Recovering Joy

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

                                                              Plalms 30:11-12 (NIV)

     Recovering Joy is what following Christ has meant for me. We often like to say, "You and I share the same history." or " We've walked the same path through life, hell, and back to God through Christ Jesus."
     The reality is nothing could be further from the truth. Maybe we ran into each other in a beer joint or a bar room. Maybe we had a common connection in the particular poison we chose to use to numb our senses and erase our pain, but that is pretty much where it ends. That’s not a bad thing, it's simply reality.

     My demons are my demons and your demons are your demons. What we do share, and THIS IS IMPORTANT, what we do share is that Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of God freed us from those demons. Freed us in order that we might "Recover Joy."
     I listen to a few TV Preachers, now mind you not all TV Preachers are wrong (only the ones I say are wrong are wrong :>) ). Matter of fact, I listen to a lot of preachers. I probably either listen to or read 3 sometimes 4 sermons every day.
     Today I read a sermon delivered by a friend of mine, Rev. John Kilzer. Pastor John's sermon oozed with Grace. With the promise of Christ as expressed in the words of 14th Centaury Nun, Sister Julian of Norwich who wrote, "All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well."
     By the strength of our faith, and the sincerity and hope of ours prayers, all manner of things will be well.
     If we allow ourselves to be bathed in the living waters of Christ's love there is no sin that cannot be forgiven, no prayer that cannot be answered and no joy that cannot be reclaimed!