I grew up in church, and it’s been a part of my life for just about as long as I can remember. At the age of around 11, I made a decision to believe in Jesus and to give my life to Him; at that moment, I became a Christian. From that time on, I have always known and felt that He has been with me – through the good times and the bad. And I know that I know that every good thing I have in my life is because of Him. Life with Jesus is a great life!

But at the same time, for as long as I can remember, there has been something that has just not set right with me…I always had the sense that something was missing. Jesus promises us so much!  As believers, we are supposed to expect a life of joy, peace, success, answered prayers, a feeling of closeness with our creator – this is what I call the HappyJoyLife!

But instead, too often my life did not reflect that.  And I think that can be said for many of us. Instead, many of us live in worry, fear, doubt, stress, disappointment…and here’s the thing: We know that we are supposed to be living the HappyJoyLife, but since we don’t see it, we then come to the conclusion that something must be wrong with US. Maybe God is not pleased with us. Maybe we are not doing enough. Maybe we don’t have enough faith. Many churches are eager to back up our feelings of inadequacy, telling us that we need to try harder. Too often, we end up more discouraged than we were in the first place, and over time, the HappyJoyLife seems to move farther and farther away. There are so many people that have to some extent given up on this whole “God” thing altogether, because they don’t see it working. Maybe that you out there today, and if it is, I am SO especially glad that I found you!

After much soul-searching and talking with God, I have become convinced that the HappyJoyLife really is for each and every one of us. It IS within reach, in fact, it is closer than you think! I don’t claim to have all of the answers – not even close! But these things I do know…1) God is real. 2) Everything He has said to and promised us is true, and 3) He really does love us, and WANTS us to have the HappyJoyLife!  In fact, God, through His Son Jesus, has given us a roadmap to experience this great life. All that we need to do is to be open to learning new things about Him – and about ourselves.

I personally am on this journey to understanding how to live a life full of happiness, joy and abundance that has been described to us. If you’re like me, and you have a deep yearning in your heart for more, I want to invite you to come along and join me. There are so many mysteries to be uncovered, and I think that the things we discover will absolutely and utterly be life changing!