Author Archives: joyocala

When I entered college, I was scared to death of calculus. I had never had calculus in high school, and I had always been told how hard it was. It turned out to be easier than my high school math … Continue reading →

 I just concluded a great “book club” study of Max Lucado’s “You’ll Get Through This.” He uses the story of Joseph in Genesis 47-50 as the basis for discussion. We took note of the near-perfect application of Joseph’s life journey … Continue reading →

When walking on the banks of the River Inny, young Brigid was given a gift of apples.  Continuing on she entered a house where many lepers begged her for the apples, which she offered willingly.  The woman who had given … Continue reading →

Social Media has a variety of sources you can choose to participate in and enjoy the ability to connect.  Current times find more folks using ZOOM or Facebook to hold business meetings, or family reunions, or classroom lessons and even church … Continue reading →

A woman once went for confession, admitting to badmouthing people. The confessor, a wise old man, listened lovingly, absolved her and gave her a strange penance.  He told her to go home, get a hen, come back, plucking the bird’s … Continue reading →

For most of my life, January has been an anxiety-producing event and always very long.  I can understand how the Roman god Janus felt; looking longingly at the past year and fretting nervously about the new year that looms ahead.  … Continue reading →

Today we remember Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) a Dominican friar. Thomas was one of the greatest thinkers in Christian history. He spent most of his adult life teaching at institutions in Paris, Cologne, and Rome. He wrote extensively producing works that … Continue reading →

A message worth repeating, originally posted last year. While looking for a blog topic, I came across this quote by English churchman and scholar Thomas Fuller:  He loseth nothing who keepeth God for his friend.  Fuller is known for his numerous … Continue reading →

 Do you ever wonder if your Christian faith is really going anywhere? Too often I fear that I and perhaps you are just going through the motions, checking the boxes (worship attendance, daily devotions, and little else. Jesus hopes for … Continue reading →

Picture this.  You’re walking along a country road.  It’s a long walk, but you and your friends are headed for the city.  You have business there.   You walk and talk.  It’s a very ordinary day. Then out of nowhere comes … Continue reading →