Some of us get our joy here..........
"Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in hear
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his Holy name." Psalms 97: 11, 12
"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." 1 Peter 1:8.
Circumstances aren't always good, but as we focus on God our focus gives us joy! And, even if we do have that 'inexpressible and glorious joy' from our faith, and even if you aren't a person of faith, it helps to turn the news off, go for a walk, do yoga, swim, listen to classical music....what do YOU do?
Have a wonderful Sunday...God bless you all! Go for JOY today! (God knows we need it and GOD LOVES YOU)
Z
58 comments:
In the summer, I swim.
All year round, I read for pleasure (fiction) -- when I have the energy to concentrate.
Great verses. Have a great Sunday.
G-d bless you Z!
PSI why bother?
I try to remember that joy is not dependent on circumstances like happiness is.
Joy comes from love and love comes from Him. and pizza.
What a wonderful topic, Z (one of my favorites)!
EB:
I try to remember that joy is not dependent on circumstances like happiness is.
An important distinction, to be sure.
As one who tends toward a rather melancholy personality, my bouts with depression have been a tool God has used to teach me to remember to look up more often.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 3:3-5
...and I remember that this life is NOT all there is. That the God of infinity has created each of us for a purpose, and given us the priceless gift of Himself (in Christ)as our most precious Treasure.
In this assurance is joy unspeakable, which surpasses all attempts at human understanding.
Sorry, I got a little wordy. :S
Heather
Good morning everyone, happy Sunday. Hey Morgan, how are you? I've lost your phone number, can you send it in an e-mail? I'd love to catch up on things with you. Johnnymac.
Elbro that is the most important part of my message, really..as I said, joy is not dependent on circumstances...
Always, that's what I do, exactly.
Jingo, my blog partner deleted psi and will continue to do so. Disparages used to at least stay away from my Sunday Faith Blog. I'd have thought that was just a polite 'given'.
God bless you, too, Jingo!
DaBlade...EXACTLY! :-)
Heather...Before I studied more and more and became a stronger believer, I couldn't understand that "Peace that surpasses all understanding"...I don't know what people do without that.
Good morning, JM!
As you say, for a believer the joy is always there, you just have to stop and focus on the Source. It often happens for me that just opening the Bible and taking in a few words will bring a happiness and peace that unties knots in my body I didn't even know I had, brought about by the political situation. Quite amazing really.
Faith, I refer to it as the 'magic' though I know it's definitely anything BUT that. Just opening and reading....
it takes time and study to come to that point(at least it did me, and I used to play what I call "Bible Bingo" where I'd open it and point and know THAT was what God was trying to tell me!!! Yes, I did that!And I'd be so disappointed when it was about someone begetting someone or describing a war!!! "NO MESSAGE, DARN! THIS THING MUST BE FAULTY!" :-), but it does come. And how powerful
I do that too, Z, and it's a terrible habit I've been trying to break for years. MANY years ago the Lord actually spoke to me (silently of course, one of those things you "hear" in your spirit) saying "You cannot force Me to speak with you." Which is really what we're trying to do when we play "Bible Bingo" (good term for it). It's like consulting an oracle, like the tarot cards or the I Ching. The addiction is in the fact that SOMETIMES He DOES speak to us that way. Very hard to break.
Well, I said "I used to play", I have to admit I haven't in probably 10 years,mostly because the words I am getting now from just picking it up and reading usually hit closer to home than I'd ever have thought possible. I can see from your comments that the same's happened to you (for you!).
How do you like the term BIBLE BINGO!? :-)
OOOh Z!
You and Faith offer a great reminder that there's no substitute for diligence concerning one's study of scripture.
I have had the occasional moment when my Bible just "happened" to fall open exactly where I needed to read, though :)
H
making a difference or tryin to Z! .hope your weekend is fab..it's hot hot hot here!!:)
I missed your "used to" but that's also more or less true for me that I stopped. I only do it now in a moment of desperation -- and hardly ever get an answer.
I DID however say I think Bible Bingo is a good term for it.
And yes, the Lord speaks to us spontaneously most pointedly when we aren't looking for answers, when we are just reading the Bible normally, or when it just "falls open" as Heather remarked.
I'm fairly sure none of ours ever 'just falls open'...and, even if it feels that way, it still gives comfort somehow. THAT I hadn't been prepared for ...
By the way, I was two minutes from my house this morning in the car when I saw a car with a silver 'fish' on it...the Christian fish, I guess, it was a style I'd not seen before, and something drew my eye to its license plate: LIVE JOY
how interesting, after I'd posted this. LIVE JOY.
So, what DO you people do for JOY...walk, read, music?
It's a very tough one. I do what I like doing most and you know what that is, Z ;-)
Also listening to music, being in the country on a bycicle, cooking for friends and petting my cat bring me joy. And certainly turning the TV off and staying away from the news help.
I don't do anything. Grace just happens.
Act without expecting anything, then whatever you receive is as much as you can bear.
Grace is a good subject, Ducky...
I have a lot to say on the subject, especially on what you said, and I'll just say that's a very beautiful thought.
Z: So, what DO you people do for JOY...walk, read, music?
I wish I could point to some activity that brings joy. Not really sure what Ducky meant, but my response would probably look similar.
There are things that bring pleasure--reading, spending time with family, listening to music, hiking, crocheting...those things make me feel good.
But I tend to categorize joy differently. I consider Christ and what He's done and joy is a natural result of just thinking about Who He is.
It isn't dependent on any external activity, goes deeper and fills my soul rather than just being an emotion that passes as the memory fades. Sometimes it's connected with my happy-list and other times it just *is*.
H
That's why god made kitties!
Seriously, nothing lifts the spirit like thinking on God's attributes, what He's done in the past, and will do in the future. Read Psalm 77, 78.
Remembering the squealing of California's taxaholic pigs at their judgment day when Prop 13 passed isn't bad either.
Deborah, that Prop 13 line is hilarious!
Heather, glad you feel the same as Ducky. Like I said, there's much to say about that, but I won't go into it here...
Good that you and Deborah get such JOY from God! I hope most of us feel that way, so I was focusing more on pastimes...the joy and happiness of the kinds of things I mentioned in my blog.....maybe for ideas for others to make them feel better during times like ours...
Leaning on the Lord goes without saying for most of us, a very good thing :-)
For me, I find joy in my family. Just knowing they're there and we all love each other.
When my grandson says at the end of every phone call, "love You". And I answer back in kind. It's enough for me. It is joy.
Knowing that my children are close, brings me joy, and I'm so grateful. These are blessings, and I know it.
My friends are blessings as well. I guess what I'm saying is, blessings are a joy, and gratitude for them is a recognition of them.
I just hope I can live up to what these provide me, and that is joy.
Pris
Great reminder that we have to be joyful and not despair.
After all, we've read the Book and we know how it ends.
Pris, family is definitely joyous, thanks for that!
Karen...so well said. I love that.
That thou mayest have pleasure in everything, seek pleasure in nothing.
— St. John of the Cross
Reading the frenzied concerns of rightwing extremists effortlessly provides me with laughter and joy.
Originally posted July 18, 2010 12:39AM
Jingo: PSI why bother?
I need the eggs.
Originally posted July 18, 2010 9:51AM
elbro..just leave them this time. it bothers you more than me. thanks
Thank you, Z. You're a champion of free speech.
Today we skipped over the state line to visit an old-growth cedar grove.
Some of the trees are estimated to be around 500 years. Pretty amazing to think they might have been seedlings when Columbus set foot in the "New World".
Smelled good, too :)
It was a nice diversion from the list of woes that never seem to let up.
H
Thank you, Z. You're a champion of free speech.
Heather, that is WONDERFUL and JOYFUL! Thanks so much for sharing that!
psi bond...I heard you the first time
God bless you, Z ...
Z: psi bond...I heard you the first time
Sorry, my bad. I am mystified about how that post got repeated. I wasn't even at the computer. Perhaps it’s on a joy ride.
The repeated post doesn’t have a personal delete icon. That must mean I am not its owner.
The repeated post doesn’t have a personal delete icon. That must mean I am not its owner.
Reading the frenzied concerns of rightwing extremists effortlessly provides me with laughter and joy.
Must be because you're a total psycho. We're talking about positive things here, away from politics. So refrain from spewing your venom.
just keep repeating, psi bond..just keep repeating. geeeZ
Frog Burger; the lefty trolls had left the Sunday Faith Blog alone, which I'd found amazingly good manners; not anymore, sadly.
Sam...same to you, double
Reading the frenzied concerns of rightwing extremists effortlessly provides me with laughter and joy.
Must be because you're a total psycho. We're talking about positive things here, away from politics. So refrain from spewing your venom.
Frog, you must not have read Z’s opening post. Her introduction to the topic of joy was hardly positive (“What do you do to feel JOY when you're feeling trampled by oil spills, lying politicians, ….”). Your bullying is uncalled for.
I know you won’t believe me, Z, but I am not doing this anomalous repetition. It has to be someone who has administrator access to your system.
This second repeat of a post of mine, made five hours later, does not have a personal delete icon, either. If it did, I would make use of it.
I know you won’t believe me, Z, but I am not doing this anomalous repetition. It has to be someone who has administrator access to your system.
This second repeat of a post of mine, made five hours later, does not have a personal delete icon, either. If it did, I would make use of it.
You cited Z, What do you do to feel JOY when you're feeling trampled by oil spills, lying politicians, ….
That was her point: being positive instead of the negative. Or maybe I just don't understand English well enough.
So bullying? You're pretty sensitive to not much.
Frog: That was her point: being positive instead of the negative. Or maybe I just don't understand English well enough.
Maybe you don’t, Frog. I was reacting to Z’s initial negative words and, turning it around, I was being positive with respect to what I do.
So bullying? You're pretty sensitive to not much.
Maybe you are right about not understanding English well. I did not say your bullying affected me. It is just not called for in this online discussion.
Frog: That was her point: being positive instead of the negative. Or maybe I just don't understand English well enough.
Maybe you don’t, Frog. I was reacting to Z’s initial negative words and, turning it around, I was being positive with respect to what I do.
So bullying? You're pretty sensitive to not much.
Maybe you are right about not understanding English well. I did not say your bullying affected me. It is just not called for in this online discussion.
Can't be as brilliant as you, psi.
Psi, stop repeating and stop telling me it's an administrator. I know my blog for goodness sake. Thank you.
Frog: Can't be as brilliant as you, psi
It seems you're not even trying :-)
Z: Psi, stop repeating and stop telling me it's an administrator. I know my blog for goodness sake. Thank you.
Don’t thank me, Z: There is nothing I can do about it.
The absolute truth is I am not responsible. An administrator is the only rational explanation I know of.
right, psi bond. Two of you have your moniker.
:-)
psi bond,
if you had a blog on blogger you would know that this is not possible as an administrator. An administrator does not have the ability to use another's account to copy comments.
And even if it were possible, I and Z are the only administrators. I work 12 hours a day and unlike investigators at the SEC I do not have access to the internet while I am at work.
What I believe is happening is that you are acting the troll. It's getting very old. I suggested to Z she switch to Haloscan so that we can be rid of you, but she insists that she doesn't want to do that.
I'll ask you politely to quit playing this little game and act like a grown up.
Thank you in advance.
"I know you won’t believe me, Z, but I am not doing this anomalous repetition. It has to be someone who has administrator access to your system.
This second repeat of a post of mine, made five hours later, does not have a personal delete icon, either. If it did, I would make use of it."
Yeah, sure. Really PSI, as much as I resist talking to you, I have to say, do we really need an echo? Aren't you satisfied with a onesy?
Pris
Frog: Can't be as brilliant as you, psi
It seems you're not even trying :-)
psi bond,
I'm not sure why after Z has been so hopsitable to you, that you insist on acting this way. I've been polite, now I'm asking you again to please play like an adult.
I solemnly swear I have nothing to do with this bug or hacking or administrator’s maliciousness.
As should be verifiable, childish pranks like that are not my style, but, of course, I don’t expect anyone here to believe me.
I have noted that all of the repeat posts lack personal delete icons that I can access, while all of my actual posts do have them. That is sufficient proof to me that I am not the poster of the repeat posts. Also, many of the repeat posts were posted at times when I was not at my computer. But there is no way I can convince you unless you can trace the source of these anomalous posts.
I solemnly swear I have nothing to do with this bug or hacking or administrator’s maliciousness.
As should be verifiable, childish pranks like that are not my style, but, of course, I don’t expect anyone here to believe me.
I have noted that all of the repeat posts lack personal delete icons that I can access, while all of my actual posts do have them. That is sufficient proof to me that I am not the poster of the repeat posts. Also, many of the repeat posts were posted at times when I was not at my computer. But there is no way I can convince you unless you can trace the source of these anomalous posts.
Post a Comment