Proverbs 15:15 - "For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast."" (NLT)

Sure, we all have times when we feel like all is lost. I don't really know anyone that hasn't faced some sort of heartbreak or trouble in their lives. Yet, sometimes we need to learn when to work through our sadness and appreciate the things we do have in our lives. This verse is not saying you cannot be sad about what is going on in your life. What it is saying is to not be sad for things you don't have and learn to appreciate the things you do have.

Finding joy isn't about having the next big thing, a boyfriend, the right clothes, etc. Finding joy in the Lord matters more. Have you ever seen a poor person who is just overly joyful in his or her life? Often those people have learned to find contentment in what matters. Think this week on what means the most to you in your life and what God thinks should matter most. You might find yourself in a feast of joy you didn't know existed.

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Well, it is now official. You can't go anywhere anymore without hearing something about the Twilight saga. Even the Vatican is getting into the action with Monsignor Franco Perazzolo, the Culture Council leader for the Vatican, issuing a review that charges the film with demonstrating a "mixture of excesses" aimed at young people and delivering a "deviant message" in a movie that is "nothing more than a moral vacuum."

I don't know if I would go that far in discussing the film, especially since I haven't seen it. Yet I wonder what you think? Is New Moon delivering a bad message to teens or is it just another fun romp in adolescent imaginings? Is it worth seeing, or do you think it should be avoided? Share your opinion in the poll below:

James 1:19 - "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,"" (NIV)

I know that I can sometimes be quick to say something before I really think things through. Either I end up embarrassing myself or hurting someone's feelings. In the end, my quick response can sometimes hurt us both. God asks each of us to do more listening than responding, to think before we speak, and to not allow anger to take us over.

Yet making that change isn't always easy. We develop habits that take root. We need to put effort in through prayer and persistence in order to break those habits. Change doesn't come quickly, but it can come. Whether we are stressed, tired, or just have a tendency to say the first thing that comes in our heads, we sometimes need to take a break and be aware of how our words affect those around us.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Until the year 2012 passes, there will still be plenty of debate on the Mayan prediction of an apocalypse. While just about every religion has some sort of "end of the world" scenario, it seems that Hollywood likes to add plenty of their own stories to the mix. Tomorrow director Roland Emmerich and Sony Studios rolls out another disaster/end of the world movie to thrill and excite you. Except this time, the movie might make you think a bit.

2012 does wallow in a number of disaster movie cliches, which seem to be bothersome at first. Yet, if you can get over the stereotypical situations and characters, there are some great life lessons about human nature. How would you react if you found out the world as you knew it was going to disappear? What if you knew resources would become scarce or that someone around you was in danger? These are the questions that come up, and ones that make us keep going to these disaster movies.

Still, from a Christian point of view, the Bible tells us that the end will come like a thief in the night. While the scientists in the movie make the predictions, the Bible tells us the end is on God's time. While Hollywood threw wrenches in the scientists' plans by speeding up the apocalypse for dramatic value, Christians may walk away with a sneaky feeling that we can make all the predictions we want based on science, but God's still going to do it His way.

Read the review of 2012