“Our joy does not have to be based on our circumstances.”

“The only way to joy is to interpret our circumstances by God's Word rather than to judge God by our circumstances.”

“Independent will is our capacity to act. It gives us the power to transcend our paradigms, to swim upstream, to rewrite our scripts, to act based on principle rather than reacting based on emotion or circumstance.”

“Joy isn't grounded in our circumstances; it is grounded in the unchanging character of God.”

“Our identity is not in our joy, and our identity is not in our suffering. Our identity is in Christ, whether we have joy or are suffering.”

“Everything in this world is based on interpretation, how we as people interpret the people and events and feelings around us. Then our interpretation defines us. Who we are is usually based on how we react to circumstances.”