Tuesday
November 21, 2023

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3 John 1:4

I have no greater joy than to hear
that my children are walking in the truth.”

While the Apostle Paul referenced himself as a spiritual parents, physical parents also share contagious joy (or fear) with children. Check out this quote: Parents with well-built joy houses in their inner world have greater ability to enter into all of the big emotions their children face, deal with their own big emotions, and still find their way back to a place of calm and appreciation at the end of the day.
~ page 126, The 4 Habits, Warner, Coursey
From the Joyful Journey book:
Our most powerful communication does not come from our words because our brains are designed to pick up signals of other’s moods and feelings through facial expressions, voice tone, posture, timing and other body language. The brain is a natural amplifier for these feeling signals. When two people are sharing the same feelings, those feelings are intensified. If one brain shares another's joy, the result is amplified joy for both brains.
~ page 50, Joyful Journey, Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow

Session A: We continue revisiting joyful memories recorded on your Golden Moments list. Look for God’s presence in the joys. Invite Him to share thoughts about joys you’re recalling. Again, notice body sensations, attitudes, heart rate, etc.

Journal Prompt:  

Practice seeing God in the present and past joys

   

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Key Words:  

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I, the Son of God, author your days “under the sun,” including your daily bread, drink, and work. It makes Me glad when you enjoy life, eating and drinking with a glad heart.

Prayer

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Let us experience the great joy of knowing that our children are walking in the truth. If they are already there, praise Jesus! If we are still waiting, Thy kingdom come to them! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.


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Afternoon Session

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1 Thessalonians 2:20

For you are our glory and joy.

The above verse highlights that people – in this case the people of Thessalonica – are the source of joy for the Apostle Paul. Who are the people who bring you joy simply to think about them? Are they connected to you in the faith? Can they pull you out of a relational funk?

Session B: Thought Rhyming as Immanuel Journaling:
Take one or two of your joys from today (or your list) and envision God responding with one or two sentence “thoughts” in the following areas: I see, hear you, understand you, am glad to be with you, and can do something about your situation.

From the Joyful Journey book:
When our RCs are off, we amplify problems instead. So when a group is in shalom and someone reads a shalom story, the group will amplify shalom. If people lose shalom when a story is read, we should ask God why the Referee has just blown the "no shalom" whistle. going through a shalom checklist regularly can be very helpful....

Shalom checklist (from p.53-54, Joyful Journey, Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow):

  • Do I feel peacefully calm? (This topic “fits” together correctly now.)
  • Am I sensing God’s loving presence?
  • Am I confident that nothing can take me away from God’s love?
  • Am I portraying my weakness accurately?
  • Am I still sensing God’s interactive presence in my painful memory?
  • Have my joy, peace, and hope increased?
  • Has my desire to love and serve others increased?

Session B: Remember, you can share your joy stories with others for your 5 minutes. It builds community and spreads the joy

Journal Prompt:  

What is your appreciation for God?

   

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Key Words:  

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Prayer

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Jesus, thank You for the people who bring us joy, especially those who share our Christian faith with us!.


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Evening Session

Session C: Reflecting with Interactive Gratitude:
Spend five minutes reflecting on the day or week. Journal a sentence about what you are grateful for and then write down how Jesus might respond.

Journal Prompt:  

What you are grateful for? And then write down how Jesus might respond.

   

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Key Words:  

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From the Joyful Journey book:
Many Christians fail to recognize that turning our RCs back on is essential for restoring peace. In fact, it is our first priority. One of the first things to happen when we lose our peace is that our RCs turn off. We become focused on problems because we do not know it is possible to restore our RC functions. Our solution to solving problems with our RCs off is to do the right thing rather than restore relationships. Doing many right things with your RCs off can lead to doing very wrong things when it comes to restoring relationships in the Kingdom of God. 29,
~ page 30, Joyful Journey, Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow
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Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

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Prayer

Immanuel, God-with-us:
How can I delight myself in You Lord?
What would bring You joy?

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I give everyone and everything to You God;
I give everyone and everything to You.

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[Jesus] Come and be with Me – no agenda.
I will give you the desires of your heart.

Joy myth: Joy is a choice. While there are choices we can make that increase the odds of feeling joy, there is a simple fact that eliminates the idea that joy is a choice. Joy happens predominantly in the relational right hemisphere of the brain while choices and cognition happen in the left…. How can our choices help us move toward joy? Here are a few examples. We can choose to visit a friend who lights up to see us. We can choose to dwell on memories of relational joy. We can choose to spend time quieting and appreciating the good things in life.
23, ~ page 24, The 4 Habits, Warner, Coursey
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