The lyrics from this week's song of the week remind us to let let joy flow into our lives and not work to keep it out
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
APPLAUSE
A few months ago, I was invited to give my first public talk since I stopped pastoring. There are so many things about public speaking, which make me nervous. It is not that I cannot speak publicly, it was that for the longest time I took others response to my sermons or talks as an evaluation of my message. It was as if I was giving others the power to tell me when I was doing a good job and when I was not. I struggled with my response to others applause and comments, or lack thereof. I was intentionally working on moving to the place where my self-evaluation was unrelated to the evaluation of others, albeit positive or negative. There were times people would clap wildly, jump to their feet, yell out “you betta say that Pastor” or some other expression. I struggled with how much value I placed on their reaction.
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Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Joy and suffering are two different things. I learned this recently while i was joyful while grieving.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
FOCUSING ON THE JOY
It has been a challenging few weeks and I know there is more to come. The awesome thing for me is that I know that even when it may feel like you are not there for me, you really are. Over the course of my journey with you, I have learned a few key lessons for which I am truly grateful. Maybe the first is about where I put my focus. It is easy when I am going through to focus on what is going wrong and what you are not doing for me.
The reality is that even when I am going through, you are doing things for me.
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Thursday, March 24, 2016
SONG OF THE WEEK
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
May we remember that the extent to which we all experience is peace and joy is connected to the peace and joy of others. Let us work on filling this world with peace and joy
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
SIMPLE JOY
This past Tuesday my spiritual granddaughter passed away on her 43rd birthday after a long struggle with kidney disease. It was a day of mixed feelings and emotions. There was the expected feeling of loss, grieving, numbness, sadness accompanied by feelings of regret, compassion, and a whole host of feelings. Then there was joy; joy that she was no longer suffering. Joy that she got to celebrate her birthday with her mother, who had transitioned a few years earlier. Joy I had been able to know her and joy I could grieve her passing.
As I moved through my feelings, I began to realize that joy is a simple state. When I am practicing joy, I am happy, light, and at peace. The grieving and the sadness were complicated.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
It’s Sharing Time!
Who has been the patron saint of joy in your life? Who has stifled or spoiled your joy?
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Saturday, March 19, 2016
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
May we be intentional about listening to the beating heart of the universe so that we might experience Holy Joy
Friday, March 18, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Song of the Week
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
WE ALL GO THROUGH TIMES OF DIFFICULTY, LOSS, GRIEF, ETC, IT IS OUR DEEP JOY WHICH ALLOWS US TO PERSEVERE AND RISE
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
MORE THAN DOUGHNUTS
There are so many ways to practice creating joy in our lives. This weekend I was watching a CNN report of a group of Muslims who brought 1000 doughnuts to a Donald Trump rally. In the midst of people saying derogatory things to them, they came from a space of love and kept offering doughnuts, passing out over 300 to people who had seconds before shouted hateful words about them. A doughnut became the vehicle, which might have a longer lasting effect, then one may realize.
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Sunday, March 13, 2016
WOW! WHAT A RIDE!
Dear God,
I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for giving me so many things in my life that give me joy. Sometimes I do not realize how joy filled my life is until I talk with someone who has forgotten how to have joy in their lives. Life for me is not about just enduring, but about enjoying. Maybe it is because I have come close to dying a few times in my life, that I am able to find joy in just about everything, even going to the bathroom. Having experienced what it is like to not be able to perform a function we take for granted, I find joy in being able to do so multiple times a day. Whoo hoo!
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Just for today may we be intentional about replacing jealousy with joy. What God has for you is for you. What God has for me is for me. Let us be happy for each other.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Friday, March 11, 2016
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Song of the Week
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Flash of Joy
The other day I was having a conversation with someone about flashmobs and the first one that came to my mind was the one we do each year at SUNY Brockport, where I teach part time, in March as part of the One Billion Rising movement. While I was searching online for examples of flashmobs to share with my friend, I came across this one, which captured my heart and reminded me to fill my moment with joy.
It has been a while since I have listened to the final of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125. I had forgotten how it fills my heart and soul with joy just to listen to it.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Whatever you call your Higher Power, may you find joy in knowing
that it/he/she is present with you and in the world.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Monday, March 7, 2016
THE J WORDS
So here is the thing I have been thinking about so much lately, the relationship between joy and jealousy. It seems that when I am feeling jealous of someone, it is because I have lost the joy and the ability to celebrate my own life for what it is. I become jealous because I am comparing myself to them and not being happy that we are not both exactly what we are supposed to be at this point in our journeys. I have been talking a lot about this with my friend Eileen and how there is this fine line between joy and jealousy.
When I feel jealousy it is because I am not practicing joy for myself and others.
Read MoreJOY REMINDERS
I have come to realize that seeing people smile and watching people dance reminds me to practice joy in my life. What reminds you to practice joy?
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Saturday, March 5, 2016
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Open yourself up to experiencing joy in your life. It gives you a new perspective on life
Friday, March 4, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
SONG OF THE WEEK
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
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