Gentle Humour with Jesus, Devotions for the Happy Heart
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About this ebook
Now seriously, does this sound like fun to you? The dictionary describes laughter as an expression of mirth accompanied by certain convulsive, involuntary actions of the breathing muscles. Air is forced from the chest in jerks which produce short, abrupt sounds. Certain movements take place in the face and merriment is visible in the eyes.
However, laughter increases blood flow, contracts the stomach muscles and is thought to reduce the possibility of a heart attack! Let gentle humour with Jesus take your mind off your troubles for a little bit. Why you might even laugh a little! After all, the Bible does say that those who sow in tears will reap in joy and a merry heart is as good as a dose of medicine!!
Brenda J Wood
I call myself the ABC girl’ because I’ve survived the alphabet biggies of abuse, bulimia, and cancer.Right now I am working my way through the D’s that is recovering from the loss of my husband a few months ago.I expect to conquer the entire alphabet in my life time with the help of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.I am a somewhat average gal, not too tall, not too round, not too old or too young. I am not too outgoing, yet I am definitely not an introvert.I started to write seriously when I learned that journaling could help a person overcome sexual abuse. I thought that is for me! Eventually I started publishing the devotions that fill my journals.Some of those devotionals became the book, Heartfelt Devotionals-366 devotions for common sense living.My devotionals appear regularly at http://everydaychristian.com / and http://daily.presbycan.ca /I tend to write about what is happening in my life. Constant dieting produced the Bible Study, God, Gluttony & You, as well as several health related cookbooks.When Ron passed, I wrote a picture/story book for grieving children, called The Big Red Chair (2011).Meeting Myself-Snippets from a Binging and Bulging Mind (Word Alive Press) is the newest release. As you might expect from the title, it’s the painful, though often funny story of my recovery from abuse and bulimia. I’m honoured that both Michael Bull Roberts and Nikki Rosen read and endorsed it.You might have guessed by now that my next book will be about losing my Honey. I guess you could say that writing saved my life. Oh, I know that without Jesus and my husband Ron, (who was my ‘Jesus with skin’) I’d have sunk. But writing gives me a place to look at my life and recognize how far I’ve come.
Read more from Brenda J Wood
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Gentle Humour with Jesus, Devotions for the Happy Heart - Brenda J Wood
Gentle Humour with Jesus:
Devotions for the happy heart
Brenda J. Wood
SmashWords Edition
Gentle Humour with Jesus Copyright© 2015 by Brenda J. Wood
All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotes are from the Amplified Bible, copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, and 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright 1958, 1987 by The Lockman foundation. Used by permission. Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture taken from the King James Bible, by public domain. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Contact author and speaker, Brenda J Wood at:
Email: brendawoodauthor@yahoo.ca
Online: http://heartfeltdevotionals.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brendawoodspeaker
Cover artwork created by artist Anne Brolley
Formatting: www.RikHall.com
ISBN 978-1-895026-34-4
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.Then it was said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.
(Psalm 126:2, NIV)
Anxiety Attack
A large black dog lay motionless at the edge of the pavement. My mind whirled. Maybe the animal was only wounded. Possibly, it would attack anyone trying to help it. But someone had to. The driver hadn’t yet left his car to examine the poor beast. Oh, no; it would have to be me!
Obviously, the driver feared animals. Surely he wouldn’t want the mess in his new car. Mine was older and bigger. Would I be up to the challenge? If the dog bit me, I’d have to get rabies shots. What if I put my back out when I lifted the creature? That meant the chiropractor. Oh no. And who would pay the vet bills? I slowed down; determined to help, no matter the consequences.
That’s when I discovered that dog was really a lump of dirt and the driver only stopped to use his cell phone. Oh. I’m not alone in this folly, am I? I didn’t think so.
All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made
evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings]
but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast regardless of circumstances]. (Proverbs 15:15, AMP)
Personal Reflection and Prayer
Breaking Bread
Granny prepared our favourite foods as her way of saying I love you. One Christmas, she served eleven different side dishes, ranging from canned spaghetti to creamed celery.
The spaghetti was for the kids. Creamed celery made it to the table because a cousin mentioned that she ate it once in a high-class restaurant.
Whenever I visited on my own, she’d turn out our favorite feast of homemade bread and heavily salted and buttered squash. Together, we’d clean up the whole batch and share satisfied grins over empty plates.
The Bible doesn’t mention that we must serve a guest’s favourite food, but God clearly expects us to have guests and treat them well.
Welcome people into your home; don’t grumble about it. (1 Peter 4:9, CEV)
How are we doing in this department?
Personal Reflection and Prayer
Determined
I couldn’t download a free Bible onto my reading device, so I got my friend to help. Our skills were hopeless. We called in experts; travelled to make inquiries; struggled without success. It took us two days, several teenagers and every spare minute of our time, but eventually we succeeded. YAY!
I already own several Bible versions. I could have pursued them. I asked myself when I had last chased the Word of God with such perseverance. And when would I again chase it with such wild abandon?
Whatever your favourite version, it’s hard to obey what we don’t know. That’s why we read God’s Word. Start in the Book of John and keep going. You’ll love it.
When you carry the Bible, Satan has a headache. When you open it, he collapses. When you read it, he loses his strength. But when you believe it, he can’t hurt you!
Jesus answered, The Scriptures say no one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.
(Matthew 4:4, CEV)
Personal Reflection and Prayer
Christ’s Garden
Finished gardening already?
asked my neighbour. She pointed out a couple of dandelions and a large thistle. Together, they took up the far corner of my flower bed.
As close as I can get. Those are too hard to reach.
She made a sort of snorting noise and stomped away. Why did she care? It wasn’t her yard and she couldn’t see my weeds from her windows. Then I realized she feared those