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Adobe Illustrator cartoon children cartoons church cartoons gag cartoon single panel cartoon webcomic

Making a Joyful Noise

When my youngest sister was still a toddler, I could tell she inherited our mother’s musical talent and proclivity. As soon as the worship music began, she was up and ready to belt it out! This led to my idea for this making a joyful noise cartoon.

Making a joyful noise: Cartoon of a boy and girl toddler at church. The girl is enthusiastic. The boy says, "That's quite a joyful noise you're making there."

The phrase, “joyful noise,” comes from the King James version of Psalm 100:1. It’s a short chapter that packs a powerful message of why worship music is an important part of a church service.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Psalm 100:1 (KJV)
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Easter holiday

Lessons from a Good Friday

That’s right! There’s no cartoon today. I saw this scene and thought it would be perfect for this day. Here are some observations and lessons from a Good Friday.

Daffodils around a mailbox with the caption, "Good Friday"

The joy of Easter wouldn’t mean much without the suffering and sacrifice of Good Friday. There would be no resurrection without death. One needs the other.

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motivation

Keep the Children Laughing!

It appears we are living in heavy times. Between plagues and wars, it is enough to bring a person down. But the heavier the situation, the more we need to keep the children laughing.

It is their innocence that gives us hope for the future. Besides, can you really trust someone who hates a child’s laughter?

Beware of him who hates the laugh of a child.

Johann Kaspar Lavater
adorable baby cheerful child
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When a baby discovers something surprising for the first time, their spontaneous laughter can be contagious. I suppose this is another reason I love working in children’s ministry. The pure joy of a child’s laugh is a balm for society’s ills.

I once asked in a post, “Can a baby be too happy?” I thought it was possible then, but not so much today. Bring on the laughter! We could use a lot of it this year.

One redeeming quality of YouTube is it’s easy to find laughing baby videos. I leave you with this clip and pray you will find some joy and laughter on this day. And keep the children laughing!

Best Babies Laughing Compilation

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wisdom

Wisdom Leads to Joy

To be wise is to learn what is important and what won’t matter in a few years. It is to be able to discern between the foolishness of short-term pleasure and long-term satisfaction. Wisdom leads to joy while foolishness leads to heartache and regret.

“Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.”

Proverbs 3:13 (NLT)

Someone may know how to manipulate and get their way in the short term. But what happens to the relationship with the duped victim? Another person may give in to a short-term addiction only to discover it ruins their life. None of us can predict the future. But wisdom can help us shape our future in ways that are predictable and tested through the ages.

Yesterday, I was listening to How Now Shall We Live? by Chuck Colson. In the book, he writes what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote this phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

United States Declaration of Independence

Colson’s assertion is that this opening phrase was never meant to be a license to hedonistic pleasure. John Stonestreet from the Colson Center also alludes to this and quotes Colson on a July 4, 2019, podcast. “Happiness” was not meant as an excuse to do whatever feels good. Instead, happiness comes from living a virtuous, wise life.

Wisdom causes us to pursue virtue. That pursuit leads to joy. My hope and prayer for everyone are that we take a long-term approach to life and pursue a wise life of virtue that leads to happiness and joy.

Categories
motivation

Finding Joy at Work

Yesterday was the third Sunday of Advent. This week’s Advent theme is joy. Now comes Monday! It is easy to think about joy when we are singing Christmas carols and contemplating the season that brings good news of great joy. But what about the rest of the week?

Yes, it is possible to find joy at work! A Harvard Business Review article, entitled Making Joy a Priority at Work, talks about why joy is an important part of the workplace. But often workplace culture gets in the way. We can be so focused on meeting sales goals, staying in our comfort zones, and resisting new ways of connecting, that we forget our emotions play a big part in success.

The writer goes on to say, “In any team environment, joy arises from a combination of harmonyimpact, and, acknowledgment — all of which business leaders can engender in their organizations.” Yes, these are all qualities each of us would value and love to have in our workplaces.

Harmony

How we interact with each other brings harmony. When we are respectful, professional, and look out for each other, everyone benefits. If you ever had a child that has just started playing a musical instrument, you know how hard on the ears it is when they are just starting to play in a band. An elementary school band that hasn’t learned to play together in harmony can wreck a concert.

When we look out for our coworkers, are helpful, and destroy silos, we can work together in a harmony that brings an unbeatable competitive advantage.

Impact

Everyone wants to feel their part at work makes an impact. We want to know that what we do matters. We want to know that our idea has made a positive difference to the bottom line.

Harmony makes teams work. Impact comes both as team members and individuals. When we see that our part of the business is a valued part of the company’s success, it makes a big difference.

Acknowledgment

Everyone wants to feel acknowledged. We want to know that we are seen. If we feel we are just a number in a mindless bureaucracy, we tend to wonder if there is a point to it all. We may even make a little disharmony just to see if anyone notices. Perhaps, we stop seeing that we are making an impact.

Acknowledgment needs to come in a positive way. No one wants only to be acknowledged when they messed up. We forget that we tend to get the behavior that gets attention. If an employee only gets acknowledged for bad behavior, that is what the company will get more of.

Yes, it’s possible to have joy at work. As we get closer to Christmas, may we experience joy in our workplaces. May you receive some joy and be the giver of joy to those around you this week.