Wow, how things have changed since our January-February update! Little did we know how different the world would be in just a few short months. Because of the corona virus, many of the things I told you about in our last update were changed, postponed, or cancelled.

We’re all learning the truth of Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” But we have the assurance that no matter how much things change from day to day, God is always the same!

We’ll start with Kristoffer’s news. As you may remember, he had to leave Pensacola Christian College in February due to worsening pain from his ear condition. We found a doctor who specializes in his condition (hyperacusis), and Kris was booked in to see her in March. And you know the rest of that story. Due to the quarantine, her office closed the week of his appointment, and we are still waiting for it to reopen.

But the good news is his pain levels at home are better, as the noise levels here are so much lower than at college. He’s been able to resume his summer job, helping run activities at Jellystone Branson campground. He’s very much a people-person, so it’s a perfect fit for him. 🙂

Kris has also been busy working on his YouTube channel while at home. If you have kids who enjoy Lego or racing, they might want to check out his latest video, LEGO Racers. (I got to be a stunt-driver for it! Well, actually all I did was drive our car slowly forward while he took shots with his camera, but still…) 🙂 You can view his video HERE.

Though we didn’t know it at the time, Kristoffer’s classmates wouldn’t be far behind him in leaving PCC’s campus due to the shut-down. He would have come home anyway, but as it turned out, he just came home a little earlier than everyone else. We were very thankful Kris was home, as his YouTube expertise came in very handy for our online services. When our church services went online, Kris did all the editing and uploading for us. God certainly had him in the right place at the right time.

Devotional Thought 1: God will always put you where you need to be. Sometimes this includes adverse circumstances, so keep your eyes open for God’s hand in the detours of life.

On to Kyle’s news. Kyle was supposed to graduate this month. At the beginning of the quarantine when our little Christian school shut down, Kyle came to me. He said God had been speaking to his heart about staying in the school another year. Over the next two months, Kyle prayed and sought the Lord’s will concerning whether God would have him go on to college this Fall.

A couple weeks ago, God clearly showed Kyle what to do, and he’s staying home for the next school year. It was a hard decision. He was planning to be roommates with both Kris and one of his close friends this next year at PCC. But I know God will bless his decision to follow His will. (And of course I will NEVER be sad about my kids being home!) 🙂

Kyle’s been working long hours, even though many businesses have closed these past couple months. He’s a skating car-hop at Sonic, and they have been SO busy. (Their restaurant is pretty much set up for quarantine, since there’s very little contact and no in-house dining.) Kyle’s favorite part of his job is definitely the skating! If you ever visit our little Ozark town and see a flash speed by on skates, that will be Kyle. 🙂

Devotional Thought 2: Things can change very quickly. Be open to the leading of God during these times, and trust that God will guide you as you seek Him.

And now for Kaden’s news. He too has been busy during the quarantine. He started a Facebook page for his Christian comedy channel (https://www.facebook.com/Kaden8tor/ if you want to take a peek) and released some great comedy videos. 🙂 One of my favorites is his video about how Bible characters would react to the corona virus. You can view it HERE. (Please understand it’s not meant to be political—it’s just for fun!) He also did a video on what would happen if dads were in charge of daycares. I guess our time living in the daycare had more of an effect on him than I thought! You can view that video HERE.

Kaden also started a new job at McDonalds. Although his brother would have liked to have him join the ranks of Sonic, Kaden decided to work for the competition! When they get home after work, they talk shop. 🙂 Wait times, grilling procedures, crazy customers and beef shortages are all discussed in great detail. No one told me having three boys working separate jobs would be this fun!

Kaden keeps us all laughing, for sure. Even when school, church, and sports events were cancelled, he kept us entertained. And not just us—but his Facebook and YouTube followers too. I’m not sure exactly what God has in store for him, but I’m fairly certain there will be laughter involved. 🙂

Devotional Thought 3: Laughter is a precious gift from God. No matter how hard life gets, there’s always something to smile about!

Well, what did I do during the quarantine? I did lots of writing, cleaned out my basement, painted my bedroom, and had some great times with my boys. Even though there have been some disappointments the past couple months, I’m looking forward to all the good things God will bring from what we’ve gone through. I believe families all across our country have grown closer together, and we’ve all gained a new appreciation for the “little” things in life.

I’m excited to tell you I’ve started a new job! Don’t worry—I’m still writing. 🙂 I’m working part-time this summer at Jellystone Branson, the campground where Kristoffer works. It’s perfect, because I work in the mornings and then come home and write in the afternoons. The campgrounds are gorgeous, and I love being outdoors. I’m also meeting lots of new people and finding great stories to tell you. So be on the lookout for those coming soon! I’ve discovered over the years that the best inspiration for my writing comes from simply living life, and I know the campground will provide plenty of new experiences to write about.

Here’s a few more pictures from the last three month’s happenings. 🙂

If you would like to pray for our family, here’s our latest prayer requests:

Kristoffer—for his specialist appointment to be rescheduled and bring some answers.

Kristoffer, Kyle, and Kaden—strength and protection at their summer jobs, opportunities and boldness to witness.

Kim—the Lord’s guidance in my writing ministry, wisdom as I write.

If you would like to help my ministry in a very practical way, would you consider leaving a review of my devotional book on Amazon if you’ve read it? This is a huge help to me! To leave a review, click HERE and scroll down to “Write a review.” Thank you—I appreciate you!

Thank you to all my amazing prayer warriors! I wouldn’t be able to do this ministry without you.

Rejoicing in Jesus,

Kimberly Joy

Tales from Toddlers ordering information HERE.

Hello, my friends! This year, I’m attempting (not promising, but attempting!) to give a family/ministry update every few months, instead of just at Christmas. One thing I realized when I started blogging is that my readers very quickly went from being friends to family. You pray for me, my boys, and my writing ministry like we are your own, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your prayers!

In light of that, I’ll try to keep you updated on our happenings. I’ll also share what God has been teaching me as of late.

We’ll start with Kristoffer. (Because he’s the oldest, and that’s logical.) 🙂 As I mentioned on Facebook, Kris suffered a major setback this semester. His ear condition worsened, with his headaches and ear pain skyrocketing. As a result, he has not been able to complete his sophomore year at Pensacola Christian College. He’s been home for a couple weeks now.

Even with this setback, Kris has a great attitude. We are hoping and praying to find a solution so he can return to PCC this Fall. Thank you to all who have been praying for Kris. He sees an ear specialist near the end of March, and we are praying for a breakthrough. (And although it’s sad he had to leave college, we are enjoying this extra time with him!)

One big plus is that Kris will be able to assist with our school’s drama program in May. This is a huge amount of work for our drama teacher, and Kris is eager to help. Although he had to forego his part in Pensacola’s Fine Arts production this semester, Kris’ expertise will really help lift the load here. (There’s our first devotional thought for this post. God may call you away from something you really want to do, to have you do something that’s “smaller” but just as needed!) 🙂

On to Kyle! I may get a bit teary here. Last week he played his final basketball game on his home court. As we travel through the last months of his senior year, I feel a mixture of both nostalgia (where did the time go?) and excitement for the future as Kyle seeks God’s will for his life.

I still remember Kyle’s first basketball game when we arrived in America five years ago. He had absolutely no clue what he was doing…lol! 🙂 Our basketball coach asked if Kyle could play that first week, since he was short on players. I agreed, but warned him Kyle didn’t even know the rules.

During that first game, Coach called instructions from the sidelines. Through hard work and a lot of hustling, Kyle went from a beginner at age 13, to breaking records at 18. But Kyle is quick to tell you it’s just a game, and his testimony on the court is more important than his skill. (And there’s our second lesson. Don’t let inexperience keep you from trying something new. You never know the things God will do through you when you dedicate your skills and talents to Him.)

And that brings us to Kaden, who turns 16 in a few weeks. As I told you in our Christmas update, he planned to start a Christian comedy channel on YouTube. He did that, and wow—it’s been quite the adventure! I also told you I’d post the link to his channel, and since I promised, I will deliver. 🙂

We all agree his funniest video so far is CPR Catastrophe. I had the honor of acting as a paramedic in this sketch, and I’ll have to say, it’s been the highlight of my acting career. Lol! You can watch it here. (The bloopers are the best part!)

There is one downside to your son starting a comedy channel/vlog—you just never know when you’ll walk into a room and—Bam! You’re on camera! However, he does run all the footage by me before he posts it. 🙂 (Okay, I’m struggling to come up with a devotional thought for Kaden’s part of this update. Hmmmmm…..oh wait! Live authentically, because you never know who might be watching. Or when your life might be caught on camera!)

It’s been a busy couple of months for me. I wrapped up the Home Economics class I taught to the high school boys in our Christian school. I’m happy to report there were no injuries or fires during class, and the food they cooked was excellent! 🙂

I’ve also enjoyed being “Mum” to our basketball team. (You haven’t really lived until you’ve been stuck in a van with a bunch of noisy guys on the back roads of Arkansas with a malfunctioning GPS. Good times!)

Here’s a few more fun photos from the past couple months:

A huge THANK YOU to all of you who prayed for me through the completion and launch of my first devotional book, Tales From Toddlers. (If you haven’t seen the book yet, you can take a peek here.) These past couple months, I’ve been learning (maybe I should say attempting to learn) the ins and outs of online marketing. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you here:

It’s been hard. Really hard. I’m so far out of my comfort zone I’m having trouble remembering what comfortable feels like.

But I’m going to keep on going, because I know—with absolute certainty—that God has called me to write. Not all the aspects of the writer’s life are coming easy for me. (Oh how I wish I could just WRITE, and get someone else to do all the “techy” stuff some days!)

And that brings us to our last devotional thought for today:

Some of the things within God’s will for you will come easy, and some will be hard. The difficult things will require perseverance, stamina, and the faith to keep going when it gets hard.

I don’t know what God has called you to do, or where you are in that journey today. But I want to encourage you to keep going, keep getting up when you fall, and keep trusting God.

It’s going to be worth it in the end!

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” {Galatians 6:9}

If you would like to pray for our family, here’s our latest prayer requests:

Kristoffer—for his specialist appointment in March to bring some answers and solutions for his ear condition.

Kyle—for God’s guidance as he completes his senior year of high school.

Kaden—for strength to finish this school year well.

Kim—wisdom in learning online marketing and growth of writing ministry. (If you’d like to help in this area, there’s a really simple way you can do that. If you’ve read my book and would like to leave a review on Amazon, I would really appreciate it! This will help get my book in front of more readers. Thank you! Just click here and scroll down to leave a review.)

Once again, thank you for your prayers, your kind encouragement through emails and comments, and your support of this ministry. YOU are the reason I do what I do! 🙂

Merry Christmas to our friends, family, relatives, and my faithful readers! Oh how I would love to invite everyone to my house for a huge Christmas party! But considering that number is in the thousands, my house isn’t very large, and many of you live across the ocean, I don’t think the party-thing would work out. 🙂

Instead, I’m going to give you all a peek into our lives, update you on our family happenings, and share some photos with you.

We’ll start with Kristoffer. He’s 20 this year, and in his second year of college at Pensacola Christian College. He’s majoring in performance studies, and loving it. One of his goals is to work in the Christian film industry. Although that won’t be an easy road for him as he still battles his chronic ear condition, we are cheering him on and are excited to see where God will use his talents.

One of Kristoffer’s favorite past-times is creating Lego stop-motion videos for his video channel. If you have kids that love Lego and humor, his channel is a super fun, safe, and great place for kids to hang out. You’ll find him at Kris Komedies on YouTube. You can watch his most popular video, David and Goliath, Super-Hero Style here.

Next comes Kyle. He’s 18 and a senior in high school. (And no, I’m not looking forward to another son graduating this year!) Kyle has also chosen to attend PCC, so he will be heading to Florida next Fall. Although he hasn’t chosen a specific course of study yet, he has a heart for the ministry and is eager to follow God’s calling upon his life.

Kyle has had an exciting year in basketball. He broke a school record held by over ten years by scoring 52 points in a game early this season. He was also named Athlete of the Week by our local news channel, and they came to one of his games to interview and film him. My favorite quote (paraphrased a bit) from his interview is, “What you do in a basketball game will last one night, but your character will last forever.” You can watch the TV clip here.

And now we come to Kaden. He’s 15 this year, and a sophomore in high school. He’s also a very skilled basketball player, and it’s amazing how he and Kyle communicate without words on the court. (I know I’m doing the mom-bragging thing a bit here, but the two of them are amazing to watch together.) 🙂

But where Kaden really shines is his humor. He’s always been one to enjoy making people laugh, and this last year he expressed his desire to pursue comedy seriously. (See what I did there?) 🙂 I took him to his first live Christian comedy event, and he is excited to begin his own comedy channel in 2020. As soon as it’s live, I’ll be sure to let you know and post the link.

I guess I’m next. 🙂 It’s been a year of big changes for me. After almost 5 years in childcare, I sold Sweet Peas Daycare in September. As hard as it was to say goodbye to my daycare kiddos, I’d known for quite some time that God was calling me to commit more time to my writing ministry. On December 17, my first devotional book was released. Although it was not always an easy road to publication, God was faithful every step of the way.

(For ordering information, click here)

I know many of you faced big changes in 2019 as well. Change isn’t always easy, even when we know God is leading us into it. We step forward with a mixture of fear, excitement, and sometimes a little bit of doubt.

But that’s okay, because God walks beside us.

Wherever He leads you in 2020, know that He will guide you, comfort you, and strengthen you every step of the way.

Merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

—Kim, Kris, Kyle & Kaden

Though I’ve always loved writing, it’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve begun to take steps to grow as a writer. One of those steps led me to attend the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Texas last year.

I was thrilled to connect with other writers in real life, and then later, on social media. I know it’s important for an author to connect with their readers on social media, so I scrolled through the profiles of established writers, trying to figure out just exactly how a real author behaves on social media.

First of all, I learned that real authors post the books they are currently reading. But you can’t just say, “I’m reading so-and-so’s book and it’s really great.” No, you have to set up a mini-photo op on your coffee table or desk, complete with a vintage tea pot, ornate tea cup, and perhaps some flowers tastefully arranged in a vase. (You get bonus points if they color-coordinate with the book cover.)

Easy, you say? Well, there are two reasons the “photo-op-of-what-I’m-reading” won’t work for me. 1) Nerf guns wars. 2) Slam dunk contests. Yes, both of these things happen in my house. And they will continue to happen until my three teen guys leave home. So for now, the one teapot I own will stay safely in the kitchen cupboard.

Secondly, I learned real authors occasionally post pictures of where they are writing. One of the most popular “hashtag look at where I’m writing” pictures is an upscale coffee shop, with a perfectly-but-casually-placed cup of coffee beside the laptop. Or the author might take a beautiful photo of their home office, laptop open, sunlight streaming through gleaming windows, a bouquet of flowers on the desk (color-coordinating with a nearby stack of books).

Sadly, this won’t work for me either. My writing space is um…unconventional. And not exactly beautiful. (Unless you have a thing for high chairs.) I write at the kitchen table in my daycare while my kiddos are taking their afternoon nap. I do, however, have a casually-placed cup of coffee beside my keyboard at all times. 🙂

Ok, so I’m not doing too well in the “looking-like-a-real-author-department.” Surely there is something I can do on social media to claim my status as a genuine writer?

A moment of inspiration hit me. My boys LOVE to read! Why not post pictures of them reading? This could work!

Hmmmm…a picture of my son reading at breakfast. Not bad.

Another one of my boys reading while brushing his teeth. Not quite the look I was going for. (I kid you not, my boys do this all the time. I guess they think brushing their teeth is really boring?)

What about a picture of what they are currently reading? The coffee table is always covered in books. Again, not quite the look I was going for. It’s a bit…un-photogenic. (Yes, I just made up that word.)

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m going to have to find my own way. Forge my own path. Become my own kind of social-media writer.

And I decided that’s not such a bad thing. For what is writing after all?

It’s simply sharing what’s in my heart, and hoping that it connects with your heart.

Happy weekend to you!

May your sleeping-in be restful, your activities be enjoyable, and your social-media posting be real…or at least entertaining! 🙂

To commemorate my 28th month of being a daycare provider, I’ve put together a list of requirements for those of you who may be considering pursuing this career. Of course, these are not the official requirements for state licensing, but they should be…

Do NOT pursue this career if:
1. You do not have a great appreciation for God’s little creatures. These creatures include (but are not limited to) bugs, beetles, spiders, worms, caterpillars, frogs, and toads. You also need to be OK with touching and holding all said creatures.

2. You get grossed out by strange food combinations, such as dipping grapes in ketchup. It is the unwritten law of all children in the universe that ketchup goes on EVERYTHING.

3. You cannot cope with bodily fluids of every kind. Every kind, people!

4. You cannot use the restroom EXTREMELY fast. We’re talking 20 seconds, 30 max. You may want to skip the coffee.

5. You don’t have the skill set of a foreign diplomat. You think it’s hard to keep peace between countries? Try keeping peace with half a dozen 2-year-olds. That’s when the fun starts, folks!

6. You like things done in a timely manner. You’ve heard about the patience of a saint? Well, you will need the patience of an ARMY of saints in this job!

7. You have a problem with celebrating every small step in the process of potty-training. To test this, look into a mirror and say in your happiest, smiley-voice, “You went potty! Yay! That’s SUCH A GOOD GIRL! I’m SO PROUD of you! Let’s do the potty high-five, the potty-dance, AND have a sticker! Do you think you can go potty again in a little while? Let’s text Mommy and Daddy!” If you can keep up this level of enthusiasm for 155 days straight, you can probably handle this job.

8. You don’t like repeating yourself. You will say things like, “Remember, we have gentle hands and kind words,” about a thousand times a day. Also, “Don’t lick that.” That gets said a lot too. Come to think of it, that gets said the most.

9. You don’t like questions. Impossible, there-is-actually-no-reasonable-answer-for-that kind of questions.

10. You’re not reasonably fit. You can test your fitness level by balancing a 20-pound sack of potatoes on your hip, then bending down to pick up another—say, 30-pound—sack of potatoes with your opposite arm. Then sprint like mad towards the nearest restroom facility. If you can handle this without falling on your face or having a near-heart attack, your fitness level is satisfactory.

However….if you are OK with all of these things, and—

You love seeing a child’s face light up at the sight of you.

You love being smothered in exuberant hugs.

You love taking care of the most precious gifts Jesus has given us.

You have a LARGE amount of patience and energy!

Then this is the career for you!

Update:

My little home daycare was the inspiration for my first book, Tales from Toddlers, a collection of true stories from my kiddos. You can check it out HERE.