Joanne’s Blog

Hello my friends! Many of us are feeling isolated, anxious and even a bit depressed as we watch the news and realize the seriousness of this pandemic.  But church, we have the answer. It’s not that we are not anxious and fearful and even depressed at times during this pandemic, but we know that our […]

Our Spring study: Following the Call-Leading Courageously may have been cut short but we can stay connected! Connect with us –    https://www.joanneellison.com/ https://www.instagram.com/joanneellisondng/ https://www.facebook.com/DrawingNearToGod/    

Today my heart is heavy as two of my priests tested positive with the Corona Virus. My third priest has been sick for weeks and has also been tested.  One of them is on ventilator. COVID 19  has shut down communities and caused anxiety and fear to rise up in many. So how do we […]

The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me, […]

Good morning and welcome to Making Space Mondays. Today we face a crisis that many of us never thought we would experience in our lifetime.  Sickness, disease, yes, but a pandemic (definition- prevalent over a whole country or world) probably not.  In an article on the story of influenza, I learned that in the late […]

I am often asked how to read Scripture. My response is to allow the Word to read you, to have the Word speak to you as a love letter from God the Father. When I read Scripture, I ask the Lord to speak to me through His Word and journal what I sense He is […]

Good morning and welcome to Making Space Mondays! Many of you are part of our Drawing Near to God community and some are not. Please join us as we journey together to grow in Christ and live our lives fully engaged in making Him known. I went for a walk today on the beach near […]

We would love for you to join us at our Celebration Luncheon, March 26 – 10am, Seacoast Church, 750 Longpoint Road, Mt. Pleasant, SC.  Come and see what the Lord has done through our study of Romans and Following the Call.  Click Here to Register. Bring a friend! Connect with us!   http://facebook.com/drawingneartogod     https://www.instagram.com/joanneellisondng/  […]

This week as we continue our Making Space Mondays, my topic is facing our fears– our Goliaths; those things that threaten to take us down. I saw a post this week on our Drawing near Facebook that was so powerful: David, a shepherd boy, one day called to be King of Israel, learned to face […]

So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” I Samuel 16:12     The word anoint comes from the Hebrew word masah, which means to “anoint, smear, consecrate.” It occurs approximately 70 times […]