G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr once noted;
Religion: The flesh is willing, but the spirit is weak. When motivated by desire and good intentions, acting righteous is repulsive to God.
Week:
4
Gratitude and Joy
Cultivating thankfulness and joy as disciplines. Participants learn gratitude as a spiritual practice that reshapes perception and sustains resilience. The week offers rhythms and exercises for noticing God’s gifts, celebrating small mercies, and choosing joy even in difficulty. The goal is a habitual posture of thanksgiving that deepens worship and everyday contentment.
Objectives
Build daily gratitude rhythms.
Distinguish joy from circumstances.
Practice gratitude even in hard circumstances.
Reflections
What habit will help me keep joy daily?
How does gratitude change my view of God’s activity?
What is one hard thing I can thank God for today?
NowTo the HowTo
Accountability/Tracking
Post one gratitude entry to a group thread each day; celebrate when everyone posts at least three times.
Community Action
Organize a short “gratitude circle” where each person names one hard thing they can thank God for.
Creative Project
Create a collage or digital slide of small joys from the week and display it in the meeting space.
Leader Prompt
Encourage honest thanksgiving by acknowledging pain before inviting gratitude; model one example.
Personal Practice
Keep a one line daily gratitude log for seven days and read it aloud on day seven.