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| November 2008 | Vol. 1 | Issue 5Greetings! Even if you don't happen to live in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and are not a baseball fan, the celebration last night after the Phillies won the World Series was loud enough for the entire country to hear! You know, I've always wondered why it is called the "World Series" when the world is not involved. I'm sure there is a good enough reason. As the baseball season ends and basketball and hockey gear up for new seasons, it is a good reminder that change is all around us. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I am a fan of the changing colors of autumn leaves. No matter the kind of change happening in your world today, I hope that you are able to see evidence of the unchanging God all around you. By the way, you can now read past issues of eNewsletters.
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 Light and Dark.
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by Susan
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..."you are the sun and I am the moon."
It's not much of a secret that I am a HUGE fan of singer/songwriter Sara Groves. She and Matt Bronlewee co-wrote a song entitled "You are the Sun." Here are a few lines from the tune:
"And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can't be a light unless I turn my face to you"
When I first heard the song, I smiled because it reminded me of my desperate attempts to understand any morsel of the meteorological facts taught by my dear college professor of meteorology. I tried hard--even taping weather maps all over my room that semester so that no matter where I looked the jet stream was staring me down. I managed to pass, but I surely would have done much better had the words of "You are the Sun" been around to help me keep it all straight!
As I understand it, when we talk about the moon shining, we are talking about something known as albedo. Albedo is a derivative of the Latin word albus meaning "white" and describes the "ratio of light reflected from a surface." As the sun shines, the moon is essentially reflecting/mirroring that light. Meteorologists talk about this often in terms of the percentage of light reflected. The moon's average albedo is 7%. In other words, on average, of all of the sun's light that reaches the moon's surface, only 7% of it is reflected. My rudimentary understanding of albedo (and lots of reading about the topic) leads me to the conclusion that the darker the color of a surface, the lower the albedo.
With this mini-meteorological lesson in mind, Sara and Matt's song takes on new meaning for me. If I am a moon and the surface of my being is dark, then I'm not reflecting much light that comes my way. Yet, through the work of Jesus on the cross to take on my sin--my darkness--God has made me to shine. My darkness is eclipsed by his light. My average albedo hovers at 0%; yet, if I choose to turn my face to him, I am able to do more than just glow. I am able to be a light that reflects his energy. The more I turn toward him, the more light I am able to reflect. I can't expect to be a light in a world of darkness if I turn my back to his light.
Are there parts of your life that are overwhelmed by darkness? Is there a secret you've been holding on to for quite some time? Does it feel unsafe to bring into the light? Do you long for the warmth and comfort that light brings but are scared to invite it into your life?
God offered His son as a means for offering you safe passage from darkness to light: "Then Jesus cried out, 'When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness'" (John 12:44-46).
You don't have to camp out in darkness. It can be scary to offer the hidden parts of our lives to Him; yet, He is the only one who promises to deal with our darkness in the safety of His light without fear of abandonment, judgment, or harsh words. He isn't just the light of the world. He is your light!
May we be bold as we approach God with our darkness, saying,
"Without you I'm a cold dark stone
Shine on me
I have no light of my own"
Have a thought, reflection, question, comment, etc. about what you've read? Click here to share it. (Your e-mail address is not made public.)
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Joy in the Word |
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"and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.."
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See the Joy
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New Upcoming Event!
You Matter: A Christmas Reflection
Join the women of The Journey for
A Casual Christmas Cafe
7 p.m. on December 12, 2008
click here for more details
ways to keep in touch
See the Joy - Topics - Journal the Joy Blog
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Joy Moments
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Go Home Happy.
I love working with college students; however, as much as I love my job, it can have its
frustrating moments. One of my pet
peeves is when students pack up their stuff before class is finished. It
just wasn't fun to always end class with
frustration hanging in the air. So, after experiencing a ton of frustration
about this, I began brainstorming for a way that everyone, including myself,
could go home happy at the end of class. I desperately needed a joy moment!
Because I love jokes--particularly
the kind that 8 year olds find entertaining,
I decided that I would tell a joke at the end of each class as a way to
let everyone know that class was over, and it was okay to pack up.
While my joke telling experiment has experienced a large
amount of success, most of my students would most likely tell you that the
jokes are at best groaners! I say it is
all a matter of interpretation. Groaners
or not, we go home happy!
You didn't actually think that I was going to end this joy moment without telling you a joke, did you????
One winter afternoon, two snowmen were standing in a field talking to one another. One of the snowmen said to the other, "You're right. It does smell like carrots out here!"
What's that? You'd like to hear another one? No problem!
What did Ernie say to Bert when Bert asked him if he wanted some ice cream?
Sure Bert.
Look around you--joyful moments abound! Click here to share yours!
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Joyful Resources
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Unceasing
The band Unceasing recently led worship at my church and they were amazing.
What I liked best
about them is that there wasn't any pretense about how we should come to
worship God. We should just come. There wasn't any presumption about who should
come to worship God. We should all come.
I'm particularly a fan of their song, "I Will Dance." You can listen to some cuts from their songs at http://www.myspace.com/unceasingband
If you're in need of a worship band, I think you may have just found what you need.
Want to share a joyful resource? Send us a message.
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A Christmas Gift Idea
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Samaritan's Purse Christmas Catalog
Have
you ever struggled to figure out what to get for the person who
seemingly has everything? Ever wanted to make your gift giving budget
stretch beyond its capacity?
Samaritan's Purse has published its annual Christmas
catalog full of all kinds of ways you can give the gift of hope. From
vaccinations to milk to bikes to crops, the options are plentiful!
Don't underestimate how excited someone might be to know that you've given them the gift of a cow for a poor farmer!
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ServingLeaders Ministries
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The Critical Need
With the caring those in ministry do for others, it can sometimes be difficult for them to receive care. ServingLeaders Ministries is a much needed answer to the question: Who cares for pastors, ministry leaders, and their families? Dave Wiedis is the Founder and Executive Director of ServingLeaders Ministries. He is also my ministry coach and I couldn't be more thankful for his insight and help as I work to build a solid foundation for Defiant Joy. As a counselor, attorney, teacher, and elder, Dave has a unique skill set that enables him to care well for those in ministry. I would highly recommend him and even if you are not local, he would make an excellent keynote speaker on a number of topics. .
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Prayer and Thanks
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I'm Giving Thanks...- For good relationships at work
- For a place to have a prayer retreat over the Thanksgiving weekend
- For the birth of Justus Stephen--congrats to my dear friends Jeff and Shelley!
- For strength to continue to choose defiant joy
Please Pray...- For my willingness to invite His light into the dark places of my life
- For speaking opportunities
- For continued reflection and insight as I meet with my ministry coach
- For insight about making some design improvements to the website
It would be a privilege to pray for you. E-mail Susan.
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With Defiant Joy,
Susan
Susan M. Ward, Ph.D.
Founder | Defiant Joy Ministries
susan@defiantjoyministries.com
If you would like to receive occasional mailings delivered the old-fashioned way to your door step from Defiant Joy,
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Thanks!
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