Help for the hard days
I have been so irritable lately. Things that normally would just flow over me seem to hover like a foreboding dark cloud. I wanted to be alone in my room to lament the my... »
Joyce Suttin
Joyce Suttin is a retired teacher, writer, and frequent contributor to Activated magazine. She lives in San Antonio Texas with her husband and has an on-line ministry excerpting, editing, and writing inspirational material.
The miracle of hope
I believe in resurrection. I believe in butterflies bursting out of the death grip of cocoons. I believe in seeds from dying flowers falling into the ground to be reborn... »
Stepping forward
It was New Year’s Day and I was doing what I love to do. I sat rather awkwardly in a low rocking chair as I painted a landscape on my easel. Blending colors, I was thorou... »
A simpler kind of Christmas
I have taken a good hard look at my life this year. Seeing all the stuff I had gathered and realizing how happy others could be if I gave it away, I have simplified and d... »
Godliness with contentment
I was thinking about a Bible verse this morning as I walked through my neighborhood. I was thankful for the beautiful morning and for a healthy body that did not limit me... »
Finding perfection
I remember, as a very little girl, looking out across the field behind our home at what appeared to be the perfect tree. I could hardly contain my excitement as I ran to... »
Clear shining
There are moments when the earth's beauty parallels the glories of heaven, when you look at your surroundings with awe and know there is a God who loves and cares about y... »
Lessons from a child
Many years ago, I was very bitter about a recent miscarriage. I had ignored the warning signs and I was heartbroken over the loss of my first child. I tumbled into an aby... »
A joyous reunion
My dad jokes about death more than anyone I have ever known. He is 94 and says he never dreamed he would live this long, outliving my mother by 30 years. He jokes that ma... »
Being fearless
I was thinking about being fearless today. There is so much talk about being fearless, becoming a strong, stubborn, determined person who won’t be afraid of anything. But... »
Between the holidays
When I was a child, I hated the days after Christmas. I’d gotten all my gifts and had nothing to look forward to. Likely, it was a problem with ingratitude. I often thoug... »
When rains are refreshing
After seven years of drought where I live, we had a very rainy spring. It’s made me think a lot about rain. For the past few years, we’ve had very dry weather intersperse... »