Biltmore UMCA welcoming community of Faith seeking to be more like Jesus!
WEEKEND MISSION: Go outside and play.
If you think you can’t spare the time for this, I will challenge you! If what you seek is joy, you can’t afford NOT to spend the time taking care of yourself in this way.
Your brain will work differently in a state of relaxed play, with no agenda. And that’s probably a welcome break from the way you’re using it all the rest of the time.
For the full mission, join us via Facebook Messenger at Joy Labs!
MISSION: Do you want to understand people who have different values and beliefs? What are you WILLING to try?
Today’s mission asks you to step outside your comfort zone, talk to someone you don’t agree with, and meet on THEIR TERMS… with humility and grace.
Join JOY LABS for the full mission!
Today, tens of thousands of people are reflecting on their common bond with others to combat isolation, judgment, and indifference. Will you join us?
MISSION: FIRST, reflect on all the people who are responsible for your life.
Your parents and teachers.
The people who discovered all the things we take for granted.
And all the ancestors who lived and survived so YOU could be born—who endured endless hardship so you could have YOUR life!
NEXT, allow your heart to open. Experience the JOY and APPRECIATION that come from being in touch with everything that’s been given to you, in realizing how dependent we are on others, how WEAK we are in our separateness and yet how STRONG in our togetherness.
<3 Finally, JOIN JOY LABS if you haven’t already! A micro-mission each day, delivered through Facebook Messenger, for a more joyful life.
My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times.
–Clarissa Pinkola Estes
MISSION: A powerful song can send soldiers bravely into battle. It can inspire crowds to act. And YOUR song—your ANTHEM—can bring you courage when your heart is unsure.
FIND YOUR ANTHEM. Choose a song that fires you up. This song is now part of your joy toolkit. Make sure it’s available to you (download it to your phone)!
The next time your energy or resolve need a boost… TURN IT UP!
(Go to Joy Labs and send us a message for more daily missions of JOY.)
JOY Practice for the Day:
‘Have a situation or person that is driving YOU crazy? Use this “Self-Distancing” Practice:
1) THINK about the situation you are facing
2) DESCRIBE your problem as if it you were talking to someone else– (use YOUR NAME rather than the words “I /me /mine”).
3) IMAGINE the problem from a DISTANT perspective of a week, month, or year from now. (i.e., Will this event still have an impact on you then? Will you remember it? Will you have learned from the situation?)
4) ENVISION the situation as one snippet of your entire life from GOD’S PERSPECTIVE. See ALL your frustrations and fears. Now see ALL other people having EQUAL value and being worthy of love and respect.
Then ASK what will SERVE the WHOLE…
MISSION: Thousands of people are practicing compassion toward someone a little more challenging…
… the loved one who is currently acting like a MONSTER.
People don’t all suffer elegantly. When your loved one is experiencing one of the ‘downs’ of life, he might exhibit all kinds of ugly tendencies. Like self-absorption, carelessness, short temper, impulsiveness and depression.
Follow today’s mission of joy for a way to handle this situation AND feel more joyful. Join us!
MISSION: No one says you have to LIKE the things in your life that are difficult, painful, and heartbreaking. But fighting against these things often only hurts YOU. No more fighting against what you can’t change.
Practice ACCEPTANCE by naming what you can’t change. Say it out loud. NOW you have a place to start—to begin the real battle.
Desmond Tutu did not accept the INEVITABILITY of apartheid, but he did accept its REALITY. In the face of hopelessness, he practiced acceptance so he could focus his energy… and fight.
Check out today’s JOY mission from Joy Labs:
Martin Luther King, Jr said: ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.’
MISSION: There is great joy to be had from standing up for what you believe—even if it’s not popular. Today, find your voice about something you believe, and do it with kindness.
– Speak up about an injustice you see, whether it’s in conversation or online.
– If you hear a group of people talking behind someone’s back and it makes you uncomfortable, tell them it’s not OK with you.
– Donate to a cause that resonates with you.
– If you’re hearing about something on the news that you don’t fully understand, LEARN MORE about it so you can speak to your beliefs. #sharethejoy #30daysofjoy
Happy Friday! May your weekend be filled with lots of joy! Here is your JOY mission from Joy Labs:
This weekend, you will be like a JOY TASTER. You will explore the world around you for tools to use in your missions.
It’s as simple as being more aware of your surroundings and yourself. Go outside and NOTICE the smells and sounds. NOTICE how your body feels when you’re giving a hug, or running, or warm under a blanket. If you’re stressed, NOTICE how your shoulders feel. NOTICE how your heart and mind respond to kindness, or indifference, or boredom. #sharethejoy
BOOST OF JOY? That’s awesome. Check out today’s JoyLab mission and plan a “friend date” soon:
In times of fear about the future of humanity, I take solace in this. Desmond Tutu said:
‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good together that overwhelm the world.’
MISSION: Enjoy a taste of the BEST of humanity today by SCHEDULING an in-person meeting with a friend. Good old-fashioned connecting will take you through a full ‘tasting menu’ of joy triggers: laughter, empathy, reflection, vulnerability, generosity and curiosity. You’ll BOTH feel amazing, and you’ve done some GOOD in the world by creating intimate moments of shared joy.
For extra credit, you might even let them in on your secret: that you’re looking for a BOOST OF JOY, and you thought of THEM.
The next part is in your hands…
Check out our Facebook for daily updates and to #sharethejoy.