July 24, 2012 Issue #076

Taking the exit to joy and peace

Being single and having joy seems incompatible. After all, don't you need a spouse to bring you joy? We all know that finally finding that perfect mate is going to make life so excruciatingly sweet that joy will be coming out of our ears. (Uh, that was meant to be sarcastic.)

As unlikely as that is--leaking joy, I mean, not finding a spouse--what do we do in the meantime? With our many problems, is it possible for singles to know joy and peace?

I suspect you've already guessed the answer to that, if you've read this newsletter for a while. For more years than I want to confess, I was a "victim of circumstances." Like the cartoon character Popeye, I finally said, "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more." Here's what I discovered about joy and peace.

Action gets it done

Stop worryin' about how far
you're gonna hafta go.
Get motatin' if you know what's good for you
and disrupt that status quo.

Stop talkin'
Get walkin'.
'Cause action gets it done.
Flappin' your gums like all a' them bums
ain't impressin' anyone.
So get up sister
and get down brother
start puttin' one foot in front of another.
Stop talkin'
Get walkin'.
'Cause action gets it done.

Sooner or later in everyone's life
the time comes to decide.
Am I gonna get out and get what I want
or stay under the covers and hide?

Waitin' around for your ship to come in
ain't my idea of fun.
So grab you a kayak and get to paddling'
'Cause action gets it done.

Stop talkin'
Start walkin'.
'Cause action gets it done.
The good things in life don't fall in your lap
when you sit around soakin' up sun.
So step up sister
and move it brother
start puttin' one foot in front of another.
Stop talkin'
Get walkin'.
'Cause action gets it done.

~ Jack Zavada, 2012 ~

Cool new look for inspiration-for-singles

If you haven't visited lately, I have totally redesigned the site, featuring a gorgeous header photo of a sailboat cruising the calm waters off the coast of Oahu. No, I didn't take that photo, but I'm grateful to the talented person on stock.xchng.com who did.

We also have a soothing cream-colored background, and a new third column. I'll be placing special announcements, items of interest, and selected ads there. I do have about 310 more pages to convert, however, so if you see some that have nothing in the third column or some weird layout glitches, I'll fix them--eventually.

BTW, the sailboat reminds me of the single life. Sometimes smooth sailing, sometimes rough seas. If you're a Christian, the Bible is the "chart" you consult to keep you on course, the Holy Spirit is your pilot, Jesus is your captain, and God the Father is the wind in your sails.

Check out our new look!

July Quotomatic

We want a satisfaction that transcends what's happening to us, an inner peace that can't be shaken by outer turmoil. That's joy.

Happiness, as advertisers and the world offer it, is counterfeit. It's a cheap, fleeting substitute that evaporates easily. But joy, ah, joy is deep and steady. Jesus brings joy. That's what Moody was talking about. Jesus is where we find what we really want.

New! Now available for Kindle!

I recently had the manuscript converted, designed a new cover, and put it up on the Amazon's Kindle book store.

It's the same great ebook I've been selling on the site for years in PDF format. It runs 68 pages as a Kindle ebook.

If you're a Kindle owner and want to learn how to finally get a handle on this common problem every single faces, take a look at Outsmarting Loneliness,

Journey to Joy Town!

To keep you focused as you pedal, jog, skip, or shuffle along the Joy Town Turnpike, here are some inspiring quotations:

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
~ C.S. Lewis ~

The proof of spiritual maturity is not how pure you are but awareness of your impurity. That very awareness opens the door to grace.
~ Philip Yancey ~

It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it.
~ Steven Wright ~

We have a right to believe whatever we want, but not everything we believe is right.
~ Ravi Zacharias ~

Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks.
~ Isaac Watts ~

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
~ Mahatma Gandhi ~

It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are, the more gentle and quiet we become toward the defects of others.
~ Francois Fenelon ~

You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.
~ Dave Barry ~

When we become too glib in prayer we are most surely talking to ourselves.
~ A.W. Tozer ~

Advertising is the modern substitute for argument; its function is to make the worse appear the better.
~ George Santayana ~

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.
~ George Mueller ~

Some of the most devastating things that happen to you will teach you the most.
~ Ellen DeGeneres ~

Sin is what you do when you are not satisfied in God.
~ John Piper ~

Of all noises, I think music is the least disagreeable.
~ Samuel Johnson ~

The cure for the sin of envy and jealousy is to find our contentment in God.
~ Jerry Bridges ~

Hey, I'm learning here too!

I don't have all the answers. I don't even have most of the answers. As I've said before, any advantage I have is that I'm older than most of you, so I've gone before in the single life and made my share of mistakes. If you can learn from my mistakes and avoid them, that's a good thing.

One thing I do know. Joy, peace, and contentment are what we singles are looking for, even though we may not realize it. I wish I had known that 40 years ago. It would have stopped me from chasing nonsense for so many years.

God's Word, the Bible, is the lens that allows us to see things for what they really are. It separates lies from the truth. The better you know Scripture, the clearer you'll see the world.

As always, if you'd like to comment on this newsletter or the single life in general, you can drop me a line via our guano-free contact form.

Until August, put your hope in the One who can help,

Jack Zavada