Before we dive into today's episode about joy, I want to take a moment to think our amazing partner for the Advent series, the Christian Standard Bible or the CSB.

It's a translation of the Bible written in clear readable language. And there are cover options to match every one of us not to mention so many different features that serve as resources for the way we each uniquely engage with God's Word.

They've got a really cool option for our mini BFFs. You know I love our mini BFFs. It's called the Explorer Bible for Kids. There are so many interesting extras included to help the Bible come alive for kids. It's got tons of illustrations and images and facts included throughout the pages that literally do what the title says it helps your kids explore and really dig and description.

There are even QR codes you can scan that link to videos activity pages. There's like no end to all your kids can discover about the world and about God's love for them with the Explorer Bible for kids.

So visit lifeway.com slash CSB to see all of the CSB Bibles you can choose from and use the code T.S.F to save an extra $10 off any order over $40.

Since they're already great holiday discounts on these Bibles. This is a really awesome deal. Again, that's lifeway.com slash CSB and use the code T.S.F like that sounds fun for $10 off any order over $40.

Hi friends. Welcome to a very special episode of that sounds fun. We are in our third week of our Advent series. I'm your host Annie F. Downs. I'm really happy to be with you today.

As a reminder, the tradition of observing Advent begins for Sundays before Christmas. It marks the time that the church really slows down and looks forward to the coming of Jesus. Not only in the first time at Christmas, but his promised return.

And we've been talking about the gifts that God might have for us for next year that happen in Advent spending time on the podcast each weekday focusing on hope and peace and joy and love.

And each are represented by an Advent candle, which is very convenient. So you can continue to fall along with us in our Advent series guidebook. It's where you find the scriptures, we reference and questions, prompts, some journaling space and even coming up on the weekend. There's a lot for resting and some prayers and all of our Advent resources are at Annie F. Downs.com slash Advent.

And today we're continuing our week about joy talking about one of our favorite things around here. If you and you know we had to talk about fun today is the day. So welcome to the Advent series. Joy day for Chase fun and Joy will follow.

Oh, I am ready for today. I mean, I wrote a whole book about this right. I know something about chasing fun and why that matters if you haven't gotten your copies of that sounds fun and chase the fun. You should probably go ahead and do that.

Okay, let's talk about chasing. I miss it. Do you know, as you know, I tore my meniscus disk in my knee and over at the end of the summer and everything is still not back yet. I'm better for sure I'm getting better. But since I hurt my knee, I haven't been walking as much much less running.

So it's making me notice runners all the more. I had a dentist appointment a couple of weeks ago and it was first thing in the morning. I get like the 7 a.m. dentist appointment. And as I'm coming out across the street for my dentist is one of my favorite coffee shops.

And so as I'm coming out, I'm like, you know what, I'm just going to hobble over to the coffee shop and get me a chide to take with me to the office. And just in the amount of time it took me to walk to the crosswalk and cross the street, which is like a third of a block.

Just in that amount of walking and getting to the coffee shop, I saw eight people running. I was jealous of all eight of them because everything works for them and kids, kids run everywhere. Have you ever noticed that they don't have to be racing anyone or chasing anyone or in a hurry or on a deadline.

They just like to go fast. My nephew Sam, who you know, I think is the dears person on the planet, two and a half years old, when I ask him on FaceTime, I try to FaceTime him 10 to 12 times a day.

But when I FaceTime him, I'll ask him a question like, where are your safety goggles? Because he loves to wear his safety. And he goes running through the house, trying to find his safety goggles.

It's hilarious to me because I picture my sister chasing after him, right? Holding her phone so that I can watch him run around and find his safety goggles as fast as his little two and a half year old legs will carry him.

Pay attention on Christmas morning to the mini BFFs in your life. Oh, they will run. Do you recall you actually ran on Christmas too? We all did. We all run at some point in our lives on Christmas.

The whole concept of it is actually pretty scriptural. If you look at Psalm chapter 119 verse 32, this is in the CSB.

It says, I pursue the way of your commands for you broaden my understanding. In the ESV, it says, I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart.

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