On our journey though this life, we all encounter difficult times of loss. Some of us have deeper wounds to nurse than others, but we can find encouragement offered in this artful series of poems compiled by Joy S. Taylor in Findings: My Journey to Joy. From the early years to the present, readers will find that Joy's journey to her savior is one of inspiration and hope. Having traveled many miles on life's weary path, Joy's wisdom will direct readers on the ultimate journey, one to the Master Healer, the source of true joy.
Steve Hayner was serving as president of Columbia Seminary and was healthy and fit when he found out he had terminal pancreatic cancer. These pages, including reflections from some of those closest to Steve and his wife Sharol, offer us a hope-filled glimpse into what it means to walk with God in honesty, with joy, even through great pain.
Can You Imagine More Joy in Your Life? Read About How Other Women Created Joy & How You Can Too! A Journey to Joy is sometimes ordinary to the naked eye, but to the critical observer and the woman who lived it, her journey is one of magnificent courage and perhaps a leap of faith into uncharted waters. Within the pages of this uplifting anthology book we share an array of intimate and heartfelt stories by real and inspiring women who have found true joy and freedom through the living of everyday life, as well as those who are still finding their way on this path. Each journey is unique - and not always pretty - but you will surely see the beauty through their words. A Journey to Joy is sometimes accompanied by stepping out of one's comfort zone and always accompanied by life lessons. The newly acquired wisdom is sometimes hard-won and yet it often becomes the sweetest to savor. These stories reveal the depth of the lives of these incredible women - the bitter and sweet, the fruitful and lost, the hard-fought battles and the ease of allowing. There are as many paths to joy as there are women. Enjoy, celebrate and discover your own joy through these touching, true stories. Discover these Joyful Lessons and Savor the Gifts: * Dedicating yourself to your life's purpose is a gift to the world * Healing from unspeakable tragedy comes with many gifts * You attract who you are, not what you want * Financial abundance doesn't bring joy; emotional abundance does * Angels are all around you; all you need do is call on them * How to live life and even thrive after the loss of a loved one * When the student is ready the teacher will appear * Rays of sunshine are ever-present - even behind the clouds * Creativity lives in each of us and we can consciously awaken it * Forgiveness forges its' own path to love and joy * You were born worthy and deserving of great good
We are all broken. It's a unified human experience. And we all need a hope that doesn't disappoint, a love that anchors us, joy that survives in unthinkable conditions, and a perspective shift that goes beyond our circumstances. Some days we feel the perfection of sunshine and a light breeze. Other days hold wet, gray skies with drowning grief. In the wake, comes promise of new growth. Still other days a cold winter frost catches us by surprise, halting our journey toward fruitful blooms. We step back, reeling at the damage from this frost. We question the system and environment we grow in. We can exist in this garden dictated by the changing weather patterns. Or, we can see a different kind of brave living-that which exists beyond our fragile stems and dainty leaves, living instead deep in our roots. This book is for those sitting in the deep-down dark, traveling with grief as a constant companion, and anyone whose life path has taken an unexpected turn. Bekah shares the heart break of a fatal diagnosis for not just one, but both her children. As she journeyed through dark valleys of death, it was there she experienced Jesus in a whole new way-in deeply broken places. Her journey holding pain in one hand and joy in the other is vulnerably scribbled out on these pages as she tore open the wounds in her soul to share how Christ created beauty and goodness in it all. It was in this journey, she learned to see wholeness in cracks, courage in the broken-hearted, and bravery in the act of letting go. May you discover the Life-Giver of joy, see your beautiful bloom, and know that hope is always worth holding on to, because redemption is coming--and in fact--is already happening here and now. "Can't Steal My Joy is an honest, real-life account of a life storm that drops down right on top of you with no warning - and the unspeakable beauty that blooms from the wreckage. Bekah's heart beats in every page, every word. To read her story from start to not-yet-finished, it's only natural to wonder how anyone could survive something like this. But the truth is that Bekah and Danny have done much more than survive. They have thrived. And as for the how? Jesus - only Jesus. God's grace weaves seamlessly throughout each moment of confusion, devastation, hope, surrender, and triumph. You cannot read this book without seeing the Creator and longing for all things new." Anne Riley, author of Voyage to the Star Kingdom "I had the absolute pleasure of being able to read Bekah Bowman's book, Can't Steal My Joy, before it hit the bookshelves. I honestly have not read anything so moving and soul stirring since, The Shack. Whether you are in a season of mourning or grief, or in my case, struggling in the heaviness of life to find peace and joy within, this book helps lift the veil of sadness to reveal God's promise that He never leaves you. God makes his presence known everyday in little ways if you only stop to look for the joy outside the pain. Bekah is a gifted writer and I'm so excited to share this book with my friends and family." Melinda, founder of WhenLife Co
It felt as if there was a lid on my joy and I could not lift its heaviness. In the fullness of time, God showed me what real joy looks like. I continue on that journey every day. I'm not the guide, I'm a fellow traveler doing my best to follow the One who is our guide. I am still learning, still growing, and desperate to help others know this joy. To know there is hope in a season of despair, to know that on our happiest, most joy-filled day, there is still more! More of God, more of His goodness, and more of His joy. I would love for you to join me. It is a journey with Jesus. A Journey to Joy.
"Cancer has a way of upending every area of one's life, as well as the lives of those near the patient. Pastor Daniel Nicewonger shares with honesty and vulnerability his journey following a diagnosis of stage IV colon cancer. He writes with openness, sharing the joys and struggles of learning to truly live with cancer. Daniel shares of learning to walk with his oncology team, how the journey affected the caregivers in his life. While everyone's journey is different, there are lessons to be learned as Daniel shares the realities of learning to live with his "new normal." Come join with Daniel and find "Joy Amidst Life's Struggles."--Page 4 of cover.
A poignant story of loss and how a young mother picked herself up and found the courage to move forward in the search for answers about death, loss, and grief while foraging a new path in her desire to find joy again. Wendy's life was forever changed when her husband passed away from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in 2009. She had already experienced a traumatic loss when her mother had passed away a year earlier, and now she was left with a one-year-old son and a new path that she had to forge alone. This is a story about the loss of her spouse and her journey to finding her way out of the challenges of loss, grief, and sadness and back into joy. It is her story of hope, how she moved forward one step at a time and how her quest to understand life after death helped her heal and move forward.
Finding Joy After Loss is one woman's journey to finding her joy after the tragic death of her husband, Patrick James McCarty. Patrick, a well-known natural healer in the macrobiotic world, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005. After three years of fighting cancer with both natural and Western medicine, he lost the fight. Two years after his death, Vashon began writing as a way to come to terms with their family's tragedy. With time, she discovered a path to her healing, and ultimately, she found a path to finding her Joy. Vashon discovered seven simple steps that helped her to find joy again. Along the way, she found that her joy had always been there, but it had been hidden by her grief. Come journey with Vashon as she discovers these steps and puts them to the test. In the end she finds something she never expected.
1 John 1:4 "And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." That's what this journey is about; finding fullness of joy. John says it here that our "joy may be full" and Jesus says it in John 15:11. This is a journey that will be unique to everyone; it will start in different places and travel at different speeds. No two journeys will be the same. I don't claim to have all the answers in this book about how to find joy because I'm still on my journey, I'm just inviting you to travel along with me and find the treasures that joy has to offer you. There is "joy in the journey."
