From Tozer

We had a great trip to Ohio, though the drives were a bit long. Not much we can do about that. I'll write more about the conference later. In the meantime, please chew on this:


The Church: The Genuine Joy of the Lord

Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and
send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is
holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength."
--Nehemiah 8:10

We are missing the mark about Christian victory and the life of joy
in our Savior. We ought to be standing straight and praising our God!

I must agree with the psalmist that the joy of the Lord is the
strength of His people. I do believe that the sad world is attracted
to spiritual sunshine--the genuine thing, that is.

Some churches train their greeters and ushers to smile, showing as
many teeth as possible. But I can sense that kind of display, and when
I am greeted by a person who is smiling because he or she has been
trained to smile, I know I am shaking the flipper of a trained seal.
When the warmth and joy of the Holy Spirit are in a congregation,
however, and the folks are spontaneously joyful, the result is a
wonderful influence upon others....

I have said it a hundred times: The reason we have to search for so
many things to cheer us up is the fact that we are not really joyful
and contentedly happy within....But we are Christians, and Christians
have every right to be the happiest people in the world. Tragedy in
the Church: The Missing Gifts, 10,11.

Wow, that hits me right where I'm at!

(apologies for the formatting. In a rush right now...)