Defiant Joy, Jennifer Michelle Greenberg
Defiant Joy, Jennifer Michelle Greenberg
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Defiant Joy
Find the Hope to Light Your Way, Even in the Darkness

Author: Jennifer Michelle Greenberg

Narrator: Jennifer Michelle Greenberg

Unabridged: 7 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/27/2024

Synopsis

Rediscover the God of joy, who defies the suffering of this broken life—from the author of Not Forsaken
 
“A gift to all who search for hope.”—W. Lee Warren, MD, author of Hope Is the First Dose

When Jennifer Greenberg escaped her abusive childhood home at the age of twenty-one, she found that few Christians knew how to encourage her. Platitudes such as, “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” “Forgive and forget,” and “Have faith!” left her feeling misunderstood and alone. Would she ever be whole again? Could joy exist for someone so broken?
 
By discarding false theology and toxic positivity, Greenberg discovered joy beyond anything she was taught in church: joy that’s a gift from God. In her new book, Defiant Joy, Greenberg shares this groundbreaking hope as she explores
 
• why philosophies like the prosperity gospel and legalism fail us
• how Jesus is with us amid our sadness, disappointment, anger, and anxiety
• how God’s joy far exceeds any emotion we can muster 
 
God doesn’t want you to pretend you’re okay. Discover the freedom of living beyond performance faith. Embrace a joy that shines in defiance of the darkness.

About The Author

As the author of Not Forsaken: A Story of Life After Abuse, Jennifer Michelle Greenberg has risen to become one of the foremost voices against child abuse in the church. She writes for Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention. Jennifer also develops resources for Christian leaders and counselors to help them identify abusers, respond responsibly to crisis situations, and minister to abuse victims and survivors in a wise and loving manner. Besides her theological and ministerial work, she enjoys writing adult fantasy and science fiction novels, singing, and composing music. Jennifer and her husband, Jason, live in Texas with their three young children.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Marie on April 26, 2024

We enjoy so many blessings in this life. So many… Ephesians 1:3-23 gives us a nearly exhaustive list and these are only an example of the joy that will come when we get to heaven. God said so. It will be so! We cannot make our own joy. It’s just not possible. We must understand that God gifts us with......more

Goodreads review by Panda on August 12, 2024

In this book, Jennifer Michelle Greenberg reflects on the importance of joy in the Christian life, and the possibility of still experiencing joy in spite of suffering and oppression. She shares some about her experiences growing up in an abusive home, and about how much it has meant to her to experi......more

Goodreads review by Marie on March 08, 2024

Isn't joy something many of us often seem to be chasing? Some elusive state of mind that life often makes hard to find. I received this book as part of a launch team. I accepted the challenge of reading it because I've often been the recipient of those platitudes it talks about. Smile, you'll feel b......more

Goodreads review by Phillip on March 27, 2024

While Christians have plenty to be joyful about, there are times that we misunderstand what joy is. It is often used as a synonym for happiness, so when bad times hit, we think that we're failing because we're not happy. Jennifer Michelle Greenberg seeks to dispel that in Defiant Joy by sharing what......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on March 01, 2024

Through lots of prayer, study, and wrestling with God in prayer author Jennifer Michelle Greenberg sought to find joy. But, that conclusion didn’t come quickly or easily. In this book, the author upends the lies that may have you bound. The lies that say you are not a real Christian if you are sad, e......more

Quotes

“As Jennifer Greenberg unpacks the lies that we’ve been told in church, Defiant Joy is a respite from the spiritual condemnation sometimes lobbed at the suffering. An important book for our complicated times, Defiant Joy is a literary, warm embrace. Greenberg’s honesty, candor, and biblical insights provide a roadmap through the chaos of life and help broken people rise into wholeness through a patient, loving, and just God.”—Nancy French, author of Ghosted: An American Story

“Jennifer Greenberg is full of the right kind of defiance and the right kind of joy. This book shows us how the word “joy” is not the treacly, sentimental synonym for happiness many think it is. This book shows you how to find that kind of genuine joy, not through the shortcuts that are really cul-de-sacs, but to find it the long way around, toward a different kind of Way altogether.”—Russell Moore, Christianity Today

“Jennifer Greenberg shows that joy and sorrow don't have to be mutually exclusive. If you fear that joy may not be possible after all you've endured, Defiant Joy is going to be balm in your hands.”—Heather Thompson day, author of I’ll See You Tomorrow

“Whether you are in the midst of a season of sorrow or you are in a season of abundance, you'll benefit from reading this Scripture-saturated resource.”—Daniel Darling, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement and author of Agents of Grace

“Simply put, Defiant Joy is a book that you just can't put down. Jennifer Greenberg weaves together Scripture and her own story with humility and the perfect touches of humor as she reminds the reader that there is joy to be had, no matter the pain in your past or your present circumstances.”—Talitha Piper Moore, cohost of The Dwelling & Co. podcast

“If you find yourself in a season of wondering whether you’ll ever know happiness again, this book will offer a quiet contentment that boldly defies the agonies of our experience, as we say to the evils of this world, ‘In Christ, you cannot steal my joy!’”—Dr. Keith A. Evans, associate professor of Christian counseling at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary 

“Jennifer Michelle Greenberg shows us the true path of Defiant Joy, a compassionate and triumphant work of applied theology that holds up in real life. This book is a gift to all who are searching for hope.”—W. Lee Warren, MD, neurosurgeon and Christian Book Award–winning author of Hope Is the First Dose

“Jennifer and Jesus have labored ever so gently to heal her soul, and as a result, she handles her own story with a holy tenderness. In Defiant Joy, she invites readers to do the same redemptive work, with her and Scripture as trustworthy guides. For it’s in walking the sacred path of redemption that we find great joy, the joy of our Lord.”—Traci Rhoades, author of Shaky Ground

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