{"id":4400,"date":"2015-04-11T12:44:44","date_gmt":"2015-04-11T12:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=4400"},"modified":"2015-04-11T12:44:44","modified_gmt":"2015-04-11T12:44:44","slug":"j-blogging-a-to-z-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=4400","title":{"rendered":"\u201cJ\u201d \u2013 Blogging A to Z"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As we continue through the month of April, we are nearing the half way point. Which means we are ready to tack the letter \u201cj\u201d today. In the article[i]<\/a> I\u2019ve been following for this challenge, Ms. Marquez suggests that one way to boost your attitude or your happiness level is to journal.<\/p>\n

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\"j\"<\/a>According to this article, research has shown that by writing down what you\u2019re grateful for each day helps to make you more optimistic.<\/p>\n

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It makes sense doesn\u2019t it? When we are more focused on what we are thankful for we are less likely to dwell on the things of life we aren\u2019t so thankful for. It\u2019s no wonder books like One Thousand Gifts<\/em> by Ann Voskamp are so popular. We want to see the best in life. We want to be thankful for what God has given. We want to dwell on the good.<\/p>\n

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In the book mentioned above, Ms. Voskamp suggests that the word for thanksgiving holds a three-fold meaning. The Greek word eucharisteo<\/em> means to give thanks. Within this word, the word charis<\/em> is present and it means grace. Also within the word is chara<\/em> which means joy. Her conclusion is that this word is a key to abundant living. Thanksgiving. Grace. Joy.<\/p>\n

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So just think of the things you could journal each day that you are thankful for. You can write these notes on anything. 3 x 5 cards. A napkin. A journal. Or even text it to yourself. One of my friends writes the things she\u2019s thankful for on slips of paper and puts them in a jar. On New Year\u2019s Eve she reads through the slips. What a beautiful way to start a New Year\u2026by being thankful for all you\u2019ve been given, seen or experienced over a year\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s no wonder this exercise will boost your happiness and attitude.<\/p>\n

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I recall Paul\u2019s words from Philippians. He knew that we would be discouraged. He knew that we would need an attitude adjustment. So in his wisdom, Paul offered these words through God\u2019s Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

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\u201cRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!\u201d<\/em> (Philippians 4:4 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

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\u201cFinally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable\u2014if anything is excellent or praiseworthy\u2014think about such things.\u201d<\/em> (Philippians 4:8 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

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What are you thankful for today? Are you willing to take the challenge of journaling what you\u2019re thankful for? It may seem like a little thing, but if your spirit is downcast, this may be the best medicine for your soul. I pray that you will find grace, thanksgiving and joy through Jesus Christ and that you will find abundant life through Him.<\/p>\n

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Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donna<\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> \u201cMore Bliss, Less Stress: A to Z Happiness Boosters to Try Today,\u201d Jennifer Rainey Marquez, Good Housekeeping<\/em>, Vol. 260, No. 4, page 114.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  As we continue through the month of April, we are nearing the half way point. Which means we are ready to tack the letter \u201cj\u201d today. In the article[i] I\u2019ve been following for this challenge, Ms. Marquez suggests that one way to boost your attitude or your happiness level is to journal.   According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[43,135,4098,486,1046,1316,2129],"class_list":["post-4400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thanking-god","tag-grace","tag-joy","tag-one-thousand-gifts-by-ann-voskamp","tag-philippians-44","tag-philippians-48","tag-thanksgiving","tag-j-blogging-a-to-z"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4400"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4403,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400\/revisions\/4403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}