Joy

Joy is an emotion of happiness and there are many words, thoughts and actions that can invoke joy in any number of situations.

I have had the opportunity over the last few years to get to know Jamie primarily through our many contacts before and after Sunday worship services. It is always enjoyable to talk with Jamie because he smiles, jokes around and has an upbeat personality. Over this time, I have also come to learn and understand Jamie's deep faith in God.

The collection of poems in this book reflects the importance of faith in Jamie's life. As in any journey, a guide or a compass helps to keep you pointed in the right direction. Jamie's compass is his unwavering belief in knowing Jesus is always with him, that he is not alone, that he has a purpose, that his friends and family are with him, and that he is important in the eyes of God. This is a clear and constant message throughout this book.

Jamie's poems provide the opportunity to reflect on our own lives and to think about our own relationship with God. We see the importance of God in Jamie's life, but what about ours? As many of these poems illustrate, God is always there and His presence reveals itself in many different ways and in unexpected moments.

The type of joy Jamie shares with us in this book, is to take a moment and know that Jesus is always there.

Thank you Jamie for sharing your gift of writing, for sharing the joys and struggles you have encountered, and most of all for sharing the importance of faith in God and each other.

Don Newman

JOY
I can feel joy through and through
It's nothing anyone did or can do
Nor can it be measured
In this world's broken treasure
It is within me
An ascending, slow process
A prayer that transcends basic understanding
The undeserving gift of forgiveness
A whole new world is just beginning.

YOU ARE ENOUGH
You are enough
You were created in the image of the Creator
You are enough
You were woven and knitted together from the depths of the earth
You are enough
Each of us were chosen to do good works
You are enough
Through our weakness, His grace is sufficient
You are enough
Do not persecute yourself
We have all fallen short of Glory
You are enough
Nothing, nothing will separate you from God's love
You are enough
No matter the scars, He is with you
You are enough
Oh, how great and lavishing is His love
We are all children of God
We can no longer be afraid
The dawn chases away the dark
We are enough
We are enough.