Become New with John Ortberg 32. Make Joy Your Strength
Sep 21, 2021
A reflection on finding enduring joy amid sorrow and frustration. Discussion of C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters and how laughter can reveal deep joy. Stories about St. Francis, Nehemiah, and Jesus frame joy as a sustaining, God-rooted strength. Warnings about flippancy and jokes that mask vice, and how play can unexpectedly foster goodness.
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St Francis And The Joyful Bird
- John Ortberg tells of a statue of St. Francis holding a bird to illustrate love of creation and joyful preaching to creatures.
- He connects St. Francis's joy in creation to the gospel as 'good news.'
Joy Is Strength Not Escapism
- Joy functions as energy and nourishment that produces hope and expectation.
- John Ortberg cites Nehemiah and Dallas Willard to show joy is a pervasive sense of well-being that sustains us amid sorrow.
Coexistence Of Sorrow And Joy
- Sorrow and joy can coexist; sorrow is meaningful but lacks the energizing quality of joy.
- Ortberg describes his own season of sorrow and daily mood logs to illustrate living with both grief and invitation to joy.
