Gratitude – leader guide #1
IF YOU’RE LEADING THIS STUDY…
November 4-10, 2018
3 Insider Insights:
This month, we want to deepen our Christ Community Church family and team in their responsive thankfulness to God. This Psalms exercise – reading and reflecting on 5 Psalms that finish up the Biblical praise book – can be a great catalyst for transforming hearts that may have focused a lot on personal struggles or challenges. Take time with the word this week…spend the time together identifying the goodnesses of God.
Here are some PRACTICAL ways to express gratitude to God, taken from a 2011 publication by the University of Harvard: You may want to share these with your Connect Group.
Ways to cultivate gratitude https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/in-praise-of-gratitude
Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can’t feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.
Write a thank-you note [even, to God].You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
Thank someone mentally.No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
Keep a gratitude journal.Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day.
Count your blessings.Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.
People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.
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FINALLY…encourage your Connect Group members to come to the November 17th UL320 Dinner. Register together…come together.