I wish I could read the book from which this quote was taken. It's been my pleasure to have read a few of Ortberg's books and they have all spurred me on to a greater depth of thinking and towards the Lover of my soul. “If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life. If your soul is unhealthy, no external circumstance can redeem your life.” – John Ortberg, Soul Keeping There is so much truth in this statement. In fact, I think you'll agree that it resonates with many of my recent JoyDay! posts. So much of life is outside of our … [Read more...]
My week was hard. It was one of those weeks I don't ever want to remember. The culmination was to hear untruths spewed out about my relationship with my mother (who died 11 years ago) by someone who has absolutely no idea. Talk about a kick in the stomach. So what do I do when my head is spinning and things seem totally out of control? Drive to the big lake to see big waves. And stay until sunset, that in spite of the heavy gray skies, sprang forth with great brilliance. Or on another day, go to a lakeside park with a bag of tortilla chips and salsa … [Read more...]
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” Henry Ford Isn't that the truth? We especially see this in children. When a child let's fear get in the way, he may think he can't hit the ball and fails at baseball. Or what about swimming? It's hard for a child to swim into the deep end of the pool if she thinks she'll sink. It's a self-fulling prophecy. Sinking comes with stinking thinking. That even holds true in relationships. Years ago my husband shared a story with me... A traveler came upon an old farmer hoeing in his field beside the road. Eager to rest his feet, the … [Read more...]
Have you ever thought of your faith as being like a muscle? The more it's exercised... the stronger it becomes. It sounds pretty wonderful doesn't it? We all want to have a strong faith... and a little exercise seems like a good thing. It's all wonderful... until the heat is unbearable, the road seems too steep or never-ending, or the load becomes too heavy to lift. That's when exercise gets hard. That's when we start to give out... our muscles buckle, our resolve dwindles, and we just want to give up and quit. That's the precise time when we need dig in or push through the … [Read more...]
Do you ever feel like it's pointless to pray and ask God for something because He already knows what you need? Most of us feel like that at least some of the time. Recently I read this little exchange between Digory and Fledge and Polly. It was an Ah Ha! moment for me. “I am hungry,” said Digory. “Well, tuck in,” said Fledge, taking a big mouthful of grass. Then he raised his head, still chewing and with bits of grass sticking out on each side of his mouth like whiskers, and said, “Come on, you two. Don’t be shy. There’s plenty for us all.” “But we can’t eat grass,” said … [Read more...]
Today I made a fresh new God discovery. It was eye-opening. This discovering God and grace and me. As I was reading the book of Romans from the Bible, this passage jumped off the page at me... Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. Romans 12:3 The Message So many things came rushing into my mind. One... we all live in … [Read more...]
While on Facebook, of all places, I was prodded to change my outlook. I read a phrase that stuck with me. Forget talking about your troubles. Talking about our troubles is a bad habit for most of us. It's what we do. So if we can't talk about our troubles...what do we do? Celebrate our joys! I have a good friend that I chat with irregularly via email. At this time in our lives it's the best form of communication. It's efficient. When we get the chance to talk on the phone....it's a looooong talk. And we usually don't have time to do that very often. Today I … [Read more...]
Have you ever thought about your aroma? Did you just tilt your nose down and take a whiff of your shirt? I'm not talking about your perfume, toilet water, or cologne. I'm not talking about whether you used deodorant after your shower, though that is probably a good idea. There's another kind of scent that I have in mind. We have a spiritual fragrance. It's the essence of who we are. You might know someone who has a wonderful essence. So lovely that you wish that you could wear that same fragrance. You also might know someone who has a less than wonderful essence. You probably find … [Read more...]
Does it seem crazy to think that we can have the same joy as Jesus? It does... but Jesus told us we will be as joyful as he is. Not could be. We will be. I have told you this so that you will be as joyful as I am, and your joy will be complete. ~ Jesus John 15:11 GW I don't know about you... but I really would like to live a life of joy. What do you think it would look like to live a life of joy? Maybe we should start with the definition... For one it might be to be happy all the time, singing, humming, wearing a smile continuously. For another it might be a … [Read more...]
This morning I was reading some writings of C.S. Lewis, when these words leaped off the page at me: It is the difference between paint, which is merely laid on the surface, and a dye or stain which soaks right through. He was talking about how we start our days. If we were meeting each other for coffee at Starbucks in the morning, I might ask you, "Did you have a good start to your day?" It's an innocuous question. Purely conversational. And of course, I would hope you had a great start. Because we're friends, you won't cloak your answer with the usual dismissive remark. Instead, you'll tell … [Read more...]
Lately, I've been thinking about joy. This morning I even prayed to have more joy. As I was doing so I realized that I am blessed with a beautiful life. Even if my current situation isn't what I hoped, planned, or even desired. For some time, things have not gone my way... but isn't that true for all of us? And so today... I'm going to concentrate on walking with God. Allowing him to direct my path. Being quiet and listening to him. Because when I do... There I experience joy. True joy. And contentment. You direct me on a path … [Read more...]
Today I sat down to write. I knew I needed to talk about perseverance. There were lots of thoughts running around my mind... but I was unsure where to start. So I did what every good writer does when in that spot.... I went out on an errand. When I returned home, I again got my laptop out to prepare this post. Before typing a word, I checked my email and saw an email which needed my immediate response. While there, I scanned the other items in my inbox and my eye was drawn to a weekend post which contained a touching video. I am aware this video made the rounds last year, so it … [Read more...]
This week has been a week of quiet, solitude, and reflection. Somewhere along the way, I lost my mojo. It's not that I hadn't spent significant time with God. I had. But, my soul was hungry for moments like this... Joy Moments. If you've been visiting with me over time, you know how much I enjoy my nature walks. Those times make my heart sing. And sing. And yesterday, as I walked along a country road and came across the music of peepers... my heart sang with great joy. Some time ago, our pastor shared how singing is God's heart language. If you're a frog … [Read more...]
Put yourself in this story... The man whom you believed was going to liberate you from the tyranny of the Romans had just been cruelly tortured and hung on a tree to die. A few of your friends also truly believed that this man, Jesus, would rescue you. But instead, they are helping you take his dead body down from the cross to bury him in a borrowed tomb. All hope is lost. Not only was Jesus, your leader and friend, dead but surely this would turn to the worse considering all that transpired the last few days. You're consumed with hurt, grief, disappointment. To say you are devastated would … [Read more...]
A little over a week ago I went to a butterfly event at Meijer Gardens. Walking through an indoor tropical garden hoping to see a few fluttery creatures was the perfect way to spend an end-of-winter afternoon with a friend. Butterflies are beautiful creatures, but have you ever wondered what the purpose is to their existence? We know that they feed on the nectar of flowers and similar to bees they are helpful to the pollination process of the flowers. It isn't a pleasant thought, but as caterpillars, they provide food for creatures higher up on the food chain and to some degree as well … [Read more...]
Think about a time when you made something. Remember the feeling of pleasure you had at creating something special? Did someone comment on it and appreciate your handiwork? Your music? Your story? Your art? Your garden? Slowly over time I've come to realize that we see the glory of God when we take time to admire his handiwork. The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 I'm learning that God takes pleasure in the time I spend in marveling at the works of his hands. It's during that time he draws me closer to him. It's an intimate … [Read more...]
There's a saying... "Talk is cheap." I'm pretty sure I used to hear my dad say that. Lately I've been thinking about love and I think we could say, "Love is cheap." There's the controversial movie... the broken relationships... the 400,000 children needing a home in the U.S. alone... the issue of human trafficking... and on I could go. If you were new to our world, you would think that love was cheap and love had no apparent value. Times were probably like that back when the Apostle Paul penned these words to the people in Philippi. And this is my prayer: that your … [Read more...]
