So a week of joy. Did you feel the joy this week? Sometimes, frankly, I totally forgot the joy (like tonight with the Cowboys ... guess I'm glad next week is peace!). And while I didn't always find the joy, I did look for joy in others.

And I saw joy in my nephew's first truck bought with his own money earned by many days mowing my yard and birthday money and cleaning out garages! And the joy in a baby's whole body as it shook with laughter. And the joy in our pastor's face as his wife walked through the door. And the joy in our church when the praise team sang. And the joy in the women who returned from a weekend of Christian growth. And the joy of riding with the top down in my convertible. And the joy that I'm losing weight (praise God!). And the joy that I started a new class in seminary and it is so interesting!

JOY! ... joy is deeper than happiness. Joy is from the inside out. Joy is startled happiness. Joy is beaming. Joy is contagious. Joy is when you can't help but laugh or dance or sing.

What is joy to you?

I'm reading the One Year Chronological Bible (have to admit, it's been a year now and I'm on June 18!) and just came across 2 Chronicles 20:27-28. King Jehoshaphat of Jerusalem/Judah was about to be crushed by the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who were all invading Judah. He was scared and God said "I got this. You go watch and I'll show you that the battle is not yours but mine." And God won the battle! The men went where God told them to go and saw their enemies all dead.

"Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lutes and trumpets."

When was the last time you listened to God about your troubles, your enemies? When was the last time you didn't try to handle it yourself? Aren't you amazed when things work out to your benefit and you had nothing to do with it? Do you go to God with thanksgiving afterwards? Think of David dancing like a fool in front of the ark of the covenant. When you're joyful, you just gotta dance!

Next week is Peace. And I find it ironic that Peace starts on the day my grandmother died 2 years ago. She is, was, a beautiful guardian of God's Word to us and we love her greatly. She showed us joy from God. And we are learning peace from her as well.

What does peace mean to you? Watch for peace this week. When you need to, take a deep breath, just breath, breath in God's peace and exhale his love to those around you.

Grace and peace, my friends!

Sandi

From Love to Joy

Hello, my fellow Saints!

I have heard from some of you this week on your thoughts of love. They include things like: Love is God. He gives it to us and all we need to do is keep love warm. Love is understanding a person's reason for doing something, even if their action is wrong. Love is loving them even when they don't/won't love you. Love is listening with your whole mind and not half your mind.

Here are some things I saw/thought about love this week:
In I John 3:18 Christians are asked to love "not in word or speech, but in truth and action." I believe that we as Christians are to live our faith. We are to do more than just talk about love, but to we are to live it as Jesus taught us to. He said to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength," and "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:30-31)

How to live as Christian love in action? The UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) Team Leader book I'm reading says "We are taught to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, heal the sick, care for the widow, and nurture the children. We are told that Jesus came in order that we might be able to tear down dividing walls of hostility and to build bridges of understanding. We are called, wherever we are in the world, to love all of God's creation, and to demonstrate that love in action."

An example this week of nurturing the children was the love of 9 shivering people shouting encouragement to the Mart Panthers soccer team in freezing weather! These boys are from the Mart Texas Youth Commission, a maximum security jail for boys 10-18 years old. A group of us from our church have begun working with the jail ministry there and have become quite fond of these boys! In love enough, in fact, to freeze while they ran around in shorts! These boys need love. They need people believing in them. They need examples of Christian love in action.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:9-12).

And so we move from a week of love to a week of joy!

LOVE starts Monday! (not that we don't have it already!)

"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." ~ Allan K. Chalmers

So, this week ... tell me how you define love. Be on the watch for those "God moments" where love is evident. Look up Scriptures that talk about love and tell me what it means to you. Share your experiences and I'll catch up with you next Sunday to give you my impressions!

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
I Corinthians 13:4-8

A Year with the Fruit of the Spirit

I started an experiment last year that went great for a quarter, then it slowly fizzled away - you know how those pesky fires and to do's creep in and take over your best intentions?! So, I'm starting it again this year and would love you to take the ride with me!

I read Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography several years ago. One of the things that really stood out for me was how he determined to be a better man. He wrote down 13 virtues he wanted to be better at and then he focused on one virtue a week, repeating the cycle every quarter. So each virtue was focused on, though not ignored the other weeks, four times a year, and for the rest of his life.

I'm going to try it this year!

My goal is to have captured enough stories and questions and experiences this year to write a Bible study around living the fruit of the spirit by the end of the year. And I need your help!

I decided to focus on the 9 fruit of the spirit and 4 other virtues. They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control, (and my 4 extras:) frugality, justice, order, and resolution.

Every week I'll blog about the virtue to come and then at the end of the week I'll reflect on what happened, put a definition around the virtue, and find a Scripture that fits. I would love your input as well. What is your definition of the virtue? What are your favorite Scriptures associated with it? What has happened to you this week that exemplified the virtue?

So, next week (starting Monday, Jan 4) is LOVE.

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)

Are you with me?