In this discussion with the JOYLAND Community, we explore what biblical joy truly is — and what it is not. Joy is not cheerfulness, hype, or pretending everything is okay. Scripture reveals that joy flows from God’s nearness. At the birth of Jesus, heaven announced “good news of great joy,” because God had drawn near to humanity in a whole new way. Even before Jesus was born, joy leapt in Elizabeth’s womb, and when the Magi saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. These moments show us that joy is the natural response to the presence of God. We also uncover a deeper truth from Hebrews 12:2 — that we are the joy set before Jesus, the reason He came. This episode reframes joy as God’s delight in us, a strength that remains even in sorrow, and the quiet confidence of knowing that we are not alone.

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This week at Joyland we explored what it means to live from rest as stewards of creation. When we remember who we are—spirit beings in union with the Father—rest naturally flows through us and into the world around us. All creation is alive, held in God, and waiting to awaken with us as we call it back into alignment through Love. As we know Love and become Love, we carry remembrance into creation and help the cosmos rediscover its original identity and song.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

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This week we reframed Hebrews 4:11, showing that “strive” doesn’t mean working harder, but being attentive and intentional so we don’t drift from the rest already ours in Christ. We also talked about why returning to rest or our awareness of union with God, can feel difficult. Our nervous system can default into threat mode, emotions may be surfacing, or we’re trying to “perform” rest. Through breath, grounding touch, and gentle awareness, we signal safety and allow the soul to soften. Rest isn’t something we earn; it’s something we remember. When we quiet ourselves like a child resting with its mother, we rediscover our true home in God’s love.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6gCbEDE8pgrNhHlG0WM0fo?si=6fSKeO87SoGrx2BOUveHfQ&nd=1

Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/3377733377

Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this through your phone.)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joylandlife/

X: https://twitter.com/JoylandLife

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/joylandlife

Follow along at our social outlets:

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6gCbEDE8pgrNhHlG0WM0fo?si=6fSKeO87SoGrx2BOUveHfQ&nd=1

Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/3377733377

Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this through your phone.)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joylandlife/

X: https://twitter.com/JoylandLife

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/joylandlife

Follow along at our social outlets:

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

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Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/3377733377

Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this through your phone.)

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Follow along at our social outlets:

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

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Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/3377733377

Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this through your phone.)

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Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/joylandlife

This week the JOYLAND Community gathered around a powerful truth: our struggle isn’t between toil and rest—it’s an identity issue. When we remember we are spirit beings in perfect union with the Father, rest becomes the ground we live from, not a goal to chase. This message invites us to step out of striving, return to awareness, and live from the eternal now where Love has already made its home.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

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Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/3377733377

Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this through your phone.)

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317. Simplicity and Rest in God

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In this episode we explore how water reveals the Spirit of God—from creation to Jesus’ promise of Living Water within us. The same water from Eden, the Red Sea, and Jesus’ baptism still flows through us today, carrying the imprint of its Creator. We are not stagnant ponds but living streams, conduits of His presence, overflowing with healing and blessing into the world.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

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Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this through your phone.)

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In this episode we explore what it means to encounter the Living Word as Jesus Himself—alive, relational, and dwelling within us. Scripture is a sacred doorway that comes alive when we realize the destination is always a Person. The Word who became flesh now lives in us by His Spirit, meeting us in creation, in the faces of others, and in the quiet spaces of our hearts. Together we’ll reflect on how shifting from duty to relationship releases us into wonder, freedom, and a life where the Word overflows into our relationships, communities, and daily rhythms.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joyland-life/id1494637858

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6gCbEDE8pgrNhHlG0WM0fo?si=6fSKeO87SoGrx2BOUveHfQ&nd=1

Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/3377733377

Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this through your phone.)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joylandlife/

X: https://twitter.com/JoylandLife

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/joylandlife