Posts Tagged ‘Joy’
A Living Faith that Overcomes the Temptation of Discouragement
This part 4 of a 5-part series. For previous posts, click the following: part 1; part 2; part 3. I find myself being one of the few middle-aged persons I know who looks back with fondness on his junior high years. Most people say that they would never want to repeat junior high again. But it’s…
Read MoreA Living Faith That Overcomes the Temptation of Disgust
This part 3 of a 5-part series. For previous posts, click the following: part 1; part 2. I went almost ten years without a correct diagnosis regarding what exact muscle disease I had. Honestly, the muscle disease itself wasn’t the hardest trial. The hardest trials were the effects of the muscle disease: not being wanted…
Read MoreRightly Responding to Suffering: Joy Rooted in Faith
Click here to read the first article in this series. Many of the trials in my life have been minor or short-lived. I could gut it out and the trial would be over with. But when I was diagnosed with an irreversible, progressive muscle disease between my junior and senior years of college, I had…
Read MoreRightly Responding to Suffering: Be Joyful in Your Trials
How do we rightly respond to suffering? This is the first post in a fivefold series to teach us a powerful truth from James 1:2–18: As you face overwhelming trials, responding with an attitude of joy will only be possible by a correct perspective of your faith in God. Quickly summarizing James 1:2–18, James teaches…
Read MoreThe Third Sunday of Christmas: Christ Our Joy
Luke 2:9-11 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before (the shepherds), and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there…
Read MoreHappy, Holy Days
What comes to your mind when you hear these words: “We wish you a Merry Christmas!” “Happy Holidays!” “Happy New Year!” Each of these expressions portrays happiness and hope. But is this happy hope real? Some people use the politically correct, “Seasons Greetings,” and that way everyone can interpret it any way they wish. After…
Read MoreHealing the Wounded Spirit (2)
Prov.15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. This headline exploded on my computer screen as I sat down to write this blog: “New York City school kids are losing their minds over the zonked-out drug addicts and raving vagrants they encounter every day –…
Read MoreHealing the Wounded Spirit (1)
Proverbs 18:14: The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? The pandemic we lived through has triggered an explosion of crushed spirits and broken hearts. Loneliness, exhaustion, abuse, fear of infection, grief over loved ones lost, and financial concerns are some of the key stress factors. All…
Read MoreIt’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World!
That’ s my impression from my stroll down the main drag of Gatlinburg, TN, recently. Few people smiling or laughing. Harsh words being spoken to others, especially to children and other family members. One woman hollering out foul language because she has pulled into a blocked street and folks would not “ part the Red…
Read MoreThe Liberty of the Spirit
Have you ever wondered how you could be full of wisdom when the world is full of folly? It just never seems to end, does it? Two days ago, a foolhardy group of artists posed as construction workers to hang a giant banner on a statue of Christ in Arkansas. The banner read, “God Bless…
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