![]() Mom says the only thing sadder than remembering is forgetting, so I’m going to write down everything that happens to me in this diary. Oh, and my mom moved to Mexico to work on her novel. My dad won’t stop asking me if I’m okay.ĥ. ![]() ![]() I think I’m in love with Mac Brody, senior football star, whose girlfriend is so beautiful she doesn’t even need eyeliner.Ĥ. My best friend, Hannah, is driving me insane.ģ. I’m a kissing virgin (so so so embarrassing).Ģ. Louis with her pastor/hubs and has five grown children.1. Rhonda enjoys speaking at conferences and events from coast to coast and serves as a consultant on the publishing team of Bold Vision Books. Rhonda and Kaley are also excited to be teaming up with Bridges TV host, Monica Schmelter, for a new book and TV series titled, Messy to Meaningful-Lessons from the Junk Drawer. She is the author of 12 books, including Fix-Her-Upper, co-authored with Beth Duewel, and a hilarious novel, Turtles in the Road, co-authored with her daughter, Kaley Rhea. Rhonda Rhea is a TV personality for Christian Television Network and a humor columnist for great magazines such as HomeLife, Leading Hearts, The Pathway and many more. And that it will morph into all kinds of laughter. I’m praying it will spill over into how I share His gospel and love on His people. That I will think more like Jesus and look more like Jesus and be more like Jesus. I’m praying that I really will mature there-no stumbling. Paul said in Philippians 2:5, “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus” (HCSB). Embracing the gospel causes us to look at every single one of those Beatitudes in an entirely new light. Real happiness doesn’t happen until we come to grips with the fact that our soul is utterly impoverished apart from Christ and until we deeply mourn over our sin. ![]() The first two Beatitudes, “blessed are the poor in spirit” and “blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:3-4, ESV), usher us into this new way of thinking. “Makarios” refers to a happiness that doesn’t depend on circumstances. But Jesus taught from that mount-and by His life-that we’re called to think differently. They think it’s mostly about having things and money and power. Outside of Christ, people generally understand happiness to be all wrapped up in their ability to do whatever they want, whenever they want. And though it’s been studied from every direction since, the concept is still revolutionary. He changed the way people thought about joy. In His day, these words of Jesus were groundbreaking. It’s a list that takes us all the way to “persecuted.” I know it’s already clear that I’m not the best at deciding what should make us smile, but at first glance, this list doesn’t seem any too joy-inducing to me. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He kicked off His teaching with the Beatitudes, His beautiful list of “blesseds.” The word translated “blessed” here is from the Greek, “makarios,” and it means contented, blissful…“happy.” But then we look at those Beatitudes and see that “poor in spirit” and “mournful” top the list. Wow, why aren’t we taking more of this medicine? I’ve heard that joyful-hearted laughter can boost immunities, decrease pain, reduce heart disease and help with weight and sleeping issues. We’re told that “a joyful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22, HCSB) and, not that we needed it to, but science backs it up. If I say something I think is funny and you don’t laugh, just be ready for me to repeat it with a rising level of volume and obnoxiousness. So now that I’ve owned up to my immature laughter, I might as well go ahead and confess that I also laugh at my own jokes. Which, ironically, might mean that I fare worse than the people I’m watching stumble. Videos of people stumbling? Don’t even get me started because I can laugh until I nearly pull something. No, I’m talking about laughing so hard that no real sound comes out-just those weird, wheezy throat-squeaks. Not just a little, under-the-breath chortle either. Because, let me tell you, I can laugh for a good twenty minutes. And then I see somebody run into a door while texting and it all suddenly becomes very clear. By Rhonda Rhea, convince myself I’m pretty mature.
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