Author Archives: joyocala

Swing low, sweet chariot…(composed by Wallis Willis a Choctaw Freedman, African American spiritual) I’m out here on the front porch, just a swingin’…(country song and lyrics by John Anderson) …and of course, Bing Crosby’s, Would You Like to Swing on a … Continue reading →

We are now a week into the new year.  If you haven’t already, it is time to think of what we want our lives to look like in 2022.   A good place to start is practicing “Metta” which is a … Continue reading →

Who needs it?  Well, this evening at the Epiphany service, during a surprise concert by Niah and Allisha Merrill, I was reminded in song that any suffering, any conflict, any request needs to be carried to the Lord in prayer.  … Continue reading →

My Grandma Szlavik called it Drei Könige, reflecting her European upbringing where Three Kings or Epiphany Day was a big deal. In the U.S., however, Epiphany passes with little note unless you’re in a place like Miami or Tarpon Springs,  … Continue reading →

I love New Years!  Each year as I look back on the previous year just passed, I remember all the good things that happened, the trials I have endured, and the lessons I have learned.  It is good to think … Continue reading →

            There are the obvious ones who have shaped our lives: parents, grandparents, teachers. Then there are the ones that appear, or “pop up” in certain situations. The older we get, the more the veneer of innocence gets tarnished a … Continue reading →

I wonder at the birth of Jesus.  The story never gets old.  I wonder at the awe of that manger just as much now as I did as a child.  It is a wonder, a marvelous holy wonder.  The Savior … Continue reading →

Do you ask for “things” when you pray?  Solomon, King David’s son, did just that, he asked God for wisdom.  Like his father, King Solomon ruled for 40 years. Scholars believe Solomon wrote some of the Psalms, authored the Proverbs, Songs of … Continue reading →

The year 2020 was a rough.  A pandemic swept the world causing problems for us on many levels.  Multiple people died, countless became very ill, economic chaos engulfed every corner of the earth, people were isolated from their family and … Continue reading →

For better or for worse, the year 2021 is coming to a close.  At midnight we will begin anew, a fresh new year.  We have no idea what it will bring for us individually or for our world.   But we … Continue reading →