Secret Power to Joy, Becoming a... | Buy

It sounds like the headline from a teen magazine! I mean, why would God care about how you feel about your hair? Well, he doesn't necessarily care about your hair, but he cares a lot about how you feel and act. If you get into what God says in the Bible, you can learn to be like a star and feel like every day is the best hair day of your life. Secret Power to Joy, Becoming a Star, and Great Hair Days is a Bible study in the book of Philippians. Don't worry, it's not like school. You can do as much or as little at a time as you want, and you can do the study with a friend. You don't even need a Bible (all the verses are included). The best part is that reading this book will change your life in big ways. You'll learn to be content regardless of what's going on around you, and you'll learn how God can help you stay focused on the most important thing: Him. So, if you're ready to start feeling better about your life, regardless of what your hair has in mind, grab this book and discover your secret power to joy.

Susia Shellenbergeris a former high school teacher and youth minister

Introduction	p. 7
Having A Bad Day, But Still Happy! (Philippians 1:1-30)	p. 13
Becoming A Star (Philippians 2:1-30)	p. 39
It's Okay to be A Copycat (If You're Copying the Right One) (Philippians 3:1-21)	p. 65
Joy Joy2 (Philippians 4:1-23)	p. 93
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

CHAPTER ONE
Having a Bad Day,
but Still Happy!
ut PHILIPPIANS 1:1-30
BITE #1
the New Testament) to fellow Christians. Th e book of Philippians is a
letter he wrote to the church in the city of Philippi.
[From] Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. To all
the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the
overseers and deacons. (Philippians 1:1)
What does it mean to be a servant?
Identify a specifi c time in your life when you served someone. (Maybe
your mom was sick and you brought her breakfast in bed; or you put
someone else’s needs ahead of your own.)
14 Secret Power to Joy, Becoming a Star, and Great Hair Days
Identify a specifi c time in your life when someone served you.
Paul identifi es himself as Jesus Christ’s servant. Th is meansa.
Once he gets to heaven, he has to do chores throughout
eternity
b. He gets a weekly allowance from heaven
c. He has totally surrendered his life to Jesus and is
committed to serving him
d. He must be pretty good at running the vacuum and
emptying the dishwasher
Guess what! If you chose the third answer, you’re on the right track track.
Paul is reminding all of his readers (that’s you!) that Jesus Christ is the
Master Master. He’s the One in charge—not us. He is Lord Lord; we are his
servants. And we don’t serve him out of a grudging “have-to” attitude,
but we serve our heavenly Father out of joy and gratitude for all he’s
done for us!
This makes me feel—
a. Like celebrating! After all, Jesus gave his life for me! So
the least I can do is serve him with my life.
b. Angry. I don’t want to serve anyone.
c. Sleepy. All this talk about servanthood makes me want a
nap.
d. Confused. I don’t know how to serve God.
15 Having a Bad Day, but Still Happy!
Th e way you can serve God is by giving him your whole life. Your
entire life. Everything in your life. Th is is called complete surrender surrender.
And when you do that, you serve Christ by your very lifestyle. And
guess what—that brings true joy joy! (More about that later. Let’s get back
to the Scripture.)
In the fi rst verse of this letter, Paul addresses all the believers as
saints. If you’re a believer (a Christian—someone who has asked Christ
to forgive her sins and is living in obedience to him), Paul identifi es
you as a saint!
WOW! I—
a. Never thought of myself that way
b. Realize it’s only possible because of Jesus living inside me
c. Am kind of scared because that’s a lot to live up to!
d. Better take this Bible study seriously
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)
Have you ever stopped to think about what grace really is? Read the
following scenario and try to identify when grace is given.
Kaley was walking through the front door of her house when
she heard the phone ringing. She tossed her books on the
dining room table and rushed to pick up the receiver.
“Kaley? It’s Monica. My older sister and I were going to
see the early showing of A Princess Forever at 4:45. But she’s
BITE #2
16 Secret Power to Joy, Becoming a Star, and Great Hair Days
not feeling well, and she said you could have her ticket. How
‘bout it? Wanna go?”
“I’m dying to see that movie!” Kaley said. “But I have a
book report due tomorrow, and I still have fi ve more chapters
to read!”
“Free ticket, Kaley! Come on. My mom and I can pick
you up in 10 minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll go.”
Monica and Kaley munched on popcorn and drinks
during the movie and giggled at the lead character. When
Kaley got home, she picked up her book and began reading.
She had four chapters left when her brother knocked on her
door and told her she had an e-mail waiting for her.
I really shouldn’t answer it now, she thought. I need to
keep reading. But I could answer it quickly and then get back to
the book.
So she went downstairs to the family offi ce and absorbed
herself in e-mail. An hour later Kaley headed toward her
room to fi nish the book but noticed her parents watching her
favorite nighttime drama on television.
“Oh, I forgot that was on tonight!” she said.
“Shouldn’t you be reading your book?” her mom asked.
“I’m almost done,” Kaley replied. “I’ll just watch the rest of
this with you guys and fi nish the book in a few minutes.”
17 Having a Bad Day, but Still Happy!
By the time the show ended, Kaley could barely keep her
eyes open. She struggled to read another chapter in her book
and fi nally fell asleep.
Th e next morning when Mrs. McCormack asked Kaley
for her book report, Kaley approached her teacher’s desk.
“Mrs. McCormack, I’m almost fi nished with the book.
I have two chapters left. Is there any way I can turn it in
tomorrow?”
“Kaley, you’ve known about this assignment for three
weeks!”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Is there a reason you need more time? Were you sick?
Was there a family emergency?”
“No,” Kaley said quietly as she dropped her head. “I
really don’t have an excuse. I’m just being honest with you. I
watched a movie yesterday afternoon when I should have been
reading. And when I got home, I stayed up too late watching
TV. I don’t deserve another chance; I’m just asking for one.”
“You’re right, Kaley,” Mrs. McCormack said. “You really
don’t deserve another chance. Other students managed to get
their reports in on time. But Kaley, I care about you. I believe
in you. I think with a little extra time, you’ll do a great job on
your report. So I’m giving you another chance. You may turn
in your report fi rst thing tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. McCormack!” Kaley said. “I’ll
give it my best. You’ll love it!”
18 Secret Power to Joy, Becoming a Star, and Great Hair Days
Mrs. McCormack gave Kaley—
A. DETENTION
b. Extra homework
c. A note to take home to her parents
d. Grace
Kaley experienced grace grace. She deserved to fail the assignment. But she
didn’t get what she deserved; she got grace. Guess what! Th at’s the
defi nition of grace: Not getting what you deserve.
Because we’re all sinners and we have all disobeyed God, we
deserve the punishment for sin—death. But when we ask God to
forgive us, he gives us grace grace. In other words, he chooses NOT to give
us what we actually deserve (punishment and death), but he forgives us
and gives us a brand-new start instead.
Describe a time in your life when someone granted
you grace.
19 Having a Bad Day, but Still Happy!
Have you granted someone else grace? If so, describe the situation in
the space provided. If you haven’t granted grace to others, pray about
doing so.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my

Excerpted from Secret Power to Joy, Becoming a Star, and Great Hair Days: Study on the Book of Philippians by Susie Shellenberger
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.