Presby-Musings

People often ask me why I sign all of my emails, and other correspondence with the words, "Counting it all Joy."  Today is Part 3 of that explanation which comes from the book of James 1:2: "...count it all joy when you fall into various trials."    Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a Soviet dissident during the Cold War era. He was thrown into a concentration camp by the communist government, which was for many a death sentence.   At one point he was breaking rocks and digging--hard labor that he knew would never end. All seemed lost, and hopeless.  He laid his shovel aside and sat down on a bench, knowing that at any moment a guard would most likely come up to him and beat him to death with the butt of a gun.  He felt a presence next to him on the bench and looked over to see another prisoner, a thin, drawn man who had been in the gulag longer than Alexander.  The man took a stick and drew on the ground in front of Alexander and then quietly got up...

People often ask me why I sign all of my emails, and other correspondence with the words, "Counting it all Joy."  Today is Part 2 of that explanation which comes from the book of James.   James (who was the brother of Jesus) exhorted Christians to consider it all joy when they encountered trials and tribulations.  Most of us struggle with this, and here's a compelling reason why. LOTS of Christians believe that God causes trials and tribulations.  That God is the author and finisher, not merely of our faith, but also of our pain.  And then the really church-y people in our lives will try to tell us that "God has a plan," and somehow that we won't be worthy of God's love unless we just accept this and soldier on...  So, does God really cause all trials and tribulations?  James, the brother of Jesus, didn't seem to think so.  Compare these two statements: "If God brought you to it...He'll get you through it."  "God do...

If you've ever wondered why I sign all of my emails, church newsletter articles and letters with the words, "Counting it all Joy," I'll give you an explanation... in three parts over the next three days!   This little tagline comes from the book of James.  Here it is in context:  2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing  ( James 1:2-4) I use those four words every day to remind myself that I am speaking my way into believing them.  Because to rejoice when you are going through tough moments is not intuitive to most of us, and here's why:   In ancient Judaism the rabbis struggled to explain why human beings could contain both the capacity for great evil in addition to great good.  They developed the idea of the Yetser Hatob and the Yetser Hara .   Basical...