Meet Joan – Featured Member

Today we have the privilege of getting to know Joan of A Writer’s Journey. If you haven’t visited Joan yet I highly encourage you to check out the beautiful photos she posts.

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Tell us a little bit about you and your family.

I am a lover of Jesus, a wife, and I work full-time at a nearby hospital. I met my husband John while visiting a friend’s home church. We began dating and married less than a year later. God answered my prayer of finding a godly Christian husband. This summer, we celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Although we were unable to have children of our own, we are very close to my two nieces and their children. Our marriage has not been without trials – seventeen years ago, doctors diagnosed John with testicular carcinoma. After months of chemotherapy, the cancer returned a year later in his lymph nodes. By medical standards, his chances of survival weren’t good. He underwent more chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. However, the Great Physician wasn’t finished with him and this year marks his sixteenth year of being cancer free.

Would you share a little of your testimony with us?

I can’t remember a time when church wasn’t a part of my life. My parents taught me early on about Jesus. At the age of ten, during a revival, I realized that I needed a savior. I went forward during an alter call and gave my life to Christ. Although He became my savior at that time, I didn’t allow Him to be Lord of my life. There was a time when I turned away from serving Him, but God used some adverse circumstances to turn both my husband and me back to Him. The Christian life is not a destination but a journey. One of my favorite verses (and I have many favorites) is 2 Peter 3:18, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” I love teaching women’s bible studies and help them come to a greater understanding of the Bible. I should say facilitate rather than teach because I am forever learning new things about His word. I never want to stop learning more about Jesus. In January 2009, my husband and I became involved in prison ministry through our church, visiting one of the maximum-security prisons here in Texas. This ministry provides a time when wives, parents, and children of convicted felons can spend a few precious hours together without the usual visitation barriers. It’s such a blessing to see the children run to embrace their fathers when they enter the room. Each time we go to minister, I come away the recipient of ministry. God is doing an amazing work behind those prison gates and many men have come to know Christ as their savior.

Why did you start blogging?

I love to write and hope to be a published author someday. After having a few of my articles published on my church blog, I thought having one of my own would be a good thing. I like visiting other blogs and reading posts by other Christians. I’m encouraged by the number of young women bloggers who have a passion for Christ and are raising their children in godly homes. The internet is a great way to tell the world about Jesus. Through our computers, we can literally “go into all the world and preach the gospel.”

How long have you been blogging?

I started my first blog, A Writer’s Journey, in April. After attending Proverbs 31’s “She Speaks” conference in the summer, I started a second blog, Reflections, to post my devotions and inspirational stories. As of now, I don’t have many items posted there, but I’m praying about some things that I feel God has put on my heart.

What are your favorite things to blog about? Why?

I love to take photos, especially of nature and landscapes, and I enjoy sharing those pictures. I feel especially close to God when the beauty of His creation surrounds me and I’m in His outdoor cathedral. For the past several weeks, I have participated in the Word Filled Wednesday meme. Through WFW, I can share scriptures and a corresponding photo.

One of the early articles here at Faithful Bloggers, “Ten Ways to Pray for Your Blog” really caused me to think about my reasons for blogging. After reading, I realized that I hadn’t given my blogs to the Lord. Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Unless I give my blogs and my writing to the Lord, it’s all in vain. I have to trust Him to build it and bring those who need to hear His message. My writing must be for His glory and not my own.