Sabbatical Reflections: The Pursuit of Happiness (Part 3 of 3)

There is a recurring theme in the Scriptures: “Blessed (happy) is the nation whose God is the Lord.”  Both corporate and individual happiness has little to do with “hap” and everything to do with recognizing God as the center of personal and national life.  This is what the Founding Fathers of the United States understood [...]

Sabbatical Reflections: The Pursuit of Happiness (Part 2 of 3)

What does the Bible have to say about happiness? How does it use the word happy?  How does the creator of the universe describe the conditions for happiness?
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word asar means happiness or well being.  It is used to describe the “prudent man.”  “Blessed (happy) are all those who put their [...]

Sabbatical Reflections: The Pursuit of Happiness (Part 1 of 3)

As part of my sabbatical reflection, I am reading Marva J. Dawn’s book The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life.
An early quote in the book captured my attention. Dawn wrote:  “We can easily give into our culture’s craving for happiness and miss the true joy of genuine faithfulness” (3).  It seems to [...]

A Prosperous & Happy Society, Created by Individuals & Institutions, 1/4

The Pursuit of Happiness
When you think of “happiness,” what comes to mind? My pastor recently preached through the book of Philippians and contrasted joy and happiness this way: Happiness is fleeting, transitory, and based on circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, remains-despite our circumstances-if it rests on a deep confidence in God’s unfailing love (see [...]

The Power of Words: Redefining Marriage (Part 2 of 2)

Today, over 50% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce.  Could the skyrocketing divorce rates and broken lives left in their wake be caused, in part, by the redefinition of marriage from a legal and religious contract instituted by God to a form of “social and legal dependence?”
In the U.S., the number of cohabiting [...]

The Power of Words: Redefining Marriage (Part 1 of 2)

My friend and mentor Darrow Miller speaks of the power of words to shape culture.  ”When God spoke,” Darrow is fond of saying, “He created the universe.  When man, who is made in God’s image, speaks, he creates culture.”  Our minds and our words have the power to form and shape not only the world [...]