Well, the Blogging challenge is continuing to cause a steady trickle of interest. Previous entries can be found here and here.

Today, one blogger asks "Can a Christian be TOO happy?" meanwhile an excited blogger (who is about to get even more excited I suspect) writes-

The Christian world has become so severely man-centred that we can find it massively difficult to grasp a God who created us to glorify him, a God whose true reality is so unfathomably brilliant and pure and holy and glorious, yet we are generally quite content to trade that glory for the filthy "glory" of fame, cyber-fame, fashion, lusts, lust - and even exchange wonderful and pure things like the joys of marriage, beauty in nature, the joy of watching our children for the mind-blowing true glory of God that those blessings are to remind us of.

Reading Psalm 30 today struck me on this subject. How can we fail to get excited about the God who saved us? He turned away his wrath on the cross so that now we can know his unmerited favour. How can we not be happy about that?

The psalmist is honest enough to admit that even for a believer there are seasons of weeping, and times when God hides himself from us. These do come to an end, however and God turns our mourning into dancing. I believe that the joy Piper speaks of should find an expression at times in literal dance. When was the last time you danced before the Lord with all your might?

Ps 30v4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
�I shall never be moved.�
7 By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 �What profit is there in my death, [8]
if I go down to the pit? [9]
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
O Lord, be my helper!�

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!