Stay Connected
Don't leave just yet. Besides these articles, sometimes I send out extra special stuff. Don't miss out. Sign up here.
Ask Joy A person who wrote in recently found a quote, stating that “a girl’s heart should be so wrapped up in the Lord, that a guy should have to seek Him to find her.” And then she asked me if I agreed with that? My Response Questions Do you think it’s true that you can experience an “intimacy” with the Lord that supercedes anything you can experience with a person? Why or why not? Have you said or heard this quote yourself? How has …
Ask Joy Is the right thing at the wrong time actually the wrong thing? My Response The video below was part of, what I affectionately call, my Paddle Board Series, shot spontaneously by my brother while I was in Michigan. Now, weeks after the shoot, I can’t shake this question; the more I contemplate it, the more different scenarios play out in my mind. Just a few that could fall under the “right thing, wrong time” umbrella include, the other person is: married; lives across …
Guys: Since we know there may be varying opinions due to different personalities, I thought it might be good to directly ask you this question so you could shed some light for our female readers. It’s along the lines of the question I answered a few weeks ago in an Ask Joy Video. (See video here: Part One & Part Two) Ask Joy I met an amazing man last month who I really like a lot! How do I let him know I’m interested in …
Ask Joy How do I know if I’ve heard from God before entering into a relationship? My Response (Note: We shot these very last minute before I left Michigan. We didn’t do a sound check hence the poor audio. However, my brother IS a fantastic videographer and I am so grateful for his help when I am home in the mitten state. Check out his site: Motivity Pictures) Questions Does waiting to hear from God ever paralyze you from making decisions? Do you even incorporate God …
Ask Joy I finally decided to sign up for E-Harmony. It took a lot of courage. I want to know your thoughts on online match sites. I am still very apprehensive about the whole thing. P.S. I am a teacher, and our school mascot is the unicorn. My Response Question How can you bring community into your online dating experience, and not become isolated? Didn’t catch the series that I referenced about asking questions? Start HERE
Ask Joy I have a friend who is currently dating someone who is not a Christ follower. She knows I disapprove and, because of this, I haven’t really talked to her in months because I don’t want to hear about their relationship. Am I wrong in not speaking to her? I don’t know how to be a friend without her thinking I’m OK with them dating. My Response It’s good that you are trying to figure out how to be her friend; however, not …
Ask Joy I met this guy and I have a big crush on him, but I know the Bible says that men are supposed to pursue women. So should I just give up on my crush? Should I just drop it? Who Pursues? Part 1 My Response I think that fear is at the root of why we deny our desire to pursue or be pursued. Question What has been your experience? Men: What prevents you from pursuing? Women: What motivates you to pursue?
Ask Joy I met this guy and I have a big crush on him, but I know the Bible says that men are supposed to pursue women. So should I just give up on my crush? Should I just drop it? My Response Well…scripture doesn’t say that. Question Men: Do you have a sense that women want to be pursued in our culture? Women: How do you feel about waiting to be pursued, not just in theory, but in reality? Watch Part Two
Ask Joy I don’t think it’s fair that my boyfriend at college might go home some weekends to see his family, when I can’t see mine because they live too far away. I don’t want him going home without me. What should I do? My Response If I were talking with your boyfriend, I wouldn’t tell him to break up with you…yet. Question Okay, so it’s easy to laugh at this question, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all had moments of responding with pouting …
Ask Joy How do I set good emotional boundaries, or know when and how to share things in a relationship? My Response Another video in the cemetery…shocker. And a couple of my personal stories. Question Do you sometimes question whether or not the Spirit will respond when you invite him into a situation? Is it possible that He is there, but in a way that you weren’t expecting or able to recognize? What has been your experience?
Ask Joy I’ve been talking to this guy for a couple of weeks, and last night he confided in me what he considers to be his darkest secret. It’s weird, and it freaks me out. How much would it still freak me out if this relationship were to result in marriage? My Response So I took a little “creative license” with this one…Enjoy! Question Seriously…what could it be?? I know you guys have some weird ideas in you. And on a more serious note, how …
Enjoy this “choose your own adventure” by clicking on the image. If it gives you a laugh, you can pass it along to friends via any medium you desire. If you don’t laugh, I will find you and inflict pain…via any medium I desire.
The unicorns will help me.
Ask Joy I have been in a great relationship with my boyfriend for three years. I can’t picture myself with anyone but him. Recently, many of my friends have either gotten engaged, gotten married, or had babies. I feel like I am the odd woman out. I am eager to get married and continue the next stage of my life. When I discuss marriage with my boyfriend, he usually says, “Patience is a virtue,” and leaves it at that. I want to speed things up, …
Ask Joy How do you handle the “I can’t believe you’re still single!” comments from people? I think they mean well, but it’s still discouraging. My Response This statement is usually said to me at weddings. And I generally respond with, “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT EITHER! Thanks for affirming my fear that I smell like cheese and will die alone!” Then I try to give some grace as I remind myself that most people filter life through their own stories. They got married young. They …
Ask Joy I’m interested in this great person. All my friends say, “Be open to the relationship…but guard your heart.” What does that actually mean? My Response Questions In relationships have you ever done the wise thing over the pain free thing? Since most people associate “guarding your heart” with playing it safe, how does one guard his/her heart by the video’s definition? Any other phrases like “guard your heart” that cause you to pause and think, “Hmmm, what does that actually mean?” p.s. Confused …
Ask Joy How do I talk to my boyfriend about his temptations? I haven’t seen anything or experienced anything with him that makes me concerned, but I think it would be naive to assume he doesn’t struggle. I know that I do, and I guess I just want an open conversation. Maybe just be honest about my own struggles and ask him about his? Part 1: SAFETY Part 2: SHOULD I? My Response Part 3: SHOCKED Don’t be. If you want an honest conversation, you …
Ask Joy How do I talk to my boyfriend about his temptations? I haven’t seen anything or experienced anything with him that makes me concerned, but I think it would be naive to assume he doesn’t struggle. I know that I do, and I guess I just want an open conversation. Maybe just be honest about my own struggles and ask him about his? Part 1: SAFETY My Response Part 2: SHOULD I? Pray. Don’t discount this instruction as “Joy is just saying this because …
I want to answer this question in three parts. Let’s be honest, it’s all finished and ready to go, but we are all A.D.D. and can’t handle reading anything longer tha…I wonder if I should update my Facebook status to “catching up on my blog reading!” Welcome back. As I was saying. Here is the beginning of three short parts… Ask Joy How do I talk to my boyfriend about his temptations? I haven’t seen anything or experienced anything with him that makes me concerned, …
Ask Joy Is it normal that I am _____ years old, and never dated? My Response “Normal” is subjective. Maybe you’ve: 1) Never dated. 2) Haven’t dated in ten years. 3) Your only date consisted of your cousin being forced to take you to your senior prom in your Uncle Fred’s mint Toyota Tercel. It’s normal to feel not normal. Especially when what we long for seems to be magnified in everyone else’s life. When you desire to be in relationship, EVERYONE is in relationship. Even the …
Don’t shed a tear because it’s the final “Monday-One-Day”. You can always re-watch Parts 1 & 2 every single day until YouTube implodes. The One: Part 1 – “Is There Only One” The One: Part 2 – “How Do I Know?” In Part 3 I will tackle how I have felt called to respond when it feels like there is NO-one. So what do you think?
Ask Joy If I am 23, how old is too old for the person I am dating in your opinion? My Response 93. You want them to at least remember who you are. Obviously there are different factors that come into play if you are coming from different generations. But if the person you want to date is older or younger, the bigger questions to ask are: Do the wise people around me say we are a good match? Do they support our relationship? If …
It’s another “Monday-One-Day” and if you missed The One: Part 1 – “Is There Only One” make sure to check it out. In today’s video there is a little less wind machine and a little more male vocals. Yes, I am an alto by birth. So, what do you think? P.S. Post I referenced in the video: Can Anxious Andy Commit? WATCH: Part 3: What if there is NO one?
Some of you ask me questions that I feel I can answer in 140 characters or less. Yes, I value your questions that much. Truly, I do wish I could sit with you face-to-face and answer your questions—no matter how weird they (or you) are. Since I can’t, Twitter allows me to answer some in a quick way that might give you some direction, make you think, make you laugh, or make you want to send a bomb to my house. Please don’t. “But Joy, …
Many people (myself included) have asked, “Joy, what do you think about the one?” * Over the next three Mondays, or “Monday – One – Day” as I have been calling it in my head, I will post videos with my personal thoughts on the one. Part 1 – Is There Only One? Part 2 – How Do I Know? (If this is the one.) Part 3 – What If There Is No One? (Contrary to popular belief, we did not order wind machines for …
10