I last posted on this blog in January, talking about having a firm foundation in Christ. January was an exciting time for me, I began a brand-new job in the ministry at Hope Church as the student and young adult director; I was and still am so ecstatic about this new role and being able to step into full-time ministry once again. In January, I was also embarking on my final semester of my Master of Divinity, and with full intention of keeping this blog weekly, I decided to take a pause. I love writing and telling stories, but when you have to write multiple papers a week, the tank tends to get dry. So, as I was stepping into my new role and taking time to finish my Masters, I chose to fully focus.

Now, in the month of August, I have graduated and am fully stepping into this role. Life remains busy, but it always is, the thing that I have learned is that God is with me in every moment.

Stress, the unknown, and let’s face it, spiritual attack have been at play over these past few months.

I love this space and love getting to share real stories of what God is showing me in my life. I’ve helped create a Family Experience at Hope, took a team to Boston to pull off a VBS for a partner church, planned monthly youth events, and just this past Sunday was able to give a message.

Life. Is. Wild.

I love every moment of it.

With all of the events and busy details that need to happen, it can be easy to get lost in the checklist and the next big thing, but something that God continues to show me is how to find quiet moments in the middle of noise. Noise isn’t a bad thing, but it can quickly distract us from what the important pieces in our life truly are.

These important pieces are things like our family (chosen or biological), our hobbies, our passions, and our relationships with Christ.

This past Christmas, my dear Danielle got me a new wallet that has a small space for a pocket notebook. I love Field Notes, and no I’m not sponsored, they just look really pretty and I have started to use it daily. I try to capture small memories of what God is doing, as well as at the end of the month writing down the highlights of what happened. I also write down the things that I had been enjoying that month. Simple things from foods that I really liked, what I’m currently watching or playing, and even fun words that I was using a lot (I used “yummy” a bunch in June).

I think taking time to do this helps me capture the small joys that can often be overlooked in the normalcy of daily life. I want to capture joy in every day, no matter what life may send my way. It helps me to keep track of my word for the year as well, confidence. Confidence is seeing yourself the way God sees you. I actually spoke about this during my message at Hope, while sharing stories, you can watch it here if you’d like to!

God has designed me in unique ways, placing passions and dreams in me, and the same is true for you. We might have different stories and experiences, but God has created you in His image, just like me. Finding joy and capturing the moments of uniqueness that I experience helps me during the chaos of life.

I still have a busy list that never quite gets fully completed, but I continue to find moments of joy that remind me of who God has created me to be. Try it yourself, capture moments and current joys in a notebook or even a note on your phone. I promise it will help you capture joy in the everyday.

Thanks for reading! I plan to keep this back up to a normal consistency, but who knows with life! With that, I’ll see you later; be sure to capture joy and feel free to share it with me!

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About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a writer by day and superhero by night. When he’s not writing and crimefighting, you can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. The young writer doesn’t fully know what he’s doing, but is enjoying the journey of it all. You can follow his hipster photos and Jack Kerouac musings on Instagram @joshua_thomas__