[Faith-talk] An Announcement of Possible Interest and an Article On the Subject of Joy

[Paul Smith]

Hello and greetings to all of you today.  Well, maybe it's me, but I 
don't feel quite as hot and sticky as I've done in previous days.  Oh 
well, I'll just enjoy the moment.

The announcement in question is that, tomorrow at noon to 12:30 PM 
eastern time, that the undersigned is going to have a "dry run" episode 
of his God-directed radio program on the Radio Reading Network of 
Maryland, and I invite any and all who can find the time to hear it to 
do so.  Unfortunately the station doesn't have the equipment to record 
for later rebroadcast locally generated fare, so that means that you 
will have to listen live or, if possible, record it on your computer 
for later hearing and/or sharing with others.  Would appreciate any 
feedback after the show has aired, positive or negative, either by 
personal email or by phone.  I'll give out my email address during the 
show.  Anyway to access the Radio Reading Network of Maryland on the 
Internet, go to
http://www.radioreadingnetwork.com
and click on the link "Listeners" (without the quotes), and hopefully 
you will be able to hear and/or record the same.  If possible try 
accessing the station beforehand, and therefore you won't be 
disappointed if you can't hear us.  Thanks in advance for being a listener.

And now to the subject of joy.  Don't know the author's name, but 
he/she wrote the following:

It might sound strange to say that joy is the result of our choices.  
We often imagine that some people are luckier than others and that 
their joy or sorrow depends on circumstances of their life--over which 
they have no control.

However, we do have a choice, not so much to the circumstances of our 
life, but in regard to the way we respond to those circumstances.  Two 
people can be victims of the same accident.  For one it becomes a 
source of resentment; for the other, the source of gratitude.

It is important to become aware that, at any moment of our life, we 
have an opportunity to choose joy.  Life has many sides to it.  There 
are always sorrowful and joyful sides to the reality we live.  And so 
we always have a choice to live the moment as a cause of resentment or 
as a cause of joy.  It is in the choice that our true freedom lies, and 
that freedom is, in the final analysis, the freedom to love.

It might be a good idea to ask ourselves how we develop our capacity to 
choose for joy.  Maybe we could spend a moment at the end of each day 
and decide to remember that day--whatever may have happened--as a day 
to be grateful for.  In so doing we increase the heart's capacity to 
choose for joy.  And as our hearts become more joyful, we will become, 
without any special effort, a source of joy for others.

May the joy of Christ fill your hearts today.

And there you have it for today.  In case you didn't get the URL 
mentioned above, will post it along with tomorrow's quotes.  Until 
tomorrow when, Lord willing another article will be posted, may the God 
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and 
collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian 
friend and brother, Paul