Free Art Friday Winner

Sorry everyone, I had some things come up today that had to get done and along with that, my new SD disc had a broken prong and wouldn't let me take pictures this am. So after a new SD disc and lots of errands I finally have everything working again! Just when you think technology is reliable, it's not! HA!

Tonight before bed, my son wanted to put the names in his train. So I said, "we haven't tried that before...give it a go!"

Picking a winner........

Congrats DeDe and your mom or mother-in law!



Thanks to everyone who entered the Mother's Day drawing and like I always say....keep trying! I appreciate all of you who entered and who continue to support the blogging ministry of Joy Treasure by reading and sharing it with your family and friends! It's a joy to serve and encourage you through the written word of God.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Free Art Friday Winner

Please bear with me today. Something has come up and I cannot post the winner until later today. Please keep checking in to see when I post the Mother's Day winner.

Free Art Friday- A Mother's Heart

Come close....shhhh.....wanna know a secret? This Friday I am giving away two paintings in honor of Mother's Day. The winner of this week's Free Art Friday will win two 6X6 paintings- one for herself and one for her mother or mother-in-law.

How to Enter
To be eligible to win, you must be a follower of the Joy Treasure blog and then enter your name in the comment section of this post. (Join the Joy Treasure blog through Facebook, yahoo, twitter, or google. Read Sidebars for more information.)I will be having my son draw from all the names entered in this post out of a bowl Friday morning. The result will be posted on Friday, May 6th at 9:30am.

When Does it Begin?
Free Art Friday begins today, Tuesday May 3, at 9am and will run through Thursday May 5th at 9pm. Eligibility for this drawing will be closed at 9pm Thursday May 5th.
 Inspiration for this week's giveaway focuses on the secret of great mothers- having a heart for Christ.

One for you......... Scripture says, "And these words which I command you this day shall be written on your heart." Deuteronomy 6:6

                      One for your mom or mother-in-law: Words say "Thank You for the Cross Lord."

The Secret to great mothers is that they are Godly mothers. Anyone can be great, but not anyone can be Godly. A Godly mother instills eternity into the hearts of her children. She leads by example. Her actions tell the story of her heart. She is humble like Christ and seeks to place others needs above her own. She takes responsibility for her own actions and doesn't blame others for her own mistakes. She loves continually, prays like crazy and can laugh at tomorrow.

My mother loves the LORD with all her heart and it has made all the difference in my life. Without her first love for Jesus, I wonder where I would be today? She has taught me to love God's word, obey God's commands and align my life accordingly to God's truth. The bible was more than something she read on Sunday mornings. It guided her everyday life, her marriage and mothering, her actions, her attitude. It has been a privilege for me to have such a mother like this. Her faith proved to me she believed what she spoke about Jesus for there never was any disconnect between her belief and life actions. This is the kind of mother I want to be for my child. I don't want to just "go to church" or "be a giver to to the needy." Non-believers can do that. I want to be a Godly mother, a woman whose heart surrenders daily to Christ and seeks for HIS truth to penetrate deep into every cell of my heart making me different from the inside out.

Without a heart changed by Christ, I am nothing but lost.

Without Christ in my heart, my mothering would be worldly and full of good intentions. 

Thank you God for saving me.....for bringing new life into this dead heart!!!!!!!!

The secret to being a Godly mother is Christ-first (Matt 6:33).

Everything else in life will fall into place if He is the first priority.

What has your mother shown you about Christ?

Newly Added to Favorite Song Page- "Just to Be with You" by Paul Baloche

Love this song written by Paul Baloche!!! I got the fortunate opportunity to sing with him when my church choir backed him up at the Southern Baptist Convention three years ago. His heart for the Lord is so inspiring by the music he writes. This song is like a love song to Christ- to express our hearts desire to be close to Him. To hear the entire song go to Favorite Song of the Week right under the Joy Treasure heading.

Manna Mondays: God is Still on His Throne

There has been so much going on in the world in just one week. But yet God is still on His throne.

Although I do not live in the tornado ravaged area of Tuscaloosa, AL, I used to work there for almost eight years. It is like a home to me in some respects. While rummaging through the pictures online of the damaged areas in the city, I came across one that I wanted to share with you.It hit straight to my heart. Below is the parking lot of the Hobby Lobby and Big Lots. This is a side view of it. The buildings (what's left of them) are behind this picture so you do not see them. Yet, I know that little yellow house still left standing in the pictures. I used to park on the side of the lot facing that little yellow house during my lunch hour... some days. I worked as a salesman in this town and most days I would have lunch appointments with doctor's offices, but on the days when I did not sponsor a lunch with an office, I needed a place to camp out close to my next appointments after lunch breaks. This is the parking lot where I would park, eat my lunch, read my bible and pray. It is a special place to me.

To see this picture breaks my heart. This area of the town was so densely populated and now it is gone. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around the devastation and I don't even live there. As I continue to look at how much of the part of Tuscaloosa is completely devastated, it reminds me that we truly have nothing in this world. All our material possessions are nothing. All the things we hope for, work for, and pine over can be gone in 60 seconds.

http://mypictures.abc3340.com/MediaItemView.aspx?id=1253346

For those of us who live in Alabama and the south, there is an outpouring of neighbors helping neighbors that is so inspiring. So what really matters? Eternity. Jesus is all that will remain. Even despite all this destruction, God is still on His throne. I am praying for more hearts to come to see that Jesus is all they need.

With this post, I wanted to share with you a way you can help the tornado victims in Alabama.

1. Pray

2. Give

3. Never forget the needs when the media moves on to new stories. This is a longtime commitment to bring these areas back to life.

Grace's Kitchen, an organization started by two women in my church, is working to help the tornado victims by providing warm meals. If you cannot help personally, please consider how you can give. For more info check out the following link:

http://graceskitchen.org/

Hebrews 1:8, "But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."