The other day at the YMCA where we work out, they were passing out cards challenging us to participate in the 12 days of happiness.
With holiday busyness and the stress that often accompanies it, this is the Y’s way to encourage fitness of body, soul and mind. On the back of the card were “12 Suggested Self Care Activities.” Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Happiness
Today is “National I Want You To Be Happy Day.” At least the calendar of weird and obscure holidays says so.
I chuckled a bit when I read it. (Hmm, I guess it’s working). But I thought of Abraham Lincoln’s thought-provoking insight, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
We live in a world obsessed with happiness. There are thousands of books on Amazon advertising how to be happy. Among them are “The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People.” “The 18 Rules of Happiness.” “9 Habits of Maximum Happiness.” “How to be Happy, or at least less Sad,” Continue reading
Yesterday I caught just a bit of the Today Show and a segment they’re doing on happiness. They were interviewing an author whose name I missed and then revealed the happiest places in the world.
The author said there were 3 factors to happiness. (1) How much pleasure you have in your life. (2) How much pride you have in your life? (3) If you’re fulfilling your purpose in life. Continue reading
Last night our church family gathered for a New Year’s Eve Party. We ate. We sang. We laughed. We played games. We even had a balloon drop at midnight. And we hugged and wished each other a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Those words have a special ring to them. They are filled with joy. Excitement. Expectation. And well-wishes. They usher in the new year with a renewed hope. Optimism for better days ahead. The feeling of a fresh start. A clean slate. The opportunity to begin anew. Continue reading
Yesterday’s post, “Happiness is a Choice, spoke to the importance of true happiness. Not a pseudo happiness based on the world’s definition, but a happiness that is spiritually focused. Biblically-based. And God directed.
Today I want to share a piece written from a little different angle by Rubel Shelly. While my views on some other spiritual matters might differ from Shelly’s , I found this interesting, insightful and challenging. I hope you do too! Continue reading
Filed under Happiness
Bruce Bakker is a friend of mine. Along with his wife, Barbara, and their daughter, Kim, He’s a part of the Church-Family where I preach. And one of the most cheerful guys I know!
Yesterday he had hip replacement surgery. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anyone go into surgery with a more positive attitude than Bruce. He was jovial. Joyful. And positive. Plus he had that big, infectious smile on his face. Continue reading
Filed under Happiness
Sunday’s post raised the question “Is the purpose of life to be happy?”
In it we spoke of the happiness craze in our country today. However, we pointed out that life is about purpose. Meaning. Significance. We received many good responses including one from reader, Leslie Maddox who commented, “Love this! Contentment/Joy is different from happiness, but I’m afraid that most people don’t make the distinction.”
Thank you Leslie! What a great observation. So, what is the distinction and difference between joy and happiness? Continue reading
Leo Rosten, the Polish born Jewish writer once wrote, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. The purpose of life is to matter, to be productive, to have it make some difference that you lived at all. Happiness, in the ancient, noble verse, means self-fulfillment and is given to those who use to the fullest whatever talents God or luck or fate bestowed upon them.”
Really? Where did Rosten ever get that idea? Continue reading
America is obsessed with happiness. In the past decade there have been a rash of books on the topic. According to Amazon there are 27,548 books for sale relating to happiness. Among them are “The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People.” “The 18 Rules of Happiness.” “9 Habits of Maximum Happiness.” Mary Lou Retton’s book “Gateway to Happiness” where she boils it down to 7 ways to a more peaceful and profitable life. Let me save you some time. How to be happy? I can sum it up in two words. Continue reading
Filed under Happiness
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most people are about as happy as they choose to be.” Interestingly this comes from a man that suffered much heartache, disappointment and defeat in his life.
Filed under Happiness
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