Introduction

This is a conference about joy. My title is, the joy of the lord is your stronghold. And before we get there, for the next little while, i want to make some comment about the theme of our conference, serious joy. We define what we do at beth Bethlehem college and seminary as an education in serious joy. It's not the negligible caboose at the end of the train. It is the fuel being shovelled into the engine of life. Central to god's very being. It is sentral to god's ultimate purpose. All other reality gets its meaning through him. He has always existed as father, son and spirit. In the beginning was the word