Valerie is a 42-year-old, single, Reformed Christian lady who lives in Baltimore. She doesn't remember a time
before she knew and loved Jesus, but she does remember accepting John Calvin into her heart in March of 2000.
Valerie is a member of Christ Reformed Evangelical Church in Annapolis.
Though her career aspiration is to be a housewife, Valerie has not yet found anyone suitable who wishes to hire
her for employment in that field (or, more properly, anyone suitable has not found her), so in the meantime she
earns her daily bread working in communications -- editing, writing, print design and website management.
Hallucinatory Happiness
I loved this from Mark Horne:
I used to think that "happiness is a choice." But that is simplistic. Your emotions are reactions to reality -- or they should be. Happiness is hallucinatory if it is merely volitional. But for most people, especially for contemporary Americans, there is some reason to be happy, and the choice is whether or not to focus on that reason.
Of course as Christians we have the best reasons for happiness. As RCJR once put it in a lecture on joy (in a teaching series on the fruit of the Spirit which is, alas, not currently available...the teaching series, I mean, not the fruit) (and I paraphrase), "Joy is circumstantial. It's OK to be joyful only when circumstances are good. So you have permission to be joyful only as long as God is glorious."
EDIT -- Here's the transcribed quote, from "Spirit of the Fruit," lecture #4, track 9:
Just as His presence is everywhere, and therefore the fullness of joy is everywhere in like manner, I'm willing to allow you to have your joy dependent upon circumstance. Despite all that I've said before, I'm feeling gracious today, and if you want to insist that "Nope, nope, my joy has to be dependent upon circumstance," I'm willing to let you go there...as long as your circumstance is this: I'm willing to be joyful any time God is glorious.
