Women Who Inspire: Joy Mathis Chadwick — Granny’s Porch and Benny

Christian Women Living Magazine has once again found a treasure of the written word. A sprite lady with tons of inspirational stories from life with her grandson. Join us as we welcome Joy Chadwick to the CWL writing family.

Cyndi Kay Green: Will you please introduce yourself to our readers and give us a little background information? Family? Children? Hobbies? Where you are from?
Joy Chadwick: I am a country girl living in the beautiful Ozark Mountains in the tiny town of Marshall, Arkansas; this place was just one of the many reasons I married my hubby (“My Stanley”) 33+ years ago; it had to be a package deal! We have two sons (Tyler and Grant) and their wife and wife-to-be (Latisha and Kendra), and our four year old grandson (Benny The Amazing Wonder Boy). I am a retired nurse, having worked at the almost-local hospital, home health, and hospice; the last 18 years before retirement I worked in different capacities at a community health center here in our little town. I loved my job and the opportunities I had to travel, but now that I’m retired, my favorite place to be is home, in the middle of a cow pasture, in the middle of nowhere. I travel the world now on my back porch, unlimited by the constraints of time and distance and logic; I am closely supervised there by our grand-dog, Snoop, and our cat, Tuna. When I’m not off on a crazy back porch adventure, I enjoy playing the piano, an occasional flea market spree (especially in the fall), scrapbooking, journaling, and blogging.

CKG: Can you give us a summary on your journey with Christ — from the time you accepted Christ, to how you started in ministry.
JC: I asked Jesus into my heart during a revival service in our small country church when I was 16; I felt totally transformed, having gone from being a very poor country girl to becoming a daughter of the King of Kings. I wish I could say that I lived close to the Lord all the years afterward, but I hope my story will speak more of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ more than anything else. I struggled early on with the concept of “God the Father” because (at that time) my relationship with my dad was tense and that’s how I related to my Heavenly Father until I married and had children of my own. (My relationship was tense with my father because I was a very strong-willed and mouthy teenager.) I drifted away from church after high school and only went through the motions of Christianity, and then only when it was convenient. But thank God for my praying momma! Through God’s amazing grace and mercy, He redeemed all my stupid mistakes and brought me back to the Heavenly Father/daughter relationship I should have had all along. To coin an old Bible school song, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before; every day with Jesus, I love Him more and more.”

CKG: Tell us about your blog.
JC: I have always loved to write, but the realities of life usually got in the way, with little time left for anything after raising kids, caring for our aging parents, and working full time. Upon retirement, I started my first blog when I was 64 years old; this was no small feat for someone who does well to even open an email successfully; my technology skills are pitiful at best. My initial thoughts about blogging were to somehow journal my life experiences in a way that my grandson (and any future grandchildren) could someday look back at my Facebook blog and get a glimpse of who I was, but more importantly, get a glimpse of Jesus Christ. “Let this be written for a future generation, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.” Psalm 102:18

CKG: Would you consider your blog your ministry?
JC: Most definitely! I am not an eloquent speaker (to any size audience) by any stretch of the imagination. My former job as an RN sometimes required that I present information and case studies to large intimidating groups of medical professionals; I dreaded that from one presentation to the next. But it didn’t matter if I was speaking to a large audience or one-on-one, I still often struggled to verbalize a cohesive sentence; just not my strong point at all. And any time I would try to tell others about Jesus, I experienced the same struggles; I just could not find the right words at the right time. But let me near a laptop or a Bic pen and a piece of notebook paper and with the help of God, I can somehow pen some words that I hope are inspiring to others. I firmly believe that God knew that my non-intrusive written words from my heart would carry far more impact than if I tried to speak from my heart. Since starting my blog, I have had comments from so many people who I would not have otherwise had the opportunity (or courage) to speak to one on one. God has placed in my heart a love of writing, the compelling need to write. I am just so incredibly grateful and humbled and honored and blessed to be a small part of this amazing group of people.

CKG: What inspires your stories?
JC: Let’s face it, a story about a bug whose bottom lights up in the summer night sky has to be inspired by God! So, to answer your question, GOD inspires every word I write, and I love that because I certainly couldn’t do it on my own merit. I write about what I know – everyday life, everyday experiences, my childhood, lessons learned from Benny The Amazing Wonder Boy. I once blogged about a snake that jumped down my momma’s housecoat, and that story was one of my readers’ favorites. (It was no “story”; it really happened. I always tie in a Biblical application to my crazy stories, even when the story is about an up-close-and-personal encounter with a snake.)

CKG: When did you know that God was leading to be a writer?
JC: Part of my duties with my former job was assisting with grant writing. I wish I could say that I loved it, but it was quite the opposite; however, God does indeed have a keen sense of humor and started nudging my heart even then to explore the possibilities of writing about something that I was more passionate about than medical facts and figures. When I began to consider retirement, I thought I might just give writing a try.

CKG: Have you always had a love for writing?
JC: If “always” began at retirement, then my answer is yes. Otherwise, this is a brand-new venture for me. I have always enjoyed journaling, more specifically bullet journaling, but never the compelling need to write and the love of writing that I now have. Just when you think you’re ready for that rocking chair on the back porch, God laughs and shows you His new plan for your life.

CKG: What is the biggest challenge of starting to write as a freelance writer?
JC: My biggest challenge has been me. Even though I had the desire to write, and felt like it was indeed the Lord’s will for my life to write, I just did not have the self-confidence to take that first step, especially given the fact that I’m old as dirt. Putting my own blog on Facebook was one thing; being scrutinized by peers was a whole new ballgame. BUT THEN a very dear friend, our pastor’s wife, recommended a book, and that made all the difference in the world. The book is entitled “In A Pit with A Lion On A Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson.

CKG: What are some of the biggest challenges facing women today — and women ministries?
JC: I think that women from all walks of life struggle to wear too many hats; and because of the enormous weight and stress of all those hats, it leaves us absolutely worn out, leaving little time and energy for God in most instances. God should be our very first priority and then, and only then can we face those challenges equipped, enthused, and ready for battle. God never meant for us to be tired and beaten down and discouraged. He has so very much more to offer than that.

CKG: Share an instance of God answering a prayer in your life.
JC: I mentioned earlier about my praying momma, and my life was no doubt spared because of her relentless prayers for God’s guidance and protection over my young and crazy life. In 1982 I was trying to buy my first home in Little Rock. The day of closing, as I was literally walking out the door, I got a call from my realtor telling me that the deal had fallen through; I was too young and inexperienced – and heartbroken – to even ask any questions. Eighteen years later as I was reading the morning edition of our state newspaper, I was “somehow” drawn to an article about a serial killer in Little Rock in 1982; his last known address was the house next door to the house I had tried to buy. I’m not saying that had I moved into that house that I would have been his next victim, but I am saying that God spared me from a situation that could have ended very badly. I keep that “randomly” found article in my Bible as a reminder of the power of prayer and God’s perfect timing. There are no coincidences; nothing is random. I thank God every single day for my momma’s prayers, and through her prayers, she taught me the importance of praying for my own family. And I can tell you instance after instance after instance about prayers the Lord has answered in my life. I take nothing for granted.

CKG: We know the world has changed because of Covid, do you think there will ever be a return to what we had, or will we move forward with even more changes?
JC: Covid has certainly changed our world, and the sad thing is that covid is only one small part in the bigger picture of everything else that is going on. It feels like situations are so bleak now that anything at all different to this will have to result in positive changes. God’s Word tells us that in the last days perilous times will come. It’s looking pretty perilous. As for me, I’m pretty anxious to hear that trumpet being blown by that big ol’ angel! Even so, Lord Jesus come!

CKG: What has been the most positive thing you have seen come from this time of chaos?
JC: In our tiny town and community, we have seen neighbors going above and beyond to help each other. Genuine love and concern is being shown to total strangers. We are isolated from the looting and rioting and protesting that goes on in the large cities across the country. We turn our TVs off and sit on the back porch and really don’t listen to the news very much at all. I’ve heard this might be an election year?? We have chosen to see the positive wherever we can. On a practical note, a personal note, when the churches were designated as off-limits due to covid, I carved out a tiny space in my closet as my war room; I don’t know that I would have done that otherwise; it has been life changing.

CKG: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
JC: I just wanna share Jesus! If you want to hear my crazy unconventional stories, I promise you there will be some Jesus-sharing going on, too. He’s changed my life; I’d love to tell you how He can change yours! And for those who find your way to my articles, thank you so very much for reading my words! May God bless you bunches!

CKG: Where can our readers connect with your blog?
JC: You can find my blog, “For Such A Time As This” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1444348745751645