Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Finding joy”
Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and it has been since I was a child. Many of my most magical childhood memories are basted in the scent of Christmas pine. I remember going to the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve. I remember tip-toeing out of my room on Christmas morning, well before sunrise, to check the …
Apocalypse and Hope. Do they seem like opposites? I have always thought of them that way—in opposition to each other. It turns out … I’ve been wrong. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus describes a time when everything will change. The temple, the center of religious life and a place described as “the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 6:1), …
How To Go From Despair to Delight By Beth Demme On Easter we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. We celebrated an empty tomb that was full of hope! We celebrated that our relationship with God is restored! Now, as we move into the Easter season (Easter Sunday thru Pentecost), I find myself considering Mary Magdalene. I keep thinking about her …
Am I A Bad Borrower? By Beth Demme When I was in elementary school, maybe third grade, I borrowed a book from the school librarian. Not from the school library (these days known as a “Media Center”), but from the librarian herself, Mrs. Whaley. Every Christmas she read The Cajun Night Before Christmas to us and I L‑O-V-E-D it. I …
Time Traveling Emotions By Beth Demme Are you a time traveler? No? Are you sure? Hear me out, because the truth is you might be. Or at least, you might be living like one. I’ve never been good at science (especially the mathy parts) so I have no idea how actual time travel would work, even in theory, but I …
God Chooses You By Beth Demme Last week I shared my thoughts on how some Christians take on legalism and judgmentalism instead of the yoke Jesus offers. Like the Pharisees, they focus on the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law. I think Jesus releases us from the prison of self-righteousness. We don’t have to try …
By Beth Demme In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8, NRSV) This is also translated, “Happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Happy. I like being happy, feeling happy. I’m not a student of New Testament Greek, but I can tell you …
By Beth Demme It was just before Thanksgiving 2002. My husband and I followed the pediatrician down the hall, our footsteps echoing off the undecorated walls and hard floors. We were inside a maternity/pediatric hospital in a small coal-mining town in southwest Russia. The doctor led us to a bright room, with a big window, three cribs, and one precious …
By Beth Demme After three debates, a handful of scandals, and some terrific SNL skits, I feel a little flummoxed by this year’s presidential election. It’s not that I am an undecided voter, I have decided. On the off-chance you’re interested, it was basically a 5-step decision-making process for me: Decide “not Trump.” That was easy for me. I made …
By Beth Demme We have a tradition in our family, our own catchphrase. In our home videos we never say, “The End.” Instead, we always say “More to Come.” I don’t remember when it started, but it’s now ingrained in all of us. In fact, when the kids want me to stop-it-already-with-the-video they’ll smile and, sort of sarcastically, say “more to come, mommmmmm.” That’s …