Full of Joy

We have arrived! The first thing I did when we got to the farm was head out back to take this picture. My heart was light. I felt free. Tears filled my eyes as JOY from Father God exuded my being. All we have been through this summer- an unexplainable amount of pain- and yet our good, good Father is so mighty He can fill a broken heart with joy in a hot second. Don't you just want to squeeze Him in a big hug sometimes?! The profound words of Jesus are true. If you are weary and burdened, broken and bleeding, go to Him. He will give your soul rest. I hope you can also find rest for your soul as you listen to this podcast episode. Anytime we have the opportunity to serve the Father and His people, it is a flat out privilege. A lifelong friend, Jamie Miller, invited me to join a group of brothers and sister in Christ in a podcast series titled, "Being Church: Butts, Buildings, and Budgests?" where we discussed what success in the Church looks like. Jamie serves with  Consume...

  Good Morning Everybody! Happy Friday! Girls, what a blessing your beautiful comments have been! What a JOY to read about the things that bring YOU joy! The Father shares His love with us in the most intricate ways. You will be encouraged if you go back and read some of the comments, too. So, here we go. When doing a Give Away, I like to write names on tiny scraps of paper and draw one- the good 'ol fashion way. Our winner this time around is my sweet friend, Mrs. Elizabeth Wagner! So excited for you, B! Her husband has been deployed for the last 8 months, faithfully serving our country. She has selflessly cared for her boys all by herself, and the joy of the Lord has been her strength. It's been incredible to watch the Spirit's presence in her life through this time. Girl, I'm so thrilled to be sending you some caffeine!! I know you need it! Congratulations, and thank you so much for reading the blog and for sharing with others. I love you! Please don...

Are any of you in the mood for a sappy, dreary, heart-breaking post about how hard it is to move? Me neither! Instead of blubbering about the aches and pains in my heart, how about we discuss some FABULOUS tips for if and when you find yourself relocating in the near or distant future. 1. Throw all healthy eating out the window! Eat anything and everything in the fridge, freezer, and pantry because we do not want to waste. 2. Throw away all those broken toys, plethora of crafts, church papers, and maybe even a few perfectly functional-highly-annoying toys that “must have gotten lost in the move!” 3. Bemoan the trauma of moving to your husband, and bat your eyes when you tell him you could really use some new clothes. Allow those tears to flow, if necessary. Even add in the fact that you’ve been forced to gain weight because you’ve had to eat junk out of the fridge, freezer, and pantry. 4. Invite your girl friends to join the Marco Polo App. This will keep you connected to your gir...

Hey All! Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm moving shop around here. It's time to say good-bye to this blog and hello to my new one. My Tech-rockSTAR Man has built me a beautiful, new, in-this-century-blog! Come on over! http://abigailjoydubbe.com/ Out with the old, and in with the new!

Hey Everybody! Welcome to the new blog! I’m so grateful you stopped over. I wish there was a way I could hand you a steamy, chubby mug of coffee or a mason jar filled with iced tea, and a warm slice of banana bread while you peruse the new digs. It’s just so lovely to have you! Though I’ve been blogging for over 11 years, the blog hasn’t had a facelift in over 8! I happened to have married a Tech-RockSTAR who has encouraged me for yeeeeears to switch from Blogger to WordPress. As you may know, I have also been attending a writing Academy (Shout out to Write Brilliant!), and they have also encouraged (forced) me to switch to WordPress. Thank you to the Write Brilliant team for the final push, especially Margaret- who’s idea it was for me to get pictures done and to wear the blue top, Jonathan- who gave a killer talk in session 8 about blogging, including ditching Blogger, and Jessica who shared fabulous insight in our July Webinar! It.feels.so.GRAND. It’s like the experience of cozyi...

 It seems as if the unexpected, most shocking events that happen in life come during the mundane moments. 6 weeks ago our little family was sitting around the dinner table. It was no different than any other typical dinner with 2 preschoolers. Chips, salsa, taco sauce, and beef were flying around the table, drinks were spilling, and siblings were screaming at each other. Nothing unusual. Chuck and I began catching up on our days. He’s usually very easy to read, but this particular night, I had not sensed anything out of the ordinary. Halfway through dinner, he looked me straight in the face and said, “I lost my job.” The chaos around me faded into the background, a buzz began sounding in my ears, and my body began tingling from head to toe. I stared into Chuck’s face as the room around him became blurry. At first the shock was my comfort. Numbness took over my ability to feel. The shock wore off at 2:37 that morning. I was jolted out of a sound sleep, the pain so immense it seemed...

It seems as if the unexpected, most shocking events that happen in life come during the mundane moments. 6 weeks ago our little family was sitting around the dinner table. It was no different than any other typical dinner with 2 preschoolers. Chips, salsa, taco sauce, and beef were flying around the table, drinks were spilling, and siblings were screaming at each other. Nothing unusual. Chuck and I began catching up on our days. He’s usually very easy to read, but this particular night, I had not sensed anything out of the ordinary. Halfway through dinner, he looked me straight in the face and said, “I lost my job.” The chaos around me faded into the background, a buzz began sounding in my ears, and my body began tingling from head to toe. I stared into Chuck’s face as the room around him became blurry. At first the shock was my comfort. Numbness took over my ability to feel. The shock wore off at 2:37 that morning. I was jolted out of a sound sleep, the pain so immens...