Like A Paint Brush

"Your attitude is the paint brush of your mind. It colors your world with dark negativity - or brilliant optimism."

- John C. Maxwell

True Joy

Last night, I went to a corn maze with seven other people from my church. It was a crazy time - getting slightly lost, our hands feeling like they were going to fall off from the cold, going out for pizza afterwards....but it was great to be able to get together and laugh and just have fun!

Sometimes I think we make fellowship too hard....I know I just like to BE with other people! It doesn't have to be an elaborately planned party. Just a time that is set aside to talk about random things, eat some good food, and laugh. I'm glad that being a Christian doesn't mean we can't have any fun. I repeat - being a Christian does NOT mean that we cannot have fun! Jesus didn't come to die for our sins so that we could have solemn faces and think that it's wrong to laugh or have a good time. Jesus came to give life - more abundant! He came to give us JOY!

I think there is a difference between "happiness" and "joy". Happiness is circumstantial - you are happy because you like the way things are going - your circumstances determine your state of happiness. True joy is being able to be "happy" or joyful even in the midst of less-than-ideal circumstances. Only Jesus Christ can provide true joy.

I want the joy of the Lord to affect every part of my life - the way I talk, the way I respond to people, the way I act.....you know what? People notice the JOY! They can sense there is something DIFFERENT about you when the joy of the Lord is evident in your life!

Thoughts?

A New Start....

Some of you may remember me from when I blogged regularly a year or so ago at Dare to be Different. Then I became busy and uninterested in blogging (Facebook has a way of preoccupying my time!), but now I'm ready to start up again. I decided to start this new blog, with a new look and a new purpose: I want everyone who reads this to be encouraged and I would love to share different things that the Lord is teaching me! I hope to still post pictures once in a while of my family, but I'm looking forward to having a place where I can put my thoughts into words and get feedback from my readers.

I hope you "follow" my blog (check out the sidebar on your right) and that you check back often!

~ Tori