ContemplativeJourney

JOY! What is it? Have you got it?  Most of us think of joy as an emotion related to events in our lives.  Here's what the dictionary has to say about it: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation Here's my question for you - is it possible to live our lives in a state of joy, regardless of what is happening around us?  Is the only source of your joy caused by something good happening to you? We  have been studying 'joy' this month at church - we call it "joyology," or the knowledge and science of joy.  Maybe you already knew this, but there is an entire letter to the Christian church that was dedicated to the subject of 'joy.'  It was written by the Apostle Paul (a devout Jewish man who went by the name 'Saul,' before he became a follower of Jesus) and sent to a group of other Jesus-followers in the city of Philippi. Philippi is a city located ...

It could be the most powerful thing you will ever do for yourself.  What? Take responsibility for  every aspect of your current circumstance. Every last detail.  E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. " Are you kidding me?," you might be tempted to say.  No. I'm definitely not kidding you. If no one has yet shared this information with you, whether through something you read, or even in a face-to-face conversation, allow me to be the first.  I heard a sales trainer say the one thing he says to his audiences which causes the most uproar is this: "Whatever your current situation, income, housing, bank balance, debt...all of it.  It is your responsibility, and yours alone."  He said people mumble and murmur, and often get up and leave the room, and don't come back.  Interesting isn't it? The rage and indignation that some folks feel when confronted with the idea there is no one outside of themselves to blame for their circumstances. You can't bla...