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

It's a translation of the Bible that's readable and trustworthy and there are cover options to match every personality and preference, not to mention so many different extra features, service resources for the way you engage with God's Word.

Okay, raise your hand if you are a woman or if you know a woman. Yes, excellent. That's very good. That's exactly all of us.

That's why I'm excited to tell you about the Lifeway Women's Bible designed with women in mind. This Bible features so many of our friends who have been guests on that sounds fun with articles and contributions from them.

Friends like Chris Cain, Lisa Harper, Lisa Tercurs, Trulian Nubel, Lauren Chandler, Liz and the list goes on of our friends that are in that Bible. It's awesome.

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

Since there are already great holiday discounts on these Bibles, this is a really awesome deal. Again, that's lifeway.com slash CSB and use the code TFF like that sounds fun for $10 off any order over $40.

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

As a reminder, the tradition of observing Advent begins for Sundays before Christmas. It marks the time that the church across the world slows down and looks forward to the coming of Jesus celebrating that first Christmas and also when he returns again.

We've been talking about the gifts we receive while we wait and spending time on each podcast episode each weekday, focusing on the gifts of hope and peace and joy and love each represented by an Advent candle that we've lit and celebrated together.

For the past two weeks, we've talked about hope and peace. If you didn't catch those, go back and listen. And this week is all about joy. Joy is such good fuel for our lives.

So keep following along in the Advent series guidebook for the scriptures and questions and prompts and space to journal. You can find the guidebook and all of our other Advent resources at Annie F. Downs.com slash Advent.

Okay, let's get back into our conversations about joy. So welcome to the Advent series. Joy date to find joy right where you are.

Okay, do you remember when we talked about finding peace with God? It was actually the last day of the week about peace if you missed it and you want to go back.

We talked about how peace with God is found when you find peace with your circumstances, with your calling and with your calendar, where you are, who you are, when you are.

So can you find joy here where you are, who you are, and when you are?

There are these verses in the book of Jeremiah in chapter 29, which you may recognize. The whole of chapter 29 is a letter.

It's to the exiles to people who are not living where they want to live. They are away from home. And this is Jeremiah chapter 29 verse one in the CSB.

This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining exiled elders, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon.

You've probably heard Jeremiah 29 verse 11. This is that in the CSB. For I know the plans I have for you. This is the Lord's declaration.

Plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

But that whole verse changes, doesn't it? When you think of it through the lenses of exiles, not high school graduates looking for a verse for their senior year, though I love that verse and I love that idea too.

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