In her new book, “Living the Blessed Life: Seven Keys to Trusting God and Embracing Joy,” Melissa Overmyer offers a delightful, simple, seven-week guide to deepening our relationship with God and thus finding the happiness we all seek. Weaving in personal stories of finding happiness in the wake of various hardships and even tragedies, she demonstrates how to find happiness and joy by growing closer to God, regardless of the waves that rock our boats. 

We either love or despise Valentine’s Day. The modern culture seduces us into believing we need lavish romance, decadent chocolates, expensive bouquets, and most importantly tall-dark-and-handsome Prince Charmings to woo us into bliss! We are set up to be disappointed with unrealistic expectations of ourselves and our partners, and of course we know that forced love is never true anyway. We can and should celebrate love and even romance, but what does that look like?

Love is palpable this time of year, but it is often intertwined in the occasions of visiting, decorating, gift giving, baking, and other activities that we often look forward to because they are comforting, nostalgic, and bring us cheer. This Christmas, let us accept the challenge of stepping out of this place of contentment to practice sacrificial love.

This Third Week of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, we are rejoicing because of the anticipation of the long-awaited Messiah. Advent, a season of preparation, is coming to an end, and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will be coming into the world just as the Scriptures foretold. We need to continue to prepare for His arrival in our hearts, minds, and actions.

Joy has an elusive quality about it. Intuitively, we know that there is more to joy than a happy moment in time, but we find it difficult to explain and even more difficult to attain.