Joy...as a verb

I regularly read a blog called "Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods." While it's not specifically about spirituality, almost everything that Britt-Arnhild blogs about takes on a spiritual context. It's a beautiful, peaceful, soul-soothing blog, and I recommend it highly. And if you're multi-lingual, you can even read it in Norwegian! In a recent post, Britt-Arnhild speaks about joy and that in Norwegian, joy can be a verb. For example, you might say "I joyed today" which roughly translates to "I look forward to today with great happiness." How cool is that? What would life look like if we could joy a little every day? Would others see us joying and follow suit? Instead of spreading negativity, we could joy positivity, making it an infectious double positive feeling, perhaps canceling all the bad stuff out there. We could look forward to/joy everything. My favorite prophet, Isaiah, talks about joy in chapter 35 saying "...the wilderness and the dry land shall....rejoice with joy and singing" and "...they shall obtain joy and gladness." Do you think Isaiah would approve of joying for God...looking forward with great happiness to God's kingdom?

An Everlasting Rock

I received an envelope in Friday's mail that contained 5 sealed smaller envelopes. I opened the envelope labeled #1 and found a Bible verse on a square of yellow paper accompanied by a slip of paper bearing a note from Bev, the woman who chairs the Prayer Group at church. Bev had offered to be my prayer partner as I move towards being received in the church on Dec. 7th. My first prayer was based on Isaiah 26:4 "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." My message from Bev: "The everlasting Rock is a firm foundation for your life. The wise woman builds her house upon the Rock...and I believe that you are a wise woman." As I meditated on those words, this photo came to mind. This house in Goult is built firmly on the bedrock of the mountain. See how strong it looks. It feels eternally supported by the rock it rests on. The house seamlessly becomes one with its foundation, its rock. This is what I want my faith to become....strong, firm, eternal, resting on my Rock, secure that I am doing His will in the world, feeling seamlessly at one with my Creator.