
Unexpected Joy
Finding True Purpose Through Surrender
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $14.03
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Kelly C. Miller
-
By:
-
Kelly C. Miller
About this listen
Happiness and purpose—we work ceaselessly for them, but what does God have to say about our efforts? Through engaging and encouraging stories about serving the people of Uganda, Unexpected Joy challenges us to move beyond achievement and self-reliance and instead embrace a life of sincere obedience and joy.
With wisdom and wit, author Kelly C. Miller balances foundational Christian doctrine with real-life experiences. Through the lens of his personal story—and all the hurts and hopes along the way—you will discover how the joy God offers is not a future prize to be earned but a gift to be received right now. As you embark on a whirlwind journey of God’s amazing grace, you can traverse the brokenness of the world in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Within this book, you’ll find an abundance of insights for relying upon and resting in God’s power, as you walk in His calling for your life. Kelly’s reflections will serve as blessed reminders that the Lord is at work in your life and that He is infinitely better than anything this world can offer!
©2023 Kelly C. Miller (P)2023 Dreamscape MediaListeners also enjoyed...
-
Resilient
- Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times
- By: John Eldredge
- Narrated by: John Eldredge
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reclaim your joy and thrive through the storms of life when you find your strength in God. The human soul has a built-in yearning for joy and beauty and all good things. But that craving for life is so easily lost in the pace and demands of modern life. Join New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge as he gives you the tools you need to follow Jesus' path of supernatural resilience. Between false promises of ease and comfort on one side and the sheer busyness and stress of daily life on the other, people today are facing a shortage of peace, happiness, and strength.
-
-
Good for my soul
- By Anonymous User on 09-29-22
By: John Eldredge
-
Becoming Free Indeed
- My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear
- By: Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Corey Williams
- Narrated by: Jinger Duggar Vuolo
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jinger, along with three of her sisters, wrote a New York Times bestseller about their religious convictions. She believed this level of commitment would guarantee God's blessing, even though in private she felt constant fear that she wasn't measuring up to the high standards demanded of her.
-
-
So close and missed the mark
- By Jim on 02-01-23
By: Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and others
-
The Purpose Driven Life
- What on Earth Am I Here For?
- By: Rick Warren
- Narrated by: Rick Warren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before you were born, God knew what your life had in store for you. His hope for you is to discover the life he created just for you—both here on earth, and forever in eternity. Let Rick Warren guide you as you learn to live out your true purpose. The Purpose Driven Life is more than a book; it's a road map for your spiritual journey. Combining thoughtful verses from Scripture with timely stories and perspectives from Warren's own life, The Purpose Driven Life will help you discover the answer to one of life's most important questions: What on earth am I here for?
-
-
Very well reasoned and contagiuos, with big bias
- By Alberto on 03-03-13
By: Rick Warren
-
The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life
- Finding Freedom in God's Commands
- By: Colin S. Smith
- Narrated by: Colin S. Smith
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every day is full of struggles. We struggle with time; with truth; with authority; with finding peace, purity, and contentment; with our words, thoughts, and actions - and that's just the beginning! Does God speak to us about these daily tests? Is there hope in the struggle? The answer, of course, is yes - but where God speaks about them may surprise you.
-
-
Worth a 2nd (3rd, etc) listen.
- By J. Forkel on 02-07-23
By: Colin S. Smith
-
Unburdened
- Stop Living for Jesus So Jesus Can Live Through You
- By: Vance Pitman
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Does following Jesus feel impossible? Are you trying hard to be a good Christian while secretly feeling exhausted and overwhelmed? Las Vegas pastor Vance Pitman spent almost a decade of his Christian journey trying hard to live the Christian life. For years, he tried - and for years he failed miserably. In Unburdened, Vance closely examines the life of Jesus in the Gospels to reveal the soul-awakening truths that have set him and many others free from the burden of religion.
-
-
Discipleship
- By Amazon Customer on 02-18-25
By: Vance Pitman
-
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
- It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature
- By: Peter Scazzero
- Narrated by: Peter Scazzero
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revised best-selling book, Peter Scazzero outlines a road map for discipleship with Jesus that is powerfully transformative. He unveils what's wrong with our current definition of "spiritual growth" and offers not only a model of spirituality that actually works, but seven steps to change that will help you experience authentic faith and hunger for God.
-
-
Very thoughtful book
- By Anonymous User on 01-28-22
By: Peter Scazzero
-
Resilient
- Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times
- By: John Eldredge
- Narrated by: John Eldredge
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reclaim your joy and thrive through the storms of life when you find your strength in God. The human soul has a built-in yearning for joy and beauty and all good things. But that craving for life is so easily lost in the pace and demands of modern life. Join New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge as he gives you the tools you need to follow Jesus' path of supernatural resilience. Between false promises of ease and comfort on one side and the sheer busyness and stress of daily life on the other, people today are facing a shortage of peace, happiness, and strength.
-
-
Good for my soul
- By Anonymous User on 09-29-22
By: John Eldredge
-
Becoming Free Indeed
- My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear
- By: Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Corey Williams
- Narrated by: Jinger Duggar Vuolo
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jinger, along with three of her sisters, wrote a New York Times bestseller about their religious convictions. She believed this level of commitment would guarantee God's blessing, even though in private she felt constant fear that she wasn't measuring up to the high standards demanded of her.
-
-
So close and missed the mark
- By Jim on 02-01-23
By: Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and others
-
The Purpose Driven Life
- What on Earth Am I Here For?
- By: Rick Warren
- Narrated by: Rick Warren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before you were born, God knew what your life had in store for you. His hope for you is to discover the life he created just for you—both here on earth, and forever in eternity. Let Rick Warren guide you as you learn to live out your true purpose. The Purpose Driven Life is more than a book; it's a road map for your spiritual journey. Combining thoughtful verses from Scripture with timely stories and perspectives from Warren's own life, The Purpose Driven Life will help you discover the answer to one of life's most important questions: What on earth am I here for?
-
-
Very well reasoned and contagiuos, with big bias
- By Alberto on 03-03-13
By: Rick Warren
-
The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life
- Finding Freedom in God's Commands
- By: Colin S. Smith
- Narrated by: Colin S. Smith
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every day is full of struggles. We struggle with time; with truth; with authority; with finding peace, purity, and contentment; with our words, thoughts, and actions - and that's just the beginning! Does God speak to us about these daily tests? Is there hope in the struggle? The answer, of course, is yes - but where God speaks about them may surprise you.
-
-
Worth a 2nd (3rd, etc) listen.
- By J. Forkel on 02-07-23
By: Colin S. Smith
-
Unburdened
- Stop Living for Jesus So Jesus Can Live Through You
- By: Vance Pitman
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Does following Jesus feel impossible? Are you trying hard to be a good Christian while secretly feeling exhausted and overwhelmed? Las Vegas pastor Vance Pitman spent almost a decade of his Christian journey trying hard to live the Christian life. For years, he tried - and for years he failed miserably. In Unburdened, Vance closely examines the life of Jesus in the Gospels to reveal the soul-awakening truths that have set him and many others free from the burden of religion.
-
-
Discipleship
- By Amazon Customer on 02-18-25
By: Vance Pitman
-
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
- It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature
- By: Peter Scazzero
- Narrated by: Peter Scazzero
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revised best-selling book, Peter Scazzero outlines a road map for discipleship with Jesus that is powerfully transformative. He unveils what's wrong with our current definition of "spiritual growth" and offers not only a model of spirituality that actually works, but seven steps to change that will help you experience authentic faith and hunger for God.
-
-
Very thoughtful book
- By Anonymous User on 01-28-22
By: Peter Scazzero
-
Come and See
- Everything You Ever Wanted in the One Place You Would Never Look
- By: Todd Wagner, John Driver
- Narrated by: Todd Wagner
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pastor Todd Wagner invites listeners to experience the adventure, beauty, and fullness of life through the church as God intended. Obligated weekly services of mostly bored adults are not God's vision for His people. Todd illuminates a path for listeners to personally pursue a deeper relationship with God and then purposefully invest in God's design for His church. This book paints the picture of the Father's intention to bring His people into an adventurous life full of authentic relationships, powerful transformation, significance, and meaning.
-
-
God is good!
- By Boyd Pelley on 11-22-17
By: Todd Wagner, and others
-
True Spirituality
- Becoming a Romans 12 Christian
- By: Chip Ingram
- Narrated by: Chip Ingram
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Being a genuine disciple of Christ flows out of a relationship with him. It's about experiencing God's grace, not earning his love through performance. A real relationship with Jesus Christ will produce a follower whose life looks progressively more like his life. Romans 12 provides a relational profile of an authentic disciple: someone who is surrendered to God, separate from the world's values, sober in self-assessment, serving in love, and supernaturally responsive to evil with good.
-
-
love your enemy.
- By Anonymous User on 08-16-24
By: Chip Ingram
-
Love Like You Mean It
- The Heart of a Marriage That Honors God
- By: Bob Lepine
- Narrated by: Bob Lepine
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Love Like You Mean It gives husbands and wives a biblical understanding of what real love looks like in marriage by unpacking the 10 attributes of genuine love listed in 1 Corinthians 13.
-
-
WOW. Great listen!
- By AkShiz on 12-19-24
By: Bob Lepine
-
Stay Salt
- The World Has Changed: Our Message Must Not
- By: Rebecca Manley Pippert
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world has changed in so many ways, and many of us no longer feel confident when it comes to evangelism, especially with the rise of hostility toward Christian points of view. Keeping quiet is becoming our default position. Yet the world has not changed in one way: It still needs Jesus. Renowned evangelist Becky Pippert draws on decades of conversations about Christianity around the world to call and equip ordinary Christians to share Jesus through their ordinary day-to-day conversations.
-
-
Best book on relational evangelism I’ve read
- By Mike on 07-08-20
-
10 Qualities That Move You from a Believer to a Disciple
- By: Dennis Rouse
- Narrated by: Kyle Cruz
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you simply believe and do "the church thing" or are you passionately pursuing what it means to be a fully committed disciple of Christ? Pastor Dennis Rouse takes us on a journey to discover the answer in this audiobook. Not only can individuals learn to move from just believing to becoming a disciple, this is also written with small groups in mind and is perfect for leading a church community to a deeper place of discipleship. Each chapter features questions with a group discussion in mind.
-
-
Christianity broken down into 10 easy steps
- By Aaron on 03-28-18
By: Dennis Rouse
-
The Way to Win
- Coaching & Developing Men in Matters of Life & Faith
- By: Jeff Little
- Narrated by: Jeff Little
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we find something valuable that helps us accomplish the things that matter most, we don't let go of it. Life is not a game. However, on multiple occasions, the Bible uses competitive sports metaphors to demonstrate the discipline and training necessary to grow and become everything God created you to be. The things we care about most - our identity, our purpose, our relationships - are far more important than a game. We have to learn to win in these areas. And yet, when it comes to our spiritual lives, it often feels more elusive.
-
-
Really great book!
- By ccmrock on 12-29-24
By: Jeff Little
-
Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World
- Certain Hope In Uncertain Times
- By: Dr. David Jeremiah
- Narrated by: Tommy Cresswell
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Confidence can be hard to come by these days as millions of people experience immeasurable, unanticipated challenges. People are losing their jobs, their houses, and their life savings at an unprecedented rate. Violence, natural disasters, and moral depravity seem to be skyrocketing. In the midst of all this chaos, we need to know . . . what on earth should we do now? Bible teacher Dr. David Jeremiah brings a message of hope and confidence from the priceless counsel of the Word of God.
-
-
inspiring
- By Kentuckygirl61 on 06-20-21
-
Through the Eyes of Love
- Encouraging Others Through Prophetic Revelation
- By: Shawn Bolz, Matt Crouch - foreword
- Narrated by: Adam Lofbomm, Shawn Bolz, Gabe Wicks
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seeing the world through a lens of love is not easy, but when you commit to this practice, you will begin to see God’s power move in surprising ways. Through the Eyes of Love shows us how operating from a place of love is the most effective way to walk in the Spirit. This book will help you grow in spiritual authority and learn how to speak powerful words.
-
-
the Tehom
- By Awesome on 11-03-19
By: Shawn Bolz, and others
-
Faith Driven Entrepreneur
- What It Takes to Step Into Your Purpose and Pursue Your God-Given Call to Create
- By: Henry Kaestner, J.D. Greear, Chip Ingram
- Narrated by: Henry Kaestner
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. But it doesn’t need to be. God has a purpose and a plan for all those entrepreneurial dreams and creative gifts he gave you. The work you do today - the company you’ve built, the employees you work with, the customers you serve, the shareholders you report to, all of it - serves as an active part of what God wants to accomplish on earth.
-
-
This book is a friend, a teacher, and a partner
- By San on 09-03-21
By: Henry Kaestner, and others
-
Big Trouble Ahead
- A Real Plan for Flourishing in a Time of Fear and Deception
- By: Allen Jackson
- Narrated by: Allen Jackson
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christians today live in an unsettling reality that is defined by a steady cultural drift toward blatant immorality and disregard for the truth. The economic and social instability of the past couple of years—not to mention the fear and confusion brought on by the global pandemic—have only added to the atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety. But Jackson has a message of hope to share: God's kingdom is unshakeable. If we take hold of the fundamental truths of the gospel and decipher the gathering storm clouds through the lens of Scripture, the church will be empowered to prevail.
-
-
Excellent book with a message for you
- By Randy on 04-15-23
By: Allen Jackson
-
Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands
- People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change
- By: Paul David Tripp
- Narrated by: George W. Sarris
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We might be relieved if God placed our sanctification only in the hands of trained professionals, but that is not his plan. Instead, through the ministry of every part of the body, the whole church will mature in Christ. Paul David Tripp helps us discover where change is needed in our own lives and the lives of others. Following the example of Jesus, Tripp reveals how to get to know people, and how to lovingly speak truth to them.
-
-
Very helpful
- By G P on 04-18-22
By: Paul David Tripp
-
Relationships
- A Mess Worth Making
- By: Timothy S. Lane, Paul David Tripp
- Narrated by: Richard Merton
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Relationships: A Mess Worth Making, Tim and Paul discuss the relational disappointments that we all suffer both in and out of the church. But they are also optimistic about the power of Christian beliefs to redeem and restore our relationships. Rather than presenting new or sophisticated techniques to make relationships flourish, the authors instead focus on the basic, Christian character qualities that can only be formed in the heart by the gospel.
-
-
Not interesting
- By Josh Portscheller on 09-20-24
By: Timothy S. Lane, and others
What listeners say about Unexpected Joy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elizabeth Lineberry
- 10-11-24
Passionate yet practical and motivating
First, I love that the author chose to read this book himself. You can tell that these are his own words. He speaks vulnerably about himself and his life experiences… the highs, the lows and the lessons he’s learned from both. Kelly managed to come at familiar scriptures, and stories within a unique perspective. The beautiful stories of peoples’ transformations, including his own, brought tears to my eyes. The theme I am left with is how the simple, humble act of recognizing and asking for God’s help can change everything… and bring the joy for which our soul longs. I think it is beautiful the way Kelly honors his wife Danlyn. Through our weakness, God is able to display his great strength. Danlyn is a testament to this. Finally, I love the contrast of being rich in the worldly sense against the rich joy God has for those who live out His will. Kelly has experienced the height of both sides of this… and can confirm that real joy and wealth has nothing to do with prosperity in the world’s eyes. I will definitely be listening to this again in the future so I can hear the stories again and revisit truths that may have missed me the first time around. An excellent read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Daniel H.
- 10-09-23
Amazing book - God’s Grace and our experiences
I’ve been a follower of Jesus for 35 years, and this book had some amazing insights into I’ve never understood. Found myself in tears while listening realizing how amazing God’s grace is. Good stories. Miller brings to surface the idea of how our experiences are part of validating the truths of scripture. Definitely recommend this audiobook.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steve Pomp
- 01-11-24
Forgiveness
I detected in the authors voice the need for forgiveness on the part of the author towards those believing in what he called the prosperity message.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!