Webster refers to it as having ‘great pleasure or happiness; delight.’ The apostle Paul charges us to ‘rejoice in the Lord always’ (Php 4:4). Then he repeats himself: ‘I will say it again: Rejoice!’ James urges us to have joy, and so does Peter, John and Jude. In the gospels, Jesus repeatedly talks about joy. READ MORE
One Awful Day
Thankfully it is from the likes of General Norman Schwarzkoph that I find myself having permission to cry uncontrollably if needed. When asked years ago by Barbara Walters how it was that the great general would cry when talking about his troops he, with star-bedecked shoulders and stout chest declared, “I am scared of a READ MORE
28 Is The New 60
While sitting in the food court at the West Acres Mall (the largest mall between Minneapolis and Spokane!), watching numerous people mill about with Christmas gifts and weary looks, I noticed one man with a bright orange T-shirt on (yes . . . it was about 10 degrees outside) that read, “Orange is the New READ MORE
A Rustic Stable
When the rough and tumble shepherds gathered into the rustic stable Joseph hardly knew what to do. No doubt, fear gripped him as they assembled around the little boy in the manger. Mary—startled from her much needed sleep by the commotion—looked up with bewilderment. What do these men want? The answer came quickly. With an READ MORE
He Arrived: A Christmas Poem
He arrived. In the midst of darkness and sin, the Promised Child of the Ages came to the scene. Unpretentious. Without fanfare. Quietly . . . on a still night in Palestine. To ordinary people. He arrived. For the brokenhearted and those filled with shame, the Immanuel came to the scene. A little child . READ MORE
An Angel in Carharts
Well . . . the blizzard hit with a fury that hasn’t been seen in these parts in over ten years. And we survived. We’ve had lots of local friends call and ask if we still like it in Fargo. In a phrase: We love it! And with great enthusiasm did I leave the confines READ MORE