Joy
34 conversations where the hosts get into joy.
34 conversations
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Discussion: has authenticity trumped holiness?
- Has authenticity trumped holiness in evangelical culture?
- What is hypocrisy - failing to live by what I feel, or failing to live by what I believe?
The hosts read and discuss a Gospel Coalition article asking whether evangelical culture has made 'being screwed up' a badge of honor - 'works righteousness' in reverse - so that authenticity outranks holiness.
From No. 175 · Authenticity vs. Holiness
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Can a Christian be a pessimist?
- Can you have the love of Christ in your heart and still be a pessimist?
A hard-question discussion: can you have the love of Christ in your heart and still be a thoroughgoing pessimist?
From No. 170 · Can a Christian Be a Pessimist?
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When you've been sinned against; can a Christian live a depressed life?
- Is it possible to live a depressed life if you know Jesus is your Savior?
- Can you articulate the reason for your hope? (1 Peter 3:15, raised via chat)
Flipping the question, the hosts ask what to do when someone else's sin lands on you: you can either live joyfully in the garbage or be swallowed by it.
From No. 78 · November 28 2011
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Self-focus vs substantive work: the article's answer
The hosts work through the article's core claim: unhappiness tracks self-focus, while substantive work for others — mission medicine, Dan's every-other-week homeless-camp ministry — leaves people oddly joyful even amid suffering.
From No. 519 · Folk Ain’t Happy
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Tower of Babel and the god of your own universe
The metaverse arc closes theologically: building your own universe is Tower of Babel territory, the coming philosophy is man becoming his own god, and the virtual self-improvement…
From No. 462 · Jesus and the Metaverse
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Don't put God in a box: prophecy, 'God led me,' and being happy
The hosts agree not to limit what God could do, but insist any claim must be biblically consistent, noting modern 'prophecy' usually just adds private revelations to Scripture and that they never need a prophet since the Bible is in print.
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Happiness vs. joy: what God actually promises
The hosts clarify the earlier happiness point: the Bible doesn't promise happiness, but the fruit of the Spirit includes joy, which shows up even in miserable circumstances.
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Zimbabwe report: walking through the book of Acts
Dan recounts his latest Zimbabwe trip, where he serves as director of development for the Shredzie Christian Children's Village and plugs into Hippo Valley Christian Mission's churches and schools.
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Reason one: you are only focused on receiving a blessing
- What are six reasons God might not be blessing my life?
The hosts read an article's first reason God might not be blessing someone's life — being focused on receiving — and reframe it: people mistake vacations, promotions, and 'hashtag so blessed' moments for God's highest priority.
From No. 527 · Angels and Blessings
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Pope salve: Boova's testimony of overwhelming joy, then wasted anger
Boova (addressed by name in the audio) asks Ben's permission to deliver a 'pope salve' and gives a testimony: after a 12-hour shift he wept twice listening to the worship song…
From No. 373 · Don’t Wet Your Pants
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Takeaways: what we do matters — the revival story
Dan shares his Zimbabwe takeaway: the trip mattered even though it felt small. He tells the story of a mission leader who, decades ago as a boy, wandered into a revival just to…
From No. 348 · Africa, AI and Advice
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'Put Satan in his place in three easy steps': rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks
- Is 'rejoice always' (1 Thessalonians 5:16) an imperative in the Greek?
The hosts dissect a second Christian Post article framing 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 as a 'spiritual triple threat' (after basketball's dribble/shoot/pass triple threat taught by Adrian Dantley).
From No. 437 · Rejuvenating Prayer
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Threat one: be joyful
- Is 'rejoice always' (1 Thessalonians 5:16) a command in the Greek?
Walking through the article's first threat, the hosts debate whether 'rejoice always' is a Greek imperative.
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Marriage is work; why Christian music is always so deep
- Why is Christian music always so deep -- can't a song just be fun?
After the song, Jessa jokes that the happy first-week feelings in the song give way to the hard work of marriage.
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Pope-style advice: lose your life to gain it
- What does it actually look like to give up your life to gain it?
Mike (addressed by name in the audio) delivers the night's sage advice on 'giving your life so you may gain it.'
From No. 311 · Lose Your Life to Gain It
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Prayer tension: afraid to ask God vs. 'you have not because you ask not'
- Is it okay to ask God for things, or is that bossing God around?
A host reflects on reluctance to ask God for things, feeling like it bosses God around, contrasted with Jesus' saying 'you have not because you ask not' (actually James 4:2).
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Three Churches, All-Night Joy
Dan contrasts the three churches' worship flavors: the oldest church's long relationships show in joyful, jazzy, interactive dancing; the mountain church plant sang, drummed, and…
From No. 470 · Two Claps and a Ric Flair
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Mike's rebuttal: happiness is temporary, joy endures
Mike argues that people who abandon the gospel after a rough season gambled on a minute's feeling: the world can make you feel happy, but joy will not stay.
From No. 575 · Heartfelt Heresy
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Worship culture: joy, singing, and training children
Dan describes Zimbabweans' grace and joy despite poverty — breaking into loud, harmonious singing with a handmade djembe at the conference, and training children from birth to sing, clap, and celebrate.
From No. 329 · Hippo Valley PTA
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Made to make — creating as image-bearers
Ben (speaker-1) gives his third takeaway: if God is a creator and we are made in his image, then making things — a table, a photograph, a meal — is part of our nature, not a distraction from following Jesus.
From No. 544 · Wisdom and Wonder
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Faith at idle: bulldozers, light, and first-love longing
Ben confesses a painful tension: he believes the facts about Jesus completely but feels dissociated from the joy and repentance that should accompany them, and he wants the feeling back.
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Reverse worship: measuring God's love by obedience
The night's second main topic: a host describes measuring his relationship with God by where his obedience is at, calling it 'reverse worship' — worshiping sin more than the Jesus who gave grace for it.
From No. 484 · The Idol Tannenbaums
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'Put Satan in his place in three easy steps' and the triple threat
A related Christian Post article promises 'how to put Satan in his place in three easy steps,' built on the basketball 'triple threat' (Adrian Dantley: dribble, shoot, or pass): 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 'be joyful, pray, give.'
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Limitless Tour guests in studio: Double J and Cass
The hosts interview musical guests from the Limitless Tour: Double J (Jesse), whose new album 'Limitless' (planned April release, Kickstarter in Feb/March) centers on 'living…
From No. 130 · January 21 2013