Grab a coffee & use these questions to explore Sunday's message with a friend or with your connection group.
January 4, 2026 // Pirates: What's stealing your joy?
1. Finish this sentence as honestly, or humorously, as you want: ”I was perfectly happy with my ___ (phone, job, car, etc.)… until I saw ___ (newest phone, better job, nicer car, etc.)”
2. In the message, we heard how the pirate that steals your joy does it through comparison. Where does comparison hit you the hardest right now? (finances, career, relationships, body image…)
3. Share a time when you were genuinely content, but then something (or someone) made that contentment disappear. What changed?
4. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. (Philippians 4:6-7)
According to these words written by Paul, the key to disarming the pirate that steals your joy is thanking God for all he has done for you, even when life is hard (read 2 Cor. 11:23-27.) What are some of the things God has done for you that you are thankful for, even when life is hard?
5. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8 MSG)
We heard how turning our BUT around can shift our focus from what we don’t have to what we do have. What’s one honest sentence from your own life right now where you could try that? “Life feels ______, BUT ______.” What might change if you practiced that consistently this week?
For an easy way to read it wherever you go, check out the Bible under the Helpful Stuff tab on the TMP app.
1. Finish this sentence as honestly, or humorously, as you want: ”I was perfectly happy with my ___ (phone, job, car, etc.)… until I saw ___ (newest phone, better job, nicer car, etc.)”
2. In the message, we heard how the pirate that steals your joy does it through comparison. Where does comparison hit you the hardest right now? (finances, career, relationships, body image…)
3. Share a time when you were genuinely content, but then something (or someone) made that contentment disappear. What changed?
4. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. (Philippians 4:6-7)
According to these words written by Paul, the key to disarming the pirate that steals your joy is thanking God for all he has done for you, even when life is hard (read 2 Cor. 11:23-27.) What are some of the things God has done for you that you are thankful for, even when life is hard?
5. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8 MSG)
We heard how turning our BUT around can shift our focus from what we don’t have to what we do have. What’s one honest sentence from your own life right now where you could try that? “Life feels ______, BUT ______.” What might change if you practiced that consistently this week?
For an easy way to read it wherever you go, check out the Bible under the Helpful Stuff tab on the TMP app.