Finding Joy Amidst Life's Challenges

### Bible Reading
1. **Ecclesiastes 8:15** - "So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way, they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun."
2. **Psalm 47:1-2, 6-7** - "Come, everyone. Clap your hands. Shout to God with joyful praise. For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all earth... Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises. For God is the King over all the earth. Praise Him with a psalm."

### Observation Questions
1. What does Ecclesiastes 8:15 suggest about the relationship between joy and daily life?
2. According to Psalm 47, what actions are we encouraged to take to express our joy and praise to God?
3. In the sermon, what examples were given of people who praised God despite their difficult circumstances? ([35:01])
4. How does the pastor differentiate between praise and worship in the sermon? ([32:31])

### Interpretation Questions
1. How can the message of Ecclesiastes 8:15 be applied to our modern-day lives, especially when facing daily challenges?
2. What does Psalm 47 teach us about the nature of God and how we should respond to Him in both good and bad times?
3. Reflecting on the examples of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the Apostle Paul, what can we learn about maintaining joy in the face of adversity? ([35:01])
4. How does the concept of finding levity in difficult situations help us maintain our joy, according to the sermon? ([37:14])

### Application Questions
1. Think about a recent hardship you faced. How did you respond, and how might you incorporate joy and praise into similar situations in the future? ([35:01])
2. The pastor mentioned the importance of showing joy on our faces. How can you make a conscious effort to let your joy be visible to others this week? ([28:33])
3. Identify a specific way you can find humor or lightness in a current challenge you are facing. How might this change your perspective and help you maintain joy? ([37:14])
4. Can you recall a moment when you saw a "glimmer of God" in a difficult situation? How did that recognition impact your ability to find joy? ([39:06])
5. How can you use your joy as a witness to others, especially those who may not share your faith? What practical steps can you take to be a light in your community? ([44:12])
6. Reflect on your worship practices. How can you ensure that your worship is both an offering to God and a genuine expression of your joy and gratitude? ([32:31])
7. As we prepare for the summer, what specific actions can you take to keep your heart light and joyful, even when life gets busy or challenging? ([42:57])

Day 1: Joy in Worship
Worship is not just about singing songs; it's about expressing our joy and gratitude to God. Even when life is tough, we can find joy in worship by focusing on who God is and His faithfulness. This joy should be evident in our faces and actions, serving as a powerful witness to others. [28:33]

Psalm 100:1-2 (ESV): "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!"

Reflection: How can you express your joy and gratitude to God in your daily worship, even when facing challenges?


Day 2: Praise in Hardship
The Bible is filled with examples of people who praised God despite their difficult circumstances. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego praised God in the fiery furnace, and Paul praised God from prison. These stories remind us that our joy is not dependent on our circumstances but on our relationship with God. [33:22]

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV): "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Reflection: Think of a recent hardship you faced. How can you find ways to praise God in the midst of your struggles?


Day 3: Finding Levity
Maintaining joy often involves finding humor and lightness in difficult situations. This doesn't mean we ignore the seriousness of our challenges, but rather, we look for the positive and keep our hearts light. This approach helps us to move forward and not be overwhelmed by negativity. [37:14]

Proverbs 17:22 (ESV): "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Reflection: What is one way you can bring humor or lightness into a challenging situation you are currently facing?


Day 4: Glimmers of God
Even in the worst tragedies, there are always glimmers of God's presence. It could be a kind word from a stranger or an unexpected act of love. Recognizing these moments helps us to maintain our joy and see God's hand at work, even in difficult times. [39:06]

Isaiah 43:2 (ESV): "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."

Reflection: Can you recall a moment of God's presence in a difficult time? How did it help you maintain your joy?


Day 5: Joy as a Witness
Our joy is a powerful testimony to the world. When we maintain our joy despite life's challenges, we show others the transformative power of God's love. This joy is not about having a perfect life but about trusting in God's goodness and faithfulness. [44:12]

1 Peter 1:8-9 (ESV): "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Reflection: How can your joy in Christ serve as a witness to those around you today?

Good morning. How is everybody today? Awesome, awesome. If you're watching online, we're so glad you're worshiping with us today for this Memorial Day weekend. I am Faith Perry, the pastor here at Fleming Island United Methodist, and it is a joy to be worshiping with all of you here in the room or whether you are streaming us.

I just want to point out a couple of things going on. This Friday, we are having a free movie night here in the church. Yeah, exciting, right? Y'all aren't excited. I hope you're excited because I love free things, and anytime there's something free, I get excited.

But unfortunately, I cannot announce to you the movie because our licensing doesn't allow me to put it out to the world, and we're live streaming, so that would be out to the world. But it's a really awesome movie. I actually don't even know what it is. But Miss Katie does, and if you want to know what we're watching, you can ask her. But it is family-friendly, so just know that that is the decision. We always show things that are friendly for all ages.

So you're welcome to join us here Friday night. We'll have popcorn and refreshments for that movie. And invite a friend because we're going to do that multiple times over the summer just to offer fun things to do.

For those who might be new with us, if you want to learn more about the church or you have questions, you can do that from our website by going to FIUMC.org/new, and that's designed just for you.

All right, now we have a video to get us started for worship this morning. Friends, if you would join me in standing for our call to worship this morning. I'll read the parts that are light, and you will read the parts that are bold.

Let us give thanks to God for the land of our birth, with all its chartered liberties. For all the wonder of our country's story. For the leaders in nation and state. And for those who in days past and in these present times have labored with the commonwealth. For those who in all times and places have been true and brave, and in the world's common ways have lived upright lives and ministered to their fellows. For those who serve their country in its hour of need, and especially for those who gave even their lives in that service.

Would you pray with me?

Almighty God, you are most merciful. And you remember that this weekend is so much more than just the long weekend that we celebrate and get days off of school and work. It's the weekend that we remember the men and the women who have given their lives for our freedoms.

So Lord, we ask today that you be with all those who are mourning their loved ones. That you be with all those military men and women who are carrying the weight of those who didn't come home. Help remind us as we worship this morning that our right to worship is given to us by the sacrifice of these persons. And thank you for this privilege that we have to be free. We pray this in your glory and honor. Amen.

Amen. Friends, if there is any way that we can be in prayer for you as a church, we would love to do so. You can drop prayer requests in the offering baskets, which are right up here on the corners of the prayer rails. You can do that at a time of communion. We have cards in the seats. We have some on the seats. You can write them on a random sheet of paper. You can also do that by calling the church office or sending us an email.

But we are a church that does believe in prayer. So if you have some way we can partner with you in that, we would like to do that with you. We do receive offering as a church at the time of communion. We don't pass a plate; we just have the baskets here. So if that's something you would like to participate in, you can do so at the end of service when we receive our communion.

Would you go with me now to the Lord in prayer once more?

Almighty God, thank you. Thank you for the day that you've given us today. Lord, we just want to take a moment, Father, and ask for your protection for all those today that are being affected by the storms going on. We've got storms up in the north and storms in the Caribbean. Lord, we ask that you keep people safe.

We're reminded when storms come forward at the power of nature that it's just a representation of a sliver of your power. We ask that you keep people safe in spaces that protect them and that those who have to respond because of the storms will be safe as well.

As we take time now, God, to go to your scripture and to learn from your holy word, I ask that you bless that study and that you speak to us by the power of your spirit through these words in this space and in our children's space so that we may be drawn closer to you. And not only as a church but in our personal lives and that we each may hear a word from you that we need today. We pray this in your holy and powerful name. Amen.

For my friends that are going to join Miss Katie and Kids Club, you can go ahead and head back. Y'all have fun.

All right, friends. It's our last week of Make It Fun. Some of you are excited that it's almost over. Some of you, like, I hope that you've enjoyed it so far. But you know what that means? It's time to sing.

Somebody just went, oh. Come on now. You all know this song. We're going to sing "If You're Happy If You Know It." Stand up. And remember, if we're happy, we need to show that we're happy, right?

All right. I know you know this one.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it.

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.

If you're happy and you know it.

If you're happy and you know it, nod your head.

If you're happy and you know it, nod your head.

If you're happy and you know it, nod your head.

If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it.

If you're happy and you know it, nod your head.

If you're happy and you know it, nod your head.

If you're happy and you know it, shout amen.

Amen.

If you're happy and you know it, shout amen.

Amen.

If you're happy and you know it, shout amen.

If you're happy and you know it, shout amen.

Amen.

If you're happy and you know it, shout amen.

Amen.

Good job, y'all. So much better than me not having to sing by myself like I did last week. Y'all gave me a lot of grace with that. Thank y'all. You can tell that I'm not on the worship team, right? It's all right. You can say it. No offense.

So just a reminder, if you would like to follow along with the scripture passages and the points, you can do so in the sermon notes, which you'll find on the website or in the church app. And so, if you're happy and you know it, nod your head. And that's helpful for some people, but not a requirement.

So we are, as I mentioned, doing our last week in the Make It Fun sermon series. And we have been looking at a scripture in the book of Ecclesiastes each week, which has been our focus. So we're going to read it one last time.

Ecclesiastes 8, verse 15. So I recommend having fun. Let's say that. We are having fun. Fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way, they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

So this is where we are. We're finishing up this idea of what it means to enjoy the life that God has given us. So last week, we had talked about worship and what it means to worship with this view of having fun. Really joy, right? Fun and joy aren't equal. But this week, we're talking about what it means to have joy in your heart.

And to do that, I got one more passage I want us to look at. And it comes out of the book of Psalms, Psalm 47, starting in verse 1.

Come, everyone. Clap your hands. Shout to God with joyful praise. For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all earth. He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet.

Now I'm going to jump down to verse 6.

Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises. For God is the King over all the earth. Praise Him with a psalm.

Now, I hope you felt like we just did that in our worship set. But I want to think about this idea that there's a difference in praise and worship. I hadn't really contemplated this until this past week when I was digging into this week's sermon.

You see, praise is about God, and worship is to God. We say often when we pray before worship, I'll pray with the team. Please allow what we're doing to be a worthy offering to you. See, we say worship is our offering to God. We give our tithes and offerings as a part of worship to God.

But praise is about who God is. We have the whole book of Psalms, 150 Psalms, which is the writers, almost all of them written by King David, but not all. But they're writing about who God is. Sometimes they're not having fantastic times in their life. It's one of the things I like about the book. Sometimes I'm not having a fantastic time in life, and I can find a Psalm that speaks to that.

But what you'll find in it is the Psalmist is saying things like, my enemies are after me. My life is falling apart, but you, God, are never failing. You will always protect me. See, they're still praising God in the hardship because no matter how hard things get, you can still praise a God that is good.

Do we see the difference? If yes, if you understand, we need to camp here a little bit, say, I don't. If not, say, I got it. Okay. Okay. Remember, I can't see your faces. We talked about that last week. And some of you, that's a good thing, right?

Okay. So if we want to focus on what it means to praise God, which is to keep joy in our heart, we really need to focus on the joy being on our face. Because no matter how hard life gets, we do still have a good God.

I was reflecting on the scriptures as a whole this week. Do you all know how many times there were things that were going wrong, but people still found ways to praise? Just a couple off the top of my head, not like searching, but just some that came to my mind.

Think about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. That's one of those stories they love to tell us as kids. They got songs about it too, right? The three guys. The three guys that stood up for God and didn't kneel down and worship the idols. And they got thrown in the fiery furnace, and then King Nebuchadnezzar comes back, and there's not three guys but four because the angel comes down to protect them. And they're walking in the fire, but they're praising God.

Now, if anybody was having a rough time that day, I think it'd be the three of them that just got put to death. But they praised God before, they praised God during, and they praised God after because they knew God was going to be good no matter what. That's why they stood up for God.

You got the apostle Paul in the New Testament. Man, Paul got put through a lot of hardships. He got put in prison who knows how many times. I mean, somebody knows, I don't. He got put in prison time and time again. He was almost stoned just because he affected the economy of cities. I mean, he was constantly up against things, but he writes in his letters time and time again, I praise God for what you are doing.

And I imagine from prison, as many of his letters were written from prison, that as he was writing this to the churches, there was a smile of joy on his face as he told these churches, I praise God for what you are doing.

So how do we keep joy on our face? Well, I think sometimes we have to remember that when bad things happen, we have to find the positive in it.

Now, let me rephrase that for a second. I'm not saying that all bad things are good, and I'm not saying we should make light of everything that's bad, but I'm saying is that sometimes we need to find the positive and keep things light, keep levity in our heart.

Sometimes it takes a time. All right, something bad might happen, and it might take a little bit of a season to get past it, to be able to find the levity in it. But when we try to find a way to not be so bad, we're not going to find the positive in it.

When we're so serious with everything in life, it helps us keep the joy. There's a phrase someone taught me years ago in ministry. I love ministry, but a pastor at the very beginning told me, he said, don't let things or people steal your joy.

And I had to think about that one as an early pastor. I was like, well, why would people steal my joy? I learned. I learned pretty early in that first year what they meant. I learned what they meant by that, but see, I can keep that levity in my heart, and I can find those moments to go, oh, okay, but see, I see God in that, and that is something that I can find a way later to chuckle about.

And then in my life, I've always found something to chuckle about because I'm just me, like this wonderful boot on my foot. I'm finding new ways to make it fashionable. I can't do anything but laugh at it because I'm stuck with it, or like the fact that I conked my head six years ago. I make lots of jokes about being hit in the head, and then I realize not everybody knows that joke.

And I get the looks when I'm like, oh, you know, well, I got hit in the head. And they just look at me like, wait, is she serious? And then I have to take, I'm like, oh, they don't know that one, oops. But we started making that joke really quick after the concussion.

Some of y'all don't know that story, and I can tell it to you later. But the people in my life, they didn't know what to do other than to laugh at it. Because you're either going to laugh, or you're going to cry. And I was done being upset. So I decided I was going to laugh because I didn't want to sit around and mourn something when God had big plans. I was moving forward.

See, levity doesn't mean we don't accept the seriousness of something. It just says, we're going to keep moving forward. Levity means when something horrible happens, you find the little sliver of God in that moment. And you praise him for that little sliver.

And you recognize that although something horrible happened, God took care of you still. And even in the worst of tragedy, friends, the very worst of tragedy, and I have seen some tragedies, there is always a glimmer of God in the situation, whether it be a person coming to give love and hope, whether it be the stranger that just happened to show up to give an encouraging word, or someone who just gave an anonymous show of love and didn't have a clue what was happening.

There is always glimmers when you look for them. And that leads to the next piece, which is that we have to be able to keep this idea... I'm going to skip this passage, Bob, go on to the next one. That we have to be able to keep praise in our mouths, that no matter what happens in life, no matter how hard it gets, or how we feel like the world is knocking us down or whatnot, we have to continue to praise.

And I get it, friends, I get the struggle of how this is hard. And I don't say that just as like throw a greeting card out there of, you know, I understand your pain, praying for you, Pastor Faith, right? That's not what I'm meaning by this.

Those of us that are committed to changing the kingdom for God, you won't believe the stuff that gets thrown at us. And I don't mean that as just like a wash. I mean like if you think it could happen, it has happened.

But to praise God in the midst of the darkness, in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the suffering, in the midst of the hardship, in the midst of the doubts, that's how as Christians we carry the joy. To worship God when we don't feel like worshiping is how we find the joy.

That's the struggle. That's how the world realizes that we're different. That's why when we celebrate life in the Christian church, we do so with singing praise. That's what makes us different. It's because even when we say goodbye to people we love, we praise the fact that we rejoin them again because of the promises of our God.

We praise in the midst of mourning and suffering and pain. I read Jesus. I read to you part of Psalm 100 last week, and I want to read another section to you. Psalm 100, verse 1. This is one of my favorite Psalms.

It says this, shout with joy to the Lord all the earth, all the earth. When I read that, I imagine the passage of Jesus coming in on Palm Sunday when they told the crowd to stop worshiping. And his response is that if they don't worship, creation will cry out.

And here we are in Psalms all this time before Jesus. And the Psalmist is saying all the earth should worship the Lord.

Verse 2. Worship the Lord with gladness and come before him with singing and joy. My hope is now that as we're moving into summer and it's busy and all these things, you'll think about what you can do to ensure that life doesn't steal your joy.

That drama and hardships and relationships and all the things that can come at us doesn't steal your joy. And I work on it constantly, but I'll tell you what I've gotten better at. Now as I start year 10 of ministry, year one, it could take me three weeks to get back to my place of joy. And now it's just days because God's given me guidance, guidance and centering and strength and the spiritual disciplines to get back what the world tries to take.

Because I'll tell you, friends, when the world comes at our joy, it comes at our witness to the world. Because Christians are supposed to be joy-filled. If there's one thing we can do to show the world that we are filled with the love of Jesus is to be people filled with joy.

We can sing all we want and worship all we want. But if we don't have joy on our face, they're going to look at us like people just going through the motions.

But you pray with me.

Almighty God, it's my hope and prayer that those in this room that have been with me the past couple of weeks or just today, they'll join me in this desire to want to be filled by you to a joyful level. That you'll help us be set free from anything holding on to our hearts that's not allowing us to be joy-filled.

God, the world needs you so much, but even more so, it needs your children to be good witnesses. Well, you're not promising life is going to be easy. You're not promising that we're going to find that success line that just gives everything we want in life. There's no promise like that.

But you do promise that you will continue to be with us and in the hardships, you will bring the peace and joy of God. Help us to find that. So in the ups and the downs, it's easy. It's easy when life is good. It's hard when things don't go our way. That we will be filled by you.

As we prepare to come to your table, God, I just ask that you bring to our mind anything that's keeping us from being filled by that so that we may let it go and give it to you. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

So in our church, we celebrate communion every Sunday because we believe this is the place where God fully sees us. He's the only one that knows 100% who we are. We can't hide anything from him. We can't pretend to be something we're not.

So this morning we invite everyone, whether you're watching online or here in this room, to participate in this table as you feel comfortable and open and called. The only requirement is that you share with God anything that you need to confess.

We're going to join with a confession on the screen and have a time of private prayer, and then we'll invite everyone forward. So would you join me now, friends?

Yes. We have been called to follow Christ by obeying his commandment that we love one another as he has loved. So let us confess how we have fallen short of that love. Would you join me?

Loving God, we have not loved you or each other with our whole hearts. Forgive us, we pray, and lead us towards wholeness that we may be filled with your joy. Forgive us and abide in us by the power of your spirit so that our lives may show our love for Jesus Christ.

After Christ came into the city and everybody praised him, he sat with his friends and he broke the bread and he said, this is my body which has been broken for you. Eat in remembrance of me.

He also took a cup and he said, this is the blood of Jesus Christ. He said, this is the blood of the new covenant. Drink just as you eat in remembrance of me.

Almighty God, send your spirit upon this bread and juice and transform it to be your body and blood that we may be redeemed and filled by your spirit and that we may know what it means to be washed clean and transformed into the people you want us to be.

Friends, we invite you now to lift anything to God that you like to lift into your hearts. God, we thank you for hearing the confessions of our hearts. We lift to you now and for forgiving them in the name of our Lord Jesus and hearing these prayers. We pray them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Friends, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Would you share with me? In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.

As my helpers come forward, I just want to give you a word of instruction. After I serve, my helpers will invite everyone forward. You'll receive a small piece of bread to dip into the cup of juice. There's pre-packaged communion and gluten-free bread that will be here in the center. You'll come up the center and receive your stations and back to your seats down the outside, and we will start in the center when we come forward.

Everyone is welcome. There are no requirements to come to this table other than the confession that we just did. So give me just a moment to serve my helpers, and then we'll invite everyone forward.

Friends, the Lord's table is set and ready for you. All are welcome. We'll start in the back and come forward row by row.

Amen.

Friends, as we leave, I just wanted to show you where we're headed next week with the next sermon series. So, Bobby, go ahead. Y'all excited? You're like, eh.

Okay, so little side note. I love comic books, personally. I read them. I love them. I'm kind of a comic book nerd. There's this thing in the comic book world called the story arc, which is the overarching story that goes across all the books. Right?

And so we have a story arc in the Bible. Did you know that? Of course you did. Because we’re smart like that, right? We're going to study the redemptive theme that goes from the Old Testament into the New Testament. Because we all struggle. We all struggle with the God that doesn't seem loving in the Old Testament, right? We do.

You know, he seems kind of wrathful and not very forgiving. So we're going to be looking at that story theme with a bunch of these Old Testament stories. And try to figure out how we have one God that's in both Old and New Testament. And how that has to do with our faith.

So that's the stories of the Old Testament kind of thing for this summer. And it's intended to make it easier for you all to kind of come in and out. Because that's life in the summer. If you're interested, we're also going to dive deeper into those stories with a Wednesday night kind of conversation.

And there's a book that you can choose to read or just show up. You don't have to read. But if you want a copy, I've bought a couple copies. In the back, I have five. So there's a mad rush, right? Five lucky people can purchase the study book that goes with the series we're doing in the summer. And kids are invited to be a part of the conversation. We'll have activities.

All right. I have questions. You talk to me after. Because I know you all already knew this because you read the article I wrote this week, right? This is no surprise. Because you read what I write every week, right?

Yeah. Yeah, because y'all are fantastic that way. And every word I say is so important to your life.

Let me pray you out.

God, thank you for reminding us through your story that we are supposed to be joy-filled and light-hearted and that although sometimes when we're here in church, life has not made us light-hearted, that the intention of your people and worship and all that you are is that we are supposed to have fun.

So send us from this place getting ready for summer and all the things that come with that to be able to find the joyful moments. Prepare us for what you have this week and allow us to bring some joy to some other people. And don't let us forget, God, to make sure we show the joy on our face.

We pray this in your powerful name. Amen.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "So how do we keep joy on our face? Well, I think sometimes we have to remember that when bad things happen, we have to find the positive in it. Now, let me rephrase that for a second. I'm not saying that all bad things are good, and I'm not saying we should make light of everything that's bad, but I'm saying is that sometimes we need to find the positive and keep things light, keep levity in our heart. Sometimes it takes a time. All right, something bad might happen, and it might take a little bit of a season to get past it, to be able to find the levity in it, but when we try to find a way to not be so serious with everything in life, it helps us keep the joy." [37:14](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "Levity means when something horrible happens, you find the little sliver of God in that moment. And you praise him for that little sliver. And you recognize that although something horrible happened, God took care of you still. And even in the worst of tragedy, friends, the very worst of tragedy, and I have seen some tragedies, there is always a glimmer of God in the situation, whether it be a person coming to give love and hope, whether it be the stranger that just happened to show up, to give an encouraging word, or someone who just gave an anonymous show of love and didn't have a clue what was happening. There is always glimmers when you look for them." [39:06](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "If there's one thing we can do to show the world that we are filled with the love of Jesus is to be people filled with joy. We can sing all we want and worship all we want. But if we don't have joy on our face. They're going to look at us like people just going through the motions." [44:12](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "It's hard when things don't go our way. That we will be filled by you. As we prepare to come to your table, God, I just ask that you bring to our mind anything that's keeping us from being filled by that so that we may let it go and give it to you. We pray this in your holy name. Amen." [46:11](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



### Quotes for Members

1. "To praise God in the midst of the darkness, in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the suffering, in the midst of the hardship, in the midst of the doubts, that's how as Christians we carry the joy. To worship God when we don't feel like worshiping is how we find the joy. That's the struggle. That's how the world realizes that we're different. That's why when we celebrate life in the Christian church, we do so with singing praise. That's what makes us different. It's because even when we say goodbye to people we love, we praise the fact that we rejoin them again because of the promises of our God." [41:43](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "If we want to focus on what it means to praise God, which is to keep joy in our heart, we really need to focus on the joy being on our face. Because no matter how hard life gets, we do still have a good God. I was reflecting on the scriptures as a whole this week. Do you all know how many times there were things that were going wrong, but people still found ways to praise?" [34:10](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "You got the apostle Paul in the New Testament. Man, Paul got put through a lot of hardships. He got put in prison who knows how many times. I mean, somebody knows, I don't. He got put in prison time and time again. He was almost stoned just because he affected the economy of cities. I mean, he was constantly up against things, but he writes in his letters time and time again, I praise God for what you are doing. And I imagine from prison, as many of his letters were written from prison, that as he was writing this to the churches, that there was a smile of joy on his face as he told these churches, I praise God for what you are doing." [36:01](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "My hope is now that as we're moving into summer and it's busy and all these things, you'll think about what you can do to ensure that life doesn't steal your joy. That drama and hardships and relationships and all the things that can come at us doesn't steal your joy. And I work on it constantly, but I'll tell you what I've gotten better at. Now as I start year 10 of ministry, year one, it could take me three weeks to get back to my place of joy. And now it's just days because God's given me guidance. Guidance and centering and strength and the spiritual disciplines to get back what the world tries to take." [42:57](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)