Seek Joy!

Hey everyone!  I’m so excited about how these Joy Cards are coming along nicely… I can’t even stand it!  For those of you who don’t know, I’m in the process of creating something big, really BIG.  The story goes like this…

Last March, God planted in my heart an idea to create an ADVENT CALENDAR: I envisioned a daily, family-friendly graphic-based devotional that could act as a quick discussion at the breakfast table, or could provide opportunities to go deeper into personal journaling & worship time – for the first 25 days of December.  Though it was spring, I knew I needed to get started soon because a.) when the Lord calls ya, it’s best to jump in head first!, and b.) I knew deep down that this project needed lots and lots of my time.  The problem was, I didn’t have a clue as to how to go about tackling this charge.  I simply wanted to abide.

Oddly enough, while joining with my lovely ladies of BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) one random Monday in March, we were asked to sing the song ‘Joy to the World’ (It was March, people!  Only God can orchestrate something that awesome).  I poured over the words on the page, understanding them more clearly than ever before.  I realized just how powerful that song really is!  Later that night, I re-read the lyrics, circling the biblical principles that popped out in the song, which hovered around 25!  Amazing.  I realized that I was given the ‘glue’ to hold the project together; I ran with it.

Soon thereafter, I shared the idea with a dear friend, Marcia, who has years of bible knowledge under her belt; I knew I needed her wisdom and discernment in sticking to the plan:  break down the song into 25 principles, attach a verse or two to each principle, then develop a life-giving question that causes the reader to think critically about that verse & apply it to his/her day during the advent season.  Marcia was on board and accepted the challenge.  Amazingly, we both separately broke down the lyrics in virtually the same places.  We came back together in awe of how seamless God’s plan was for this project so far.

Throughout the spring and summer, I continued inching my way through each card.  Drawing 25 graphics seemed intimidating, but drawing one from-time-to-time?  I could handle that.  By mid-July, the project began to develop a personality; I had created a color scheme and began to weave themes into the graphics.  But one step of the process remained: I needed to know if the reader would experience these Joy Cards like a true devotional.  I decided to use the month of August – the first 25 days –to pull out personal conviction and devotion.  So, I bought a crisp, new notebook and began to journal.

So far, I’m amazed at just how powerful Immanuel, God With Us really is – right in the midst of summertime.  In the heat of August, you can still experience the Joy of this powerful phenomenon: a savior.  The gospel is never idle to those who are seeking.

This morning, the 7^th day of the devotional asks of me, “Today, how will you share the joyful news of a savior?”  I took that as my cue; I need to share a bigger slice of these Joy Cards with you, not necessarily to show their progress, but to share the impact I’ve felt while knee-deep in creating them.  I feel compelled to share how the ‘joyful news of a savior’ is truly year-round.  That’s something worth sharing.  Yes, I’m sharing how these Joy Cards are developing, each individually crafted with a graphic, a song verse, a bible verse, and an application question.  But more importantly, I want to share what’s developing in my heart: Joy to the World.  What a better way to think of our savior than the pure joy that is with us, always.

(To follow the progress of these Joy Cards into the advent season, search #joycards on my Instagram feed or Facebook page.  EnJOY!)