Joy

Demoralization among clergy is high—and with good reason. But we need another narrative besides burnout.

Does our theology have space for a Jesus who not only weeps but also laughs?

At a L’Arche community, I learned something about working and dreaming for peace.

She’s helping me answer the question, “Why this life instead of another?”

The ancient wisdom text urges us to find joy in the limits of the present moment.

My mother grew up in a violent home. But violence was not the totality of her life.

Massive struggle, intense suffering, and abundant joy

How one youth leader stopped being a chief counselor of fun and discovered something better.

To love the world as an American black man is a subversive act.

When the vandals took Art’s gnome, they took his joy.

In this anthology of poems selected by Wiman, joy comes in modest and unlikely guise.

When we give something up, we realize that its goodness doesn't depend on our ownership of it.

From the wise men to the wedding at Cana, joy comes from recognizing and affirming the good.

The Magnificat rejoices in a God who acts within human history.

To Mary Clark Moschella, joy is a countercultural phenomenon.

"I've learned a lot from working with trees. More important, I've worked with people on imagining how to love each other."

"Look at the birds of the air," said Jesus. Our lives are more akin to the frantic scurrying of rats and the disciplined marching of ants.

KonMari approaches clutter by asking just one question: “Does this item spark joy?” But this isn't always a simple question.

The tension between the joy of the first three readings and the judgment of the Baptizer’s proclamation is theologically instructive. It presses us to hold the two together.

Matt Yglesias makes some interesting points here, and I'll echo his pick for best pizza place in DC. Still: if making homemade pizza is doing it wrong, I don’t want to do it right.