Iron Rose Sister Ministries

There is no perfect life circumstance that brings us constant and eternal happiness – unless we choose to find joy in it. Paul said it best in Philippians 4:11-13.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

We quote Philippians 4:13 when faced with the challenges of whatever trial we are found. And Christ is our strength in each of those situations.

However, in the context of Philippians 4, Paul is reminding us that we can, through Christ, be strengthened to find joy, to be content in any and every situation – whether single, married, widowed, divorced, or “it’s complicated” (according to a Facebook status).

Philippians 4 is one of the key verses I am highlighting during a class for single women entitled, “Single and Lovin’ It (Mostly).” We will look at how to respond to the often asked and ever-annoying question “Why are you still single?” We will also discuss how to support each other and find joy through focusing our vision and our thoughts (Hebrews 12:2, I Corinthians 4:18, Philippians 4:7-9).

My prayer for you today is that you can find joy and contentment no matter what your circumstances. Count your blessings and be reminded of all God has done for you and in your life.

#singleness #contentment 

It was a late evening after a long day and I was hungry. After a venison burger on a huge bed of lettuce, I was ready to settle in and catch up on a few emails and blog posts before calling it a night.
It had been a productive day including a short shopping excursion that afternoon to help a friend. (Yes, I served as sisterly fashion consultant, don’t be too shocked!)
After opening my email, I was delighted—overjoyed really—to see an email from a contact inviting me to speak at an event in Cuba and share some of the IRSM resources there. Wow! What a blessing. What an honor. And what a joy that I didn’t want to keep to myself!

The look and smell of a deep red rose brings me such joy. It is my favorite flower and, as you know, is one of the central aspects of the Iron Rose Sister Ministries logo.
The rose represents an area in which you’d like to grow or bloom, but it also is representative of each of us as Iron Rose Sisters—a beautiful bouquet with a variety of rose colors, smells, and levels of growth.

With our Iron Rose Sisters in mind, I would like to offer a different twist, a new interpretation for the expression “stop and smell the roses.”

The look and smell of a deep red rose brings me such joy. It is my favorite flower and, as you know, is one of the central aspects of the Iron Rose Sister Ministries logo.

The rose represents an area in which you’d like to grow or bloom, but it also is representative of each of us as Iron Rose Sisters – a beautiful bouquet with a variety of rose colors, smells, and levels of growth.

With our Iron Rose Sisters in mind, I would like to offer a different twist, a new interpretation for the expression “stop and smell the roses.” The roses I invite you to pause and appreciate are the other women in your life. Your Iron Rose Sisters are those that can serve as iron sharpening iron, women that can encourage and inspire you to be as beautiful as a rose in spite of a few thorns.

Each rose has its own unique beauty and is blessed with a fragrance that will bring joy. So, take a moment to stop and smell the roses – to appreciate the Christian sisters in your life. And be sure to be a source of joy and an Iron Rose Sister in the lives of your Christian sisters as well.

I am a list person. I have been known to write something on my list that I have already finished, solely to be able to check it off and feel a sense of accomplishment.
Therefore, it can be hard to delight in what has been accomplished when I am burdened by the weight of what I still feel is left to do. When that happens, I recognize that I have lost my perspective. My vision is shortsighted and Satan’s tool of discouragement has slipped into my mind.
So when that moment and those feelings come, I take a step back and remember these five things:
1. My worth comes not from what I do, but rather from who I am in the eyes of the great I AM.
2. For everything there is a season, a time and a purpose (Eccl. 3).
3. Take a breath and take a moment to delight in what has been done. The list will still be there, but a moment of rejoicing will help me tackle what is left to accomplish with a much more grateful attitude.
4. Count my blessings.
5. God is in control.
This list may be obvious to you, but it is a practical reminder for me at those all-to-frequent moments when I wish I were more productive.

Giraffes are beautiful and graceful. They tower above with their regal height and amaze me with their perfectly placed brown spots. But when I saw some at the Denver Zoo, I observed a common human characteristic as well.
We all have a tendency to compare, to think that someone else has it better than we do, to covet what they have. We think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and sometimes we even jump the fence to get at what they're having - just like the giraffe in the photo.
Joy and contentment is about appreciating the grass on our own side of the fence. Today, I encourage you to take a look at what's right in front of you and count those blessings.

Giraffes are beautiful and graceful. They tower above with their regal height and amaze me with their perfectly placed brown spots. But when I saw some recently at the Denver Zoo, I observed a common human characteristic as well.

We all have a tendency to compare, to think that someone else has it better than we do, to covet what they have. We think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and sometimes we even jump the fence to get at what they're having - just like the giraffe in the photo.

Joy and contentment is about appreciating the grass on our own side of the fence. Today, I encourage you to take a look at what's right in front of you and count those blessings.

Children love to play peek-a-boo. They will initiate the game and no matter how many times they pop out from behind a chair, from under a blanket, or from a flowing curtain, they laugh with delight at the joy of seeing the delight reflected on our faces as well.
I am amazed that a child never tires of delighting in those little things.
And I am reminded that God never tires of delighting in us – whatever ‘little’ thing we have done. He delights to see his delight reflected in our faces. Simple as that. We are a delight to our heavenly Father.
May you delight in that truth today.

Children love to play peek-a-boo. They will initiate the game and no matter how many times they pop out from behind a chair, from under a blanket, or from a flowing curtain, they laugh with delight at the joy of seeing the delight reflected on our faces as well.
Amazing that a child never tires of delighting in those little things.
Is there something you never tire of delighting in?
For me, I know that I never tire of seeing pictures or videos of my nephew and niece. The pictures make me wish I were with them and my abundant love swells to overflowing yet again.

Children love to play peek-a-boo. They will initiate the game and no matter how many times they pop out from behind a chair, from under a blanket, or from a flowing curtain, they laugh with delight at the joy of seeing the delight reflected on our faces as well.

I am amazed that a child never tires of delighting in those little things.

And I am reminded that God never tires of delighting in us – whatever ‘little’ thing we have done. He delights to see his delight reflected in our faces. Simple as that. We are a delight to our heavenly Father.

May you delight in that truth today.

I’m not referring to standing up for what you believe. That is it’s own victory for sure. And I applaud those who stand up for what is right.
However, the victory of standing up that I want to recognize today is the victory for those who battle depression and fight the daily battle to get up out of bed in the morning and stand up for the day.
The victory of standing up when all you want to do is stay seated on the couch.
The victory of standing up to do something productive when you just want to veg in front of Facebook for another thirty minutes.
The victory of standing up to go get something from the other room after you have become one with the chair.

I have never gotten the appeal of boxing. Two guys hitting each other into a bloody pulp. Yeah, it’s not for me. But I will take advantage of a boxing analogy today to illustrate an important aspect of victory.
Boxers are trained to keep their hands up to protect their face, to keep their feet moving so they cannot be caught off guard. They are also trained to take a hit.

In the sixth grade, I wrote a paper on international adoption. I had always dreamed of having children, but that has not been the direction my life has taken. No marriage and no kids, in the traditional sense.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart,” Right?! My desire was to be a mother, but that was not to happen in the ways that I would’ve originally anticipated.

I remember vividly the first time that I realized that I had taken part in several international adoptions. Looking around my living room at a girls’ Bible study one evening, there were women from Venezuela, Ghana, West Africa, and several states around the U.S. I was humbled and joyful at the realization, but Satan continued to attack and tried to convince me that the desires of my heart were unfulfilled.

God is patient with me and in revealing the fulfillment of our deepest desires. Allow me to share a specific instance of my transformation of joy and the desires of my heart – a story I shared this past weekend in Sacramento with the single sisters in attendance.

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Some friends of mine had their second child, a baby girl, on a Monday evening in February 2014. Noah James was excited to welcome his baby sister, while mom and dad shared in the inexpressible joy of having a healthy baby born into the world. I woke up on Tuesday to her beautiful picture on Facebook and my heart filled with joy for them – not only a joy in the birth of a new child, but also the reminder of transformation we can have in Christ when we surrender our lives to him.

Tia and Charlie were active students at the LSU Christian Student Center where I served as Women’s Campus Minister for six years. Theirs is a story of God’s power and the Spirit working in their lives and if I were to tell you some of the stories from when we first met, you would not even recognize the children of God that they are today!

I am honored to have been a small part of their journey and am thrilled to see them pass on a hunger and thirst for God and godly living to their children: Noah James and Abigail Joy. While we no longer live in the same city, prayer and technology keep us closely connected and bonded for life.

However, the greatest source of joy came a few minutes after I hit “like” on the baby’s newborn picture. I have pasted below the text Tia sent me, which I humbly share as a reminder of God’s promise of redemption and with much love. ~ Michelle Joy.

“Abigail Joy. Named after the woman who gave me a thirst for the Living Water. Love you.”

I almost couldn’t finish reading the text as my eyes filled with humble tears and inexpressible joy. It was a testimony to God’s transformation of the deepest desires of my heart – not children I birthed in the traditional sense or daughters with whom I could share my middle name, Joy. Rather, spiritual children and this baby girl, Abigail Joy, who I consider one of many spiritual grandchildren.

We each have our own story: our own battles, victories, and the feelings that accompany them.
And we all identify with stories. Through them, we find hope. We recognize the emotions. We connect with the moments of despair, the challenges, and the fears. We are reminded of God, who is bigger and, that by His power, we will become victorious and joyful in the battle.

You don’t achieve victory by running away or by admitting defeat. Or do you? Joseph did.
Sometimes the best victory over sin and temptation is to run away.
In Genesis 39, Joseph was put in charge of Potiphar’s household and all that he owned. Potiphar had complete trust in Joseph and everyone took notice of the blessings from God in Joseph’s life – especially Potiphar’s wife.
When she took notice, she asked Joseph to go to bed with her. He refused, but she was relentless. One day, when they were alone, she grabbed him by the cloak and instead of falling into temptation, Joseph ran away, leaving his cloak behind.
As the story unfolds, we see Joseph is wrongfully put in prison, but God blesses and honors him for his integrity – for the victory over sin when he ran away from Potiphar’s wife and the temptation.
Some victory comes when we stay and fight. And some victory is achieved by running away.
What is an area in your life in which you can be victorious by running away?

Victory for a Venezuelan – finding Harina Pan and toilet paper at the grocery store
Victory for a homeless person – clean socks and a hot meal
Victory for an insomniac – a good night’s rest
Victory for a depressed person – getting out of bed
Victory for a college student – a passing grade in a most-challenging class
Victory for a new mom – six uninterrupted hours of sleep or a solo trip to the grocery store
Victory for a teenager – a text from the guy you’ve secretly had a crush on
Victory for an addict – sobriety from their addiction, one day or decision at a time

We should not minimize the victories of others. Their struggles may not be the same as ours, but we can rejoice together in the victory. There is no small victory – it means we have overcome a challenge or a difficult time.

How would you define victory in your life?

Tomorrow – how God designed the ultimate victory!

I love this picture of a broken pot. I don’t know where I found it or whom to credit with its artistic and spiritual representations that have come to mean so much to me.
2 Corinthians 4:5-9 says, “5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.