Tag: joy

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Christmas holiday

The Third Sunday of Advent is about Joy

Advent Candles

Joy has been something we’ve all sought the last two years. We’ve kept hoping the pandemic would be over soon, only to realize more challenges were on the way. Where is our Christmas joy?

Last night, I saw a battle under a Christmas tree. An adult got a remote-controlled toy at a Christmas party. The children were thrilled and the adult allowed them to try it out.

One preschool boy was having a blast but was a little rough with it. When he steered the toy into a wall, the adult knew this wasn’t going to end well. So he took the toy from the boy. The boy’s joy quickly turned into a grinchy pouting match. It looked a little like this cartoon:

Cartoon of an annoyed girl and a boy with a santa hat

I’ve had a few tips in the past that are easy to implement when you’re giving advice, but challenging when you are in the midst of pacifying a preschooler with a wounded ego, and dashed Christmas hopes.

How to teach your kids about Christmas Joy

Joy can be challenging when things aren’t going our way. But when our faith is based on a foundation much stronger than our circumstances, it is possible! As we light the third candle of Advent this Sunday morning, we can remember there is someone coming who brings glad tidings of great joy!

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motivation

The Challenge of Waiting

Cartoon of people waiting in line. One man says, "I don't normally expect long, Christmas-shopping lines at a convenience store."

Yesterday, I had an appointment. We were making good time on the freeway. the GPS app showed an accident was ahead, but it would only delay us four minutes. Then we slowed down. and we waited….

  • And we waited…
  • And we waited…
  • And we waited more…

Traffic was at a standstill for two hours. We had to cancel the first appointment. Did my wife and me waist our afternoon? It felt as pointless as the couple waiting in my cartoon.

Cartoon of people waiting in line. One man says, "I don't normally expect long, Christmas-shopping lines at a convenience store."

When traffic finally moved again, we decided to keep our dinner appointment with friends. After all, we came this far! It ended up being a pleasant evening. The memory of the two-hour standstill faded. Eventually, the wait did feel worth it! It reminded me of this verse:

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 NIV

It resonates with me because my wife and I have been in a period of waiting. We know things are about to change in our life, but we don’t know how or when. We only know it begins when she resigns from her position as a children’s pastor at the end of the year.

We are all forced to wait once in a while. I didn’t feel joyful, patient or faithful in the traffic jam. But how I waited ended up mattering more and led to an enjoyable evening.

Sometimes, how we wait during this time of year is more important than the event we are anticipating.

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Teen Cartoons

Too Busy Having Fun

Cartoon of two kids at an amusement park. One says, "We're too busy having fun to be happy."Can anyone achieve happiness through busy-ness? If you are too busy to remember what you did, is it happiness? If the busy time ends and discontent reappears, was it ever really happiness?

It reminds me of a proverb:

Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. Proverbs 14:13 NLT

Diversion may work for a while, but if you are struggling with something major, get help. 

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Marketing

Summer Break Worship

Cartoon of a boy celebrating. The caption says, "When summer break came, Mark couldn't help but worship."Cartoon of a boy celebrating. The caption says, “When summer break came, Mark couldn’t help but worship.”

In the United states, the kids are itching for summer vacation. I remember how exuberant everyone felt at the end of the school year. It took about three days before the kids were bored and we were looking for something to do. It isn’t until you become adult do you realize quiet, boring times are a real gift. The trick is to live each day as the celebration it is.

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Christmas Devotions holiday Sketch notes

Glad Tidings of Great Joy | Luke 2:10

Sketch note based on Luke 2:10 and the concept of joyIn Luke 2:10, the angel tells the shepherds he has good news that will bring joy. Joy is a concept we confuse with happiness. We can have joy even when we are not happy. Joy is connected with hope. We can be joyful in dire circumstances but have joy because we know this is not the end. Joy is anticipation that there is a good ending and the source is very good.

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