Joy; do you have it? Does it reign in you? Where do we go to grab some joy? Let’s see….the stock market doesn’t look good, the economy is sluggish, housing is not moving well, we will have a new president that we may or may not have faith in, violence is all around us, drugs and alcohol are abused at every turn…our youth are confused…..so where do we turn for joy?

One of the first things we need to determine is what joy really means. If it means total happiness…we may have difficulty in our quest for joy. “A good definition of Christian joy is that it is the flag that flies on the castle of our heart when the King is in residence”. (John Mc Arthur) We live in an environment on earth that is broken by sin in all areas of life. How then can we experience true joy in our lives? Our retreat verse says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength”.

Our retreat goal this year is to unravel what it means to have pure joy. God says in His word that it is something we can have. We will review the things that bring joy to our lives and see how they fit in with God’s definition of joy, We welcome you to join us on our search for understanding this wonderful state…..joy.