Hands Full of Blessings!
Sharing Some of My Blessings With You.
Recent Post
Be Salty Stay Lit
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | October 9, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." Jesus called his followers "SALT of the earth." Salt is used as a preservative and...
Let God Use You!
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | September 30, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
Isn’t it amazing that the God of the Universe chooses to use us for His glory! Over the past couple of weeks, I have been privileged to hear testimony after testimony of how God intervened in people’s lives. And as I have listened to these amazing stories, I see how...
Church Hurt
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | September 21, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
As most of you know, my husband is now an Air Force Chaplain. For five years prior, he was a pastor at an amazing community church. But let me tell you all- church ministry is hard! So, I say everything I am about to say, knowing how hard it is to be in church...
Cleaning Up
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | July 28, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
Every Saturday morning, we sleep in, eat waffles for breakfast, and clean the house. And every Saturday morning I find myself cleaning up behind my kids. This morning, after they swept the kitchen, dining room, and office area I came behind them… AND swept up FOUR...
The Plan???
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 30, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
Today's sermon- Knowing God has a plan that includes you is different than you having a plan which hopefully includes Him. Acts 19:11-16 God was working through Paul. Doing such extraordinary things through him. Some people thought- I can do that too. So these men...
In the Boat
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 28, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
Storms of life will happen. It's a guarantee. We live in a broken and fallen world. Full of sin, sickness, and struggles. God knew we couldn't escape our brokenness without Him. That's why He sent us Jesus. It was the plan from the very beginning. Jesus lived a...
The Thief? John 10:10
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 18, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
I keep seeing this verse on my FB feed being used out of context, and it’s driving me nuts! I don’t really want to just “add to the noise.” And this isn’t really a personal message that may speak to people… So, I kept putting it off… Then the Lord puts on my...
Super Faith- Origin Story
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 15, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
There’s something about a superhero story that grips straight at my heart. Maybe it’s the sad origin story. Maybe it’s that every day person stepping up and doing what’s right even when it’s not easy. Maybe it’s that complex relationship between the hero and villain....
Pruning
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 9, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
My life verse is John 15. It’s literally tattooed on my arm. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (5).” Apart from Him I can do nothing. I need that constant reminder....
Walking on Water
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 5, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
So many times we hear the story of Peter walking on water and the focus is Peter taking his eyes off Jesus, focusing on the storm, and sinking. Good message. Keep your eyes on Jesus not your circumstances. But Peter has a lot more to show us here. What if we looked at...
More on the Blog
Book 2: A Princess Problem with Pride
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | May 14, 2021 | Books, Faith | 0 Comments
Book 2 is on the way!!!! But before I tell you anymore. You HAVE to hear how God brought it all together. Book #1 was released… literally right before the United States went on lock down for COVID-19. Bye bye book signings. Goodbye read-alouds. All my thoughts on...
It’s Launch Day!!!!
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | February 25, 2020 | Books, Popular Post | 0 Comments
Today is the day! Daughters of The King: A Princess Problem with Envy is now available for purchase through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also order through the publisher, Grackle Publishing. Please help me spread the word about this book, the series, but most...
God is Faithful!
by reneejoiner | September 3, 2019 | Books, Growing in Faith, Popular Post | 8 Comments
I’m getting published!!! I’m so excited to share this news. However, it doesn’t seem right to share this news without sharing how AMAZING our God is! So, let me tell you the whole story! The Call In April of 2017, I felt this stir in my heart to write a book. It...
Book Update!!!
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 14, 2020 | Books, Popular Post | 2 Comments
Coming soon! Book 1- Daughters of The King: A Princess Problem with Envy Release date: February 25, 2020 You can pre-order on Amazon now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1951620003 Please tell all your friends who have daughters in the age range of 2-8! Also, please leave...
A Dream Come True
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 21, 2020 | Books, Popular Post | 0 Comments
This moment… this moment, right here, is something I have been dreaming about for almost three years. But let me tell you a secret… 3 ½ years ago, it wasn’t even on my bucket list. This is 100% a dream God put on my heart, and He gave me the super-human strength to...
God Report
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | April 23, 2021 | Popular Post | 2 Comments
As you may have noticed, I have not been posting nearly as often as I have in the past. Our family is going through some big changes in which all the credit goes to God! Let me back up a few years… to right before my husband took a job as a pastor. Previously he...
Offended
by reneejoiner | April 23, 2019 | Popular Post | 0 Comments
Well, on Good Friday I found myself in need of a shopping trip to Target. It was a for-real need. The baby only had a handful of diapers left. (And Target’s Up and Up diapers are the best value.) So, my six children and I walked into a busy Target. I was able to...
Book Update!!!
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 14, 2020 | Books, Popular Post | 2 Comments
Coming soon! Book 1- Daughters of The King: A Princess Problem with Envy Release date: February 25, 2020 You can pre-order on Amazon now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1951620003 Please tell all your friends who have daughters in the age range of 2-8! Also, please leave...
Painting with Twigs
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | March 5, 2020 | Faith, Popular Post | 0 Comments
Well, I’m not sure if I’m an awesome mom or crazy. While playing outside one of my children was collecting twigs. Another said, “Hey we could paint with these! Mom, can we paint with twigs?” “Sure!” I said pulling out the paints and blank papers. Well, guess what? The...
My Story
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 25, 2021 | Popular Post | 3 Comments
I had to write my conversion testimony for an Evangelism class at Liberty University, and I thought that there was no reason for it to stay on my computer. So here it is. (I did have to follow a specific format and keep it to 2 pages maximum.) I have not always been a...
It’s Launch Day!!!!
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | February 25, 2020 | Books, Popular Post | 0 Comments
Today is the day! Daughters of The King: A Princess Problem with Envy is now available for purchase through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also order through the publisher, Grackle Publishing. Please help me spread the word about this book, the series, but most...
Love Song from China
by reneejoiner | September 9, 2019 | Popular Post | 0 Comments
Every morning at 5 am, I wake up to teach kids in China online. I love my job! I really do! It honestly amazes me the relationships you can build with kids across the world using a pre-planned 25-minute lesson. That’s not the point of this post, though. Yesterday...
Coffee and Jesus
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 25, 2020 | Popular Post | 0 Comments
This morning I made my coffee, I smiled at my coffee mug that was given to me this Christmas. “All I need today is a little bit of Coffee & a whole lot of Jesus.” So true. But is it backwards? I mean really. I’m a mom of six. I teach kids in China online starting...
Identity
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 3, 2020 | Christian Parallels, Faith, Popular Post | 0 Comments
I just recently watched The Incredibles with my children. We love this movie. It never gets old. If you haven’t seen this movie, you should. It is about a family of Supers trying to get along in a world where they have to try to pretend to be something they are not...
“You Have Your Hands Full!”
by reneejoiner | January 15, 2018 | Popular Post | 4 Comments
A couple years ago, I was walking into Target with my (then) four kids. I had one kid in the cart, and the other 3 riding along the sides of it. As I started heading into the store, a random man made eye contact with me. … Great… Here we go again… another conversation...
The Pumpkin Patch Parable Review
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 19, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Title: The Pumpkin Patch Parable Author: Liz Curtis Higgs Illustrator: Nancy Munger Disclaimer: I LOVE LIZ CURTIS HIGGS! Moms, if you have not read her Bad Girls of the Bible series, you should… totally not the point of this post though… Summary: Bestselling author...
Good Good Father Book Review
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 15, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Title: Good Good Father Authors: Chris Tomlin and Pat Barrett Illustrator: Lorna Hussey Publisher: Tommy Nelson Summary: Grammy Award-winning music artist, Chris Tomlin, and Pat Barrett (Housefires) team up to tell the story of a little bear named Tucker whose life is...
Children Arise Review
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | July 3, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Book: Children Arise Author: Jenny Johnson Illustrator: Jessie Blasdel Summary: Children Arise is a book empowering children to become all God created them to be by teaching them how to partner with Holy Spirit! Children Arise is a sweet storybook that teaches little...
Three Gifts for Abigail Review
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 26, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Title: Three Gifts for Abigail Author: Allison Romero Illustrator: Gloria Elliott Summary: Excited to spend a special day with family, Abigail hurries downstairs where she finds a surprise waiting for her on the living room table. As she uncovers each of the three...
Like Arrows
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | August 25, 2021 | Book Reviews, Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
When I started the review section of my blog, I never really intended on doing anything outside of Christian children’s book… but last night I watched a movie on Amazon Prime that I think would benefit parents (young and old alike) to watch- Like Arrows. Movie Title:...
Veggie Tales Comic Book Reviews
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 30, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Book: Veggie Tales Super Comic Volume 3 (contains the stories of Rack, Shack, and Benny, MacLarry and the Stinky Cheese Battle, and Larry Boy and the Rude Beet.) Author: Rack, Shack, and Benny is adapted from the movie created by Big Idea, adapted by Aaron Linn....
The Princess Parables Book Review
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 12, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Title: Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten (The Princess Parables) Authors: Jeanna Young, Jacqueline Kinney Johnson Illustrator: Omar Aranda Summary: In Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten, Princess Grace promises her father she will care for the...
Jesus Storybook Bible
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | July 16, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Title: Jesus Story Book Bible Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones Illustrator: Jago Summary: For over a decade, The Jesus Storybook Bible has been introducing children to God’s wonderful story, and the Savior at the center of that story. Trusted and treasured for over a decade,...
A New Section: Book Reviews
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 11, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
“You don’t know what you don’t know…” In the Spring of 2017, I felt called to write... specifically, a Christian children’s book series. As I was seeking to fill out my submission forms to various agents and publishers, I found the section: competitive titles....
Jesus Loves the Little Children Book Review
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 19, 2021 | Book Reviews | 0 Comments
Title: Jesus Loves the Little Children; A Chosen Story Author: Dallas and Amanda Jenkins Illustrator: Kristen Hendricks Summary: Abigail talks a lot. A LOT. So when she meets Jesus for the first time, she talks about him to every kid she can find. Together the...
Christian Parallels Post
A Poison Ivy Wreath
by reneejoiner | October 29, 2019 | Christian Parallels, Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
This week we have seen the beautiful colors of fall in St. Louis! As my kids were playing outside, they kept showing me the colorful leaves that they would find. So, I decided we should make an autumn wreath for our front door. Oh, they had a blast finding all the...
Little Red Riding Hood
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | October 4, 2020 | Christian Parallels | 0 Comments
My kids love watching a YouTube channel called “Pancake Manor.” The creators are a couple in Canada who remake/remix nursery rhymes making them upbeat, creative, and fun. They do an awesome job, really! But with my kids of all ages 10-1 loving these music videos, the...
Thoughts on The Little Mermaid
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | March 26, 2020 | Christian Parallels | 0 Comments
Next up on Christian Parallels in the Movies is The Little Mermaid. Now, I hadn’t seen this movie since I was a kid. My little sister loved this movie, so in good big sister fashion- I did not. I actually promised myself that I would never let my daughters watch this...
Jingle All The Way
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | December 20, 2019 | Christian Parallels | 0 Comments
Next up on Christian Parallels in the Movies is “Jingle All the Way!” Every 90s child knows this movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a workaholic dad who forgets to get his son, Jamie, a Turbo-Man doll. Let’s be honest, watching this movie as an adult was very different...
Christian Parallels in The Land Before Time
by reneejoiner | November 17, 2019 | Christian Parallels | 0 Comments
Up next on Christian Parallels in the movies is “The Land Before Time.” I remember watching this movie as a kid and balling my eyes out every time… Well guys, watching the movie as an adult with my six children… I still cried… maybe even harder. Movie Recap The movie...
Pinocchio: Which Character Are You?
by reneejoiner | November 12, 2019 | Christian Parallels, Faith | 0 Comments
The next movie that was put on my heart for Christian Parallels in the movies is "Pinocchio." Now let me start by saying, I had never seen this 1940s Disney classic until this movie was put on my heart. But as I watched it, I quickly saw why God directed me to this...
Sleeping Beauty
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | February 24, 2020 | Christian Parallels | 0 Comments
I recently read that fairy tales are a literary form of apologetics because they illuminate the Gospel. After reflecting on this, I noted that most of our basic princess fairy tales follow a similar format: 1) They start with a happy world where we meet our princess....
Finding Purpose Through the Race
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | November 27, 2019 | Christian Parallels | 0 Comments
My five year old daughter just asked me to read to her a "Cars" book. As I read the book and reminisced about the movie, I knew the next movie on the blog should be “Cars.” I remember watching this movie years ago… Like before kids. But I didn’t realize we had never...
The Ants Go Marching
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | October 12, 2020 | Christian Parallels | 1 Comment
The next Nursery Rhyme on the blog is actually more of a well-known kid’s song- The Ants Go Marching. What’s interesting about ants is that they are small, and alone they seem weak. But they don’t live alone. They live in colonies…with thousands of other ants. In that...
Christian Parallels in The Lion King
by reneejoiner | November 5, 2019 | Christian Parallels | 1 Comment
Last week I had the opportunity to share some Christian parallels of the movie “Aladdin” in my blog. It was honestly really neat to see how the messages of the movie fit perfectly into the blog I was currently writing. So, I decided to try this again with another...
Asking For What I Need
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | May 8, 2018 | Faith in Marriage | 0 Comments
My kids are big readers. They love their books. It’s not uncommon to walk into their rooms and see them all reading for fun. To say reading is one of the favorite hobbies around my house would be spot on. Even though they love to read on their own (even my 1 year...
Trust Me
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | November 3, 2021 | Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
Me to my first grader, “Always start in the ones place when adding big numbers. I know it doesn’t matter now, but it will.” Two minutes later, “Start in the ones place.” Thirty seconds later, “Trust me, start in the ones place.” Interjection, “Yes, I still have to do...
Chalk Influence
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 24, 2021 | Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
Yesterday I gave my kids some sidewalk chalk and told them to go play. They covered the driveway in drawings and scribbles. They had a blast. (Best $1 ever spent). However, when they came inside tiny chalk footprints lined the foyer, chalk handprint on doors and...
Homeschooling with Littles
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | July 18, 2020 | Faith in Parenting, Popular Post | 0 Comments
It was suggested that I write a blog about how to homeschool with littles at home. My immediate response was, “I wish I knew.” However, many people have told me I seem to have a good handle on it, so here it goes. If you are on the fence about homeschooling and are...
The Hawk- The Common Enemy
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | May 29, 2020 | Faith in Marriage | 0 Comments
While playing outside yesterday, we noticed a hawk in the tree right over head. At first, it was cool to watch, but then it was like, “Oh no, what is it trying to get?” As the day went on, he sat there on the edge of the tree branch high above our heads. But the other...
Potty Training
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 23, 2021 | Faith in Parenting, Fellowship | 0 Comments
The decade of diapers is almost behind me… My oldest is 10 and my last child is now 2. He also seems to think he is ready to potty train. This morning I stood by him and said good job as he peed all over the floor. My oldest smiled at me and said, “I’ll go get...
Discipline
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | November 23, 2020 | Faith in Parenting | 1 Comment
No one likes getting in trouble. No one likes punishments. Heck, no one likes correction PERIOD! However, I am learning as a parent, even the person dishing out the consequences does not like the process. It is so hard to sit and watch my son not be able to play his...
Learning to Walk- Wear Those Socks and Shoes!!!
by reneejoiner | November 10, 2019 | Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
My one year old (GASP! I can’t believe he is one…) is trying to walk. This morning he grabbed a hold of the back of my legs and followed me from the kitchen into the living room. It was adorable. But also, a little bit annoying. You see, for the past month, I have...
Brave?
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | March 5, 2021 | Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
Today I had not one… not two... but three other moms tell me that I was brave while walking around the zoo and Turtle Park with my six kids. Honestly, I was taken back by this. I’m not brave. This is what we do. We run errands together. We go out together. We have fun...
It is Worth It!
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | August 27, 2021 | Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
Sometimes I wonder if chasing this dream of being an established Christian Children’s Book author is worth it. The insane amount of rejection, critiques, and let downs can really wear on someone… especially one who just realized she tends to run to the well of...
10 years ago…
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 8, 2022 | Faith | 0 Comments
10 years ago… I was not the person I am today. My life was falling apart. My marriage was holding on by a thread. Ten years ago, I was a mess. Ten years ago, I hit rock bottom. The perfect life I pretended to build fell through my fingers. I had no choice but to look...
Main Ingredient
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | August 20, 2020 | Faith | 0 Comments
Any bakers out there? I have found myself baking from scratch a lot more often lately. Since I learned of a dairy intolerance in several of my children, I have had to check the labels on everything! And I have just found it easier to make it from scratch with dairy...
In the Boat
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | June 28, 2024 | Faith | 0 Comments
Storms of life will happen. It's a guarantee. We live in a broken and fallen world. Full of sin, sickness, and struggles. God knew we couldn't escape our brokenness without Him. That's why He sent us Jesus. It was the plan from the very beginning. Jesus lived a...
Guarded
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 29, 2019 | Faith | 1 Comment
While at the library Thursday, my daughter checked out a bunch of books. Since she forgot her library bag, the librarian gave her a plastic grocery bag to carry her books. As she was walking out of the library, the bag ripped, and her books fell all over the ground....
“Read”
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | April 16, 2020 | Faith | 1 Comment
My little guy is 17 months old now. He’s so vocal! His favorite words are “MOM!” and “No!” For the most part, we can make out what he is saying, because he makes sure to get to the point by pulling us or throwing things in our direction. But one of the first words he...
Thoughts on the CoVID 19
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | March 20, 2020 | Faith | 3 Comments
Yesterday I had to go to the doctor. I have a very tight, sore throat. I really did not want to go to the doctor among this CoVID 19 virus, but after weeks of having this annoying sore throat- it was only getting worse. For a week, my kids and I had not left the...
Just a Little…
by reneejoiner | August 20, 2019 | Faith, Growing in Faith | 0 Comments
Last week my children and I were in a little fender bender. We were traveling on the interstate and switching highways during rush hour. While we were stopped on the exit ramp, a lady rear-ended us. As I sat in my van waiting on the police officers to show up, I was...
Keep or Return???
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 29, 2018 | Faith | 0 Comments
Every Wednesday I take my kids to the library. We check out A LOT of books. I mean seriously, our library’s circulation probably doubles on Wednesdays. Part of our library ritual includes finding the books we already have checked out, so we can return them. Now that...
Hitting the Nail
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | March 5, 2019 | Faith | 0 Comments
The first Saturday of the month I try to take my kids to the Home Depot children’s workshops. They love using the hammers, nails, screwdrivers, and screws while building the project of the month. I’m pretty sure their favorite part of the project is the painting...
The Narrow Path
by reneejoiner_jhkz15 | January 10, 2020 | Faith, Faith in Parenting | 0 Comments
Last week I watched a video on what to do if your vehicle gets submerged in water. Honestly, I had no idea what you really should do. I learned that you are to roll down the windows and get out as fast as you can before the vehicle goes under. The video I watched...