each chapter includes Scripture-based truths as well as prayers over the reader, recommendations for application, and declarations the reader can make in faith. Would you join me in getting the word out to as many people as possible so that hurting hearts and families can find the words of encouragement and healing inside?

The Missing Ones can serve as a personal devotional, a resource for helping others, or a book study for life groups or Bible studies.

My goal is to also create an audio version for my prefer-not-to-read friends or those who use books as company during commutes. Please pray with me as I journey through that step.

If you have read the book and found it to be a blessing and encouragement, please leave me a review here in the comments. If you purchased on Amazon, I’d greatly appreciate your review there when done. (Any other reviews are welcome on Amazon; however, due to Amazon’s algorithms, if you are not a purchaser through Amazon, they automatically downgrade your review 🙁 ). I’d also appreciate if you’d share your thoughts on my book on your social media accounts including a link to it if possible.

One more thing… would you please pray with me? Pray that this book reaches the many hurting families around us. Pray that estranged relationships are healed. Pray that hope rises in the hearts of those who have been wounded. Pray that prodigals will find their way back into the arms of the Father who loves them deeply! Thank you!

Loving God and Loving others brings such blessing!

Living the Light,

To the Point Tuesday: Did You Ever…?

Posted on October 26, 2021 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

Last week, I asked you… Have you ever felt chosen? Ephesians 1 declares that ALL of us have been chosen to have relationship with God. Ephesians 2 takes us further and so I ask…

Did you ever?

Did you ever accept the invitation to live in grace? It is God’s grace that allows us to truly live and be reconciled by the sacrifice of Jesus. And it’s only by grace… not anything you or I can be or do.

Many people, like me, grew up with the “pull yourselves up by the boot-straps” mentality. Our motto is: We can accomplish what we set our minds to do. So, it can be challenging and humbling to realize that there is no way that we can achieve salvation on our own. But it is also freeing! Because if we can’t gain it on our own, then we can’t lose it on our own either! Our Salvation rests in what Jesus has already done for us and our willingness to accept the invitation to live in God’s grace. Wow!

Yes, it’s that simple and yet profound! Say “yes” to the invitation to live in God’s grace… there’s an abundant supply of His mercy and grace available to you. When you realize how very much God loves you, you’ll stop wondering if you are “good enough” to be His kid or “bad enough” to even need Him. Instead you’ll rest in the knowledge that you are His workmanship, His masterpiece, His poetry! And then you’ll want to get to know Him better and learn the desires in His heart for you. (vs. 10)

There’s so much more to learn in Ephesians 2! Read on to learn about how the blood of Jesus:

Gives access to the Father through the Holy Spirit
Brings unity
Fulfills the requirements of the law
Break downs the walls of prejudice
Abolishes ethnic barriers
Makes us citizens of Heaven!

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Vs. 13

I hope you say, “Yes!”

Live Loved,

To the Point Tuesday: Have You Ever…?

Posted on October 19, 2021 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

Lately, I’ve felt compelled to dig into the book of Ephesians. I armed myself with multiple versions, a notebook, and my favorite colored pens. After digesting the first chapter, I had to ask you, my readers…

Have you ever?

Have you ever felt chosen? wanted? pursued?

The truth is, no matter how you’ve felt, you are all of those things!!

You are Chosen! You are Wanted! You are Pursued!

In Ephesians 1, the Holy Spirit assures us that before the very foundations of the world, before Adam and Eve listened to lies, before sin became the norm, God designed a plan to restore our relationship with Him!

ALL OF US! Please don’t miss the ALL!* God knew what you were going to be like before your first breath. He knew about my struggles before I was formed. He knew the good, the bad, and the ugly about all of His creations before Adam and Eve opened their eyes.

Yet, He wants to have a relationship with us! He delights in us! You see, the same love He has for Jesus, He has for ALL of us. He longs to have relationship with each and every person He created. We are His kids, made in His image!

Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are adopted and restored as His very own. He has co-seated us in the Heavens with Jesus! This is just a taste of what we are invited to participate in! Dig into Ephesians 1 for yourself! Ask the Lord to stir a hunger for a deeper relationship with Him.

Live Loved,

*John 3:16, II Peter 3:9, Romans 10:12

Pathways to Joy: Faith & Hope

Posted on July 7, 2020 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

You cannot have faith without hope. You cannot have hope without faith!

Think about it… these two are inextricably entwined. The very nature of having faith inspires hope! All is not lost, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The very nature of hope requires that you have faith… faith that what you are presently enduring is temporal, good things are coming!

Faith is a belief, or confidence, in something or someone. Hope is an expectation of better.

Faith and hope pair up to create a pathway to joy! I’ve experienced this over and over in my life. Whether you value faith or not, I cannot share pathways to joy with you without spending time sharing how faith has impacted my journey.

A popular song in worship these days is called The Goodness of God. This song deeply moves me. It celebrates God’s goodness amidst all my ups and downs: life and death, hurts and healings, gains and losses, success and failures. I can’t help but sing with abandonment:

“All my life you have been faithful, All my life you’ve been so, so good, With every breath that I am able, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God!”¹

You might read that and think, “Joy, you have no idea what I’ve experienced. I can’t possibly sing those lines and believe it.” You’re right, I don’t know what you’ve been through. You may be still dealing with dredges of pain that I can’t imagine. Even if I’ve experienced what you have, your journey is your own.

Let me share how I’m able to declare that God has been faithful to me in spite of painful times. It’s in the lyrics: “With my life laid down, I surrender now, I give you everything.”¹ You see, I choose to submit everything I’ve experienced, the difficult things I’ve endured, to the Lord and His purposes. This is where faith and hope come in!

I have faith that God will cause everything to work together for my good because I love Him and have an amazing destiny! (Romans 8:28)
I have hope that God can bring good out of what the enemy designed for evil in my circumstances! (Jeremiah 29:11, Genesis 50:20)

It’s all about perspective. When we set our difficult journey within the framework of divine goodness, we can believe that our lives are a tapestry in which the threads of all we experience are woven together to create a masterpiece of beauty called our life.

“But Joy, how can this loving God allow terrible things to happen to us?” This valid question has been asked through the centuries. People have written books on it.² I will not attempt to answer it here, but will share this simple truth: humans have free will to choose their actions! When God created Adam and Eve, He said, “Let them have dominion over the earth.” He gave us the opportunity to govern ourselves (as well as animals and nature). Why didn’t God stop Eve from talking to satan or eating the fruit that was off limits? If He had, would she have had free will? Nope… He would have overridden His own law by stopping her free will.

So, why do terrible things happen in the world? Because you and I, as well as all the people who affect us, have free will.

This is why faith is important! When we have faith that He is a good God that loves us, we invite Him into our lives and circumstances and give Him permission to intervene on our behalf! It doesn’t mean we have life without pain or sickness, but it does mean that He will cause goodness to be the theme of our lives! That is faith that breeds unstoppable hope, resulting in incredible joy!

Let me go a bit deeper… I don’t just have faith in God… I TRUST God! I trust that He has good plans for me. I trust that He created me amazing. I trust that He loves my family more than I can imagine. I trust that He will never leave me or abandon me. I trust that His Word is true! I trust Him as a Father and Friend. There are times that my journey has been unbearable, yet I’ve come through on the other side! He has proven Himself to me over and over! What joy I have found in my faith! Hope rises up in me when I meditate on His goodness!

If you haven’t considered yourself a person of faith, this may have been a difficult read for you. I hope that you will explore the Word of God and ask Him to show up in your circumstances! I pray that you will encounter His goodness and come to know that He has been there all along, crying with you in the painful times, sharing your laughter, and celebrating your successes.

I would love to pray with you if you want to start your faith journey or need encouragement in it. Drop me a comment with your email and I will connect with you!

Live loved,

¹Lyrics from Goodness of God, Bethel Music, Written by Jenn Johnson / Ed Cash / Jason Ingram / Ben Fielding / Brian Johnson

²Where is God When it Hurts? Philip Yancey, When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner are two books you can explore.

Be the Gold!

Posted on February 14, 2019 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

Recently, I wrote a blog called “Nuggets of Gold.” It was an encouragement to each of us to search for rays of hope in our life and situations that will help us keep pressing on!

Yesterday, after another rough day in 5th grade world, my husband reminded me of this Japanese art philosophy: kintsukuroi. He said, “You’ve said the public school system is broken and you’re right! But you are the gold that fills in the broken cracks! Keep doing what you’re doing because you make the difference!” What a blessing his encouragement was to me!

This morning, as I sat in a meeting, he shot me a text reminding me that I’m the gold! His timing was impeccable as I sat across from a teary-eyed colleague whose struggle of self-doubt and discouragement mirrored my own. I was able to share the value of what we do and who we are to our students! Truly, we are the gold in a broken system.

As I determine to be a treasure-hunter, looking for gold in the dark and hurting places, I don’t want to forget to be the gold too. Join me in this: don’t just look for the gold in your difficult circumstances and challenging obstacles. BE the gold in whatever hurting system you are in! Brokenness can be made beautiful when it brings opportunities for problem-solving, healing, and growth!

Live Loved and Golden!

Nuggets of Hope

Posted on February 9, 2019 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

When I decided I wanted to be a teacher, I had grandiose thoughts of inspiring the next generation to thrive in their learning! I expected classrooms full of shining faces anxious to hear all I had to share with them. I just knew that I could help them love reading, embrace math, and become flourishing writers! Years later, I must confess that those dreams are quite tarnished and reality has firmly ground out the spark of this naïve educator’s lofty goals.

Please don’t judge me harshly. I’m sure there are some who’ve had much better experiences than myself. But the reality is that today’s public schools are filled with students who accurately reflect the failing family structures in our communities. As the family units continue to disintegrate, the impact on the school system as a whole and the educators who daily pour into those students is intense. Most teachers I know are exhausted, frustrated, and downright discouraged. Yet, we come back each morning with a renewed hope that today will be a better day! In all honesty, it’s hard to keep that upbeat attitude in the midst of it all. Yes, the struggle is very real!

This week, my near-breaking point arrived as I was looking over a stack of essays. I’d spent a significant amount of time meeting one-on-one with nearly 50 students to discuss areas of success and growth potential prior to this new writing. As I skimmed through the stack, the lack of progress and even regression was utterly disheartening! I felt the dark stain of hopelessness oozing over my heart. “Why bother? I’m not making a difference! The need is so great, I don’t know where to even begin!”

If you know me, you know that this attitude is generally unlike me. I’d like to say that I’m able to always rise above it all, but that’d be less than honest. Those who walk in shoes like mine well know the feelings I was experiencing!

Such hopelessness is compounded by the sense of fighting a battle alone. This is why we need each other!¹

We need to have others in our life that are there to prop us up when we are ready to tumble! And we need to be there for others who find themselves slipping down the slope of discouragement.² For me, it was one of my co-workers who is well aware of all we face. She listened to me lament and then encouraged me to stop looking at the vast needs and focus instead on the points of success. She reminded me to be willing to accept and encourage the steps forward instead of demanding the leaps… of myself and of my students.

Her simple admonishment was just what I needed to hear. I long to be the miracle worker my students need, but honestly, the weight of such expectations will keep me tethered to frustration on a daily basis. So, I again settle in my heart that I just can’t fix it all. BUT I can be the beacon of hope my students need in the midst of their reality… no matter how they perform, which choices they make, or what emotions we encounter in our day. I need to be the one to search for and find those rays of hope. Those steps of success, no matter how small, are worth celebrating as progress!

It’s like mining for gold! Each student, each co-worker, each day… harbors nuggets of gold, virtual treasures waiting to be discovered!³ These gold nuggets are reasons to hope, reasons to be thankful, reasons to press on. That is the hope I need to remember and cling to when a breaking point looms on the horizon! “Gold mining” is an attitude I can and need to share with others who feel suffocated by the overwhelming reality of our chosen profession.

But it’s not educators alone, is it?! You may find yourself drowning under the flood of life’s demands… physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, or financially. Don’t give up hope! And don’t go it alone! There are hope-carriers around you that will remind you to look for the gold nuggets in the dark and suffocating places. You may have to search a little harder on some days than others, but they are there! The world needs you! Don’t jump ship! Find a beacon of hope on the dark days. Be a beacon of hope whenever the need arises.⁴ Together we can search for gold… reasons to hope and celebrate!

I’m not just a teacher, I’m a treasure hunter! How about you? You’re not just a _____________, you are a treasure hunter too!

Live Loved,

¹Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. NLT

²Galatians 6:2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. NLT³II Corinthians 13:11 Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. NLT

³Psalm 139:14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. NLT

⁴II Corinthians 13:11 Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. NLT

No Longer A Slave

Posted on December 2, 2018 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven”.

Harriet Tubman, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman By Sarah Hopkins Bradford.

Selfless, brave, determined… these are all character qualities my students used to describe Harriet Tubman after reading about her life. Tubman fell to her knees in prayer after crossing the Pennsylvania border exhilarated by her newfound freedom. She then pressed on and began her new life in Philadelphia. But the money she made working was for the primary purpose of gaining freedom for others who were still enslaved. History tells us that Tubman was also a nurse, cook, and spy during the Civil War. Later in life, she opened her home to those who were in need. Through it all, she trusted the Lord to be her Source and Strength.

I believe that Harriet Tubman’s life journey reflects the Kingdom of Heaven culture. Each person that God creates has a purpose, something they bring to this world that no one else can. Whether or not we fulfill that purpose has much to do with the decisions we make in our personal journey. Sometimes those decisions mean determining whether or not we will allow ourselves to stay enslaved… enslaved to self-pity, rejection, pride, pain, greed, or broken dreams.

Ultimately, the things that drive or enslave us can all be summed up by the word “fear,” fear of failure, fear of loss, fear of hurt, fear of abandonment, fear of rejection. “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God,”¹This morning, I found myself singing this line, along with everyone else, but I felt the words deeper in my spirit than I ever had before. I had been enslaved by fear in the past. It drove me to do things I wouldn’t typically do and it drove me to not do things that I should do. Knowing that I don’t have to be driven by fear any longer is liberating!

Being strong or confident is not the opposite of fear; it is faith in His love that is the antithesis of fear! We all long to be known and loved. It is only in knowing the perfect love of our Heavenly Father that the chains of fear can be rendered useless. Why does perfect love drive out fear?² Because when we get a revelation of His perfect or unconditional love for us, we can trust His plans for us. Perfect love is the truth that when life is difficult, loss rocks our world, or pain is suddenly staring us in the face, it is not for the purpose of tormenting us or punishing us! Our circumstances are NOT a reflection of God’s love for us or His value of us! We can be confident that no matter what comes our way, He is always with us, loving us, and causing everything to work out well for us… eventually!³

We might be tempted to stop there, basking in the knowledge that we are perfectly loved by this amazing God!! Sometimes we do need to just soak in His presence (after all, He IS love!) and allow the joy of knowing His love to go deep. But there’s more to the journey. Isaiah 58 talks about what is pleasing to the Lord. He doesn’t want us to keep love’s freedom to ourselves! He wants us to help others who are enslaved find freedom too; much like Harriet Tubman did when she took multiple trips south to lead others to freedom. Was it convenient? No. Was it safe? No. Was it easy? No. But it was her destiny and purpose to help others find {physical} freedom.

How much more important is it for you and I to help others find spiritual freedom! Freedom from the fear that strangles out life and hope, freedom from the fear that keeps us from reaching out, freedom from the fear that chokes our trust, and freedom from the fear that breeds bitterness. That’s a tall order, isn’t it?! How can we help others find the freedom of knowing that they are unconditionally loved by their Creator? We become virtual conduits that allow the love of our amazing Father to flow through us to others!

By tapping into Him, our Source, and relying on His strength, we become the concrete example of God’s unconditional love to others. As those walking in freedom, we set the vision and standard of freedom for EACH person we encounter! We believe and declare that He loves them in the middle of their mess, just like He loves us even when we were at our worst.

Will loving those enslaved in fear be convenient? Safe? Easy? No, no, and no, but it’s our destiny and purpose to help others find freedom in His perfect love!⁴ This precious freedom then enables them to walk in their destinies setting even more people free! It’s the circle of Kingdom life!

I’d like to say that I’m a pro at this thing of helping others find freedom from fear. It would be great if I could tell you that I’ve got the perfect love thing down pat. I don’t… I’m working on it, stumbling along, sometimes failing, and sometimes succeeding. The good news is that there is always hope! Each day is a new beginning and nothing is set in stone until we breathe our last breath! Each encounter with another person is an opportunity to value one of God’s precious creations and demonstrate fear-freeing love.

Lord, Help me not to waste these opportunities!

Live Loved!

P.S. If this encouraged, challenged, or blessed you, please share on social media! 🙂 Also, thanks to my Aunt Sandy Hall for the great shot of Mount Fuji!

¹Lyrics from: ”No Longer Slaves” Bethel Music

²“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” I John 4: 18

³“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

⁴Read more: I John 3:16-23, Mark 12:29-31, All Embracing Love… Really?

To All Who are Weary…

Posted on November 11, 2018 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

What are you facing today? What giant is blocking your path? What struggle is stealing your breath? What pain is battering your heart? Are you weary? This word is for you!

“Yet I totally trust you to rescue me one more time, so that I can see once again how good you are while I’m still alive! Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting—for He will never disappoint you!”

Psalm 27:13-14 tPt

Hold tight! God is in yesterday, today, and tomorrow; but He wants you focused on His presence in your present. He will give you what you need to endure today’s battles.*

No matter what is wearing you down, it won’t always be like this… You will endure this season and come through stronger!

Let this be your battle cry: “My God is faithful! He won’t disappoint! I will trust in Him!”

This word is for you, this word is for me! Our God is faithful!

*Updated: I wrote this on Saturday and was so blessed by this song on Sunday morning: King of My Heart. He is good and He is never gonna let us go!

Live Loved and Victorious!

*Matthew 6:33-34

Please share on Social Media to bless someone else!

The Little Word that Roars!

Posted on February 28, 2018 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

Hopeless… the sense or belief that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. It tries to convince us that nothing will ever be right again. It’s claim is that God’s mercy is not bigger than our messiness. Hopelessness is giving in to what “hopeless” is whispering to our hearts.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 NKJV

At one time, I thought this verse was referring to unfulfilled hope making our hearts ache. However, it is possible to view this verse differently and find an applicable truth. Deferred means to put off or delay. Could it be that what makes our hearts ache is not the lack of what we hope for, but the lack of hope? When we put off hoping, thinking that what we long for isn’t in our future, it is then that our hearts truly ache from the loss… the loss of hope, the loss of expectancy.

But when desire comes, when hope rises in us, there is life and expectancy!

Hope… it’s the little word that roars in our spirits! Hope is that ember of burning coal in an otherwise spent fire. It is the fallen warrior who rises up on the abandoned battle field. Hope is the tiny flower that dares to bloom in the dry and thirsty place. Hope.

Photo credits: Andre Scultori

Often times I have thoughts stirring in my mind and heart and I jot notes down to go back to when I have some time. One of my recent entries simply said this:

H-Holding
O-Onto
P-Promises
E-Expectantly

A few weeks ago, Pastor Rita Langeland of Hidden With Christ Ministries, a precious woman with an amazing heart, dropped in to share a word the Lord had given her for our church family. I was excited to hear that her word was titled: Get Your Hopes Up! As I took notes, I appreciated her explanation of two different hopes:

Hope in the Changeable
Hope in the Unchangeable

If you are like me, you probably don’t have to go too far back in your memory to find a time when you were hopeful for something and ended up with a bucketful of disappointment! Unfulfilled hopes are a part of life. It’s not that we shouldn’t desire these things… a certain job, a newer car, a better living situation, etc. But rather that we shouldn’t put our hope IN or our reliance ON those things. Hoping in desired circumstances is hope in the changeable. It is hope that more often than not, may disappoint.

But… hope in the unchangeable will not disappoint! Hope in God’s faithfulness, His unchanging love, His lovingkindness, His mercy, and His grace… that is hope that will never let us down! No matter the circumstances that we encounter, we can confidently trust that God’s plans for us are to prosper us! Romans 8:28 states that when we are lovers of God, all things in our lives will ultimately work out for our good. That is something worth placing our hope in!

I’ve revised my notes to say:

H-Holding
O-Onto HIS
P-Promises
E-Expectantly

What word has the Lord whispered into your heart and spirit? Is it a verse you are clinging to? Is it a promise you are standing on? Hold onto hope in the Unchangeable One! Though you may have to wait, you will not be disappointed by His faithfulness!

“Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You alone.” Psalm 33:22 NLT

Dive Deeper: Romans 5:1-5, Jeremiah 29:11-13

Please share your thoughts below, I appreciate hearing from my readers!

Live Loved,

Beautiful Mess

Posted on December 1, 2017 by themoreys@tampabay.rr.com

Excited to be featured on Strong and Courageous Women Magazine’s Blog today! This is an encouraging and uplifting digital publication featuring articles about marriage, parenting, beauty, faith, and more. Some of my articles have been featured in recent issues as well as the work of friends that are faith-filled women! Head on over and let “Beautiful Mess” encourage you today!

Strong and Courageous Women: Beautiful Mess

For Subscription information: Strong and Courageous Women: Digital Magazine

Live Loved!