Joyfully Ordinary

           Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’ll make your ordinary day become a little less “ordinary”.

            Why do we think “ordinary” is always a negative?  It certain doesn’t have to be!  If we approach life with an attitude of gratitude, we can thank God for the ordinary days.  Ask anyone who has been at the hospital bedside of a sick loved one, not knowing the outcome.  What they’d give for an “ordinary day” at home with no sickness or health concerns.

            And what about that person who has just lost his job; he is devastated. He’s anxious about how he will be able to pay his bills and support his family. He would go back to an “ordinary day” on the job in a split second!

            Then, there are those who have had their lives changed in a moment by a tragic accident. Don’t you know that they would give anything to go back to the “ordinary days” when all was well and they were together doing ordinary things!

             The devout 17^th century Brother Lawrence entered the monastery knowing that he hated kitchen work, but when he received his work assignment, he found himself cooking meals and washing pots and pans on permanent KP. Over time, the ordinary and endless cycle of meal preparation and clean up took on an extraordinary dimension. In the book The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence is quoted to have said, ‘The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees…at worship.’ ”

       Enjoy this “ordinary day” to the fullest and find the joy of the Lord…maybe, even in the kitchen sink!  

God's Umbrella of Joy

           Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Hope your day is filled with joy….even when the storms come!

            God has blessed me to be a part of “JoyJoy Ministries”.  The vision He has placed in my heart is to share a double-portion of His joy with others. My thoughts and my writings easily focus on the “passion” He has given me---JOY in the Lord! However, I would be misleading you if I pretended to always enJOY my circumstances or tell you that I always respond joyfully to every situation. Not so……

            Life is hard at times.  Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 that we are to “Rejoice, always!” …not because of the sickness or heartache or broken relationship.  We can “rejoice always” because God is there to walk with us through the difficult times.

Rick Warren says that the “Bible teaches us that there are three kinds of storms in life: storms that we bring on ourselves (like Samson), storms that God causes (like on the Sea of Galilee), and storms that other people cause (as when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison).”  The fact is that we are ALL going to experience stormy days.  But, no matter what kind of storm you may find yourself in, you can count on God to be in the midst of it with you, sheltering you, protecting you even when you are scared and hurting.

He promises: “Never  will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”.  (Hebrews 13:5)

Stand strong under God’s umbrella of protection and find joy under the shelter of His wing.

The Joy of "Rainbow Days"

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Let’s call this a “rainbow” day and look for treasures of JOY!

            We’ve all heard the Irish legend which asserts that a "pot of gold" is to be found at the end of a rainbow. But today, let’s look, instead, for the treasure chest which overflows with genuine joy!  John Ortberg uses the term “Rainbow Days” in his book God Is Closer Than You Think. We are reminded that God placed a rainbow in the sky (after the flood) as a symbol of his covenant with Noah.

            Ortberg writes that when we experience “rainbow days”, God’s presence is hard to miss. Though we have not had a “Noah-kind” of experience, we each have our own stories of God’s intervention, protection and blessing.  To quote Orberg:  “On rainbow days your life is filled with too much goodness and meaning for you to believe it is simply by chance.  On rainbow days you find yourself wanting to pray, believing that God hears (your prayers). On rainbow days God seems to speak personally to you through Scripture.  You find yourself believing that it is a good thing to be alive, and each good thing you see fills you with gratitude toward the God who made it. .  When you’re in this zone, the kids can spill red Kool-Aid on a white carpet and you laugh patiently and remind them that you often spilled things yourself when you were a child.”

           

            In other words, on “rainbow days”, we’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our heart!

           Though all our days will not be “rainbow days”, here’s hoping that today will be a joyfully blessed one!  

Facetime with God...and Find JOY!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Always remember: We can call out to God anytime!  

            In this world of technology, most of us are spoiled by instant communication.  We can chat with someone on the other side of the world as if they’re in the room with us.  We can even SEE them as we talk via Skype or Facetime.  I LOVE the Facetime app because it’s as if I’m with my children and grandchildren “in person” though they are hundreds of miles away.  

            While texting, emailing, tweeting and Skyping can be really good, aren’t we glad that we don’t have to depend on our electronic devices when it comes to communicating with God?!  We can talk with Him anytime….even  when our cell phones don’t have enough “bars”.  He’s there when Facetime doesn’t have a strong connection.  We never  reach our maximum text message limit,  because with Him, we have an unlimited plan!

            1 Thess. 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing”.  My interpretation of that little verse is that our hearts should always be in a “spirit of prayer”… ready to communicate with our Father.  He is always on the line.  If there is static and we are having trouble hearing Him, maybe…just maybe…we need to examine our communication lines for “busyness” or “distractions” which interfere with clarity. When our hearts are in tune with God’s heart, it will be better than “Facetiming”.  Maybe we should call it “FAITHTIMING”!

            Private message God today and see how quickly He will respond with love and joy! 

           

A Joyous "Good Friday"

        Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It’s a good Friday to drink in the sweet taste of Easter JOY!

            Good Friday is the Friday which immediately precedes Easter Sunday.  So, that makes today “Good Friday”.   This day is set aside to celebrate the day on which Jesus was crucified.   Celebrating a death doesn’t sound quite right, does it?  Not humanly speaking.  But you see, this was God’s divine plan. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death, we can celebrate because of what He did out of love for us.

           Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good. However, the results of Christ’s death are very good! Romans 5:8:  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

           Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service in which Christ’s death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Christ suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord's Supper. Regardless of how we choose to “celebrate” Good Friday, the events of that day should be ever on our minds because the death of Christ on the cross is the paramount event of the Christian faith.  HE is the reason that we can have the JOY of the Lord…at Easter and every other day of the year!

            My prayer is that you will have a JOYful  Good Friday….remember that He is alive! Have a joyfully blessed Easter!

Tidings of Easter Joy

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Drink it joyfully….it’s almost Easter!

            Some of the most joyful words in the Easter story come from Matthew 28:5-7.  “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples…”

            My Bible footnote explains that the angel who announced the good news of the resurrection to the women gave them four messages:

1. "Do not be afraid."  The reality of the resurrection brings joy, not fear! When you are afraid, remember the empty tomb.
2. "He is not here." Jesus is not dead and is not to be looked for among the dead.  He is alive!.
3. "Come and see."  The women could check the evidence themselves.  The tomb was empty then and it’s empty today. 
4. "Go quickly and tell."  They were to spread the JOY of the resurrection.  We, too, are to spread this wonderful news!

Are you experiencing fear?  Then focus on the empty tomb.  Because He lives, you can trust Him to take of you!  Sometimes we forget that He is with us today and need to be reminded to “come and see” that the tomb is empty.  He is victorious over death!

            Let us spread the JOY of the resurrection! Take advantage of every opportunity to share the Good News with all that will hear!

           Drink and serve the Joy of Easter!

Easter Joy is Found at the Foot of the Cross

        Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Easter is the perfect time to be drinking the JOY JUICE of Jesus! Don’t hesitate! Celebrate!

            It’s sad to say that even some Christians forget why Easter should be anticipated and celebrated…with JOY! We have egg hunts and pretty Easter decorations, but often it seems that Easter is treated as just another Sunday. Could it be that the concept of Easter makes people uncomfortable?  It does confront us with a true story of pain, agony and death.  And it was for you and me….because we are sinners!

           Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a courageous German pastor who suffered martyrdom on Hitler’s orders. He wrote these words:

”If it is I who determine where God is to be found, then I shall always find a God who corresponds to me in some way, who is obliging, who is connected with my own nature. But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not at all congenial to me. This place is the Cross of Christ. And whoever would find him must go to the foot of the Cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands. This is not according to our nature at all; it is entirely contrary to it.”

            This Easter, let’s go to the foot of the cross with a heart overflowing with an exclamation of gratitude and a celebration of praise for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

            The JOYful truth that is that Jesus is not dead!  He has risen from the grave!!!