Joyful God

Brother Mark and me
atop Lookout Mountain, Easter 1961

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" (Galatians 5:22-23)

Smile for the day:

Two well-remembered, old-maid school teachers at Forest Avenue Elementary School were the Deware sisters. One taught first grade and the other fourth. After fourth-grade Miss Deware chose my brother, Mark, as Frosty the Snowman for the Christmas play, she demonstrated his black-top-hat-and-candy-cane dance around the stage.

Little Mark watched the eye-opening performance and blurted out, "You go glamor girl!"

When play day arrived, Miss Deware accidentally (maybe) turned on the 45-record: "Rudolf, the Red-nose Reindeer" and pushed Frosty onto the stage as he blubbered, "But, but Miss Deware, it's the wrong...." (Daddy said that it was the longest dance he ever sat through.)  

What character trait is rarely used to describe our God?  JOYFUL. But truthfully, JOY is second only to love in the Holy Spirit's fruit list.

Today, beloved, I pray that you are filled with the JOY of our joyful God. "Go forth! Celebrate! The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)