Did God create us so we would serve Him, or so He could serve us? Have you noticed that some believers act as if it is God's job to make their life easier? In Larry Crabb's book, Shattered Dreams, he wrote:

"It seems we are devoting our best efforts to one central goal: making this life work better so we can feel better. The unchallenged assumption behind our resolve is a delusion. We assume life is supposed to work in ways that make us feel the way we want to feel, the way we intuitively and irresistibly sense we are designed to feel. We further assume that if there is a God, His job is to do what we cannot do to make life work as we want." Crabb continues, "The good news of the gospel is not that God will provide a way to make life easier. The good news of the gospel, for this life, is that He will make our lives better."

For more information on Shattered Dreams go to, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578564522/fm082-20

I was doing some research for this sermon and decided to type the word "craving" into a google news search engine to see what people are craving. On the first page I saw articles about Girl Scout cookies, hot chili, drugs, calm and gambling. I clicked on one headline entitled "Superior Court Employee Embezzles Money to Alleviate Casino Craving" and read this, "David Anthony Macias, 47, an accounting supervisor at the Superior Court in El Cajon, California, allegedly stole court fees and fines possibly worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to alleviate his craving for casino gambling." What struck me as odd about this article is the website I found it on. It is on a site entitled 101-best-online-casinos.com.

—http://www.101-best-online-casinos.com/superior-court-employee-embezzles-money-to-alleviate-casino-craving_abb9_ofgeer.php?id=20060220/5644 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

I'm dumbfounded. Why would a gambling site tell the story of what happens to people who crave gambling? Probably the same reason that beer ads encourage people to drink responsibly; it is an acknowledgement of what can happen to people who have uncontrollable cravings.

What are you craving? What are you hungry and thirsty for? According to Jesus, the happy people are those who crave righteousness.

Matthew 5:6 (KJV) "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

Jean Chatsky, a columnist for Money magazine, conducted a poll and discovered "that money makes folks happier only if their family's income is below $30,000 a year. Once a family's income exceeds $50,000—once it is able to meet its basic material needs—more money doesn't equate to more happiness."

—http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/2006/01/on-happiness-and-money.htm Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Matthew 5:3 (NLT) "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."

Money doesn't buy happiness, "People tend to crave more money and more things to restore that peak of good feeling—only to adapt to those pleasures and seek the next high—an addictive phenomenon that economists have labeled the hedonic treadmill."

—http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/bizfocus/archives/2006/01/01/2003286957 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Psalms 63:5 (HCSB) "You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips."

Addressing World leaders that gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Anne Graham Lotz, said "Happiness is not about getting what you want, when you want it, and how you want it,"

—http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11073119/site/newsweek/ Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Matthew 5:3 (NIV) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Poet Ella Wheeler Willcox once wrote "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone." Results of a new British study suggest Willcox was right. The study, conducted by the University College London found that laughter truly is contagious: the brain responds to the sound of laughter and preps the muscles in the face to join in the mirth. Researchers found the response was much higher for positive sounds suggesting they are more contagious than negative sounds.

Neuroscientists Sophie Scott said, "We've known for some time that when we are talking to someone, we often mirror their behavior copying the words they use and mimicking their gestures. Now we've shown that the same appears to apply to laughter too, at least at the level of the brain." Scott said people often encounter positive emotions in settings, which may impact the way people, interact socially. She added, "It could pay a role in building strong bonds between individuals in a group."

—http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/061212_contagious_laughter.html. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

A recent study of the activities of happy people contains a result that may be surprising to many. The study collected data from the last 34 years on social activity and media usage. What do happy people do? Well, they read, they socialize, and they go to church. That is not surprising to those who do those things.

What is surprising is what happy people do not do. In the study it was determined that out of 10 activities happy people were more active in all but three. Those three were socializing at a bar, surfing the internet, and watching TV. What the study does not tell us is if those three activities contribute to our unhappiness or if they are the refuge of unhappy people.

--Robinson, John P. and Martin, Stephen, What Do Happy People Do? Social Indicators Research, Vol 89: Issue 3, 12/01/2008, p. 565. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Happy people are those who are serving, meeting, and interacting with other people. God did not create us to be hermits, but to make a difference in the lives of others. Countless times in the New Testament, believers are called to participate in the lives of others.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NASB95) “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

In the book, Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer relates the quest of Chris McCandless to find happiness. Chris was certain that time alone in the Alaskan Wilderness, living off the land, was his ticket to fulfillment.

Into the Wild records two years of Chris’ journey to Alaska. After arriving there and spending 100 days in solitude he read these words in Dr. Zhivago: “an unshared happiness is not happiness.” Chris wrote in the margin next to these words, “HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED.”

Christopher McCandless had discovered a truth about human existence. God created us for relationships

--Krakauer, Jon, Into The Wild, (New York: Villard Books, 1996), 189. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Romans 12:15 (NASB95). “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

In 1998, Pamela Gail Johnson of Lewisville, Texas started the Secret Society of Happy People (SOHP). Johnson claims 7,000 official members and has a website, www.sohp.com. Traffic on the website is up since the downturn in the economy.

Her basic premise is simple and very biblical. “If your basic needs are met, happiness is not about money.” Does that sound familiar?

USA Today, August 6, 2009, p. 2D
Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

1 Timothy 6:8 (NIV) But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Everyone would like to be happy. The declaration of Independence says we should all be free to pursue happiness. The problem is, we do not find happiness by pursuing it. Happiness happens to us while we are pursuing something else. That something else may be Joy or Holiness. Happiness may find us while we are being thankful. Happiness can find us even in times of trouble.

Bette Davis understood this. She told the Monterey County, Calif., Herald, “A sure way to lose happiness, I found, is to want it at the expense of everything else.”

--The Week, September 2, 2011 p. 21 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

2 Corinthians 13:1-14 (NASB) (1) This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. (2) I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, (3) since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. (4) For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. (5) Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? (6) But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. (7) Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. (8) For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. (9) For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. (10) For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. (11) Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (12) Greet one another with a holy kiss. (13) All the saints greet you. (14) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

The Centers for Disease Control recently released startling new information about depression in America. The CDC says roughly one in ten Americans suffers from some degree of the affliction. Though the standard of living has continued to go up, the rate of depression have also risen over the past several decades. Some estimates indicate the rates in the United States have tripled in the last twenty years. That means an average of 27 million people are affected. Many people claim they are doing work they like, live in nice houses, and make enough money, but still find themselves suffering from depressing thoughts.

Dr. Jerome Wakefield, a professor at the New York University School of Social Work says for roughly 2,500 years people have recognized that sometimes humans have trouble dealing with loss or inexplicably start generating sadness. Wakefield says the current increase could be due more to an increase in the diagnosis of depression rather than a real spike in the affliction. He says people turn on the television and see commercials designed to convince them they need to ask their doctor about depression. He says more Americans take antidepressants every week than go to see a motion picture. Wakefield says we still do not fully understand why people get depressed. He adds, “We are putting drugs into people’s bodies that may be helpful, and that’s necessary sometimes in medicine. But if you ask, can we say for sure what the mechanism is that caused the depression, and by which these drugs are helping, and what the long term affects if you stay on it for endless years, we just don’t know. That’s the reality.”

--Examining the broad reach of depression, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57399521/examining-the-broad-reach-of-depression; March 18, 2012, Submitted by Jim Sandell

Most people think that the secret to success in life is hard work. A former Harvard researcher, and the author of the Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor, says happiness may be the real key to success. Achor spent twelve years researching at Harvard and says most people think happiness is genetic, but he says happiness is more about choices. He says his research indicates that daily decisions and habits impact a person’s level of happiness and success. Achor contends that if a person looks for the negative in their surroundings first, the brain lacks the ability to see things the person should be grateful for and any meaning hidden within daily tasks.

Achor found that happiness within a workforce increases business and educational results. Sales increase by an average of 37 percent, productivity goes up by 31 per cent, and accuracy on tasks goes up by almost 20 percent. He found similar improvement in health and quality-of-life. Achor also contends that happiness can increase with a few simple steps every day. He recommends people write down a few new things they are thankful for every day, and write an email or note thanking or praising someone they know. Achor says the question is not whether happiness should matter to companies and individuals, it clearly should, and he asks, “What can I do in my own life to reap the advantage of happiness?”

--Is happiness the secret of success?; http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/19/opinion/happiness-success-achor/index.html ; March 19, 2012, Submitted by Jim Sandell.

Philippians 4:6-8 (CEV) (6) Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. (7) Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. (8) Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.

According to the old song, money can’t buy love, and it may not be a good indicator of happiness either. Most countries use financial figures to calculate how well people of the country are doing, but many are beginning to factor in things like social support, family stability, and job security to measure a person’s overall well being. The attempt tries to examine more subjective parts of a person’s life, such as whether they would gain more from a bigger house, or more free time, or weighing a new television against a stronger relationship with the next-door- neighbor. A Princeton study conducted in 2010 found that happiness increases until a person makes about $75,000 a year. After that, overall well-being in life is not connected with income. Critics argue the new way of thinking is does not offer a solid basis of comparison and is impossible to calculate. One proponent of the approach, author Eric Weiner, has traveled to nine countries and compared personal well-being in wealthy European nations with Asian countries were people earn less than $2,000 a year. He observes, “Happiness is largely about trust and the ties that bind.”– Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

If money doesn’t buy happiness, By Wendy Koch, http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2012-08-02-Gross-national-happiness_CV_U.htm?loc=interstitialskip, Accessed on August 1, 2012

Ecclesiastes 11:6 (HCSB) “In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hand rest, because you don’t know which will succeed, whether one or the other, or if both of them will be equally good.”

The man, who created the much publicized formula behind the idea of Blue Monday, says it was nothing more than a public relations gimmick. Dr. Cliff Amall has a master’s degree in research methods and was researching stress management and depression when he was asked to put together the formula for a travel agency. The agency hoped to use Amall’s idea to generate bookings for summer travel and paid him a little over a thousand dollar for all his work. Amall’s formula considered factors such as the weather, a person’s debt load, motivation, and need to take action to determine which day of the year might be most productive for travel agents. Amall says his ongoing work has convinced him that living an authentic life is the best way to find lasting happiness. He said, “I just thought it was going to be mentioned in the British press for a week. The fact that it took off like that is incredible. But clearly it is tapping into something.” Amall added, “I’m not interested in the day-to-day happiness but the deep down happiness that seems to elude most people.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Man who created “Blue Monday” formula says happiness is more than a formula.
Today is Blue Monday. Its creator offers three keys to happiness, http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1317762--today-is-blue-monday-its-creator-offers-three-keys-to-happiness; Accessed January 21, 2013

Psalm 5:11 (NIV) But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

The mayor of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius has announced that he will install a huge screen on the town hall which will display a real-time indicator of the city’s mood. The giant display will give a daily barometer reading of the city’s happiness as it tabulates votes citizens send in from their cell phones or computers. He says the system is already set up and can be seen on displays in the lobby of the office, based on a scale of 1 to 10, with ten being the “happiest.” The barometer usually hovers around a six or seven. The mayor says a poll in 2011 showed that Lithuania was one of the unhappiest countries surveyed due to the financial crisis of 2008-2009. He thinks the display is a great tool for politicians. He said, “If we take a decision and see a sharp fall in the mood of the city, then we know we have done something horribly wrong.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Timothy 6:6 (CEV) (6) And religion does make your life rich, by making you content with what you have.

A study conducted by the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture suggests there is a strong correlation between being religious and personal happiness. Research found that people who attend religious services every week are twice as likely to describe themselves as ‘very happy. ‘The opposite was also true; people who never attend weekly services are twice as likely to describe themselves as ‘very unhappy.’ The study looked at several self-reported factors that might be linked to increased happiness, but found attending religious services weekly had the strongest correlation to increased happiness. The new results match findings from a similar study in 2004, although there are several theories to explain them. One theory suggests that social support from religious communities is a factor, but the researchers wrote that their study found ‘that those who attend religious services often are happier than their peers with similar levels of involvement in the community.’—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Religious people much happier than others, new study shows
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2014/12/24/religious-people-much-happier-than-others-new-study-shows, Accessed December 24, 2014.

Isaiah 26:3 (HCSB) “You will keep the mind ?that is? dependent ?on You? in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.”

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic say they have cracked the code to being happy. They have been studying this for decades, working with tens of thousands of patients. Now they think they have found it. They key parts of the code are 1) focus on the right things. 2) Learn to compartmentalize your life and create boundaries. 3) Quit complaining.

According to the lead researcher, Dr. Amit Sood, this is very important because “studies show happier are healthier people.”

Paul might say they have missed a couple of ingredients like remembering to relax in the Grace of God and striving to know Jesus Christ better. The Mayo and the Apostle do agree that the one thing that will defeat happiness sooner than anything else is when we pursue happiness instead of pursuing the things that bring happiness. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/06/05/researchers-cracked-code-happiness/#.VXb3tZxflBc.mailto

Philippians 3:1-21 (HCSB) (1) Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a protection for you. (2) Watch out for “dogs,” watch out for evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. (3) For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh— (4) although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: (5) circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; (6) regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. (7) But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. (8) More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. (10) ?My goal? is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, (11) assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. (12) Not that I have already reached ?the goal? or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. (13) Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, (14) I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. (15) Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. (16) In any case, we should live up to whatever ?truth? we have attained. (17) Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. (18) For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. (19) Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, (20) but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (21) He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.

In a recent interview, J. Budziszewski, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin discussed the lifestyle of many college students. In discussing how to keep young people Christian when they leave for college he says “We haven’t a chance of getting people to live a Christian way of life if they think it is just a collection of joy-killing rules. What we should explain is that Christian morality is a prerequisite for happiness, and that it makes us more free, not less—free to do what is good rather than being jerked around by desires. People need to have the vision of the good that temptation is pulling them away from.” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Psalm 144:15 (HCSB) Happy are the people with such ?blessings?. Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh.

25 to 30-year-olds are more interested in a job that gives them a healthy work/life balance than they are in the pay they receive. A survey done by Fidelity shows that on the average they are willing to give up as much as $7,600 in pay for a better situation at the office.

In their pursuit of happiness, many are always looking for a new and a better. Somewhat typical of this generation, when Chris Loos, 25, started a new job that will pay him up to $7,000 less a year than his previous job, he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited in my life about anything.”

As uplifting as this outlook may be, Paul reminds us that it is the peace of God that we are ultimately searching for. –--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Hadley Malcolm, Millennials Value Happy Workplace Over Better Pay, The Des Moines Register, April 16, 2016 p. 4B

Philippians 4:7 (HCSB)“And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Air Force veteran Bruce Rideout, 79, received a check from the U.S. Treasury. He doesn’t know why he received it and isn’t sure what to do with it. He doesn’t want to cash it, not because he is afraid that at some point the government will want it back, but because it is for only 2 cents. He has decided to display it. He paid $82 for a custom-made frame.

Hopefully Rideout will use the check to do more than ridicule an incompetent government. He could use it as a reminder of unexpected blessing and how God has called us to be a blessing to others.

Ephesians 2:10 (CSB)“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”

In THANKS! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. writes, “Heavy cigarette smoking can knock off about six years from a person’s life. Conversely, happiness can add as much as nine years to one’s life expectancy.” —Jim L. Wilson

Psalm 34:1 (CSB) “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”

In THANKS! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. writes, “A Longitudinal study of college students found that happiness levels in college predicted income sixteen years later. The most cheerful students earned $25,000 more per year than their more dour classmates.” —Jim L. Wilson

Psalm 100:4 (CSB) “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.”

While money can’t buy happiness, if you have enough of it, it can buy a quote about happiness. In 2017, a piece a paper that Einstein wrote his famous quote: “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness” sold for $1.3 million.

Einstein gave the slip of paper to a bellboy in lieu of a tip in 1922 after he discovered he won the Nobel Prize in physics.—Jim L. Wilson

http://www.npr.org/2017/10/25/559963919/albert-einsteins-quote-about-living-a-modest-life-sells-for-1-3-million

He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”

Albert Einstein’s theory of happiness might be relative, but it proven to valuable. A handwritten note with Einstein’s musing about happiness sold at auction for $1.3. The auction company said the great scientist was traveling in Japan in 1922 when he learned he would receive the Nobel Prize in Physics. The same night, he scribbled a note to a bellboy because he didn’t have money for a tip. Einstein reportedly told the bellboy that because of his fame, the note would probably be worth more than a regular tip. The note was written in German and said, “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”—By Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

The most popular college class in America today is at Yale University. Psych 157: Psychology and the Good Life is attracting 1200 students per semester. According to the professor, today’s college students are not happy, and she thinks the unhappiness extends far beyond college students. “Students are much more overwhelmed, much more stressed, much more anxious, and much more depressed than they’ve ever been before. She says that once your basic life needs are taken care of, more money, a different home, a different job, a long vacation, a change of life situation are not the things that make for happiness.

“50 percent of happiness is determined by genes (i.e. totally out of your control), 10 percent is determined by circumstance (i.e., somewhat out of your control), and the final 40 percent is determined by your thoughts, actions, and attitudes (i.e., entirely within your control).”

This sounds a lot like Paul’s admonition to young Timothy when he warned him that contentment is contingent on spirituality. How are you at growing your contentment by focusing on becoming a godly person, in your thoughts, actions, and attitudes? —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Adam Sternbergh, How to be happier, The Week, August 17/24, p. 36-37 (Excerpted from an article that originally appeared in New York magazine.)

The owner of a restaurant in southwest China has an unusual offer for patrons. He offers a discount to customers who can make him laugh. The owner said his discounts range from 10 percent for jokes that make him smile all the way to 50 percent for a hearty laugh. Several residents came to participate with hopes of saving money on their meal. The owner said he created the promotion so customers could have a good time with him. He said his aim with the shop was to be happy rather than making money.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Proverbs 17:22 (CSB)“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

A ventilation problem at a Lindt chocolate factory in Olten, Switzerland created a once-in-a-lifetime event for the Swiss village. The chocolate manufacturer says the fault launched cocoa powder into the air outside the factory and wind carried it across town, leaving a fine dusting of chocolate on houses and cars nearby. The company said the powder came from chocolate nibs, which are crushed cocoa bean fragments used to make chocolate. The chocolate dusting did not stop production, and the company said there was no threat to the surrounding area. Later, Lindt reported the defect had been repaired and offered to pay to have someone clean the chocolate from cars and rooftops, but they expected it would not be hard to find volunteers willing to clean up the sweet rain. —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

And if a person lives a thousand years twice, but does not experience happiness, do not both go to the same place?

Alison Birch, the owner of AJ’s Salon in Stroud, Gloucestershire needed a new hair stylist. In thinking of the qualities she desired in the new employee she advertised for “happy," part-time, fully qualified, stylist.” Within hours she was contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions about her discriminatory advertisement. They said, “you're not allowed to use the word happy, in case somebody thinks they can't apply because they are not a happy person.”

Birch included four qualifications for the person applying for the job. Happy was only one of them, and the easiest one to fake. For an owner looking to set a certain atmosphere in her place of business, happiness is also an essential. Happiness is also important in the church. — Jim Wilson and Rodger Russell