Gazing into God’s Open Heart: 101 Pathways to Joy

This book is for all who hunger for intimacy with God. God in his love has opened his heart through the message and actions of Jesus, and Jesus has revealed God's loving plan to us. This gift of intimacy is meant to enrich us and to be the cause of our joy. Joy is Jesus' intention for all, for he says that he has spoken to us so that our joy may be full (John 15:11). This book invites us to gaze into God's open heart, and prayerfully reflect on the joy that comes from welcoming all that Jesus has revealed. Not only the words of Jesus, but all the words of Scripture reveal what is in God's heart. We can find a multitude of ways to joy through the personal application of the message of the Bible to our lives. This book uses the term "101 ways to joy" to emphasize this idea. If we pay attention to our lives in the light of what Scripture tells us, we come to notice an overflowing sense of peaceful delight growing within ourselves. The 101 ways to joy are embedded in Jesus' life, words and actions, and in the words and actions of the Bible as a whole. Joy is God's gift to those who seek to understand these words and actions, and to live by them. Since many of us are very busy people, each of the book's 101 ways to joy can be read in just a few short minutes. This allows time for reflection that enables readers to make the ideas a part of their lives. The book is meant to light a warm, gentle fire in the hearts of all who read and reflect on it.