What makes you happy?

[Celibate Life]

I think that Christmas music in July makes me happy.

 

[devin553344]

Enya music makes me relaxed.

 

[bèlla]

Joy, laughter, yummy French food (especially cheese and baguettes!), traveling to new places, my favorite perfumes, redecorating, and handbags.

 

[lambofgod43985889]

for a christian, christ makes them happy

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Jesus says "MY JOY, I GIVE TO YOU" (or was it only peace? )

and "the strength of our joy is our daily walk, living in union every day with Jesus, continually" .....

No man can take our joy away ....

 

[Anthony2019]

1. Enjoying a walk or bike ride along the canal towpaths close to where I live and enjoying the peace and quiet of the countryside.
2. Being there for people I know and feeling happy if I've managed to cheer them up in some way.

 

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

A living, vibrant relationship with God and all the adventures He and I go on together. And today what makes me happy is catching up with an old friend with plans to possibly hang out during the weekend.

 

[bèlla]

1. Enjoying a walk or bike ride along the canal towpaths close to where I live and enjoying the peace and quiet of the countryside.

The countryside is beautiful. What do you ride?

 

[J Daniel]

The incredible mercy and grace I have, right now, from Christ.

 

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Sheryl Crow too

 

[Miles]

Music, nature, cycling, my cat, volunteering, friends, solitude, fun projects, and silver linings.

 

[Aabbie James]

Blessed assurance...

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

suffering.

as Jesus says: don't run from suffering, instead embrace it .....

Showing results from:biblegateway.comAll Results
BibleGateway - : rejoice in suffering
BibleGateway - Keyword Search: rejoice in suffering
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

Romans 5:3-8 ESV - Not only that, but we rejoice in our ...
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5:3-8&version=ESV
Romans 5:3-8 English Standard Version (ESV) 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given...

 

[Aabbie James]

Hope...

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

 

[timewerx]

I think that Christmas music in July makes me happy.

1950's Christmas songs for me. I play them to help concentrate at work!

 

[public hermit]

1. A good philosophy or theology book with smooth jazz playing in the background (no words because they distract as I read).
2. I like to take my small boat on the lake and fish. I don't really care if I catch anything. I cut the barb off the hook and release anything I catch. I'm not trying to clean a bunch of fish. I just like being on the water. I often pray and meditate as I cast or stare at my line, haha. Last time I was out I saw a Bald eagle!
3. Any kind of road trip with a friend is bliss for me. I like rolling through small towns and checking things out. I love various landscapes. The slower I can roll the happier I am.

 

[bèlla]

Positive quotes and messages. I love inspirational reminders that lift my spirits and encourage my heart.

~Bella

 

[bèlla]

@Chadrho

You have some wonderful interests. Who is your favorite philosopher? I often listen to classical music when I work.

How long have you been sailing? Its so peaceful. My grandparents were avid fishers. I went a couple of times. I know what you mean about cleaning!

Road trips are nice. Especially the ones with great company and something zany you talk about for years.

I hope you capture the moments at sea and on the road. Pictures are great memory keepers.

~Bella

 

[public hermit]

Chadrho,

You have some wonderful interests. Who is your favorite philosopher? I often listen to classical music when I work.

How long have you been sailing? Its so peaceful. My grandparents were avid fishers. I went a couple of times. I know what you mean about cleaning!

Road trips are nice. Especially the ones with great company and something zany you talk about for years.

I hope you capture the moments at sea and on the road. Pictures are great memory keepers.

~Bella

I don't know if I have a favorite philosopher. I have studied a good many of them and like almost as many for one reason or another. Oddly enough, in graduate school (master's degree) I did some directed studies on the philosophy of Jonathan Edwards (People usually know him for his terrifying but powerful sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." But, his philosophical thoughts were fantastic). When I was applying to Ph.D. programs my intention was to appropriate Edward's epistemology for the post-modern era (I'm now glad that didn't happen...God is good. I can't imagine working in an academic environment in this current culture. I can still be rough around the edges and I doubt I would tolerate much nonsense).

One of the interesting things about Edwards is that he integrated knowledge, excellency, morality, and beauty. (Which, by the way, kind of reminds me of you!) He has one essay called "The Mind" that I wish he had written more on. He wrote it very early (started it while at Yale) and seems to have become sidetracked from his purely philosophical thoughts once he started serving a church. Anyway, one quote from that essay:

"Pleasedness in perceiving being always arises, either from a perception of consent to being in general, or of consent to that being that perceives. As we have shown, that agreeableness to entity must be agreeable to perceiving entity. ’Tis as evident that it is necessary that agreeableness to that being must be pleasing to it, if it perceives it; so that pleasedness does not always arise from a perception of excellency in general. But the greater a being is, and the more it has of entity, the more will consent to being in general please it. But God is proper entity itself, and these two therefore in him become the same; for so far as a thing consents to being in general, so far it consents to him. And the more perfect created spirits are, the nearer do they come to their creator in this regard."

There's a lot there, but I absolutely love they way he ties together being, perception of excellency, pleasure in perceiving excellency, consent to being, and God all in one paragraph. What a mind! I love it. At any rate, I was working on taking some of his ideas from that essay and appropriating it for a current theory of knowledge.

As for boats, I think you may have the wrong impression. I can't sail. I wish I could. I'm just a country boy who received some God-blessed breaks once I quit acting like an idiot, haha. I have a small fishing boat I troll around on small lakes where I live. There are a good many folks her in VA that do spend time on the saltwater, but I don't have saltwater experience in that way. Sorry, I didn't mean to give the wrong impression.

When I first learned to drive I would borrow my father's convertible and ride backroads with friends for hours. It was sublime. That's when I was hooked. My father got pretty upset when I would bring the car home with way more miles on it than when I left, hehe. He got over it.

I currently have a road trip in mind. My ancestors on both sides of my family migrated west from North Carolina in the 1700s-1800s. Now that I live in Virginia, I am planning a trip to various places in NC where I know they lived in the piedmont area. One of my ancestors was/is a well known potter from the 1800s. There are some museums with his work and I plan to see some of those. I would like to purchase one of his pieces, someday. And, one of his kilns has been excavated! I want to see that as well. We'll see. Sorry for going on and on, but you asked.

The Mind | Reformed Theology at A Puritan's Mind

 

[bèlla]

Chadrho,

I’m progressing through the subject slowly. I have a subscription to The Great Courses Plus. They cover a lot of areas taught by respected persons in academia. I read selected titles throughout the year.

Philosophy, psychology, and history are topics of interest. But I’ve delved into theology in the past and have a large collection of Christian books. I considered seminary and may pursue a shorter course of study if the Lord permits.

One of the interesting things about Edwards is that he integrated knowledge, excellency, morality, and beauty. (Which, by the way, kind of reminds me of you!)

I’m familiar with him but I haven’t read his work. I am humbled by your compliment. The Lord graced you with insight on my character. That is an accurate description. Thank you for blessing me with your kindness.

"But the greater a being is, and the more it has of entity, the more will consent to being in general please it. But God is proper entity itself, and these two therefore in him become the same; for so far as a thing consents to being in general, so far it consents to him. And the more perfect created spirits are, the nearer do they come to their creator in this regard."

Thank you for sharing the excerpt and link. He reminds me of Samuel Ruchardson. He expressed similar principles in his novels. They were moral works. Consider his thoughts on generosity:

True generosity is not confined to pecuniary instances: it is more than politeness: it is more than good faith: it is more than honour; it is more than justice; since all of these are but duties, and what a worthy mind cannot dispense with. But true generosity is greatness of soul. It incites us to do more by a fellow-creature than can be strictly required of us. It obliges us to hasten to the relief of an object that wants relief; anticipating even such a one’s hope or expectation.

Generosity, Sir, will not surely permit a worthy mind to doubt of its honourable and beneficent intentions: much less will it allow itself to shock, to offend any one; and, least of all, a person thrown by adversity, mishap, or accident, into its protection.

I didn’t expect spiritual manna in a classic novel. But Richardson filled the pages with morsels that edify and instruct. The heroine, Clarissa, mirrors the qualities you mentioned earlier. She was so exemplary, I’ve included her musings in my beautification project. It is a noble standard. This is a favorite quote:

For it was a maxim with her, 'That a woman who neglects the useful and the elegant, which distinguish her own sex, for the sake of obtaining the learning which is supposed more peculiar to the other, incurs more contempt by what she foregoes, than she gains credit by what she acquires.'

'All that a woman can learn,' she used to say, [expatiating on this maxim,] 'above the useful knowledge proper to her sex, let her learn. This will show that she is a good housewife of her time, and that she has not a narrow or confined genius.

But then let her not give up for these those more necessary, and, therefore, not meaner, employments, which will qualify her to be a good mistress of a family, a good wife, and a good mother; for what can be more disgraceful to a woman than either, through
negligence of dress, to be found a learned slattern; or, through ignorance of household-management, to be known to be a stranger to domestic economy?'

Where would I find her wisdom in our culture? It would be a lengthy search for certain!

There's a lot there, but I absolutely love they way he ties together being, perception of excellency, pleasure in perceiving excellency, consent to being, and God all in one paragraph. What a mind! I love it. At any rate, I was working on taking some of his ideas from that essay and appropriating it for a current theory of knowledge.

You found a rich store of spiritual nourishment! Have you progressed on the theory or is it in the works?

I have a small fishing boat I troll around on small lakes where I live. There are a good many folks her in VA that do spend time on the saltwater, but I don't have saltwater experience in that way. Sorry, I didn't mean to give the wrong impression.

There’s no need to apologize. That’s my city slicker rearing her head. Its still a lovely image and a peaceful pastime. There are moments when I long for solace away from the bustle of urban living.

Now that I live in Virginia, I am planning a trip to various places in NC where I know they lived in the piedmont area. One of my ancestors was/is a well known potter from the 1800s. There are some museums with his work and I plan to see some of those. I would like to purchase one of his pieces, someday. And, one of his kilns has been excavated! I want to see that as well. We'll see. Sorry for going on and on, but you asked.

That is an admirable example of integrating travel with familial history. The pride you’ve shown is heartwarming. We’re swift to forget the contributions of those who’ve gone before us. It is my hope that you will accomplish your goal and obtain several pieces!

~Bella