I believe I’m coming to the end of my study on joy. Just a few more blog entries and I think I’ve exhausted my look into this one word. I didn’t have a clue, when I began, where this…
Now and then, we find ourselves traveling on some difficult roads. Not only are they steep, leaving us breathless, but they are dangerous, as well. Joy-robbers hide all along the way, and before we know it, they attack us,…
Hot on the heels of last week’s blog on confession, I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about the circumstances surrounding King David’s situation. Prior to his written confession in Psalm 32, followed by Psalm 51, David was…
We’ve enjoyed a great summer thus far. It certainly isn’t over, not by any means… What makes summer, well, summer, is warm weather; visits from a lot of friends; barbecues; freshly mowed grass; afternoon rain showers; kids laughing and…
Bay and I have served in ministry for years. For the majority of our years, we were blessed to work with youth. What a joy-job! We loved nothing better than planning, preparing, producing events, food, outreaches, food, worship nights,…
Restoration of joy. That’s what’s on my mind this morning. For every Camp Robber that attempts to steal my joy, there are specific ways to recover it. Creating space for joy is a definite must. Taking time to be…
Lord Byron is quoted as saying, “If I don’t write to quiet my mind, I go mad.” I’ve often thought we must have been related, he and I. Typically my mind is spinning and full. This morning it is…
I have written much, spent a lot of ink, on the topic of shame. Shame is, in my opinion, my #1 enemy when it comes to joy-robbing. He’s almost giant in proportion, but not quite big enough (this is true,…
Life just keeps moving forward, and here I am, still navigating these roads that lead to joy. Along the way, I’ve discovered a lot of ways to create space finding joy. By creating space, I am choosing joy above…
A few weeks ago, a friend posted the following on Facebook. It was immediately convicting and heart-breaking. Here’s the quote: “When we are busier than God requires us to be, we do violence to ourselves…Thomas Merton understood this and…