2001 |
Now! 2016 |
Thanks for clicking my bio.
I am the author of Choosing Him All Over Again: A Story of Romance and Redemption (Ambassador International 2015).
This is my personal blog. Yes, I left my husband early in our marriage. Then I came back. Then he left me. I'll tell you more about that in a minute. We made it, and so can you. That's why I love to write on faith and marriage more than anything else, although I occasionally write on other topics. (Update October 13, 2016: I now only blog occasionally to focus more on speaking, and at times, writing articles. My website is to provide information on how to get my book, to schedule speaking events, to publicize articles and speaking events, and to archive past blogs on strengthening faith and marriage.)
I have also written on parenting and I occasionally wrote about our youngest daughter, Mary, who was born totally blind. I also liked writing on organization and other aspects of Christian living that didn't fit into one of the above topics (I hate to admit it—but being a total slob at heart I struggle with self discipline—I need reminders for home and time management).
I loved ending each blog with a reminder for us to, "Walk by faith."
My message always boils down to two things: trusting and obeying God. One of the highlights of my life is being mentored by that great woman of faith of our day, Elisabeth Elliot. I can barely go a week without mentioning something that I learned from her.
My goal is to speak and write insightful content that is Biblical and practical that you can apply directly into your life (and into mine—let's face it—I write because writing out what I think helps me to live out what it is that I believe). If you are a Christian woman who seeks to put Christ first in all areas of your life—especially in your role as a wife—then my book, talks, articles, and past blogs are for you.
To
make sure that you don't miss an occasional post you can subscribe to my blog to
get the RSS feed by entering you email address in the box on my right
sidebar under my profile picture on my home page, or you may follow me on Bloglovin.
You can find my speaker page here.
You can find my speaker page here.
My Top Posts
If you are new to my site, you may want to start with some of my popular posts. Here some are, in each category:
Faith
Marriage
Parenting
Elisabeth Elliot
Mary
You
can also check out my blog archives to read every post I have ever
written. Beginning with the earliest archive to the oldest—you will find 2013 here, 2012 archives here—and my older blog archives going back to 2009 here. You can also go to the top of my blog and click on any category that may interest you.
My Biography
Raised in Richmond, Virginia, I graduated from Meredith College in 1980 and went to work for Xerox Corporation (after I bugged them to death before hiring me!) where
I worked for 14 years in sales and marketing; ten of those years I was
in a marketing executive position. Selected to work on a Governor’s task
force in 1986, I represented Xerox to my state, where I somehow was
selected to receive the Governor’s highest award: The Order of the
Longleaf Pine (something I have never quite understood how I received).
I initially learned to speak and sing publicly in a festive environment (this is the kind of summer job where you keep saying, pinch me, am I dreaming?). In
1976, I worked at King’s Dominion Family Entertainment Park in Live
Shows as a singer in the Kings of Swing Band, where I performed in front
of large live audiences five times daily with two other young women (I never let them know I would have done it for free!).
I
married my college sweetheart in 1981. With parents that comprised
several marriages and a father that struggled with alcoholism, I had no
role modeling in my life for Christian marriage. I left my husband in
1984, knowing that something was “missing in my marriage,” thinking I had mistakenly married the wrong person.
During our separation, I accepted Christ, and my marriage was reconciled in 1986. Seven years later, my husband accepted Christ.☺
We later had four children, Blair, John, Alex and Mary. Our fourth child, Mary,
was born totally blind. I was befriended and mentored by Elisabeth
Elliot in what began as a writing correspondence, after being a listener
to her radio program.
I
resigned from Xerox leaving a little over six-figure income in 1994
when I was granted the desire of my heart: to be a full time wife and
stay-at-home mother. I
exchanged corporate events in my heels at five star locations with
clients to peanut butter and jelly with my little ones surrounded by
great literature!
We then taught our children at home for the next thirteen years (nothing I will ever do or accomplish will surpass that fleeting time—don't make me talk about it for I will cry with thankfulness for those years! Oh, how they flew by!).
I
realized the dream of sharing our story, first in 1993, when our pastor
called saying the President of Church Initiative, asked us to film our
testimony for a DVD series on divorce care. I began speaking publicly in
1995, addressing women’s groups in churches by sharing my faith and
story of hope in marriage, and leading seminars on order, home life, and
time management for the Christian woman.
I
was delighted to appear as a guest for three consecutive days on
Elisabeth Elliot’s “Gateway to Joy,” Back to the Bible radio program in
1997 as I told how I got a second chance on the marriage, spoke on
family life, and order in the home. In 2007, I was the featured guest on
Haven Today for their Mother’s Day program. You can hear the soundtrack
of the latter program, by clicking here. I returned on their program in 2015 and you can hear that soundtrack here. I will be the featured guest on Focus on the Family's Daily Broadcast on October 25-26, 2016 in a 2-day program called, "Giving Your Marriage a Second Chance." Beginning on October 25, 2016, you will be able to hear Part 1 here, and beginning on October 25, 2016, you will be able to hear Part 2 here.
My husband and I have been married thirty-five years and make our home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
I
especially love being an older woman teaching younger women what is
good to grow as the women God would have us be in spiritual and
practical ways.
I
began blogging in 2009 (after one blog entry in the entire year of
2008!) and love the topics of faith, marriage, parenting, home,
organization, Elisabeth Elliot, and life through the eyes of my youngest
daughter who was born totally blind.
My Contact Information
You may contact me via e-mail at juana(at)juanamikels(dot)com or you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
Colophon
I began my blog using iWeb from Apple. In June 2012, I switched to Blogger software. I used Kassie Garlock to help me develop a theme, and was thrilled to get permission from artist Rebecca Patman Chandler to use her artwork for my brand. Her pastel color choice and impressionistic style suits my personality perfectly.
In terms of design, the body text font I use most often is Georgia. My banner font is Montez, and my blog titles are done in Gill Sans MT. Ray Barbour took most of my personal photos. I get my stock photos for my blog posts from Shutterstock.
The top picture was taken in 2001, and below is a more recent picture of our family. Don't I have a beautiful family? And to think, when I wasn't following God, I nearly threw it all away! Isn't God merciful and wonderful to us?☺
To read my Statement of Faith click here.