Just for Women Wednesdays- Christian Women You Should Know About

She became blind due to a physicians error at the tender age of 6weeks old. She would live to proclaim her thankfulness for being blind because she would not have been able to write hymns due to all the distractions if she had her sight. And as we remember her today, we still stand in awe of her. I stand in awe of her. Who am I talking about?

Today's Christian Woman you should know about is Fanny Crosby (1820-1915).

She lived from 1820-1915.

Why do we know about Fanny Crosby today? Because she wrote over 8,000 songs for believers.

She is best known for hymns such as "To God Be the Glory," "Blessed Assurance," "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross," "Rescue the Perishing" and so many more! My favorite is "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross!"

Why do we find a connection to her today in the 21st century?

Because she was a woman who overcame her circumstances ( blindness) by focusing on what was most important in life, that God be glorified. And glorified He was then, and still is today. Her obedience to take the life God had given her, impacts my life today. The words of her hymns still speak to my heart and it's almost been a hundred years since her passing.

Pastor, Author Warren Wiersbe writes about Fanny saying:

"How did Fanny Crosby write her lyrics? I never undertake a hymn." she explained, "without first asking the good LORD to be my inspiration in the work that I am about to do." It helped her to hold a small book in her hand, something she often did when she lectured or gave concerts. She would pray and meditate until she was in the right mood, and sometimes she would quote several hymns to herself to prime the pump. Then the ideas would come, and she would write the song in her mind and commit it to memory. At times, she would have as many as forty different songs stored away in her mind. She would let each song lie still for a few days before dictating it to a friend, who would then send it off to the publisher." (Source:Fifty Christian People Every Christian Should Know, pg. 104, BakerBooks).

What I love about Fanny is that she didn't let her disability keep her from serving the LORD. So many times, women can let emotions and feelings lead them away from pursuing the LORD and serving Him. But not so, with Fanny. Christ was her life and her life glorified Christ.

What about you dear sister? God has something for you to do for His Kingdom. Are you seeking Him? Or are you at a stand still because you think you can't do anything for Him. With God, all things are possible and there is nothing He can't use for His glory. Seek Him dear sister!

Free Art Friday This Friday!

This Friday I celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Joy Treasure Blog! It has been so much fun!! I pray Joy Treasure encourages you and  if so, that you would continue to pass it along to other women you know or ladies in your Sunday School class or Bible study group.



Today's mixed media painting (8x10) of paper and paint is for a girls room or bathroom.
If I had a daughter, these are the words what I would always want her to remember as a believer. 

To Enter:
Type your name at the bottom of this post under "comments." Follow the prompts.
You can enter only one time beginning Tuesday, June 26th at 10:00am to Thursday June 28th at 11:30pm.
Winner will be drawn by hand by my son and I will post results on Friday morning by 9:00am.


Thanks for supporting the JoyTreasure Blog.

True Woman | I'm Not Reading "Fifty Shades of Grey"

True Woman | I'm Not Reading "Fifty Shades of Grey"

Today's Manna Monday post is going to link you to truewoman.com. This is a christian website I completely trust. I had planned on something else for today's post, but a dear friend sent this to me this morning and I could not let it sit in my inbox. This is a must read for all christian married women!!

The popular book "Fifty Shades of Grey" is a bestseller and is being talked about all over the place. I agree with Author Danna Gresh on all her points.

Just because something is the latest trend doesn't mean it's biblical. Check it against the Bible, sisters!

On Wednesday morning, I am going to post some christian book alternatives so stay tuned for that post. Would love to hear thoughts to Danna's article.

Fabulosity Friday- A Woman, a Hair Dryer and God

So you think that you can't find time in your day to meet with God? That's a lie sister! And I am gonna tell you why. If you are a woman and have a hair dryer, and you know and love God, you just gained a good five to ten minutes to spend with Him every day.

Some of the most sacred, most precious times in my day are when I get to dry my hair. I know, it's silly and some may say it's not reverent, but it's true. Let the naysayers say "nay" but a woman trying to find more time with God will never be turned away by her heavenly Father. As a wife and mother trying to get ready for the day, which can be stressful, I wanted a little more quiet time in my day. And I found that when I dried my hair, I was praying, reading, memorizing scripture, etc. As I began to blowout each strand of hair, I noticed I was hearing God speak to me. The LORD was speaking to me as I read my Bible and prayed in the midst of the hum from the dryer. So this hair time became sacred time. This mundane time became a magnificent time. No one can talk above the noise. Just hearing the hum of the dryer scatters everyone to leave the room. No one is gonna interrupt momma trying to fix her hair unless it's an absolute emergency!!! It's really great! And you know what? Sometimes even if you are done drying your hair, you can keep on blowing the dryer just to finish up your special time!

This hair time is when I bow before my heavenly Father (sometimes literally drying my hair!) and ask Him to speak to me.(Let me say this also can benefit your hair as well, bending over brings volume to you hair!)  So not only does my bowing before Him bring me a blessing of hearing Him, it also blesses my efforts to attain beautiful hair!  What could be better than that???

So what does this hair drying time look like? 

I draw near to God first (James 4:8). I confess my sin and ask Him to search my heart (Psalm 139:23). Then, I read a devotional or a verse as I am working on a section of my hair. Make sure you have something to hold up your Bible or book like a picture frame stand or something similar! 

I have found clarity for my confusion, peace for the storms raging inside me, hope when life was uncertain, strength to carry on and continue, direction for my next step and even times, conviction about things that no one would know except me and God, confidence for my insecurities. It's sacred, sister! It really is!!

So dear friend, take another look at your hair dryer differently today. Maybe purchase a new dryer to get you excited about getting the most out of your time with the LORD. Don't look at your hair dryer as a time taker, but as a time giver! Embrace the handle of your hair dryer with confidence knowing you are entering into a sacred time of conversation with The LORD of the Universe and listen to Him speak to you through the written Word of the Bible. He will do it! I can testify!!!! 

Love you all and pray you have a happy Friday!!!

Just for Women Wednesdays- Christian Women You Should Know About

Last Wednesday, I posted about the life of Katherine Von Bora- Martin Luther's wife. This Wednesday, we focus on the life of a woman who risked much to tell others about the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

Amy Carmichael

Today's post is about a woman missionary, Amy Carmichael.(1867-1951)

Amy's life motto was, "Love to live-live to love." And loving for Amy was not merely soaking up sermons every Sunday but reaching out and sharing the love of Christ in a dark world. She grew up in Ireland where her family managed flour mills. She lived a comfortable life. She accepted Christ at the age of 16. Two years later, her father passed and family finances were altered. Life changed for Amy.

At the age of 18, Amy was invited by friends to attend meetings at Glasgow where it would be revealed that God was calling her to missions. During one of the prayer times at the meeting, the speaker paraphrased Jude 1:24, "O LORD, we know that Thou are able to keep us from falling." It was then and there that God's Word helped Amy to see that holy living for her meant sacrifice in ministry. She believed if God was calling her to a life of missions, He would provide the funds for her to minister. So she prayed. He provided. Amy ministered to girls in the mills and a building was put up to minister to them. There, many came to know Christ and were shielded from a life of sin because of Amy's ministry. But that is not the place where Amy would stay.

In 1893, she sailed for Japan for her first missionary journey abroad. She then went to China, Sri Lanka and then back to England. The problem believers had with Amy was that she didn't stay in one place. Her ministry changed and shifted a bit and she didn't communicate like the church wanted her to. Amy came to see that the Missionary Society who provided for her, was quite distant from the people they were trying to reach out to. 

What I find interesting about Amy was that she ended up in India where slave trafficking became her life's ministry. Even in 1901, the problem was going on. We think slave trafficking has become such a big issue today, but no, it has been going on a long time.

Warren Weirsbe writes this about Amy in India:

"On March 6, 1901, little Preena, a seven-year old girl, fled from one of the temples into the mission compound and begged  to be protected. It was then that Amy uncovered one of the ugliest hidden sores on " Mother India's" body, the secret trafficking in temple girls. She learned how fathers and mothers sold their daughters to different gods, turning the precious girls into temple prostitutes.

Infuriated by what Satan was doing to these dear girls, Amy declared war. How many battles she fought on her knees, wrestling for the bodies and souls for these helpless children! How many times she and her associated risked their lives, and faced arrest and imprisonment, in order to snatch some pleading child from the jaws of defilement and destruction. One by one, other girls found their way to Amy and she courageously protected them. By 1904, there were seventeen children under her care, and then the LORD opened the way for her to receive and ministry to babies. In 1918, they opened the boys word, for the money hungry idolaters sold boys to the temple gods just as they sold girls.

Amy practiced John 15: 7, trusting God to guide them by the Word and provide for their needs one day at a time. Her principles of prayer:

(1) We don't need to explain to our Father things that are known to Him.

(2) We don't need to press him, as if we had to deal with an unwilling God.

(3) We don't need to suggest to him what to do, for he himself knows what to do. " 

         (Source: "50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of the Faith, p. 302-304; Baker Books, 2009).  

What I find interesting about the life of Amy was that she might have been a little inconsistent in the church's eyes as far as ministry went, but she was focused solely on the LORD and didn't let what the current church culture thought deter her from reaching out to where God would have her to go. She fought hard to save these children. She risked her life.


To read more in depth about the life of Amy Carmichael, click here Amy Carmichael


To read more about the stories of Amy saving children, click here Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur


To find out more about current missionaries, click here and read their stories and find out how you can get involved.


http://www.commissionstories.com/

Everyone has a ministry wherever they are. Where has God placed you? Pray. Ask Him to reveal to you how you can share His love in the place where you are. He will do it dear sister! He will do it!

Manna Monday- The Virtual Bible: Three Reasons Why an iPad Shouldn't Replace Your Hardcover Bible

Recently, I caught myself looking over my left shoulder across the aisle at something shiny during a sermon. I am always very focused on listening intently to my pastor's teaching. But this time, I got distracted by the glossy glare. To my surprise, it wasn't one iPad, but two iPad's being used on the same row by two different people. Maybe that's why it made such an impression on me. The church members didn't bring a hard cover Bible. They simply had an iPad.

A terrible thought flooded my mind as I glanced at the iPads: "Would there ever come a day, when believers quit bringing their Bible to church because they have an iPad?" I pray that never happens but I also never thought many Baptist churches would cease using the Baptist Hymnal on Sunday mornings.

I have an iPad and I love it!!! This is not a post tearing down the use of technology. There are many things I love about technology. But I know an iPad can never replace my Bible for three reasons:

The iPad:
1) Makes you Lazy- When you flip through the pages and underline verses in your Bible, you work for your blessing!!!! You appreciate the treasure you found even more because it took you on a journey through different scriptures that change your heart. Writing down the verses on a piece of paper as you flip through your Bible helps truth to sink into your heart and mind. An iPad makes you lazy because you don't have to look for the treasure. It takes you right to it. You lose the ability to remember where books of the Bible are located because you don't have to remember, the iPad takes you to it.

"Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." 
                                                                                                                        2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)


"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."                                                   2 Timothy 2:15 (King James Version)

2) Gives the Wrong Impression- to your child that the Bible is not something to be treasured. There is something that happens when your child visually sees you read your Bible and carry it in to church week after week, year after year. It teaches them God's Word matters to you because you take great care to not forget it. Carrying an iPad instead of your Bible teaches a child that technology is cooler than the outdated Bible.

3) Doesn't Tell Your Story- When my grandmother passed away, I received her precious Bible. It is the most treasured piece of an inheritance I received from her. Flipping through its pages (some tear stained) where she prayed through verses, prayed for family members meant something to me. It was held by her hands. It was taken with her to church and held close to her heart. Inside, there are verses underlined that meant a lot to her. It tells me her story of following God. An iPad can never tell your story. If you died today, would someone pick up your Bible and be able to see what your walk was like with the LORD? Would it be tear stained, underlined, and have little notes written in it? Or would it simply be empty as if it were never read...or even yet, would you only have an iPad?

Technology is wonderful!!! It makes a lot of things easier. But it never can replace your Bible.
There is something about seeing someone with a Bible in a Bible-less world that will and always will leave a lasting impression.

Just for Women Wednesdays- Christian Women You Should Know About

The greatest treasure we have been given as women, besides Jesus, is the lives and biographies of Christian women who have gone before us. Their lives teach, inspire and encourage us to follow the LORD.We connect with them because we realize that women, no matter what century they lived in, struggle with the same issues.

Today's Woman: Katherine Von Bora (1499-1552)

Katherine was married to the great Martin Luther.

She was born in Lippendorf, Germany. Her mother passed away when she was only five years of age. She was placed into a convent later in life by her father. While there, food protection and clothing were provided. But life in the convent was difficult. It was so difficult that young nuns who wanted to be free and fought to seek freedom were punished. As things progressed, there were twelve nuns who sent word to Luther that they wanted to escape. In the end, Luther arranged for the young nuns to break free. On Easter, April 5, 1523, two men, Henry and Leonard Koppe, drove up to the convent with a wagon load of barrels and placed each nuns inside a barrel and drove away from the convent. Three of the twelve girls went back to their home while the other nine were taken to Wittenburg, where a husband would be found for them.

Luther tried to find Kate a husband, but could not. As the other women found husbands, the only one left was Kate. The relationship between Kate and Martin Luther grew and they both came to see that they deeply loved each other. Their age: Martin Luther, 42, and Kate, 25. They had a glorious marriage despite their age differences.

Martin Luther called her, "Kitty, my rib" and she would call him, "Doctor Luther."

What can we learn from her? That is the question.

Here is what Warren Wiersbe wrote about Kate:

"She transformed the old cloister into a fairly comfortable house, and like the energetic woman of Proverbs 31, she launched into various enterprises to feed and sustain her household. She kept cows for milk and butter and for making cheese, said her guests, was better than what they purchased at the market. She started a piggery because her husband liked pork, and this gave Luther a new name for his wife: My Lord Kate, Mistress of the Pigsty.

She turned a neglected field into a productive garden and even planted an orchard. What produce she did not produce herself, she sold or bartered at the market and used the income to purchase items for the home. She even stocked the pond with fish! "Have I not at home a fair wife.! Luther said proudly, "or shall I say boss?"

Luther wisely permitted his wife to be in charge of the management of the home. To begin with, he was far too busy to worry about such things, and, he had to admit, she did a far better job than he could do. Katherine not only cared for him and the household, but she ministered to the needs of people all over Wittenberg. She listened to their problems, gave them care and medicine in their sickness, counseled them in their sorrows, and advised them in their business affairs. The town recognized that the Luther household was an exemplary Christian home, and much of that success was due to Katherine.

Luther battled depression.

 "During one very difficult period, Luther was carrying many burdens and fighting many  battles. Usually jolly and smiling, he was instead depressed and worried. Katherine endured this for days. One day she met him at the door wearing a black mourning dress.

"Who died?" the professor asked.

"God," said Katherine.

"You foolish thing!" said Luther. "Why this foolishness!"

"It is true," she persisted. "God must have died, or Doctor Luther would not be so sorrowful.'

Her therapy worked, and Luther snapped out of his depression.

Source (50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning From Spiritual Giants Of The Faith, Warren Wiersbe, Baker Books, 2009, 9-15).

 I love the life of Katherine Von Bora because it showed that she was a Proverbs 31 woman who tended to the needs of her household. We live in a world where wives try to farm everything out to everyone else. God had given us households to be in charge of, to bless our family and our husbands. She took ownership of her household and Luther took notice of it. She worked hard and helped others. It was not all about "HER." In a world full of celebrities who have all kinds of help to do everything for them, we tend to think that is "the life." But the Bible tells us differently (Proverbs 31). 

I pray something today gleaned from the life of Katherine Von Bora, encourages your walk with Christ as a woman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

and Katherine endured this for days 

 

Praying for Your Husband- Thankfulness

Praying for Your Husband

Are you thankful for your husband? If so, do you tell him you are thankful for him? Do you thank God for him when you pray? OR do you gripe and complain to your husband about all the things he doesn't do right? Do you nag and tear him down by the tone of your words? The Bible instructs believers to build each other up by choosing words that encourage others. That includes our husbands! This week, make the time to thank your husband for all he does. If you can't think of anything that he has done lately, maybe you need to take some time and recall all he has done in the past and is doing today. Make a list. You will be amazed when you write them down! Even the little things count too! Don't forget to write those down as well! Choose to be an encourager to your husband, not a discourager!

“Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
                             Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

             Thankfulness in Action

• Make him his favorite meal as a surprise!
• Write down all the things he does that you are thankful for and put it on a card.
• Give him a thankful note each day this week!
• Write a note of thankfulness and tape it on his dashboard.
• Text him in the middle of the day and let him know you are thankful for something he did that morning or during the week. (Be looking for things each day to be thankful for!!)
• Tape a "I'm thankful for you!" on his coffee mug as he leaves for the day. (He won't expect that!)

TGFP (Thank Goodness For Pinterest) Fridays!!!!!

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite pins on a couple of Fridays this summer because
it's summer!!!! If you have a favorite pin, post it to me on the Joy Treasure Page on Facebook.
I would love to share some of your favorite pins with other Joy Treasure readers here on the Joy Treasure Blog.

These are some of my recent favorite pins and the websites they originate from. Hope you enjoy!!!!

www.junkinjunky.blogspot.com

This is something you can do inexpensively to update a wall in your home. 

This is a great blog to go to!!!!

www.eventtrender.com
Really love looking for simple and small gift ideas that are different and show thoughtfulness.
This idea is simple, small and yet it makes me smile!!!!!

Totally am in love with the chevron design and this is a great way to add something new to your boring bar stools in the kitchen.

www.thekitchn.com

Found this idea and thought about a new person to your neighborhood or church. Maybe a Sunday school member moved into a new house. A housewarming gift like this will come in handy!! Very well thought out and fun to look at!!!

www.domestically-speaking.com

We all want to add some summer to our homes yet not break the budget to do it! Love this idea and the website it came from. Check it out!!!!

www.domestically-speaking.com

Totally love, love, love these!!!! You can also purchase them from this website domestically-speaking.com. What a unique way to add some character to your home!

Send me your pins on Joy Treasure Facebook page. Would love to see what you are pinning!

A Minute Meditating on our Majestic God

Do you care about the majesty of God? Do you even think about it? With the hectic pace of life, we forget to think and consider how the Bible describes God's Name and character. We read the word "majestic" or "majesty" in the Bible and don't give much thought to what is really being said. We don't take time to ponder how wonderful God is. How big and awesome He is!!!  

His name is majestic. 
His works are majestic. 
His character is majestic.


Majesty in commentaries is defined as:

The greatness and splendor of God, revealed in his creation and mighty works of deliverance. On account of his majesty, God is worthy of praise and adoration from all people.

Majesty-God's awesomeness and bigness- is described in Isaiah 40:15:

"Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust."

You and I are insignificant in comparison to God. He is everything. He is mighty, powerful and awesome!!! We are like a "drop in the bucket." 


Responding to God's majesty is simply remembering how little we are and how big God is!!!
Our response should be one of reverence, awe and worship. Just thinking about the majesty of God should lead us to stand in awe of Him.


Take a minute to do that today. 
Why not this moment?