Part of the challenge of the past six weeks or so has been the sense of a complete lack of control over almost all aspects of life. The coronavirus has killed more than 62,000 people in the US as of this writing, but it’s toll on the human spirit has been much higher. I have […]
NOTE: I wrote this post awhile back. At that time, problems and distractions were more personal and less global than they are right now during the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. If you have recently suffered some major setbacks in your goals and dreams as a result of the coronavirus and the resulting shutdowns, it might […]
I had a wonderful quiet time with Jesus this morning. It wasn’t too quiet. Usually I try to be silent in the morning, but today was different. With all the talk of COVID-19, economic disaster, and world hunger swirling in my head, I woke up afraid. What is the antidote to fear? Faith! When I […]
Fear is a sneak thief! He has an especially wicked trick. This bandit manages to steal things from you that you haven’t even gotten yet! Most thieves come and take away your possessions. Fear steals your potential. He interrupts dreams with twin terrors: fear of failure and fear of success. He doesn’t care. He’s just as happy to […]
Today is the final day of the 40-day challenge to find more joy in life. I began this project on February 26, 2020—the first day of Lent. The world changed radically over the course of those 40 days. It began with naiveté as I went about my daily life with a sense of safety and security. […]
Marie Kondo has told us to part with any of our possessions that do not “spark joy.” Anyone who hasn’t been under a rock knows that a cluttered space robs you of your peace of mind. Clean fresh space, clean, fresh mind. At least that’s the assumption. On Day 39 of 40 Days to a Joy-Filled […]
Gratitude is a mainstay of joy. How can you be truly satisfied and content if you don’t recognize the gifts in the small, everyday blessings of life? Lack of thankfulness leaves you disgruntled and resentful as you look past the good things in your own life at the abundance you recognize in your neighbor’s life. […]
Throughout 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life, the message from Tom Newberry has been that everything starts with your thoughts. To clarify, he states, “Because of thinking, we feel certain emotions. As a result of these feelings, we engage in certain behaviors. And these behaviors accumulate and produce the conditions of our lives.” This philosophy […]
Today in my quiet time, I was thanking Jesus for the things he has taught me about relationships. Many of the lessons were learned the hard way. Sometimes thought I had learned a lesson only to fail the test when given a chance to practice it again. I couldn’t understand why I kept meeting the wrong […]
As I began to read Day 35 of 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life by Tommy Newberry, I thought I knew where he was going with his analogy. He was describing his big family Christmas gatherings. I know about these as my three sisters and I, all our spouses and kids, my grandmother and parents made quite […]
