Joy

Joy is stalking me today.

The word had shown up probably 30 times already and it was only 10:15am.

I love it.

I am reading A Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I have been reading it for a couple months now. I go for weeks without reading it and then once I pick it up again I wonder why I put it down in the first place! SO good. I am learning to give thanks in every moment in life. Even the hardest times where you think there is possibly no joy at all, there is. It is all about positive thinking. And if you know me, I try to think positively. While I was reading it last night, I read how when you give thanks you find joy. It may be a small glimmer of joy, but its there. If your feeling really down, find something to be thankful for, and you will feel a bit better. And that's the truth. I know because I've tried it. So, I fell asleep thinking about joy.

This morning, I woke up at 6:30am, to a text from my darling friend Sophia announcing the arrival of her baby, Mikayla Rose. Instant joy.

I woke up with a huge smile on my face. What is more exciting and joyful than new life, really?

My whole drive to school, I felt butterflies. Not nervous butterflies but just great amazing butterflies. All I could think was "joyful".

I was listening to my Kari Jobe CD. Which is amazing, btw. And what song comes on next? Joyfully. At this point, just the irony of it all is making me feel joy. 

Joyfully I lift my voice in praise to Thee

With heaven watching over me I raise my hands high

Your Majesty gently washes over me

Make my heart begin to sing, joyfully

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av3thaKk3Ac

I got my classroom ready for the day. Wrote on the board that we would be reading Psalm 16 for devotions and the topic was... finding joy in the presence of the LORD. 

You make known to me the path of life;

  you will fill me with joy in your presence,

   with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (vs. 11)

I talked with the students for quite a while about how with God there is always joy. There is no need for sadness because He cares. He proved that when He sent His only Son to die for us. We're worth dying for. If you struggle finding any joy in life, please just take joy in that. 

I let 2 students choose a song from the Book of Praise to sing the morning. One student chose Psalm 81, "Sing a psalm of joy, shout with holy fervor..."

All day my heart was beating so fast. Normally this makes me anxious, but this was such a good feeling. It was pumping my body full of this joy that I had found.

After school, I raced around trying to get things done so I could get to the hospital and meet Mikayla. I love babies. Just the idea of snuggling a fresh baby gives me goosebumps. She is such a beautiful little girl. So teeny tiny. Instant love. Instant joy. I felt so much thankfulness to hold such a precious, innocent, new being. Hear all those cooing sounds that babies make. Sigh! I am so happy for Soph and Tim. :)

The whole drive home, I could not wipe that smile off  my face. And I hope it stays for a while. 

Give it a try my lovely readers. Look for some joy today. While your driving to work, taking care of your kidlets, or doing your groceries. Find one thing to be thankful for. Dwell on that for a moment. Forget the stress, forget the anger, forget the sadness. Focus on that one little thing for just a minute. Feel that joy. Feel His presence.

-Jenna

Experiencing a Christian Concert vs. a "Christian" Concert Part 2

Welcome back. I know I am slow at the whole blog thing. ;)

Here is the good experience. The happy one. The one that puts a smile on my face whenever I think about it.

While in Florida on the March Break, we found out that Chris Tomlin was in Florida too! So we got tickets and drove 2 hours to see him on our last day there. And Kari Jobe was going to be there too. Bonus! And Louie Giglio would be the speaker, and I had heard plenty of good things about him. Phewf! People I had heard of.

But I was scared. I was worried. I had only had the one experience with a "Christian" concert. And it wasn't what we had anticipated. What if I was disappointed again? So I walked into Chris Tomlin with my guard up.

Everything that I heard and saw, I thought through. I started to relax, I let my guard down. This was a safe place.

Honestly, I would take a trip to the states and pay big money just to see that concert again. It was a-ma-zing!

I was thinking I didn't know many Chris Tomlin songs, but I knew a lot of them from singing them in other churches and on my mixed CDs. And I sang my heart out. Livvy will agree with me, I am not a very good singer. I should only be allowed to do that the "oooo"s and the "ahhh"s, but I didn't care. I am pretty sure God doesn't care what my voice sounds like and He was who I was singing for that night.

One song on Chris Tomlin's new "Burning Lights" album is called "God's Great Dance Floor." Seeing 5000 people out of their seats, praising God in not only song, but also dance (YES, dance!), was just unbelievable. I don't think my heart has ever felt so much joy as I did in that moment. It felt so good, it literally hurt. By the end, my face hurt from smiling so hard.

Not only did we sing our wee little hearts out, but we listened to Louie Giglio talk about the story of the Prodigal Son. Many people don't know this story for what it really is. It is such a happy story. Whenever I hear the words "prodigal son," I think, Oh boy, the bad, rebellious kid! But that is not it at all. It is the loved  kid! When he returns home after his rebellious phase in life, his dad doesn't just say "Sucks to suck, see ya later." No, he hugs him and kisses him and throws him a party! As sinful human beings, we often leave God for a bit, maybe without even really noticing how far we have gone. Some of us maybe get caught up in crazy things, things we know are wrong but continue to do. But God always takes us back with hugs and kisses and He rejoices because we are back. So amazing!

Another thing Louie talked about that really blew my mind was just the whole concept of partying and dancing in general. When we think of the word "partying," we think, Well, we good Christian people we shouldn't be partying. Or my "favourite" line, "Don't dance, because you know that leads to..." (baha!). Louie said it so good. He said, "'Partying' was OURS first. The world took it and made it into something bad, but it was ours first." Partying is a celebration! And we can celebrate God everyday, any day. Hey, I could go for a daily party! Celebrating God, singing and dancing to His glory--That's just my kinda party. :)

This concert was literally a party. The best party I have ever been too. I let loose, I opened my heart, and I felt the Holy Spirit in me. I had no shame. I opened my hands to God, and He filled my heart.

Now that my friends, was a CHRISTIAN concert! The way it should be.

Also, this past week, I went to a Tenth Avenue North concert. It wasn't as much of a party as Chris Tomlin, but again, it was amazing. I had my hands in the air and I praised the LORD with every bit of my heart, mind, and soul. I couldn't think about anything except for how wonderful and gracious my Saviour is!

Oh, I just can't wait for the next one. July 19th and 20th--Beruna Christian Music Festival, here I come!

-Jenna