joyancejames

Tag: #joy&peace

  • Inter-dependence day

    70 years after India gained her independence on the same day in 2017, August the 15th, I married Shalom Philip. That was our first inter-dependence day, today it’s been 4 years since the day we said our vows.

    Some of my friends joked in lieu with the post-truth culture that I lost my independence on the day that my country gained her’s. But nothing could be farther from the truth, marriage as a covenant under Christ brings together two imperfect and incomplete individuals who find their completeness not in each other but together in Christ.

    Growing up multiple times I had heard my mom being addressed as a super-woman cause of the way she juggled but gracefully managed her school work, home responsibilities and the daunting task of bringing up two children. Now, I’ve realised that I’ve married another super-woman, because of the way Shalom manages the home, college work and demands of a toddler at home, all alone since I’m away.

    I believe every mother is a super hero but working mothers more so with the added demands and energy drain at work. Bringing up a toddler alone in a city with 2 maids and an alien culture is overwhelming to say the least but God is good and His grace has been enough. The sacrifices you’ve (Shalom) made will never be in vain, in the light of eternity our lives will make a difference, a dent in history that only time will tell.

    So, here’s to the memories made and the faithfulness of God and the adventures yet to come.

    Who could ever find a wife like this one — she is a woman of strength and mighty valor! She’s full of wealth and wisdom. The price paid for her was greater than many jewels.
    Proverbs 31:10 TPT

    #throwback circa 2017
    #throwback Kuala Lumpur 2018

  • Lessons from fatherhood – III

    Father’s embrace

    I can’t think of a more opportune time to write this than now, when social distancing has deleted hugs and embrace from our daily life! Physical touch is of utmost significance for humans especially babies and this has been validated by tonnes of research.
    Faith has always been a sucker for my embrace, ever since she was a couple of weeks old. In the winters she needed me to pick her up, walk around and sing her to sleep. (Singing over Faith is featured in the post – Lessons from my fatherhood – I, https://joyancejames.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/lessons-from-fatherhood-i/; you can check it out of you haven’t)

    Mother’s embrace

    Soon she formed a habit which required me to carry her, walk around and put her to sleep at night and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Shalom and my mom used to tell that she’s addicted to my body heat and I’ve spoiled her by always carrying her at night.
    Few things in life are better than having your baby girl sleep on your chest, listening to your heart beat.

    Daddy’s embrace

    To the mankind starved of physical touch, hugs and embrace, Jesus invites us to fall into His arms. In this season of segregation and isolation it is natural to become lonely and depressed, but remember that there is an embrace that transcends distance and fears.

    “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”

    Romans 8:39 (Message Bible)

    Wherever you are may you always find yourself in the embrace of the Father above.

  • The journey of Faith – III

    The journey of Faith – III

    Faith is born- end of the beginning!As we entered the seventh month we realized that with every passing week it was getting more difficult to travel on the bike. Uber became the preferred mode of transport! Going out, movies included had to be curtailed to suit her comfort.
    We had to be extra careful as to what went it (I’m not taking only about food) so the food, fruits, music everything had to be handpicked.
    By July, the heat and humidity of Ludhiana became intolerable for Shalom and the countdown began to go home (Shalom’s) in Kerala. A “surprise” baby shower by our amazing friends (read aunties-to-be) at CRC (church) was the highlight of the last few days before we headed home. Last month before delivery I was away from Shalom and Faith as I had to come back to Ludhiana. Fetal movements and increased pains gave way to sleepless nights over the last week’s leading up to the delivery.
    I’d planned to reach them around a week before the due date, but thanks to the impatience of both of them I reached more than 12 hours after her arrival. Charis “Faith” Joyance was born on September the 4th, eleven days before the due date. Shalom endured her worst describable pain before she was born, it’s incredible how a mother goes through her worst pain before she gets her best gift.

    As I look back in retrospect, the journey is far from over. The journey of planned parenthood from conception to holding her in our arms, has really been a journey of faith for the two of us. It was a testament to the faithfulness of God.
    We may not enjoy every bit of the journey but it does prepare us for the destination, for what lies ahead. Grace for the journey comes with greater grace for what lies ahead. The God who saw our unformed substance in our mother’s womb, has seen our journey from a single cell organism to the trillion cell one reading this and He knows what’s best for us.

  • Made for me (Joy & Peace version)

    JOHN0057Made for me Toby Mac released in 2012, this is my rendition of the song, edited for and dedicated to my beautiful best half Shalom Philip.

     

    She was 26 when she came on the scene

    I saw her down the hall & felt that I was in a dream

    See she’s from God’s own land which had this brother smiling

    Little did I know that I’d be singing-testifying?

    I love sunrise but she likes sunsets

    I’m always running late & she is always on time

    But I like k-love and she likes YouTube

    But something tells me we are gonna be okay

     

    Cause she was made for me

    You gave her to me

    I said I’d hold on loose but I so wanna squeeze you

    Just right for me and for the life of me

    I can’t believe I get to call her mine

    And she was made for me, made for me x 2

     

    Next chapter we got hitched

    2000 miles yet apart

    Still grateful to in the same time zone

    I thank God everyday I’m blessed in a crazy way

    Oh my! give her 10 on 10

    This thing we got is cool like shake

    I love sunrise but she likes sunsets

    I’m always running late & she is always on time

    Well I like T Mac and she like Furtick

    So we meet in the middle with Planetshakers

     

    She is a flower You are the rain

    She gets more beautiful with every passing day

    She is my flower and You are the sun

    She gets more beautiful because of how You love

    How You love

    I get to call her mine x 2 oh mine

     

    She likes slow dates & I like fast dates

    She’s into art, I’m into books

    She made straight As

    Well I’m 6’1’’ & she’s 5’3’’

    But tall & short always been a beautiful blend

    Cause she was made for me

    You gave her to me

    I said I’d hold on loose but I so wanna squeeze you

    Just right for me and for the life of me

    I can’t believe I get to call her mine

    And she was made for me, made for me

  • Behold, I take thy name!

    Behold, I take thy name!

    Joyance Shalom James

    Pause! Take a breath; hear me out before the feminists jump in jubilation and the misogynists prepare to gun me down. The decision to add my wife’s first name to mine at least on the social media platform wasn’t born as an afterthought or as a part of a dare, but rather from the musings of a sane mind trying to make a bold statement.

    I, Joyance James took Shalom Elsy Philip to be my lawfully wedded wife on the 15th of the last month. And as the Lord said Joy & Peace are no longer two but one, so I decided to extrapolate the union of the two individuals to the name too.

    Why should it always have to be the wife who needs to change her name?  

    It’s not that I do not like my name, I absolutely love it, but Joy and Peace go well together. It’s not that I’m questioning the patriarchy, not that I love my dad any less, but I love my wife more and I want to acknowledge her individuality. It’s not that I like a publicity stunt, but I want to make a statement that it’s okay to stand up for what you believe even though it pits you against the popular opinion. It’s a threat to my manhood as some might view it, rather it takes real guts to be man enough to do it.

    To celebrate the independence in the inter-dependence, Shalom & I decided that she doesn’t need to go through the hassles of changing her name to add my name. I do not see this exercise as a lack of submission or lack of respect for the head of the family, rather I believe as the head of the family I should earn respect before demanding it from my best-half.

    I know my views are far-fetched with hardly any buyers for the thought. A famous survey by Men’s Health magazine in 2013 found 63.3 per cent of readers said they would be upset if their wife kept her maiden name after marriage. Meanwhile, almost all respondents – 96.3 per cent said they wouldn’t take a woman’s last name if she asked them to.

    Here I’m taking my wife’s first name and not her surname while still keeping my dad’s name after mine. In doing so I salute and acknowledge the fact that we’re equals. God meant us husbands to be the head of the family, may it be to lead with example and sacrifice, to give & earn respect before expecting it, to bow down before expecting submission and to love unconditionally like Jesus. May our marriages reflect the greater one to come which will last for all eternity.

    JOHN0233

  • Missing rib!

    They say the manufacturer or the maker known the best and so it was with man. After Yahweh made man in His own likeness, He knew it was not good for Adam to be alone. Adam had all of creations best unravel (some choose to call it evolution) before his eyes in Eden and still Yahweh said there is yet no helper just right for him. Finally, Adam missed a rib and found the one whom he acknowledged as “one”, bone from his bone and flesh from his flesh. We see God at work when man was sleeping, beauty unspeakable, made in His likeness and whom He thought was just right for Adam. He was probably dreaming when God was at work with Eve and all he could dream of after that day was her beauty perhaps.

    Finding your missing rib is no mean feat and I found mine when I was not looking for it (read sleeping akin to Adam). I found my “One”, Shalom Elsy Philip in the summer of 2016 and we were finally pronounced man & wife on August the 15th 2017, little more than a year since we got to know each other. It needed a lot of divine intervention to convince my missing rib and probably a bit of divine “deep sleep” for me (similar to what He used for Adam).

    BI5Q3206

    Joy & Peace that’s what I call us, together, we find our completeness in Him. Adam never told Eve, “You complete me”, rather he said, “you are one, bone from my bone and flesh from my flesh”, man & wife created to become one just as Jesus declared; “I and my father are one”. Unity in marriage was meant to be the shadow of the unity in trinity. Yahweh knew it was not good for man to be alone cause he (man) had a gigantic responsibility of reigning over the creatures of the sea, sky and the ground, man would need help and “woman” was just perfect for that. Together they can what man can’t alone and so God said two are better than one.

    JOHN0581

    I have found the one whom my soul loves and I have obtained favor of the Lord.

    God gave me two gifts for which I’m most grateful for and all of eternity would be less to express my gratitude: first and foremost is Jesus the gift for eternity and the hope of glory and second Shalom the gift till eternity ensues after the earthly journey.

    DSC_6850 copy

    “She is a flower, You are the rain
    She gets more beautiful with every passing day
    She is my flower and You are the sun
    She gets more beautiful because of how You love
    How You love” – Made for me by Toby Mac