On April 2-3, 2016, Good Shepherd Community Church, in Boring, Oregon, on the subject of happiness. This is the first of three sessions. Titled “Hardwired for Happiness, and Happiness vs. Joy.” The questions included:

Does God expect us to be happy?
We live in a broken world. Is it insensitive to say that we should be happy and that God wants us to be happy?
In modern Christianity we tend to have a fear of talking about happiness. What’s the downside of avoiding addressing happiness?
Does Scripture show there’s a difference between happiness and joy?

Hardwired for Happiness, and Happiness vs. Joy from Randy Alcorn on Vimeo.

In session two, titled “The Happiness of God, and Happiness and Idolatry” Pastor Alan Hlavka asked Randy Alcorn another series of questions, including:

Is God happy, and why does the answer to that question matter?
Jesus was called a Man of Sorrows. Does that mean He wasn’t happy?
Is there a relationship between happiness and idolatry?
The secular world talks about being happy by helping others and being more grateful. What does the Bible say about this?

The Happiness of God, and Happiness & Idolatry from Randy Alcorn on Vimeo.

In session three, “The Happiness Found in God’s Word.” Pastor Alan Hlavka and Randy Alcorn spent the last 15 minutes of the session focusing on the happiness-related words found in the Bible’s original languages, but before that addressed several more questions:

What do you do when you’re not a naturally happy person?
How do I have happiness when I worry so much, especially in today’s troubled world?
How does the subject of Heaven have to do with our happiness?
Are emotions bad?
Do our holiness and our happiness go hand in hand, or are they at odds with each other?

The Happiness Found in God's Word from Randy Alcorn on Vimeo.