Thought I'd dive into a poem and see what I come up with. Thanks for your prayers. Jeff

The vidlink at the very end is the band who came to El Paso with Chris Tomlin last year!

JOY IS A CHOICE

When the days are dark
And fear is in your heart
Turn your face to the light
And choose joy

When night is too long
And worry presses on
Lift your head up again
And choose joy

When your hope is gone
And grief blocks the sun
Raise your eyes to heaven
And choose joy

Remember God's love
Surrender your choice
Open your Bible
And rejoice!

JEFFREE!
02202010




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	Joy--An Inside Job

	Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Philippians 4:4

	Dr. Victor Frankl, author of Man's Search for Meaning, was imprisoned by the Nazis in World War II because he was a Jew. His wife, his children, and his parents were all killed in the Holocaust. The Gestapo stripped him of his clothes. He stood totally naked before them. As they cut off his wedding band, Viktor said to himself, "You can take away my wife, you can take away my children, you can strip me of my clothes and my freedom, but there is one thing no person can ever take away from me--and that is my freedom to choose how I will react to what happens to me!" Even under the most difficult of circumstances, joy is a choice which transforms our tragedies into triumph. Let's face it, not everything goes our way. Things don't always work out as we planned. Some days are disasters. Other days are worse than that. Happiness comes easily when things go our way. Joy is different. It's deeper. Joy is an attitude we select. Happiness is external and subject to what happens. Joy is an inside job in which we opt to rejoice regardless of the circumstances. Don't confuse happiness with joy. Happiness is a buoyant emotion that results from the momentary plateaus of well-being. Joy is bedrock stuff. Joy is a confidence that operates irrespective of our moods. Joy is the certainty that all is well, however we feel. Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances simply because we have chosen to respond in a positive manner. Paul is saying in Philippians 4:4 that joy is not something that happens to me but rather something I deliberately and consciously select. Circumstances seldom generate lasting smiles and laughter. Joy comes to those who determine to choose it in spite of their circumstances.