Joel you had some some good things to say about peace, in fact you summarized all that I had to say in my mini article. Peace is the outcome but how do we get there, the only answer (and most christian one mind you) is reliance upon Christ because He is the one who knows who this self is you are trying wholly to be. Anyways, another concept that was similarly ellusive is Joy. Even when it seems that life is running perfectly you can be without peace and joy. Conversely when life sucks, when you get suspended from your job, break your windshield, your automatic windows, and then throw up all on the same day you can still find a fragment of peace and joy when someone stands next to you and holds you hand through it. So here is my article on joy.

Joy ('joi)
Noun: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; delight

Honestly how often do you hear the word joy in everyday conversation? We hear happy a lot and the above definition seems interchangeable with that of “happiness” but there’s more to “joy” than simply happiness and I believe we can discover what it is when we examine the usage of each word. A movie can make us happy, and we wish people a happy birthday. If we are in a good mood we say we are happy. But joy, our language seems to reserve for more special occasions, for instance: when talking about someone or thing very important we call it our “pride and joy,” when something amazingly good happens we say we are “overjoyed”, etc. Those times of feeling overjoyed or full of joy usually also only occur when we are sublimely content, and more often than not this type of contentment is very elusive. We cheer ourselves up by going to a movie or hanging out with friends but we will not find joy that way. Joy comes to us and how long it stays usually depends on how willing we are to receive it. I suppose the real question then is not what the difference between happiness and joy is but instead where does joy come from, what does it look like when it does, and what desires is it filling that normal happiness does not? So take some time, use the materials provided and share your understanding of word with us.

“Joy is prayer - Joy is strength - Joy is love - Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”.
Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)

“Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing.”
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

Joy Quotes
“Joy is prayer - Joy is strength - Joy is love - Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”.
Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)


“Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing.”
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

For a house church gathering this year we gathered a group of friends together to delve into the true meanings of words that have become rather trite Christmas slogans: peace, hope, love, and joy. These are my reflections. I am going to post a word every day or so for a week.

Peace (pEs)
noun: a state of tranquillity or quiet; freedom from civil disturbance; a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom Christmas eve, 1914, thousands of soldiers from both German and British armies came out of their trenches to sing Christmas carols, share cigars and cake, and to celebrate the evening. But as soon as the sun rose the next morning the fighting continued and the war continued on killing a total of over eight million people by the end. In many ways the peace these soldiers experienced in 1914 is very similar to what we think of when we think of peace. In the news we hear of peace treaties, and when we have a bad day we long for peace and quiet. So normally when someone speaks of peace they are referring to an absence of fighting or an absence of chaos. Though this definition is a good place to start especially during Christmas, a season fraught with chaotic family gatherings and mall parking lot traffic, it is not enough. If we rely on this definition of peace we may go for a time and be perfectly alright but this type of peace, like the soldiers who enjoyed a one night truce, is not going to solve the major issue. The Hebrew word for peace shalom goes beyond conventional peace, freely translated it means: fullness; having everything you need to be wholly and happily yourself. Feel free to leave a comment on how this peace is really lived out, and how can it be found in the life of Jesus, or in our own. Merry Christmas everyone!

"Every day we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life..., our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive."
Thich Nhat Hanh


"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice." Baruch Spinoza (1632 - 1677)

It's funny that we celebrate Jesus, a homeless wanderer who liked to hang out with poor people, by buying our well off friends things they don't need.

Its funny that we celebrate Jesus, the man who threw merchants out of the temple by blowing a month's salary at the shops of our local merchants.

Frosh/Soph Forest Fire

It starts with one kid asking you to use the rest room, then two, then five. The whispers grow into murmurs and then sprout into the saplings of disrespect. This forest of teenage angst is unlike any other forest in the world, it springs up completely arid and thoroughly combustible. The flames are first visible in the back, they always are. A guy in a red sweatshirt gets up and steals the notebook of the kid next to him, someone else starts playing the drums on his desk. Then a paper airplane files across the room and explodes the front rows into a storm of retaliatory paper folding so widespread that I must act for fear of being burned alive myself. Threats of silent reading work as quick as a squadron of tankers carrying chemical retardant.

Multiply this by six and you have the day of a substitute teacher. If you think this sounds like hell then it isn’t for you. Most people would never jump out of an airplane into a firestorm but there are smokejumpers who love their jobs. Most fire fighters love playing with fire, something about the potential it has to burn, but more importantly to renew. I guess its the same with teaching and that makes me a pyro of sorts. Those of you who know me wouldn't disagree.