Joy of Music - Finding Joy #5

I was still searching for joy, but it was time to teach my monthly Playgroup with a Purpose and guess what fruit of the spirit I was supposed to be teaching these preschoolers about? You guessed it - JOY! Gratefully, I had taught this character quality before. Looking back at my past notes reminded me of all the things that produce joyfulness.  Below is the beginning of this lesson for your children. Today we will begin with the intro and songs. See Wednesday for activities and Friday for object lessons.
INTRODUCTION

Simple Definition of Joy- showing your unconditionally happy heart

The way to have J.O.Y. is to put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.

"In Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever." - Psalm 16:11

"Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ." - William Vander Hoven

JOYFUL SONGS - The Bible talks repeatedly about expressing our joy through music. Put some music on or make your own music. Get out the toy band set, the pots and pans, or a jar full of beans or rice, and let your kids sing and play for joy. 1. "Ho, Ho, Ho, Hosanna" 2.  "Are you Downhearted?" by Robert Harkness, 3. "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart" 4. "J - is for Jesus" - Lyrics are "J is for Jesus, and O- is for others, and YYYYYY is for you and you and you and you and you and you." 5. "The Joy of the Lord is my Strength" (Nehemiah 8:10)

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln

What are your favorites ways to show joy through music?

Joyful Verses - Finding Joy #4

Sorry our topics recently have been a little heavy. Next week we will return to the usual genre of activities, games, and stories to teach your family - specifically about joyfulness.  However, to finish this week's focus, since we now agree that the Bible is reliable we should consult it on ways to find and teach joyfulness.

Now, I am giving you homework for the weekend. Pick a few of these passages to read with your family.

Key Verses On Joyfulness:
1. Psalm 16: 11 - "Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures forever."

2. Psalm 28:7 - "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and in my song I shall thank Him."

3. Psalm 30:5b - "Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."

4. Psalm 51:12 - "Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will be converted to thee."

5. Prov. 15:13 - "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face..."

6. Matt. 28: 7&8 - "'And go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead...' and they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to his disciples."

7. John 15:7-13 "...These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you...Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends..."

8. I Thess. 5: 16-18 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

9. I Peter 1:3-9

10. III John 4 - "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."

What are the Rewards of Joy?
1. Strength - Neh. 8:10

2. Cheerful Countenance - Prov. 15:13

3. Health - Prov. 17:22a - "A joyful heart is good medicine..."

What Produces Joy?
1. True Faith - I Peter 1:8

2. Christ's Resurrection - Matt. 28:7&8

3. Salvation - Ps. 51:12, Isaiah 61:10

4. Being in the Presence of God - Psalm 16:11

5. The Holy Spirit in us - Gal. 5:22

6. Sharing Christ with others - I John 1:4

7. A clear conscience - II Cor. 1:12

8. Obeying God's laws - Ps. 19:8

9. God's word - John 15: 7-11, Jer. 15:16

10. Wise words - Prov. 15:23

11. Seeing our children walk in the truth - III John 4, Prov. 23:24

12. Being a faithful servant - Matt. 25:21

13. Controlling your thoughts - Phil. 4:8

14. Encouragement from the saints - Phil. 1:7

How do we Practice Joy?
1. Rejoicing when we go through trials - Matt. 5: 11-12, James 1:2-3

2. Rejoicing always, giving thanks in everything - I Thess. 5:16-18

3. Delighting in your weaknesses, because when you are weak, Christ's grace is strong -II Cor.12:9&10

4. Singing thanksgivings, and playing music, and dancing - Ephesians 5:18-20, I Sam. 18:6

5. Giving - II Cor. 8:2

6. Fellowship - Phil. 1:25; Philemon 1:7

7. Sharing God with others - I John 1:4

8. Smiling - Prov. 15:13

9. Trusting in the Lord - Ps. 28:7

10. Enjoy your work and your blessings - Ecc. 5:18 - 20

Joyful Biblical Character Examples:
1. Jesus - Gospels, Isaiah 53, and Phil. 2

2. Paul -Romans 5:3-11, 8:18; II Cor. 4:7-18; 11:23-29; Phil. 4:4-8; and Col. 1:24

3. Tabitha - Acts 9:36 - 39

I would love to hear about other ways that you experience joyfulness with your family.
Have a great weekend!

Crisis of Faith - Finding Joy #3

Have you ever doubted your faith? Even if you haven't, your children will. So you need to be prepared. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Christian Studies, but during my recent family crisis even I experienced doubts. My crisis of feeling (the blahs) quickly turned into a crisis of faith. What should we do to combat doubts? Seek the Truth.

Hank Hanegraaf
The Bible Answer Man

1st - Pray about it. I asked God to make Himself real to me, and then Providentially I literally happened upon an amazing tract  "How Can I Believe in Christ, When I Don't Even Believe the Bible."
(Order yours from www.evantell.org)

2nd - Seek wise counsel.  Meet with a leader in your church or knowledgable friend, or read some of these amazing resources.
     1. Who Moved the Stone? by Frank Morrison
     2. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F.F. Bruce
     3. Jesus and the Eyewitness by Richard Bauckham

3rd - Get answers to specific doubts or questions from The Bible Answer Man.  His website http://www.equip.org/bible_answers is an amazing resource for finding the answer to literally any Bible question you could imagine. 

I am glad to say that my doubts have quickly dissolved after seeing so much evidence.
I would love to know how you combat doubts in your children or in your own heart.

Rebellious Responses - Finding Joy #2

1st - I turned to the Bible to find JOY because it is the "good Christian" answer. Conveniently, since my sister's stroke was in January, I was still faithfully on the "read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program". Initially, I missed a few days, so I just started up again thinking that this would be the way to solve my problem of sadness. Unfortunately, "the plan" starts out in the Old Testament. I was reading Numbers, and I have to admit that reading about how to sacrifice animals and the multitude of laws that one was required to follow "or else" was not helping me find my joy at all. Instead, my negative heart was reacting to God's requirement of ultimate obedience and justice with confusion, doubt, and rebellion. As I am writing this, I am literally just now realizing that I was responding this way because I was feeling convicted of my sin and Satan was filling my head with lies.

When your children respond harshly and rebelliously to you, remind yourself that they are responding to how uncomfortable the truth is making them feel as it wars inside them against the lies of Satan. You are just an easy scapegoat. Think about the last time you got really mad about something your husband implied you needed to work on.  At first, you probably directed your anger at him, but really were you angry because the truth hurts? Nobody likes to be corrected or forced to do things. One of my children is always the meanest right before she responds to conviction with sweet repentance.

Satan was tellig me that the Bible is unreliable. What lies has Satan been telling you or your children? What makes you the maddest? When do your children respond the most angrily to you and why? How should we respond to the anger or rebellion of our children?

The Blahs - Finding Joy #1

Hello Friend,
      Do you ever feel down, depressed, or just plain blah for no good reason? Do you ever have trouble finding your joy despite the fact that you have much to be joyful about? Honestly I have been really struggling lately with negativity and anger. I am a natural pessimist and perfectionist so I tend to lean a little toward the negative side of the pendelum normally, but for about the last three months I have been near the bottom of the dial. I think my family crisis with my sister Mandy (Mother of seven young children, recently suffered a severe stroke as a result of brain surgery to remove a tumor) triggered it. However, Mandy is now at home and is recovering miraculously better than we could have ever hoped. I have great reason to rejoice yet I am still down. Sometimes our feelings do not listen to the facts. Today, I would like for you to join with me on the beginning of a journey to find joy.

Where should we look to find joy? I would love to hear your input on how you find true joy.

Free Book for Easter Ideas

We only have about a week left before Easter, so you just have a few days to win this free book - Creating Family Traditions by Shirley Dobson and Gloria Gaither that just happens to include my very favorite simple Easter Tradition – Resurrection Rolls! Yummy! For a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment. I would love to hear how you teach your children about the joy of Christ's Resurrection at Easter.

Resurrection Rolls 

Ingredients -

1 package of frozen dinner rolls (My favorites are Rhoades Rolls)
1 package of large marshmallows (24)
1/2 stick of melted butter
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions -

1. Thaw Rolls.
2. Flatten roll and wrap it around one marshmallow pinching dough to seal it inside.
3. Dip in melted butter, and then roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture.
4. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
4. Let rolls rise until they double in size (30-60 minutes).
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Your family will devour these rolls Easter morning. The hollow center will remind them of the empty tomb. Talk to them about how empty your lives would be without Christ.

I am looking forward to hearing about your meaningful Easter ideas.

"Tell your Face"

My husband doesn't ask much from me, but he does like for me to be happy. On a much needed lunch date we had recently, he asked me, "Are you having a good time?" I responded, "Yes!" To this he replied, "Well, you need to tell your face!"

My husband is wonderful at using humor and candor to help me realize my blindspots and overcome bad habits. I did not realize that my face was in a bad habit of looking stressed, tired, and worried.  The root problem here, of course, is that if I do not have a habit of true joy and contentment in my heart than it is hard to show that emotion on my face consistently.

Play a game of face charades with your kids where you take turns acting out with your faces different feelings or emotions. Talk to them about how our faces reflect our heart feelings. Ask yourself and your kids, "What is usually reflected on your face?" How can we improve our heart feelings?

Simple Pleasures - Fun Friday

Yesterday, I was surprised to hear my daughter say, "I had the best day ever!"  From her excitement, you would have thought she had just returned from a day at Disneyland.  Yet truthfully her day just included some quality time with the family in the morning, and then an afternoon with my thoughtful father-in-law who is an expert at enjoying the simple things in life. He took them to Sonic, the park, and the candystore. This was a good reminder to me to enjoy the simple pleasures in life with my kids. We have been to the beach, the lake, the mountains and more, but still my kids favorite "vacation" of all time is when we spent the night in a nice hotel downtown. I am always trying to come up with grand plans to entertain my kids when really they would be just as happy enjoying simple time with me playing soccer outside, going to the park, eating icecream, blowing bubbles, or playing board games.

What are some simple pleasures that you and your children share? If you are not sure, just ask them what they want to do today.  While you are enjoying your time together, remember to thank God for all the simple pleasures in your life!