Morning Session

Week Five's Reading assignment is pages 47-59 of Joyful Journey.  The FAQs at the end of the book are also a part of the reading assignment.

As we have looked at the nuances of joy as an expereince, here is another wrinkle to that: Just think about someone you enjoy and reflect on how you feel when you are with this person – that’s joy!
~ page 10, The 4 Habits, Warner, Coursey

[JJQ Describing the Listener of journal entries] When we are listening to others read their interactions with God, we are offering them joy. The Bible clearly speaks of the wisdom of listening. By listening without interrupting, we participate in God's work by creating a sacred space for people to encounter themselves, their community and God.... We rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). We celebrate with those who are growing, conversing with God and discovering practical ways to live the gospel.
~ page 49, Joyful Journey, Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow

Session A: We continue revisiting joyful memories from your Golden Moments list. Invite God to share His reaction to joys you’re recalling. See if you can identify His presence in those joys. Again, notice body sensations, attitudes, heart rate, etc.

Many of us find joy when people make our friends and family happy. Such was the case for Paul regarding Titus. We like it when relationships are going well with loved ones:

From the Joyful Journey book:
Immanuel journaling helps all relationships, and especially intimate connections in our lives. If we are married or have children, we understand that the daily grind of tasks versus nurturing relationships is hard to balance. An unbalanced life takes a toll on our work performance, health, children, academic pursuits and family. When conflict develops, we are usually directed to work on communication. We attempt to restore peace using communication skills. How effective is that? When we turn to others hoping that communicating will restore our peace, the road can be a little rough. When we use Immanuel journaling with God to restore our peace before we communicate with others, it can give us strength and wisdom. Many misunderstandings can benefit from slowing down and talking to God about our own fears and triggers. Once we have shalom inside, the referee of God's Spirit (Colossians 3:15) allows us to return to talking to others. Now we are sharing our peace instead of searching for it.
~ page 45, Joyful Journey, Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow

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.

“Joy gets amplified as it is shared,” wrote authors Warner and Coursey in The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled People (p. 84). Let’s see how Immanuel journaling might help amplify that.

The benefits of sharing the experiences that bring us peace, as Immanuel journaling does, are profound for both the reader and listener. Let us examine the top three:
• Sharing our Immanuel journaling entry can amplify joy and peace in us and in others who listen to our entry
• Sharing our Immanuel journaling entry can help us to form three-way family bonds and develop a group identity as God's children
• Sharing our Immanuel journaling entry can help us to integrate misplaced or misunderstood parts of our story into a coherent and redemptive life story.
~ page 50, Joyful Journey, Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow