The Sacrament of Happy: What a Smiling God Brings to a Wounded World

Imagine hearing your physician tell you that chips and queso contain more nutritional benefits than kale and quinoa. 

In her new book, The Sacrament of Happy: What a Smiling God Brings to a Wounded World, Lisa Harper unveils a similarly extravagant, unexpected surprise, declaring that happiness is a gift from God that we can unashamedly enjoy. 

Wearing the twin hats of both seminarian and belly-laughing adoptive mom, Harper builds upon solid theological scaffolding for happiness in a warm, vignette style. She dismantles the old-school idea that joy, not happiness, is the truly spiritual emotion of the Christian family and asserts that Christ-followers are actually called to happiness . . . to such a deep conviction in the unmitigated goodness of our Creator-Redeemer that we are free to feel and express genuine joy, fulfillment and contentment, regardless of personal and global tumult. 

Harper€s personal story includes such happiness killers as sexual abuse, the death of loved ones, and heartbreaking failed adoptions. Yet she writes on themes like: 

• €œThe lost sacrament of laughter€ 
• €œHappiness is not the absence of sadness€ 
• €œTuning out the Pharisees who try to mute your happiness in the context of spiritual maturity€