Nicole Zasowski Explores the Power of Joy

BACKGROUND:

Despite her deep faith, Nicole had concluded that celebration was risky.  “I was sure that celebration always came with a catch, so I became practiced in praying for a miracle while preparing to mourn and dreaming while rehearsing disaster,” says Nicole in her Bible Study, Daring Joy. Yet she discovered that her method of self-protection came at a cost.  “I realized that much of the loss I had experienced in my life was not only the grief and disappointment itself, but also the joy I overlooked because I was too afraid to embrace it,” she writes. Her journey of searching the scriptures to discover the “fullness of joy” available to God’s  people led to her latest book from Lifeway.  Daring Joy takes a fresh approach to studying six familiar women in the Bible – Eve, Sarah, Miriam, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene – understanding their stories in relationship to the human experience and God’s heart for our joy. Nicole shares that God’s Word shows us time and again that the joy of the Lord has nothing to do with current circumstances and everything to do with who He is and who we are in Him. And that joy can never be taken away.”

DARING JOY

Daring Joy: What Six Women in the Bible Teach Us About the  Power of Celebration is a 7-session Bible study designed to help women embrace joy even in challenging circumstances. Drawing from her background as a licensed marriage and family therapist, Nicole explores the lives of six biblical women who exemplify both the vulnerability of joy and the strength of celebration.

In each session Nicole focuses on one woman and offers insights into their experiences and how they were able to find joy in their journey. As we embrace the celebration as spiritual growth, we will learn to view it as a means of drawing closer to God and deepening our faith.  We are encouraged to find freedom from comparison and embrace a new joy and intimacy with God. 

VIDEO SESSIONS:

- Session One - Introduction – Nicole shares how years  of trial and struggle made her suspicious of joy.  But in the Bible we find a completely different story – a story that opposes fear that accompanies our joy and offers a playbook for how to  practice this joy in all circumstances.

- Session Two – Eve: Trusting God’s Joy – Nicole examines how important joy is to God’s mission and how central it is to His character as evident when Eve enjoyed the perfect joy of relationship with God in the garden. We experience the fullness of joy when we believe God loves us and put our trust in Him. 

- Session Three – Sarah: The Vulnerability of Joy – Through her own story and the story of Sarah in Genesis, Nicole explains why joy is one of the most vulnerable emotional experiences we can encounter.  The very act of holding something wonderful is accompanied by the possibility of loss and heartbreak. But that posture keeps us from experiencing the fullness of joy that God desires for us. (MORE)

- Session Four – Miriam: Comparing Our Joy - If comparison if the thief of joy, how can we be women who accelerate joy in one another’s hearts?  Nicole extends an invitation for us to learn from Miriam’s example, consider the relational aspects of our joy, and encourage us as we navigate the highs and lows of life together. 

- Session Five – Mary: the Mother of Jesus: The Best Joy - Through the story of May, Nicole presents the choice we all fact to choose Jesus as our greatest joy and move other joys in this life away from the center of our hearts.  Even still, we’re reminded that Jesus deeply cares for our lesser joys too. He cares about all the contents of our hearts.

- Session Six – Elizabeth: The Practice of Joy - Nicole explains the importance of practicing joy even when we don’t feel like it. More than a reaction to good news or a reward for an accomplishment, joy is a rhythm -a practice – of remembering the goodness of God and a byproduct of living in relationship with Him. 

- Session Seven – Mary Magdalene: Spreading Joy – Nicole closes the study by helping us discover the infectious nature of the joy of the Lord.  Through Mary Magdalene’s story, we come face to face with the joy that is available to us when we share the greatest joy – Jesus Himself – with those who may not yet know the hope found in Him. 

Nicole says, “…God’s Word shows us time and again the joy of the Lord has nothing to do with current events and circumstances and everything to do with who He is and who we are in Him…  Whether you’ve been hurt so many times you can’t imagine feeling joy again or you’re looking to deepen your practice of joy, these stories from God’s Word will meet you where you are and give you the courage you didn’t know you needed to celebrate God’s goodness in your life.”

To learn more about Nicole Zasowski click the LINK!

CREDITS

In private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist in Greenwich, CT; author of Daring Joy, What If It Is Wonderful, and Daring Joy (Lifeway); BA, psychology, Pepperdine; MS, marriage and  family therapy, Fuller Theological Seminary; Adjunct professor at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, NY