In a Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown was having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit so Linus said, “Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.” Today we start a five day journey on how to experience relentless joy. And you’re not going to like step one.

Distraction of the Day:

Can a guy with a $65 budget get you to cry with his short film about Christmas?

Honoring News of the Day:

48 Years After Reading the Christmas Card That Got Him Through the Vietnam War, He Finally Got to Meet the Sender

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7VgcMyVsR4&feature=youtu.be 

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Joy is a choice

'“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ' John 15:9-11

Joy is the result of the choices you make.

You are missing out on:

• a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
• delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy

“Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.” John Piper

There’s a story about one of Napoleon Bonaparte's generals, a man by the name of Massena, who somehow snuck up on an unsuspecting town in Austria with 18,000 soldiers. Soldiers from one of the greatest armies in the history of the world! Unfortunately this Austrian town was totally unprepared and had no means of defending itself against this massive army. The town council had nearly decided to surrender when the old dean of the church reminded them that it was Easter and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble outside in God's hands. This they did; bells rang, joyful singing ensued and the French general Massena, with his 18,000 soldier advantage concluded that the Austrian army must have arrived to defend the town because why else would the bells be ringing and the people rejoicing in song? He quickly broke camp and before the bells stopped ringing and the people stopped singing, the French army had vanished.

The incident has often been duplicated in individual lives. They have rung the joy bells in the face of pain, and sickness, and poverty, and fear, and loneliness, and all other trials. Then the joy bells have conquered. Speedily, the foe has slunk away. Speedily, the bell ringers have found themselves in possession of the field. For no enemy is quite so strong as faith accompanied with good cheer.

Distraction of the Day:

The short film is by Phil Beastall, from Tewkesbury in England. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHX0btJYcyI&feature=youtu.be