“Let There Be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me…” First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. Thomas a Kempis Peace with others is harder. What if they don’t want peace? The Bible is realistic: If possible, live in peace with everyone. Do that as much as…
Category: A Faith in Process
Notes from the Journey
Finding Peace
When we have Peace with God, He gives us inner peace. He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength. Isaiah 26:3-4 Living Bible Christ alone can bring lasting peace…
The Gift of Peace
The fourth candle is the Candle of Peace. We think of peace as the absence of conflict or a tranquil state, both feel rather passive. The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom, meaning “to be whole, to live well.” It encompasses health, interpersonal harmony, prosperity, and victory over enemies, completeness and safety. Shalom, used as…
Prayer of Joy
Joy is Now
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Alice Morse Earle Today, along with Joy, are gifts. And there is no time like the present to rejoice. “The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” Abraham Maslow…
Joy is a Choice
Busy is a choice. Stress is a choice. Joy is a choice. Choose well. Ann Voskamp Choose Joy. Repeatedly, if necessary. Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. Henri Nouwen Joy is found in God. Remaining near the source is vital to Joy. “Joy…
Joy is a Gift
Joy is the true gift of Christmas… Pope Benedict XVI God, Who is Joy Himself, is the Giver and Source of Joy. Isaiah wrote, To all who mourn in Israel he will give: beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness. Isaiah 61:3a Living Bible He gives Joy in His presence: You…
What is Joy?
We sing “Joy to the World!” And “How Great Our Joy.” But what is Joy, and how can we have it, especially right now, with pain, fear and tragedy everywhere? Merriam-Webster defines Joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” But emotions fluctuate…
Christmas Joy
Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts.Joan Winmill Brown The third candle of Advent is the Candle of Joy. Advent, meaning “Coming,” is a time of expectant waiting and preparation. Anticipating and preparing – for Joy and with Joy. Indeed, Joy overflows the narrative. Gabriel tells Zechariah, “Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you…
