Can we believe in heroes anymore? This week I discuss that question with my brother Nathan, an author, actor, and artist. We talked about the prevalance of anti-heroes in modern films and what it says about us as a culture. You can find the show notes at joyclarkson.com.

Welcome to a new season of Speaking with Joy! Emotions are a powerful force in our lives. Is it possible to have a rich emotional life, and not be overwhelmed or ruled by our emotions? We'll ask this question of three unlikely teachers: Saint Macrina, Fred Rogers, and Saoirse the Selkie. 

In this final episode, I share my biggest take aways from the book: desire is good, choices matter, and everyone can be redeemed.

Hell and Heaven and Universalism... Oh my! 

“Need-love says of a woman, “I cannot live without her”; Gift-love longs to give her happiness, comfort, protection...appreciative love gazes and holds its breath and is silent, rejoices that such a wonder should exist even if not for him.”

Could a mother's love keep her out of heaven? Could a man's erotic desire draw him in?

Tune in to this week's episode to find out!

This week we meet a ghost who's self-centredness blinds her, making her incapable of self knowledge and of love. 

This week we meet Lewis' Virgil: George MacDonald. And we discover the core idea of the book, well summarized in this quote:

"Never fear. There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened."

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

- Timothy Keller

This week we encounter a ghost who doesn't want to be seen, who reminds us that healing, learning, and growth must begin with vulnerability.

In chapter 6 and 7, we meet the man in a bowler hat and the hard bitten ghost and travel even further into heaven. Tune in for readings and discussions with Joy and Joel!