PA RUM PA PUM PUM

I've always felt that God has had a special ministry within my Ministry for me to preach about joy. Pretty much when the opportunity arises for me to preach joy I do. I have lots of pet verses that I go to all the time. At present were in the season of Advent which is a penitential season but still holds great joy.

As much as I beat the drum for a joyful life committed to Jesus Christ more than every once in a while I'm less than joyful and it bugs the Crud out of me. It makes me feel like a hypocrite and that I have no business preaching on Joy. Yesterday I celebrated the 30th anniversary of when I asked my wife JoAnn to be my girlfriend. I was 17 she was Almost 16. now, that should bring great joy right? and it did. But when we got home from an awesome day of enjoying each other's company there was a letter from the County saying there'd been a formal complaint against us regarding our dog barking excessively.

I really did my best not to allow that to steal the joy of the whole day. I feel badly when I disappoint people. I suppose it's about approval but I'd like to think it's about more than that. I want to treat everyone with respect, and I don't want my life to impinge on others and cause pain. It upsets me when I'm upset someone else. I do tend to obsess on things and allow things like that notice from the the county to invade too much of my life. So in an attempt to remain joyful I began to think about Christmas.

When I was with Joanne yesterday we did a little Christmas shopping and it was fun. I was reflecting on that time with Joanne and started really thinking about what I want to give to Jesus as a birthday present. all kinds of things went through my head - to be a better husband and father, To be a more dedicated priest and pastor, to really concentrate on practicing being in God's presence all the time even doing the most mundane of things like washing the dishes for cleaning a toilet. For some reason I was unsatisfied with all these things and became a little frustrated with myself. So I left those thoughts till morning. My wife JoAnn's shared with me a story about a man in orange County, Who paid off thousands of dollars in layaway debt at his local Walmart for total strangers. I thought to myself what a wonderful gift to absolute strangers and to Jesus. This guy gets it. Again I became frustrated with myself. What do I want to give Jesus for his birthday and for that matter what do I want to give them every day that I live and breath ,he deserves the very best and unfortunately I feel that I fall short.

For no reason at all, I started to think about the lyrics of that Christmas song, you know” Little drummer boy”. There is a line that says ” I played my best for him”. That's what I wanted to is play my best for him. Again I began to be frustrated because when I think I'm doing my best I'm getting letters in the mail telling me I can't control my dog or people are leaving the church or dozens of people who say that they are coming to church never come. what the kind of best is that?

In the midst of my frustration I had forgotten about the following line in the song “and he smiled at me”. The baby Jesus smiled at the Little drummer boy after the little drummer boy had played his best. Nowhere in the lyrics of the songs that say that the little drummer boy played well. Didn't say that he was the drummer for The Who or won Grammys or pleased everyone in the room. It simply says that that little drummer boy played his best at that moment that little baby who was the Savior and is the Savior of the world. the lyrics do not grade is playing. I've always assumed that the little drummer boy was the best drummer in the world but it doesn't say that.

I really want Jesus to smile and hope he does. Like so many people I get wrapped up in my failures but I have to believe that Jesus sees my heart. And my desire to do my best. My life hasn't been filled with a lot of apparent successes lately very few small victories that I can see. This is where I have to dig in and know that I serve a God who loves me despite my many failures and even sins.

if my story hits home for you allow me to encourage you. Psalm 16 says that the presence of God is the fullness of joy. You know intellectually that God is ever present–then so is joy, ever present that is. In studying joy in the Scriptures it seems that joy thrives and exists in the environment of contentment and not one of wanting. Joy exists when we know that everything we have is provided by God as well as everything we need and will needs.

Go and do your best in Jesus will smile upon it. I absolutely believe it

Going big making Jesus smile.

And by the way I didn't type this entry I dictated it into a Dragon thing–some kind of software for the typing impaired. So it's a little worried–forgive me.