Hook: Don’t Forget the Lyrics!
Get the group to sing these together (leaders must participate!)!! And of course, add in the missing lyrics! The number of blanks fits the number of letters exactly. Bonus points for actions! :D
Song 1: J-O-Y down in my heart
I’ve got joy that is down in my heart, deep deep down in my heart.
(Spell it out!) J-O-Y that is down in my heart, deep deep down in my heart.
Jesus put it there and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, _ _ _ _ _ _ _, _ _ _ _ _ _ _, _ _!
I’ve got joy that is down in my heart, deep deep down in my heart!
Missing lyrics: nothing can destroy, destroy, destroy, NO
Song 2: I’ve got peace like a river
(I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river in my soul) x2

(I've got love an ocean
I've got love an ocean
I've got love an ocean in my soul) x2

(_’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _) x2
Missing lyrics:
I've got joy like a fountain
I've got joy like a fountain
I've got joy like a fountain in my soul

Link: Do we really have that JOY deep down in our hearts? Last week we learnt about God’s sacred delight! Do we share that kind of delight and have that kind of stubborn, unshakeable peace and JOY? Sounds so appealing but HOW do we even get there?
Book and Look:
Read Matt 5:1-10 and then the section on The Blessing of God.
In addition to answering questions 1 and 2, you might also consider discussing with the group what a ‘radical reconstruction of the heart’ means before going on to the section on Radical Reconstruction.

From the section of Radical Reconstruction, take turns sharing about a phrase/sentence/paragraph that is meaningful to you.
For me, it’s ‘No excuses. No justification. Just tears.’ Part of the process of the reconstruction of our hearts includes mourning! Truly, I know that it’s hard to problem-free and to always end up doing the right thing, sometimes even trying is so tiring and frustrating. If I wanna be joyful, it’s nothing like pretending my life is perfect or that people will never find loopholes in the way I do things, that’s not me! So herein lies the difference between being drugged and being joyful, which is that I recognize that indeed many things are wrong and I mourn, in order that I might be comforted.
I’m not familiar Black Bart, the character that Lucado mentions in the section The Bandit of Joy. So can I suggest that the groups share their personal encounters with bandits of joy, followed by a discussion of question 4. (The Bible identifies this thief who holds up Christians and makes us surrender our joy. Read John 10:10 and identify who this thief is, and what he does to us. What does Christ in turn do?)
Took:
Take the section Promises of Joy further by encouraging every member to claim these promises throughout the week! Please also unhurriedly discuss question 6 (What fears are keeping you from receiving God’s forgiveness and beginning your journey of real joy?), share with sincerity!
We can end by highlighting The Heart of the Matter, sharing thoughts on The Heart of Jesus and doing a memory verse review on Matt 5:12! :D