Want to be happy? Me, too. And having that desire doesn't make us shallow people. I've heard some Christian teaching to the effect that "joy" is different than "happiness," that joy is deep whereas happiness is shallow. You know -- happiness depends on circumstances, but joy can be had regardless of the externals -- you've heard the drill. There's some truth there, but it's possible to get a bit religious with this. We can end up squelching joy if we insist it's not even an emotion. Truth is, it's pretty difficult to separate joy from happiness. According to Webster's, happiness Continue Reading
Search Results for: what you may tend to forget
4 Surefire Ways to Freak Out Church Visitors
Christians are a funny bunch. We have our own subculture, complete with terminology and social habits. Once we've been in the club long enough, we think all this stuff is normal, and we forget that our behavior might be scary to a new person -- perhaps most of all, our über-friendliness. Friendliness is scary? What? This idea would have sounded quite strange to me even a few years ago. Maybe you can relate. I've always gone to church. I've always been taught to be warm, friendly and inclusive. I can't count how many thousands of services I've sat through Continue Reading
Six Ways to Help In a Crisis
You just heard someone in your small group lost a parent to cancer. A family down the street lost their house in a fire. Your friend’s son, who had been dealing drugs, has disappeared. Hard things happen on this sin-sick planet, and when they do, our response can make all the difference for the suffering ones. Here are some helpful suggestions for what to say and do when tragedy strikes: Be present. Expressing your concern via social networking is a good first step, but don’t leave it at that. Your physical presence, or even the sound of your voice on the phone, can bring a comfort Continue Reading