By Ada Brownell
ARE YOU HAPPY?
How about joy unspeakable and rivers of living water
When
my siblings began giving their hearts to the Lord the year I was born, it
scared Mama. My sister, Marjorie, went to the Holy Roller church!
Mom
went with her the second time and was so afraid she sat on the step outside and
listened. Finally, got up nerve to go inside.
Actually
the people weren’t swinging from the chandeliers (there weren’t any, but when
Marjorie committed her life to Jesus she was so changed my parents noticed. Other
siblings, invited by their friends, joined her.
I
grew up attending that Pentecostal church and I’ve been Pentecostal all my
life. Although I’ve witnessed many miracles and changed lives, I never saw
anyone roll in my church.
But
I experienced the joy in our house, which was filled with singing and music. My
siblings had a purpose to their lives and went on to establish businesses, and
to higher education and productive careers—all the time filled with contentment
and joy.
I
can’t figure out why the people who coined the phrase “Holy Rollers” didn’t
come to figure out about why people were joyful. Our singing in the church used
to get pretty loud and sometimes people shouted when they knew their sins were
wiped away, or their deaf ears were opened or another healing occurred, or a
loved one came to the Lord.
People
used to peek in the windows of our church to see what was going on. Some came
inside weeping and gave their lives to Christ.
I
tell the story of my family’s conversion, how I came to a commitment, miracles,
signs and wonders, and what it was like being Pentecostal in my book, Confessions of a Pentecostal, first
published in 1978 by the Assemblies of God’s Gospel Publishing House and
released in April as an e-book. An epilogue reveals some of what has happened
since 1978.
Joy
is a byproduct of knowing God. Here are a few scriptures that speak of joy.
Continue to the next post for a list of scriptures about joy.
Copyright Ada Brownell
Continue to the next post for a list of scriptures about joy.
Copyright Ada Brownell
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