A blog from Joanna:

We all Have a Part

As good as it is to see the power and strength in others, this can quickly become a form of spiritual distraction, causing us to miss who we are in God’s bigger picture.

I am not talking about our identity in Christ. I am talking about the step after that — the moment following our realization of who God is and who we are. The moment when we look around and our spiritual eyes are opened. At that time, we can see that the battle is real and fierce. The enemy wants to go after the weak and slam through the strong, wearing them down consistently with distractions. If we are not careful to stay in a position of restorations, that constant beating can cause our strength to start to weaken. This deterioration is done by forgetting where our power comes from, falling into the trap of monotony, being weighed down by life, neglecting our spiritual growth…. I could continue down the list.

Read more here

If you have considered checking out the Membership Community section of JoannaSnow.com, we have an event you will want to take advantage of! Our Membership Community meeting place is where Members can connect over blogs, discussions, and courses. One of the most popular courses is on marriage. Joanna and her husband, Ben, share experiences and insights on several topics including friendship, vulnerability, teamwork, and communication. They look at elements that can cause struggles and discuss the best way to address touchy subjects.

On Memorial Day, May 31, JoannaSnow.com will be hosting a live online marriage event discussing the topic of Creating A Safe Space In Your Relationship. There will be a time of Q&A at the end. You can submit your questions when you sign up for the event!

This event is only $9.99, and it’s a great way to see what kinds of information the videos provide. For more information on the event, including how to join, go to JoannaSnow.com/events or JoannaSnow.com/marriage-event.

Consider joining our community and adding to the discussion!

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Joanna Snow Ministries is located in Downtown Mobile, Alabama, and we love it!

This is the old Gayfers building in downtown Mobile. This picture was taken from the corner of Conti and St. Emanuel, but the main entrance was on Dauphin, across from Bienville Park. If you aren’t local, you may not know that Gayfers was a department store that started in Mobile in the late 1800s. It grew into a chain and was actually an anchor store in nearly 20 malls across the South before being bought out by Dillards in 1998.

C. J. Gayfer immigrated to the United States from Southwold, England. He established the first Gayfer’s on North Joachim Street in 1879. (They dropped the apostrophe in the early 1970s.) Gayfers operated storefronts in several downtown locations over the years. One of them, as you may recall from a previous piece, was where our office building sits now, 169 Dauphin Street. It was in the first Spira and Pincus Building on that site beginning in 1880. The store was destroyed by fire in 1898, and the new Spira and Pincus Building (where we are now) was built for a reported cost of $12,000. Gayfers continued to grow from there, and it covered half a block in the 1950s.

Below is a drawing of the St. Emanuel storefront when it was opened around 1951 and a picture of what it looks like today. According to a September 2020 AL.com article, plans are being made through both grants and investors to renovate the building, turning it into residential housing.

Read the AL.com article

I encourage you to take a minute and think about the different statuses you have had in your life. Seasons come and go. This building changed tenants and purposes, and even though it has been neglected for a while, it still has a promising future! So do you! Through changes in relationships, jobs, and titles, you are still you. We may not know what the future holds, but God does. And He wants to partner with you!