“A young blonde woman looking at Elvis Presley's vinyl record in a record store” by Jamakassi on Unsplash

I often dream of joy, but never when I am sleeping. It begins when my eyes flutter awake in the morning, adjusting to the light of sun, taking the image of reality from a kind of pixelation into the utter clarity of the day. At once my mind begins the same process and very actively a daily choice is made:

Resign to mundanity or Joy.

Too often have I arisen from slumber into life and resigned myself to mundanity- a life without joy. From this revelation much time has been spent scratching my head trying to rectify that if I am a Christian why am I without joy? Why fall in resignation to mundanity? It is because I have expended much energy trying to produce a good feeling in my soul, trying through my own eyes to see beauty in the Word and in the world.

My idea of joy was something to be produced by myself, for myself, and completely detached from my understanding of God. It’s a haphazard credo at best- blinded to lack of knowing -and fiercely dangerous at it’s worst. Then the day came when I realized that the word joy rarely rang across my lips. It was a word whose usage to me had been reduced to advent, an album by the band Phish, and the ever lovable The Joy Of Painting with Bob Ross.

The Implications Of Joylessness Hurt

I was fiercely aware that there was a component of my life that was severely missing. In consequence to this, a journey in the pursuit of joy began. Many readings crossed my eyes from the Bible, theologians, reformers and pastors. My journey was fruitful- and at the time of this writing -still evolving.

Along the way I discovered that the word joy rarely rang across the lips of anyone on the island on which I live- even in the Church. I became permanently bothered by this. Should not God’s people be the most joyous because they know The One (John 15:11) and are satisfied by His living water? (John 4:14) The depth of failure of the human heart never ceases to amaze me, and utmost the failure of mine. Vast quantities of time are being spent in the attempt to move forward by our own power. This is a joyless waste which will yield no spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22–23). Just as the Christian is dependent upon The Lord for our salvation, so are we also to lean upon Him for all things- including joy.

Noted pastor, theologian, and author John Piper defines Joy as

…a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.

Abide

This is a beautiful picture. A Christian reading the Word of God, asking the Holy Spirit for understanding as they study. Their eyes cascading across the text coming upon a verse that is stirring to their faith. The cool of the moment then hits as they become satisfied and experience good pleasure in the beauty of the Word. I long for every experience I have in the Word of God- even if it is in passing -to bring about such joy. This is the ministering of the Holy Spirit to you as you act obediently in spiritual disciplines to Him. This moment of communion with God is the purest and most universal form of joy that I can think of. It is a portion of the “abiding” that Jesus talks about in John 15.

But there are more avenues by the power of the Holy Spirit to behold the beauty of Jesus. It is in creation and cultivation. Strengths, gifts, talents, skills, abilities, passions, and the like are not a waste and are not simple tools to be used to meet an end joylessly. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and done “with thanks to God” (Colossians 3:16-17) the very things that are inside your heart and carried out by your hands are worthy vessels of joy.

The keyboard is a magnificent musical medium which has found itself in forms spanning from the piano to the synthesizer. I adore the keyboard and it’s many forms; I adore music and most prominently I adore the amalgamation created by those two things when mixed with the thoughts and rhythms of my hands. I compose minimal and ambient music to the glory of God and it has added much joy to my soul. From this the Joy Collective is born.

Create. Redeem. Destroy.

Joy Collective exists to engage the world with a comprehensive biblical worldview expressed in excellent creative works motivated by joy.

Our ethos is Create. Redeem. Destroy. Create culture that will be, redeem culture that is, and destroy cultural high places. Our calling to joy as Christians involves partaking in the creation and sustaining of things. As such we will make excellent works that never settle- be it in gospel centrality or quality. We will redeem various parts of the cultural zeitgeist through engagement- not separation. We will destroy high places that exult evil (2nd Corinthians 10:5). We will write, create, compose and cultivate joyfully to the glory of God.

Welcome to the Joy Collective.