Ecstatic with Joy

When they saw the star, they were ecstatic with joy. (Matthew 2:10)

JOY • PAST

It’s been eight years since God breathed life into Chronic Joy®. One of our first steps was to meet with our senior pastor, who offered a listening ear and some sage advice, which included a simple but profound three-step plan for stepping into ministry:

1. Start small.
2. Start with what you have.
3. Start now.

While he spoke wisdom, it also became a significant challenge. We had accepted a call to minister to a huge and completely underserved mission field.

In just 106 short days, we were holding our Letter of Determination. Chronic Joy® had become an official non-profit! By July, our board had held its inaugural meeting with seven seasoned and very wise board members, who all caught the vision of becoming a global resource ministry. Who knew that following God’s call would bring such ecstatic joy!?

JOY • PRESENT 

#PENTOPAPER – 7000 STAMPS AND COUNTING – JOY IN A LETTER

We’ve found our rhythm with #PenToPaper mailings. Five mailings (plus birthdays) steeped in prayer, filled with beautiful flat cards, bookmarks, and hope-filled guides, and the opportunity for each recipient to send a little #PenToPaper encouragement of their own to friends and loved ones. Our You Get Mail program provides envelopes of hope to more than 1,200 precious people – children, teens, and men and women across the US and around the world – equal 7000 envelopes of love, hope, and, you guessed it….joy!

FREE PRINTABLES

In addition to our #PenToPaper mailings, we continue to develop useful tools, resources, and hope-filled, printable guides. Today, there are dozens of at-your-fingertip, print-from-home “How-To” guides for everything from writing your own #PenToPaper notes to creatively expressing your story, leaning into prayer, living well in the midst of anxiety, depression, chronic illness, and so many more.

AUDIO – THE VOICES OF CHRONIC JOY

Chronic Joy stepped into audio to make our resources even more accessible and inclusive. With our world feeling more isolated and lonelier than ever, a real person reading a post or webpage might be the only voice someone hears that day. Regardless of imperfections, it’s hearts that make these recordings real, extending hope one precious life at a time.

We have a wonderful team of volunteers who selflessly give of their time, hearts, and voices to record posts for authors who are either unable or who would prefer not to record their own words. They are a blessing to our community and a joy to us!

We pray that each time you see a star, you are filled with the ecstatic joy of the Lord!