The Illumination Project is undeniably going to help our generation understand relationships. Joy is hilarious and has such great insight into the Love and Respect message. I am proud to call her a friend!

‍

They are humble teachers who teach from their mistakes and their trials with this message. I felt like it was really practical, kind of like they were coming alongside us. It felt real.

‍

Our home group is predominantly married with teens, but there are some divorced and singles and retired. What we liked about TIP is that it wasn’t the usual fill-in-the-blank video presentation.

I just appreciate so much Joy’s heart and her father’s heart and their ability to communicate generationally—even cover that generational gap—and draw together themes that are timeless but need to be communicated in a way that is going to speak to an audience that is already cynical, already skeptical.

The Illumination Project is literally going to help so many people. I love seeing those in our generation step up to communicate these timeless truths in ways our friends would appreciate. So thank you.

‍

One thing that I just love about The Illumination Project, what makes it unique, is that you have these two different generations being represented in Emerson and Joy. With Emerson, you have his wisdom and years of writing on this stuff and traveling and counseling couples through marriage, and so you have his passion and his truth. But on the other hand, you have Joy representing the younger crowd, and she makes it relevant and brings her passion and charisma, and the real-life context that we young people are up against. And that synergetic relationship working together is really a phenomenal dynamic to watch. Not to mention: People want to talk about this. They want to talk about love and romance and dating and marriage.

‍

Already having authored the best relationship material available, Emerson and Joy are shedding new light and deeper understanding about the Love and Respect thought process that will change your life.  Under the banner of The Illumination Project, this father/daughter team are now combining their brilliant observations with a unique style of ‘wisdom meets passion’ to bring our society some of the answers for which many of us have waited our whole lives.

Joy and her father are actually funny. That’s rare, and it makes what they say genuinely entertaining. I loudly applaud their insightful, personal, and humorous approach to the subject of singleness, dating and marriage for the next generation. There simply isn’t another study that artfully combines research, scripture, personal stories, and music -- not to mention a few wacky videos that could ruin Dr. Eggerichs’ credibility. Having a teenage daughter of my own, I am hugely grateful Joy created this project and believe it will help the next generation talk about marriage and it’s purpose right now, instead of with a divorce lawyer 20 years from now.

The Illumination Project by Joy Eggerichs is not only timely and desperately needed, but it is also biblical. The idea that the generation before can mentor and disciple the generation following is so rich and exciting. This is going to impact a huge number of lives. Great Stuff! Great Work!

My small group of twenty something women just finished week three of TIP last night, and I am LOVING it! The content is obviously great (way to relate to and entertain a group of easily jaded/skeptical/seen-it-all/overwhelmed twentysomethings!), the concepts are something we’re all wrestling through together, but the very best part is Joy’s encouragement to be multigenerational. We have about six older women who’ve rotated through our weekly gatherings, and that element is making this one of the BEST things I’ve ever been a part of! It’s really amazing. Having these women—from a woman who’s been married more than 50 years to a fiftysomething never-been-married woman to thirty- and fortysomething women with kids—listen, share their hearts and experiences, share their own illuminations and wrestle with the concepts and God’s truth alongside my girls is SO DARN AMAZING. For one, it takes pressure off me as the leader to ‘have all the answers’ (I’m 29 and have been married for six years... I barely know what I’m doing myself!). And the fact that these women from different places in life are getting to know one other, open up to each other, ugh.... there. just. aren’t. words.

The Illumination Project does a wonderful job making it clear that relationships are worth it, there is a way for them to work, and they don’t have to fail if both people know how to avoid pitfalls like the crazy cycle. And it was especially great knowing that it was all backed up by Biblical principles. There is a way that God intended for relationships to work, and it’s not even all that difficult to understand! It was incredibly encouraging, even for a single guy like me.

Starting this small group has allowed us to examine what our own church has on these subjects and, surprisingly enough, this message has been in our literature for decades. But [TIP] brought it into a modern, practical light.

I think one of the best things about The Illumination Project, and getting the information out in an easy way for our generation to digest, is the value of that conversation coming to us in a way that we’re used to.

For one, as an artist, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness put into the design elements of The Illumination Project. Often design is left behind in the pragmatic work of content makers… leaving the program feeling irrelevantly dated in its communication. We are a visually driven culture, and design plays a vital role in the relaying of ideas and meaning. The Illumination Project not only brings us into content that we so desperately need to digest, but it gives it to us with a visual ‘spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.’ Bravo.

My group and I are loving this study and have had some amazing discussions because of it. Many of them are still wrestling with [the issue of unconditional love, grace and forgiveness], and I’m so excited to see some of the thoughts and lightbulb moments that are emerging because of it.

The Illumination Project shines a warm light on the conversations that all of us should be having. The unique content offering and engagement style makes this a must have, must do resource. Get started now!

When it comes to dating and friendship, my Christian peers and I need all the wisdom we can get. Joy’s heart is to lead and encourage our generation, and I trust The Illumination Project will do just that.

I dare you to find a small group study with a more beautiful, unexpected design (or stickers. Adults never get stickers anymore.) But it’s more than just a pretty face...I love that it was written with a diverse group in mind --both men and women, married and unmarried. It stirs up important conversations that we wouldn’t be having with each other, otherwise.

I hope it opened up eyes to the way that authority can truly speak into your life as a younger person and how to receive what that generation has to give us. Not only that, but the example of seeing a daughter listening to her father is beautiful. A lot of people have father issues or mother issues, but there are a lot of mentors or older people in the church who are looking to pour in, and I think the younger generation just needs to allow them. And not only allow them, but maybe encourage them when the older generation is shy or doesn’t think that they can.

We have seven participants aged 23 to 29. I would characterize the group as each a believer, but their levels of spiritual maturity and personal relationship with Jesus vary considerably. It was clear that our test group was ‘willing’ but more than a little bit apprehensive. This was new territory for them. We wondered if we’d be able to stimulate discussion afterward. Ha! The group couldn’t wait to comment! We’ll have more to share as the weeks move on, but, suffice it to say, we might be ‘on to something’ here.

I really didn’t get into the journal until week 3. I thought it was cute and I knew it had won awards, but I didn’t see the point. I had already committed to going to the dinners and to the group, why did I need to go through the book? But I was wrong. It is full of so many funny and good things—there will be something that speaks to you, a little gem that will reveal it truly was a good use of your time.

I’m a widower, so I guess you could say that I’ve been wounded. But I want to put myself out there and find love again, and going through this series is helping me with that.  Learning about the Crazy Cycle and the core reality of our most basic needs has been truly illuminating as I move forward in this new season of life.

I’ve seen the Crazy Cycle in my past, I’ve seen it in my own relationships, and I saw it in my parents’ relationship. I could never put my finger on it, though, and it scared me…Learning about this makes me so hopeful—hopeful that perhaps I won’t find myself in a relationship that ends up drifting away.