Joseph certainly had a lot of things to weep about in his life. Genesis records his traumatic past in great detail. He was mistreated by his brothers and sold as a slave. He was also falsely accused by his employer’s wife and put in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He was subjected to multiple years of harsh treatment before he came into more comfortable circumstances.

As I sat on that balcony, I could see that in a few moments the clouds would pass and blue sky and sunshine would return. As with the clouds which hide the sun for relatively short periods of time and then dissipate, the trials of life are not permanent and will likewise dissipate

For a long time, I have liked Johnny Cash’s music. “A Boy Named Sue” was a particular favorite.

I liked it because it talked of a boy that was maladjusted and who overcame his hardship by having “his fists get hard and wits got keen.” He was no victim of bullies, that’s for sure.

For those in the church that feel that Christians are being marginalized by our culture, I offer the following prayer that I read in Psalm 80 this morning: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and […]