This past year, 2008, I turned 50 (yikes!) and a dear friend (who also happens to be a publicist at Tyndale House) asked me if this would be my Year of Jubilee. Hmmmm . . . hadn’t thought about it, but what a great idea! 

In the Old Testament, God called upon His people to celebrate what He called the Year of Jubilee every 50 years. At that time, all debts would be cancelled, all slaves would be freed, and all land would return to the original family of owners (Leviticus 25:8-17). What an amazing concept—it would have kept people out of the cycles of poverty that we see today. Imagine the joy of such a year! Yet there is no indication in Scripture that the Year of Jubilee celebration was ever carried out. 

In any case, I decided that I would indeed have my own personal Year of Jubilee. A year of letting go, a year of clearing up the past, a year of freedom. As I began this process, I went to Scripture (of course) to discover more about the concept of joy. I invite you to travel with me in coming weeks as I share verses from Scripture that talk about joy, along with some of my personal insights. I’ll be updating about once a week, so be sure to check back for a weekly dose of joy! 

Let’s learn together what God means when He talks about joy and calls us to rejoice. 

And I wish you a joyful day!