A classic and brilliant observation on joy from C.S. Lewis: "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of… Continue reading Jack on joy – #2
Month: July 2010
From the belly
Does anyone really pay much attention to their breathing? Seems so utterly basic, but apparently I need graduate level education. At recent retreat the presenter (Jason Hildebrand, by the way, a fine actor who has a unique gift of discernment - you can learn more about Jason here) took time to give a bunch of us pastors breathing lessons. Jason… Continue reading From the belly
The sound of sunshine
This past weekend I got in touch with my inner hippie and turned folkie, hanging out at the Calgary Folk Music Festival. Wow, does great live music bring me a lot of joy! What a fabulous time. First of all, the venue has to be one of the sweetest. Held at Prince's Island Park in downtown Calgary,… Continue reading The sound of sunshine
A cheerful revolt
Here's a great quote from writer of the spiritual life, Richard Foster: "Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be light-hearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. It is a cheerful revolt against self and pride." Not much time to write - I'm off to the Calgary Folk… Continue reading A cheerful revolt
The experience of flow = joy
I just saw an interesting video on why your workplace is probably the worst place to actually get any work done - because it's structured for interruptions. Phone calls, emails, co-workers stopping by and meetings continually interrupt the day so you end up not getting much accomplished, but more so, never enter a place of sustained attention… Continue reading The experience of flow = joy
Kitschy delights
Do you have a favourite kitschy delight, a guilty pleasure that you don’t own up to very quickly? Saturday I went with Owen and Lily to one of mine, the Calgary Stampede. The “greatest outdoor show on earth” has genuine cowboy roots and the rodeo is as gritty as you get. But the rest of the… Continue reading Kitschy delights
Holy hail stones
This past Monday afternoon the strangest storm was brewing over Calgary. Black clouds were fronting the storm with these aqua-green coloured chasers tucking in behind. We dutifully took in the cushions from our deck furniture and got ready for the downpour. I was intrigued and stood on the deck just observing the storm pass over. The darkest… Continue reading Holy hail stones
Why aren’t you more joyful?
“The heart has reasons that reason cannot know.” Blaise Pascal I love a cogent argument, I’m persuaded by a beautiful line of reasoning, but I know, as poet Denise Levertov writes, that reason was meant “for use a pinch at a time, a condiment.” One of the fallacies melancholy tricks us with is the need… Continue reading Why aren’t you more joyful?
The wisdom of a merry soul
Gilbert Keith Chesterton was a wise and merry soul. Listen to this wisdom from him on joy: "The test of all happiness is gratitude ... Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys or sweets. Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he put in my stockings the… Continue reading The wisdom of a merry soul
Was that my outside voice?
Like most others, I have two voices going on in my life. There’s my inside voice, that dialogue carrying on inside the privacy of my mind – generally snarkier, more socially inappropriate, politically incorrect and probably a little profane. And then there’s the outside voice, the more edited, public version of my thoughts - that’s… Continue reading Was that my outside voice?
Squinch 