Funny Father's Day Videos - Dad's Day #4

Father's bring such joy to our families! The house rejoices when Dad comes home from work. Doesn't it make you feel wonderful the way your young children are so excited to see you and your husband when you return even after just a short time apart? My wise husband reminds me that joy is a choice! I then remind myself that joy is also an act of obedience and reliance on Christ. Encourage your children to never grow out of their excitement to spend time with their earthly or heavenly father by being a better example for them. How do you think it would make your husband feel if you acted overjoyed and excited to see him more often?  I challenge you to be his biggest cheerleader!

Check out the plethera of great insight and resources at Christianfathers.com for father's day.  While you are there,  watch more funny fathers public announcements like this one that will bring you a little more joy.

How do the Dad's in your life bring joy or laughter to your family?

God's Calling. Did you Answer? - Finding Joy #10

I would like to conclude this series on Finding Joy by telling you that I have personally found that when I am focused on myself, I have the most difficulty finding joy.  On the other hand when I am ministering to others through the talents, gifts, and roles God has called me to - mother, wife, blogger, sister, friend, etc. that is when I have found the most joy. That is how Christ has designed me and you, because joy is found when you take your eyes off yourself (the Y in JOY), and look towards the power of the love of Jesus (the J in JOY) to serve Others (the O in JOY) for His glory.  It is as simple as keeping the letters in order - J.O.Y.!

My sweet sister-in-law - who, get this, has the same exact name as me minus one h - Sara Elizabeth Holmes - pointed me to this post that explains the above point further.
  
"We are easily deceived to think we can live for ourselves and be faithful to God in our ministry as moms. Jesus said that those who live for themselves will actually have an unfulfilling life, but those who lose their lives for His sake will really experience life. As parents, our self-death for Christ’s sake not only produces fruit [JOY] in our own hearts, but produces fruit in the hearts of our children, fruit that grows by the power of God. Let us, then, choose to joyfully give of ourselves for our children [and others]. Everyday." - Christine Hoover blogs at gracecoversme.com. For this whole article, go to http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-everyday-question-of-motherhood.

So, for a fulfilled and joyful life, we need to fulfill God's calling for our lives. What is God calling you to do? 

One Thousand Gifts - Finding Joy #9

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are By Ann Voskamp (above is a direct link to Christianbooks.com) There is nothing better than getting a surprise present in the mail. My college roommate and dear friend, whose name also happens to be Sarah Elizabeth, sent this book to me to help me get through the recent difficult time I was going through as a result of my sister's brain tumor and stroke. I was really struggling with how to put into practice my Biblical knowledge about having joy in times of trouble. AnnVoskamp, a pig-farmer's wife and mother of five, has an amazing talent for expressing in beautiful language the battle for joy that goes on in our hearts not just in times of crisis but through daily frustrations and discontentment as moms. She gives simple, practical steps to fight that daily battle. A dare from her friend to write down 1,000 blessings changed her life completely. Now this book with the power of the Holy Spirit is changing thousands of others including mine. You must read this book and pass it on to a friend! ShopAmazon.com or use the direct link to Christianbooks.com above. Find out more about this book, the author, and the impact that they continue to have at  www.aholyexperience.com.

Head and Heart Knowledge - Finding Joy #8

I am sure you will be glad to know that this is going to be the last week in this series about finding joy, because I have finally found it. In the seven blogs before this you have seen great information about where to find joy.  However, if you just read all this information, it is never going to do you any good. You can't learn to drive from reading the driving manual. You have to believe it and practice it.

Practicing joy will help you internalize all the information that is in your head - making it heart knowledge.  Only someone with a grateful heart toward God can experience true joy. Even Satan knows all the head knowledge about how to have joy, but he definitely does not have a grateful heart or joy. The Bible gives many suggestions about how to practice joy. (Go back to last Friday's blog "Joyful Verses - Finding Joy #8" to see some of these again.)

Wednesday, I am going to tell you about my new favorite book that has been helping me and thousands of others practice joy even in the midst of great despair. You are not going to want to miss this book.

What are your suggestions for practicing joy or having a more grateful heart?

Joyful Activities - Finding Joy #6

You can find reasons to be negative or joyful in any situation. Joyful people try to focus on the positive, and God's perfect plan even during the really bad times. Talk to your kids about what it means to look at the bright side of things. People with joy don't let circumstances get them down. Ask your kids what helps them turn their frown upside down? Here are some fun activities that might get this conversation started:

1. For breakfast, cook your eggs "Sonny"-side up. Talk to them about how the "Son" gives us true joy and helps us look on the bright side. For added fun, make the two eggs eyes and a piece of bacon a smile.

2. Fill a glass half-way up and ask your kids - "Is this glass half-full or half-empty?"

3. Grateful Gumballs Lesson  - Explain to the children that our perspective affects most of our lives.  Then, get out some cheap gumballs (or improvise with any other candy) and before you let them chew them explain to them that you are sorry about these bad gumballs. They are hard to chew and the flavor doesn't last very long. Also, they probably won't get the color they want because their sister or brother probably wants the same color. See if they still want to chew the gumballs. Ask them what was wrong with your perspective and how it could be better. Let them chew the gum and observe and discuss their perspectives.

"A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour." ~Author Unknown

Have you been on any detours lately? How do you look on the bright side of difficult circumstances and encourage your children to do the same?