-
00:00:01
- Life is like a never
ending pursuit of happiness.
-
00:00:04
We're always
looking for something
-
00:00:06
better than what we have.
-
00:00:08
But problems, trouble, pain,
life, death all get in the way.
-
00:00:14
Just when we think
we're almost there,
-
00:00:16
we get knocked back down.
-
00:00:19
But what if joy didn't mean
what you thought it meant?
-
00:00:22
What if you could have joy
-
00:00:24
no matter what circumstances
you're facing or will face?
-
00:00:28
In this series of videos,
-
00:00:30
we're exploring five
keys to Chasing Joy.
-
00:00:33
And today we're
actually going to
-
00:00:35
relearn how to be joyful.
-
00:00:43
- Every amusement
park has that one ride,
-
00:00:45
that one ride that's so intense,
it'll make you black out.
-
00:00:48
It's so intense it puts your
stomach into your shoes.
-
00:00:51
Now, a few years ago,
-
00:00:52
I was at this park on
that ride with a friend,
-
00:00:55
and I was looking over
and like, what's the big deal?
-
00:00:58
This seems pretty lame.
-
00:01:00
In about 0.2 seconds
later, the bottom dropped out
-
00:01:03
and we started plummeting
towards the earth
-
00:01:04
at like a billion miles an hour.
-
00:01:07
And man, that's
how life is sometimes,
-
00:01:09
it feels like it's
straight and level
-
00:01:11
and then the bottom drops out.
-
00:01:13
And what's scary is when
you don't know where you are
-
00:01:16
on the roller
coaster or in life.
-
00:01:19
Today, we're going
to be talking about
-
00:01:21
how we can experience
more joy by understanding
-
00:01:24
where we are on the
roller coaster of life.
-
00:01:27
But before we do that, I want us
to hear from some joy experts.
-
00:01:31
Who are the joy
experts in your life?
-
00:01:33
Well, they're kids.
-
00:01:34
I want us to hear from
some kids about joy right now.
-
00:01:38
- You know what? Jayce
said the same thing.
-
00:01:43
That just means
giving this, that's all.
-
00:01:46
So you can, like, flip your
hair, boom, like famous.
-
00:01:50
Oh, yes.
-
00:01:51
You want to say action?
- Action. - Good job.
-
00:01:55
What brings the biggest
smile to your face?
-
00:01:57
- My friends, my family.
-
00:01:59
- Sometimes play basketball.
-
00:02:01
- Sloths.
-
00:02:02
- Sloths. Okay.
How slow do sloths move?
-
00:02:08
What makes you the happiest?
-
00:02:11
- Food.
- What kind of food?
-
00:02:14
- Skyline.
-
00:02:15
- Tortellini.
-
00:02:17
- Ice cream.
- Oh, my gosh.
-
00:02:20
What makes you
laugh the hardest?
-
00:02:22
- Frankie dancing with me.
- Your dog?
-
00:02:25
- Put him on his back legs
and he's like [vocalizing].
-
00:02:31
- Tell me about one of the
happiest days of your life.
-
00:02:34
- A new family, I got adopted.
- Yeah.
-
00:02:37
- How much money do you think
you need to make you happy?
-
00:02:42
- Maybe 20 - 50 hundred dollars.
-
00:02:45
- That's a good amount.
What are you going to buy?
-
00:02:47
- A huge pony.
-
00:02:49
- Not much.
- Zero.
-
00:02:51
- None, I guess.
-
00:02:52
- None. You can't buy happiness.
-
00:02:55
- Some people need
love to be happy.
-
00:02:57
- If you're a rich person, you
could just use money too but...
-
00:03:00
- They could also
maybe buy love.
-
00:03:02
Is that what you're saying?
- Yeah.
-
00:03:03
- But if you aren't rich, where
do you get the love from?
-
00:03:07
- Jesus.
- That's a good answer.
-
00:03:09
How do you keep being happy?
- By dancing.
-
00:03:12
Let me see some
of your best moves.
-
00:03:15
- That's so good.
-
00:03:16
- What cheers you up?
- Getting hugs.
-
00:03:18
- You like hugs?
-
00:03:20
So some folks who
are watching this,
-
00:03:21
they might not
know where to start.
-
00:03:23
They don't know how to be happy.
-
00:03:24
What would you tell them?
-
00:03:25
- Just let your
inspiration go wild.
-
00:03:29
- That's good advice.
-
00:03:44
- Man, I love that
picture of childlike joy.
-
00:03:46
Hey, for the last four weeks,
-
00:03:48
we've been in the
book of Philippians.
-
00:03:49
Philippians has a
lot to say about joy.
-
00:03:52
Joy in Jesus, joy in humility,
-
00:03:53
joy in the process, joy in
suffering, all kinds of joy.
-
00:03:57
Now, let me show you
something really cool
-
00:04:00
about Philippians.
-
00:04:01
Even the structure of the book
-
00:04:03
tells us something about it.
-
00:04:04
You see, Philippians
isn't just a single theme.
-
00:04:07
It's actually a
series of vignettes
-
00:04:09
that refer back
to a central idea
-
00:04:12
right in the middle of the
book, in the form of a poem.
-
00:04:15
Philippians shows
how living as a Christian
-
00:04:17
means seeing your own story
-
00:04:19
as a lived expression
of Jesus's story.
-
00:04:23
Now, did you catch that?
-
00:04:24
Let me say it again,
because this is important.
-
00:04:26
Philippians shows
that living as a Christian
-
00:04:29
means seeing your own story
-
00:04:31
as a lived expression
of Jesus's story.
-
00:04:35
And if you're wondering,
-
00:04:36
what does any of this
have to do with joy?
-
00:04:38
Well, I'm getting to that.
-
00:04:40
Now I'd propose to you that
-
00:04:41
one of the biggest
reasons you and I
-
00:04:43
don't experience more
childlike joy in our lives
-
00:04:46
is that we don't
understand where we are
-
00:04:49
in the narrative
arc of God's story.
-
00:04:52
It's like we expect
things to be straight
-
00:04:54
and level all the time,
but that's not how life
-
00:04:57
or a good roller coaster work.
-
00:05:00
And if we don't
know where we are,
-
00:05:01
straight and level,
headed up the hill,
-
00:05:03
or flying face first
towards the ground,
-
00:05:06
placing ourselves
in the story as
-
00:05:09
a lived expression of
Jesus's is really challenging.
-
00:05:12
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
-
00:05:14
Before I explain a
framework for relearning joy,
-
00:05:18
let me describe
the current situation
-
00:05:20
where most of us find ourselves.
-
00:05:22
Now, a few decades ago,
-
00:05:24
NASA was looking for a
way to quantify creativity,
-
00:05:27
and they started with kids.
-
00:05:29
Now, the children of
the study were first tested
-
00:05:31
at 5, then again at
10 and 15 years old.
-
00:05:34
At age 5, like my
daughter, Mariah,
-
00:05:37
98% of children tested
as creative geniuses.
-
00:05:42
By the age of 10, only 30%.
-
00:05:44
And by 15, only 12% were
still genius level creatives.
-
00:05:51
Now, a fourth test was
administered as adults
-
00:05:54
and it was only 2%
retain that creative
-
00:05:58
and problem solving genius.
-
00:06:00
And I just propose,
hasn't our child-like ability
-
00:06:04
to experience joy
suffered a similar fate?
-
00:06:08
Man, who's the joy expert
in your life? Kids, right?
-
00:06:11
They throw tantrums,
but they're also capable
-
00:06:14
of a level of sheer delight
-
00:06:15
that aren't we all envious of?
-
00:06:17
I mean, come on.
-
00:06:18
Like my daughter
Mariah is more joyful
-
00:06:20
with an ice cream
cone and a balloon
-
00:06:23
than I am with a beach vacation.
-
00:06:24
Like, she -- and
it doesn't matter.
-
00:06:26
Like, she could have a
balloon and ice cream cone
-
00:06:28
in the middle of a hurricane
-
00:06:30
and she would be loving life.
-
00:06:32
She has a joy that
is just incredible.
-
00:06:34
But somewhere along the line,
-
00:06:36
life conspires against
us so that we unlearn joy.
-
00:06:41
Trauma, disappointment,
misplaced expectations,
-
00:06:45
pain, brokenness, suffering,
and a whole lot more
-
00:06:48
chip away at our
ability to experience joy
-
00:06:51
until it feels like
a distant memory.
-
00:06:54
You might remember
when it happened to you,
-
00:06:56
when that disappointment
or hurt or pain
-
00:06:58
changed something
in you, or you might not.
-
00:07:01
Now everyone has a
story, and mine is just that.
-
00:07:05
It's my own.
-
00:07:06
It's my own story
of experiencing God.
-
00:07:09
And our stories
have a profound role
-
00:07:11
in shaping who we are.
-
00:07:12
And mine has been
one of relearning joy.
-
00:07:16
And that's what I
want for you too.
-
00:07:22
- Hey, I'm Hannah,
and this is Andy.
-
00:07:24
And you already know him
because he is crushing it
-
00:07:27
doing an awesome job teaching
us about relearning joy.
-
00:07:31
I know. I'm enjoying it,
and I hope that you are too.
-
00:07:33
Now's the time in our service
-
00:07:35
where we get to
engage in giving,
-
00:07:36
which is an area that I've
relearned joy in my own life.
-
00:07:40
And if you want to partner
with us to change the world,
-
00:07:42
not just the world, but
also your own community,
-
00:07:45
you can go to
Crossroads.net/give right now.
-
00:07:48
- Hey, we have
something really important
-
00:07:50
coming up and it's
called The Journey.
-
00:07:52
And if you wonder
what's a journey
-
00:07:53
and why should I do it,
I want you to check out
-
00:07:55
this video that it answers
both those questions right now.
-
00:07:58
- This year's journey
is called Grow
-
00:08:01
because God wants
more for our lives
-
00:08:03
and to find that we must grow.
-
00:08:07
The Journey is five weeks
long, starting September 18th.
-
00:08:10
There are three
parts to the journey.
-
00:08:12
Step one: Attend the weekend
-
00:08:15
and receive weekly
teaching at a site or online.
-
00:08:18
Get inspired with the good news.
-
00:08:21
Step two: Do your guide work.
-
00:08:24
You get your very
own printed guide.
-
00:08:27
It'll help you create a plan
of action to grow deeper.
-
00:08:31
And step three:
meet with your group.
-
00:08:34
During the Journey
we meet in groups
-
00:08:36
to talk about what we're
learning, grow deeper together.
-
00:08:38
You might even
make a new friend.
-
00:08:40
And if you don't have
a group, that's okay.
-
00:08:42
We'll help you find one.
-
00:08:44
Recap: Attend the weekend,
-
00:08:47
do your guide work,
and get in a group.
-
00:08:50
Go here for more.
-
00:08:52
Come Grow.
-
00:09:00
- My own personal journey
with joy has many chapters,
-
00:09:03
but one of the most
important happened years ago
-
00:09:06
at what was the darkest
point in my entire life.
-
00:09:10
I grew up as the
youngest of five kids
-
00:09:12
and I was pretty good,
like, I rarely did anything
-
00:09:14
that I couldn't "I'm sorry"
my way out of, right?
-
00:09:16
And I was generally
rewarded for it.
-
00:09:18
This all worked pretty
well until my early twenties,
-
00:09:22
until it didn't.
-
00:09:24
My life wasn't
perfect, but in general,
-
00:09:26
the do good things equals
get good things equation
-
00:09:28
was working pretty well for me.
-
00:09:30
Now, there was a season
when all that changed,
-
00:09:34
when I had six people in
my family die in two years,
-
00:09:37
culminated when my mom's
cancer came out of remission.
-
00:09:41
I moved home to
take care of her.
-
00:09:42
And in spite of
chemotherapy, radiation,
-
00:09:46
and all kinds of
prayers, she died.
-
00:09:49
Months later, my sister got
a disease that was so rare
-
00:09:53
that our doctors were literally
calling people in China
-
00:09:56
to find a similar case.
-
00:09:57
By the end, she was 90
pounds, lost her right eye,
-
00:10:00
and was in so much pain
that it was unimaginable.
-
00:10:04
And just when her health
began to improve, she died.
-
00:10:08
I was done. I was broken.
-
00:10:11
It was like the wheels
had come off of my life.
-
00:10:14
I quit my job where I
was working at a church
-
00:10:17
singing about how great God was.
-
00:10:19
I left home.
-
00:10:20
I bought a motorcycle
and I just hit the road.
-
00:10:23
I wasn't sure where I was going.
-
00:10:25
I wasn't really even
sure what I was doing.
-
00:10:27
All I really knew was
-
00:10:28
that I needed
everything to change.
-
00:10:31
I was the picture of freedom,
-
00:10:32
but also the picture
of what it is to be lost.
-
00:10:36
I was running away,
running away from a life
-
00:10:38
and frankly, a faith
that wasn't working.
-
00:10:41
I felt like God hadn't held
up His end of the bargain
-
00:10:43
and I was pissed.
-
00:10:46
You know what happened?
I just kept moving.
-
00:10:48
What ended up being an
emotional and physical journey
-
00:10:51
of almost a year,
crossed 36,000 miles
-
00:10:54
across deserts,
jungles, 16 countries
-
00:10:57
and everything in between.
-
00:10:58
It literally took me
from the Arctic Circle
-
00:11:00
to the bottom of Argentina.
-
00:11:02
It was an adventure,
that's for sure.
-
00:11:04
If you want to hear
stories, hey, buy me a beer.
-
00:11:06
Let's talk. Let's talk about it.
-
00:11:08
But I remember
one day, one day that
-
00:11:10
I will remember for
the rest of my life.
-
00:11:13
I was in Central America.
-
00:11:14
I was riding my motorcycle
-
00:11:15
down a beautiful mountain
overlooking the Atlantic.
-
00:11:19
The weather was like this.
-
00:11:20
It was perfect, but I
could barely see it.
-
00:11:23
Tears just clouded my
eyes, and I was so angry
-
00:11:26
that I was shouting
at God in my helmet.
-
00:11:28
I was so angry, I just
kept rolling on the throttle,
-
00:11:31
accelerating down
this mountainside
-
00:11:34
where there just
been a rockslide.
-
00:11:36
Boulders were over here.
-
00:11:38
There was a cliff
face over here.
-
00:11:39
And I was just daring
the bike to hit something.
-
00:11:44
I don't know how
long I went on this way,
-
00:11:46
but I was just pushing
harder and going faster.
-
00:11:50
Man, I don't know
if I wanted to die,
-
00:11:52
but I know that I
didn't care if I lived.
-
00:11:55
When I reached the
bottom of the mountain,
-
00:11:56
I pulled over
and just laid there
-
00:11:59
on the side of the
road, utterly exhausted.
-
00:12:03
And I just remember
saying the God out loud,
-
00:12:05
"God, I can't do this anymore.
-
00:12:07
You don't owe me anything.
-
00:12:09
I'll follow You no matter what."
-
00:12:12
In that moment of
exhausted grief and tears,
-
00:12:15
like, something
change, it clicked.
-
00:12:18
It was as if I knew
that I wasn't at the end
-
00:12:21
of the story, I
was in the middle.
-
00:12:24
The middle where my
misplaced expectation of God
-
00:12:27
were dying, where my
good Christian behavior
-
00:12:30
was exposed for what it was,
-
00:12:32
an attempt to control God
-
00:12:34
so that I could
get what I wanted.
-
00:12:37
The story didn't end
with my pain, but instead
-
00:12:40
ended with God bringing me
through to something better.
-
00:12:43
And that's what I want for you,
-
00:12:44
so that you can
experience more joy,
-
00:12:47
more hope, more freedom,
and more wholeness.
-
00:12:51
This is a process
that I've experienced
-
00:12:53
in big and in small ways,
-
00:12:55
in my career, in my
ambitions, in my plans,
-
00:12:58
in my relationships,
in my identity,
-
00:13:00
and all the things
that I try and make
-
00:13:02
the bedrock of my
life other than God.
-
00:13:06
These are all opportunities
for us to do that thing
-
00:13:09
from Philippians 2
which is remembered,
-
00:13:11
it's showing us how we
can see our own lives
-
00:13:13
as a lived expression
of Jesus story.
-
00:13:18
But if we learn to handle
life struggles with Jesus,
-
00:13:21
there's a framework for
handling those struggles
-
00:13:23
that won't rob us of happiness,
-
00:13:24
but instead will enable
you and I to relearn joy.
-
00:13:29
If we don't realize that
life is like a roller coaster,
-
00:13:32
that there are highs
and that there are lows,
-
00:13:35
we don't know what to do
with them when they come.
-
00:13:38
So here's a framework
-
00:13:39
that's going to go
before, on and after
-
00:13:42
for noticing where you are
-
00:13:44
and embracing
your place in life.
-
00:13:48
In our own ways,
Jesus lived this out.
-
00:13:51
In Philippians 2 He
created this model
-
00:13:54
that you and I get to follow.
-
00:13:56
Philippians 2:6-11 says this:
-
00:14:08
This is the before.
-
00:14:09
This is God recognizing
an opportunity
-
00:14:12
to take a humble place to serve.
-
00:14:14
And that's what you and I have.
-
00:14:16
This goes and leads
us to being on the Cross.
-
00:14:19
Continuing with our passage
from Philippians 2, it says,
-
00:14:22
rather, Jesus made
Himself nothing
-
00:14:24
by taking the very
nature of a servant,
-
00:14:27
being made in human likeness
-
00:14:29
and being found in
appearance as a man,
-
00:14:31
He humbled himself by
becoming obedient to death,
-
00:14:35
even death on a cross.
-
00:14:38
But the story doesn't end there.
-
00:14:40
There's an after,
after the Cross.
-
00:14:42
Before the cross, on the
Cross, and after the Cross
-
00:14:45
that you and I are invited into.
-
00:14:47
In Philippians
2:6-11, it says this:
-
00:15:05
Man, we have an
opportunity to allow God
-
00:15:09
to bring us through a
healing and growing process
-
00:15:12
before the Cross, on the
Cross, and after the Cross,
-
00:15:16
letting the imperfect
parts of our character,
-
00:15:18
of our personality,
of our history
-
00:15:21
to be remade,
reshaped and renewed
-
00:15:24
more in the image
and story of Jesus.
-
00:15:28
So, if things are
challenging for you right now,
-
00:15:30
if you feel like the
wheels are coming off,
-
00:15:33
hey, the story isn't over.
-
00:15:35
You're still in the middle
where God is reshaping
-
00:15:38
and renewing and reforming
-
00:15:39
important parts of who you are.
-
00:15:42
And He cares enough to grow you
-
00:15:44
in the midst of that space
-
00:15:47
and to take that
place of brokenness
-
00:15:50
and make it a
source of strength,
-
00:15:52
to take that place of pain
and make it a source of joy.
-
00:15:57
When we understand where we are
-
00:15:59
in the framework of God's story
-
00:16:01
and see our lives as a
lived expression of His story
-
00:16:04
before the Cross, on the
Cross, and after the Cross,
-
00:16:07
man, then we're not
surprised when difficulty comes.
-
00:16:12
We're not expecting everything
to be straight and level.
-
00:16:14
That's not true of life.
-
00:16:16
It's not true of a
good roller coaster.
-
00:16:18
Life has an ebb and a flow,
-
00:16:20
it has highs and it has lows,
-
00:16:22
it has twists and it has turns.
-
00:16:24
And all through every bit of it
-
00:16:27
God's working out His
goodness in you and for you.
-
00:16:32
Now in just a moment, we're
going to take communion.
-
00:16:36
We take communion,
it's a recognition.
-
00:16:38
It's a recognition
of God's ability
-
00:16:40
to redeem and to
restore every part of us,
-
00:16:44
to breathe new
life into the pain,
-
00:16:46
to breathe new life
into the brokenness,
-
00:16:49
make old things new
and broken things whole.
-
00:16:52
So, if you would, I'm going
to use wine and bread,
-
00:16:54
grab whatever you have at home.
-
00:16:56
Thank you.
-
00:16:58
And Jesus gathered his friends,
-
00:17:00
his community around Him.
-
00:17:02
He said, "This is my body
broken for you. Take and eat."
-
00:17:09
And He said, "This is
my blood shed for you.
-
00:17:11
Do this in remembrance of me.
-
00:17:14
Take and drink."
-
00:17:15
These practical,
tactile examples
-
00:17:18
of God's love for
you and for me.
-
00:17:23
If you believe in Jesus,
-
00:17:24
you understand
Him as your Savior
-
00:17:25
and as your source
of redemption,
-
00:17:27
take that bread and eat it
-
00:17:30
and take that wine or
whatever you're using at home
-
00:17:32
and drink that now.
-
00:17:36
Now, let me leave you
guys with a passage.
-
00:17:39
Hebrews 12:2 says:
-
00:17:41
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
-
00:17:43
the author and
perfecter of our faith.
-
00:17:45
Who for the joy set before
him endured the cross,
-
00:17:48
scorning its shame, and sat down
-
00:17:50
at the right hand
of the throne of God.
-
00:17:53
That's a beautiful articulation
-
00:17:54
of the journey towards joy
-
00:17:56
that God is inviting
you and me into.
-
00:17:59
So, become an active participant
-
00:18:01
in your own growth and
healing by allowing God
-
00:18:04
to take you on a journey,
like you did with me,
-
00:18:06
from before the Cross to on
the Cross to after the Cross.
-
00:18:10
Man, this has been my
story in areas of pride,
-
00:18:13
selfishness, ambition,
my career, my identity,
-
00:18:15
my family, and a whole
host of other things
-
00:18:17
in big and small ways.
-
00:18:19
This is an opportunity
to remind ourselves
-
00:18:21
that if the story isn't good,
then the story isn't over.
-
00:18:25
Jesus isn't done with you.
-
00:18:26
He wants to bring
you more healing,
-
00:18:28
wholeness and joy
than you can imagine.
-
00:18:31
And while it's not
easy, it's worth it.
-
00:18:35
Now, one more
note from my story.
-
00:18:36
Remember that road
in Central America
-
00:18:38
where my grief almost
overwhelmed me?
-
00:18:42
A few years ago,
I had the chance
-
00:18:43
to revisit some of
those same roads,
-
00:18:46
except I wasn't alone
and I wasn't grieving.
-
00:18:49
I had a wife and
three kids with me.
-
00:18:51
I wasn't grieving. I was healed.
-
00:18:53
I wasn't alone. I had
been restored to a family.
-
00:18:56
In big and small ways God
can bring wholeness to you.
-
00:19:00
So lean in, be bold, and
see how your own life
-
00:19:03
can echo Jesus's
story of resurrection,
-
00:19:06
then you'll experience more
of what it means to relearn joy.
-
00:22:00
- Hey, thank you guys so
much for joining us today.
-
00:22:02
It is our sincere hope
and prayer that you
-
00:22:05
learned how to experience
more joy in your life.
-
00:22:08
Now, as we mentioned,
-
00:22:10
we have a really important
thing coming up, The Journey.
-
00:22:12
I really think it could
be an inflection point
-
00:22:15
to change the spiritual
trajectory of your life.
-
00:22:18
And that doesn't happen
just by watching something
-
00:22:20
or reading something.
-
00:22:21
It happens in the
context of community,
-
00:22:24
growing with other people.
-
00:22:26
Man, join a group.
Start a group.
-
00:22:28
Head to Crossroads.net/Journey
-
00:22:30
for more info on how to do that.
-
00:22:31
- And if you want one
of these awesome guides
-
00:22:33
that Andy and I have,
-
00:22:34
more information
of how to get that,
-
00:22:36
and you need to get
it soon, by the way,
-
00:22:38
is at Crossroads.net/Journey.
-
00:22:40
Now I'm going to stop talking
-
00:22:41
because we have
something very special,
-
00:22:43
something that you
want to stick around for.
-
00:22:45
It is a sneak peek
into the Grow Journey.
-
00:22:48
We'll see you next
time on Crossroads.
-
00:22:50
- You can grow beyond
where you are right now.
-
00:22:54
Everyone likes the
idea of spirituality,
-
00:22:57
but, like, no one actually knows
-
00:22:59
you can actually
grow spiritually.