Episode 15 :: Simply Advent :: Light of Joy
On today’s episode you are going to get a hearty dose of humor, heart, and honesty from my conversation with my dear friend, Kristen McCall. Kristen has lived a lot of life in these last few years including going through a divorce while pregnant with her first child. Kristen shares how God’s gift of joy carried her through some of the hardest seasons of her life and continues to sustain her as He meets her in her present.
Friend, if you are walking through a season where it feels like joy just isn’t possible, then this episode is for you. Jesus came knowing that it wasn’t yet time to remove all the broken things, but because He came, and will come again, we are never alone in the broken things, and by His spirit we can know deep joy until it is all fully and completely redeemed. Joy is possible this side of Heaven, no matter where you are, what hurts, or if it feels like what is happening will never end. The Light of the World has come and His Light is the fullness of joy.
References:
GO VOLS!!!
Biltmore Estate at Christmas is INCREDIBLE
John Piper “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.” Here is a link to his full article, “How Do You Define Joy?”
Rick Warren (It actually is a quote from his wife Kay.) "Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that everything is going to be alright and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.” She apparently has a book about Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough as well.
Soaking Music (Also instrumental version)
Ralph Griggs- The best wedding minister in the land :)
Defiant Joy: Taking Hold of Hope, Beauty and Life in a Hurting World by Stasi Eldredge
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge
Scripture References:
Luke 1:26-38- Story of Mary and her pregnancy
Zephaniah 3:17- The Lord sings over you
Exodus 17:12-14-Holding up Moses’ arms in battle
Galatians 5:22- The fruit of the Spirit is joy
Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-39- Tear the roof off and lay a friend at Jesus’ feet
Connecting with Kristen on Instagram and Facebook. She’s an amazing writer, entrepreneur and social media coach!
Any books listed in these notes are amazon affiliate links. I do not think the prices are marked up in any way, but we do receive a small percentage from your purchase which supports this podcast. Thank you for your support in this way!
Thank you, again, to ZonderKidz, Sally Lloyd Jones and The Jesus Storybook BIble for allowing us to read portions of their telling of the Christmas story for this Advent series.
Connect with me over on Instagram and on my blog for more Advent resources, Christmas Giveaways, my Book Lovers Gift Guide and other general shenanigans.
The intro and outro music is by audionautix.com