If there is one thing that makes me smile is that when I see people with true joy. When we smile with joy, it makes people wonder what we're up to.

This is because many of us need more joy. We tend to focus on our problems, and not so much our blessings. Would you agree?

As a photographer who 'studies' body language, as this is what I use for the story telling in my pictures, I find that many of us try to live life in our own strength.

For those of us who believe, our conversion to God is not a one time thing. It is a daily thing .. and work in progress.

We also need to concentrate to replace our bad habits with our good habits ... or create new ones to begin with. And THINK!

For example, when each of my children started the season of their teenage years my wife and I would sit them down and explain the house rule of friendship love.

What this means is there is no dating allowed until they are old enough to be married. Because in our culture today, if you are dating someone it is common thought that you're having sex with them. If you are a Christian, sex is a sacred gift for the marriage bed.

The important thing is to be friends with everyone, and this relieves all the relationship issues common today with teenage love. ... and boy's testosterone changes.

When my oldest turned 21 I asked him why he's not a girlfriend yet. He told me the friendship love rule forced him to look at women as a person, and he also observed the confusion from his friends about who they should hook up with next.

He said that he didn't understand the rule to begin with, but then once girls befriended him because they felt his sincere respect for them, he came to realize that whomever he dates must be at a time both are ready for marriage, and he'll know by how they are a gift to each other.

You see, our daily life experiences, and how we respond to conversion, is what brings joy to our lives. And to keep things SIMPLE.

Anyone I know who believes they can do things on their own, without tapping into an outside source bigger than ourselves, does not experience true joy.

Instead they do things based on feeling or desire, as a wandering generality instead of a meaningful specific.

So, each day look at life through the eyes of God, and let me know when He shows you true joy.

Thanks for reading.


Frank J Casella
www.frankjcasella.ipernity.com