This site is not a typical “blog”: it is rather like a book. You might call it a “collected works” website. Inside you will find short stories, poems and essays.
There are no ads here! No one is going to try to sell you anything. Instead, you will find some entertaining short stories and essays. It is my hope that you will enjoy these stories.
Oh, yeah, if you leave your mouse pointer on the sliding banner it will stop sliding.
So, what is Always Rejoicing? Original stories…well, mostly original. You’ll find the “Three Little Pigs” here, but not the story you know. In my story, they are plumbers. You’ll find stories about a red car, a useless slave, a son whose father is an evil king, an ‘alternative’ poem, a different perspective on Christmas, thoughts on a shoeshine, reviews of a few books, all of which, I hope, point to JOY.
“Joy” is not “Happiness”. Happiness is an emotion. Joy is a state of being. Happiness is ephemeral. Joy is eternal. Through stories and essays and poetry this site hopes to point toward that state of being that is “JOY”. Many of the characters in these stories have not found Joy. Some never find it. Some are so filled with Joy that you might find them singing.
This site is neither an attempt to promote my version of Christianity nor is it an attempt to trick pagans into becoming Christians. All I’m doing is telling the story. Some stories, like Seeing Red are concerned with characters who are Christians. Others, like Rain Dance do not have characters who appear to be Christians. Some stories are about Biblical events, others have nothing Biblical about them. Even so, I’ll probably offend someone. If you find this site offensive, tell people you don’t like to check it out. Maybe they will like it 🙂
In addition to the stories, essays and poetry you’ll find here, there are two two “sibling sites”. Click on “MORE” in the menu. One, called Forever Stone, is written for Christians who are interested in The Bride of Christ. It is a series of “adventures” that examine the Church. The other site is a Bible Study. Sometimes I post my personal studies of Holy Scripture on this site.
Why “Always Rejoicing”? It’s because I struggle with St. Paul’s admonition to rejoice always. He said, (in effect) “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice.” There have been many times when I did not want to rejoice in anything. Especially God. Once I began to understand what St. Paul was actually talking about, I began to accept his admonition. And so I try to write things that are based on “Joy”.
Some of the items posted here are such that you may not see them as “joyful”. And, in the common, worldly sense of the word, that’s true. But “JOY” is not something that makes you laugh. This is not a comedy site. I do try to include as much humor as I can. So you may find some funny material. You may even find a bad pun. But that’s not “JOY”. Things that we view as “funny” vary with individuals and with culture. “JOY” is not an emotion. It is a spiritual state. It is that place where we feel Heaven. It’s what St. Paul meant when he told the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord, always”. The items posted here should, in some way, point toward Heaven and Joy. Unsure? Questions? Please leave a comment. I’ll do my best to respond in a helpful manner.
The site is open for anyone to read. Comments are encouraged. However, to comment you must register. You only need a User Name, Password and e-mail address. No other information is required. You are also welcome to respond to the comments of others. Please be respectful when you comment.
Finally, I would like to emphasize that everything posted here is fiction or my personal opinion. The illustrations are (as best as I can determine) public domain. I do my best to give proper credit. Please do likewise. I have based some stories on Biblical characters or events. These stories are fiction, or “historical fiction”. While I make every effort to reflect what the Bible says—to avoid heresy—I am using poetic license in order to tell the story. Enjoy the stories and other items I have written just as you enjoy reading Harry Potter or watching The Ten Commandments movie. If you do find spiritual advice in what I have written, please confirm that advice with Holy Scripture and your pastor.
While much of the way this site works is “standard” for websites & blogs, there are some things specific to this website. I include these details in case you are not familiar with all the icons & website conventions. Also, the menu has some quirks. These details may help you.
The “Home Page” is this page (where you are now). Click on the Celtic Cross at the top of any page and you will return to the Home Page. There are icons and buttons on the Home Page that will take you to featured stories or useful pages.
On Larger Screens there is a menu at the top of every page. In addition, for most Posts, there’s a sidebar on the right that contains a “Contents” menu as well as a couple of useful “widgets”. Computers are not always perfect: Sometimes the menu at the top of the page expands outside of the screen. If this happens, made the window narrower, when the little ‘hamburger’ icon appears click on it and then on the tiny arrow next to the selection. Clicking on the words (selection) will take you to the “Cagegory” instead of expanding the menu.
On Small Screens (phones & tablets) there is the standard “hamburger” icon for the menu. You will need to tap the teeny-tiny arrow to get the menu to expand. Tapping directly on the Menu Item will take you to the “Category Page” for that category. Thus tapping on “Main Menu” will take you to the “Home Page”. Tapping on the tiny arrow will expand the menu. On small screens the sidebars are moved to the bottom of the page. This is standard for most websites.
Everyone should find a list of recommended websites (links) and a Miscellaneous Menu in the Footer.
If you want to know where to start, try “Walking On Oil”. It’s relatively short. And my pastor liked it. “The Three Little Pigs” is one of my favorite tales. Another good tale is “The Fifth Commandment”. The essay “Commercialized Christmas: It’s Not What You Think!” is also a good place to begin.
Rejoice Always!
Uisdean
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