Fifteen years ago just this past February, I had gotten to a place in my life where joy was absent. For all intents and purposes, I should have been celebrating with music, dancing, a fatted calf on the grill, and a glass of chardonnay with one of those festive wine glass charms — because, why not? I had finally finished and defended my dissertation. My two premature boys were healthy and happy, and I had been hired by Luther Seminary — my dream job. The top of the world, right? Fred Jerkins has stated in interviews that he wrote the song Victory as a way of expressing gratitude for the blessings in his own life, and as a means of encouraging others to hold onto hope and faith, even in difficult times. Well, the Lord delivered me from the idol of Good News through a lot of repentance–and also by helping me take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I can honestly say I am no longer worried about good news, and my happiness no longer depends on getting good news. He showed me this on a plane. I had a couple hours of flying time in front of me, so I decided to make good use of it and pursue Him. I put my earbuds in and turned on Clint Brown’s album In His Presence. I've been freed from my troubles, healed from my ailments, delivered from my past mistakes, and made whole

That was a hard question; because honestly, although I was willing, I didn’t know if it was possible. How could I be happy when horrible things happen? Joy and I have had an interesting relationship since. I got to know it quite well over those eleven years — its sheer happiness, its elusiveness. The ways it would sneak up on me even in the most challenging circumstances of my life and I’d push it away — “not now, joy” I’d say. “It’s not the right time.” The way joy would disrupt my pretexts. I began to understand that joy is not necessarily an either/or existence. That moments of joy do not preclude pain and despondency. That moments of joy are fleeting and often demand fearless acceptance. I began to realize that joy’s equivocation was not always its fault — that sometimes I had to choose it. Boston fans greeted Thomas with love and cheers when he returned as a member of the Nuggets last year, and he soaked it all in when the team finally played that long awaited tribute video. Thomas only spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Celtics, but he helped take a team that had no real business of winning anything to an Eastern Conference Finals. In a time before the Celtics spent a few years as Eastern Conference favorites, Thomas made them watchable -- and more importantly -- fun.There is just so much right now — for all of us — personally, professionally, communally, nationally, globally. It doesn’t seem like the right time, the right place, the right circumstances to choose joy. But isn’t this when we need God’s grace the most? Not grace as reward for repentance. Not grace as forgiveness. But grace as no defenses. Grace as letting go of all our reasonings for refusal and resistance. Grace as interrupting our rehearsed speeches. And grace as walking through the door and sitting down at the banquet when it’s the last thing we can imagine doing. But sometimes there are other things. We’re like onions; as life moves along, the Lord often shows us another layer. As you may already know, I’ve been through some rough times this year. I used to have a lot of joy. Sometimes, though, when things happen, joy can be hard to find. Remember that in the presence of the Lover of your soul, there is peace, peace—wonderful peace. And love. The music video for Victory features footage of Fred Jerkins performing the song in a variety of locations, interspersed with shots of people who have been impacted by the song's message of hope.

In fathomless billows of love … I was overwhelmed because I truly had peace. For the first time in a long time. Not much has gone Thomas' way since his final months in Boston, and it has led to a long road to recovery for the former MVP candidate. He lost his younger sister the day before the 2016-17 postseason, but played through that emotional pain. He played through actual pain a few days later when he lost two teeth during Game 1 of Boston's second-round series against the Washington Wizards, which required a pair of lengthy stints in a dentist chair. He answered the bell a few nights later with a career game, dropping 53 points on his future team -- on the night of his late sister's birthday. It was a special moment that Celtics fans won't soon forget, even if Thomas is no longer part of the team's fabric. Victory has been praised for its uplifting message and its ability to connect with people who have experienced personal hardship or struggle.

And sometimes joy gets laid down in favor of idols. In those times, we have to let the Holy Spirit speak to us behind the scenes so He can show us if an idol is involved, and teach us how not to worship that idol if there is. BOSTON (CBS) -- Isaiah Thomas is returning to Boston, and life is much different for the former Celtics fan favorite this time around. As I wrote about here,I used to worship at the idol of Good News. I wasn’t happy if I didn’t get some kind of good news, I couldn’t be happy. My hope is that this little preamble might generate some space for that detail, that turn of phrase, that feeling you can’t quite describe that for some reason, this time around, pulls you into this parable’s story. Or maybe, just the thought of possible ambiguity opens up a whole new interpretative stance for a parable that could seem a little worn out. Want to know the secret? Here it is–the second thing He said to me: 2. In His presence is fullness of joy.