Joy is Celebration!

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When you are experiencing JOY, what is your response? Do you do a happy dance? Jump for joy? High five someone near?  Throw a party? The Bible clearly connects joy with celebration. Here are a few verses: When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19 explains this word meaning of joy as  a delight or to play. When was the last time you jumped up and down in delight and glee over something God had done for you? Do you celebrate with God when He pulls you up out of despair and rescues you from…

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Joy is Strength

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In writing our first in the series of Discovering the Bible: Discovering Hope in the Psalms: A Creative Bible Study Experience, we dug into the familiar passage of Psalm 1. Immediately, my heart began a consistent prayer, Lord, make me a strong Psalm 1 tree! The first time I read that psalm, evn as a child, I knew I wanted to be one of those trees that no storm, no wind, no natural disaster could topple– but reflecting on the Psalm now, more than 50 years later, I see through life experience, just HOW MUCH we need God to help…

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Joy is Relationship

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On my birthday, as my newest book, Discovering Joy in Philippians: A Creative Bible Study Experience released, I pondered “What is joy, really?”  As I look back, seems God had me on a learning trajectory to find then live out joy. As a child, first born daughter of an alcoholic dad, I was naturally joyful but our home situation was chaotic and unpredictable so when things got volatile due to my dad’s anger or his own depression, I retreated and became a sullen, sometimes, pouty and often emotionally teary-eyed little girl. But God had something greater, something better for me…

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Jump for Joy!

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What makes you “jump for joy”? This May, the week of my birthday, my 48th book released: Discovering Joy in Philippians: A Creative Bible Study Experience.  How about you, look around, God is doing amazing things– some of which should motivate you to “jump for joy”! Jumping, rather leaping, for joy is biblical: “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. ..” (Luke 6:23) Let’s make this summer  of JOY! Pam Farrel is an international speaker, author of 48 books including several bestsellers like Men Are Like WAffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti, Discovering…

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Good News of Great Joy!

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  I often give Christmas messages for women’s ministries, and one is entitled “Christmas Joy”. Joy is the beautiful result of Christ coming at Christmas. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. (Luke 2:10) In my book, LOL with God,  (co-authored Dawn Wilson) we chronicle just a few of the over 350 verses that speak to joy: 1 Chronicles 16:27—“Strength and joy [are] in his dwelling place.” (Dwell with God and find joy!) Job 33:26—“He prays to God and finds favor with…

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