Each year, the significance of Easter increases as my love for my family increases. Christ’s gift of his own life makes it possible for all to be resurrected and live with their families forever. More importantly, as Brad Wilcox said in his book, Changed through His Grace, “perhaps the greatest gift is not only that…
Category: Uncategorized
Developing Christlike Attributes: The Virtue Paradox
Lao-tzu, a Chinese philosopher and the founder of Taoism, proposed a phenomenon called the “paradox of virtue,” suggesting that when we consciously strive to become more virtuous, we actually diminish our virtue. For example, if we serve others because we want “to be a good person” then our motives are not truly selfless, and therefore…
Gratitude in Advance
“‘To know something is not as good as loving it; to love something is not as good as rejoicing in it.” —Confucius When I read this quote from Confucius, it made me pause. His first point, “to know something is not as good as loving it,” seems like a no-brainer; any normal person would agree that…
Your “As You Wish”
Do I tell my loved ones often enough that I love them? Well, that depends. Perhaps a better question to ask is “When am I really saying ‘I love you’?” The message that you love someone is almost never conveyed in the moment of saying the actual words “I love you.” So when and how…
Stable in the Stable
When I was a child, I designed and created this plastic-canvas nativity set for my mother. Like many nativity scenes, the figures in this set look so pristine and comfortable. But the reality was probably anything but comfortable. When we describe the Christmas story, we use special, holy-sounding words like “stable,” “swaddling clothes,” and “manger,”…
Meaning of “Journey in the Joy” (2)
Why did I chose to call this blog “Journey in the Joy?” I’ve often heard the phrase “there is joy in the journey,” and I believe that with my whole heart. But additionally, I believe that when we choose joy as our reality then we reach a higher degree of joy in the journey, and…
On Strike Against Stress
“Stress is not normal. Stress is common, but it’s not normal. Joy is normal.” —Elaine Grohman, energy healer This current semester has been significantly less stressful for me than past semesters. Why? Because I had a very simple realization: Stress is the manifestation of fear. I can imagine you thinking sarcastically, “So . . ….
“Frisbee Factor” Part Two
Last week, I shared the story of the first time I played ultimate Frisbee. My Frisbee skills were so pathetic that gradually my teammates stopped trying to throw it to me. But then I secretly practiced Frisbee every day for two weeks until we met up to play again. I thought that as soon as…
“Frisbee Factor” Part One
Even when we wish someone would change, too often our perception of that person can actually be part of what prevents them from changing. A couple days ago, I had a fantastic time playing ultimate Frisbee with some awesome new friends. As we played, I had a series of flashbacks to the first ultimate Frisbee…
Plateau or Phase Change
Can any of us really tell when we’re truly changing? I think that even when we recognize that we’ve had a change of heart, it’s nearly impossible to recognize that change of heart in the very moment that it’s happening. In chemistry, one calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram…