1. Write a poem or prayer.
2. Pray.
3. Count my blessings.
4. Take a hike.
5. Tell my kids a joke.
6. Kiss my wife and look deep in her eyes.
7. Read a good book.
8. Find someone who needs a hand or ear.
9. Read notes and compliments stashed away.
10. Sing a rousing spiritual song.

Today is war.

Tomorrow is victory.

My soul, the battlefield.

In his book The Bible Jesus Read, Philip Yancey lauds the varied expressions in Psalms as people of faith grappled with life's realities. Joy mixed with pain, protest alongside praise, agony and extasy together. Indeed, the Bible has its feet on the ground.

Joy and peace do not come at the expense of ignoring the tough issues and the afflictions of our passage through this world. On the contrary, Jesus' suffering brings us face to face with sin's deepest horrors while it breaks darkness with divine light.

Christians, therefore, are the true realists. Atheists must ignore a universe of evidence for the existence of God. Optimists must close their eyes to human inequalities and social injustices. Pleasure-seekers must pretend there is no accounting for deeds done in the body. Secularists must squelch the cry of eternity emanating from the heart.

This holy realism girds up wisdom and spurns folly. Long ago a man of God made this connection, "The impious fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1, NEB).

God's people may cry, doubt, plead, and protest. In so doing, they show their full humanity working toward holiness and demonstrate that they, above all others, are taking life as it is in full account and placing it squarely at the feet of him who can perform immeasureably more than any can ask or conceive.

I was reading Alan Bryan's book, Climb Happiness Hill, for the umpteenth time. One of those phrases jumped out at me. Now it may not sound like much to you, depending on where you are in your walk, but it was a great thought for me. He said,

"If you are not happy, in some way you are violating some of God's laws."

That's it. Nothing fancy, but a powerful word.

His thought might cause us to do some serious soul searching and study of what law(s) we're violating.

I hope you are deliriously happy and ready for the New Year.

http://www.allaboutfamilies.org/current.html#mikal

I've been an on-again-off-again journaler (right word?). This little piece of news makes me want to get back with it again.