Leader Guide
Artist: Jason Gray
Artist: Jason Gray
URL: http://www.jasongraymusic.com
Album: Where the Light Gets In
Record Company: Centricity Music
Song: Glow in the Dark
Sarah Taylor
Cynthiana, KY
[email protected]
Theme
Perseverance/Endurance, Identity in Christ
Objective
To encourage students to push through the hard times, to be encouraged by who they are in Christ.
Warm Up
Introduce and play clip from Airborne (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2Ew6dhSQlI)
In the 1993 movie Airborne, LA surfer Mitchell Goosen is forced to move to Cincinnati to live with his cousin. His cousin, a bit quirky in and of his own right, works to introduce Mitchell to some of his more popular classmates. However, Mitchell’s laid-back attitude and unique sense of style are not well received by the students in his class.
Transition
Have you ever been bullied? What are some ways you deal with bullying?
How does your faith impact the way you respond to bullying?
In the song “Glow in the Dark” from his latest album Where the Light Gets In, Jason Gray talks about what it means to persevere through hard times in your life and allowing God’s light to shine through you.
Song
Take a listen.
Transition
Ever feel like that – like the world’s just one big mess, like you’ve taken a fist to the chest?
How do you respond? Does being a Christian impact the way you respond to life and/or peer pressure? How?
Bible Study
Read Matthew 5: 13-15
· What do you think Jesus means in these first couple verses?
· What happens if you cover the flame of a candle?
· What happens when you put a candle in the center of a room?
· What kind of faith life are you living? Are you a candle being snuffed out?
Read Philippian 2: 12-15
· What do you think Paul means to “work out your own salvation”?
· Who/What gives us power to move through life?
· As Christians, how are we to respond to life’s pressures? (v 14)
· How do you typically respond?
· What does verse 15 mean to you?
· Can it really be that simple? Explain.
Wrap Up
Perhaps one of the best cinematic speeches ever given comes from the 2006 film “Rocky Balboa.” Stallone’s character is about to come out of retirement to fight one more round, but his son doesn’t think it’s the best idea. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk82j1jQw_8) Rocky takes a look at his kid and he sees someone just trying to keep his head down, trying to keep the jeering comments and laughs at bay. But Rocky knows there’s so much more to the kid in front of him.
The same can be said for our relationships with Christ. Life is always going to hit us, in one way or another. It’s going it hurt. People are going to disappoint us and hurt us. Life isn’t always going to be sunshine and rainbows. But life isn’t really about that, is it? Life is about how we, as Christians, can take the hits life throws our way and still continue pushing forward – allowing Christ’s light to shine through the chaos and pain. Like Jason Gray says in his song, it’s only when we’re truly broken that Christ’s like can really shine through.
Artist: Jason Gray
Artist: Jason Gray
URL: http://www.jasongraymusic.com
Album: Where the Light Gets In
Record Company: Centricity Music
Song: Glow in the Dark
Sarah Taylor
Cynthiana, KY
[email protected]
Theme
Perseverance/Endurance, Identity in Christ
Objective
To encourage students to push through the hard times, to be encouraged by who they are in Christ.
Warm Up
Introduce and play clip from Airborne (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2Ew6dhSQlI)
In the 1993 movie Airborne, LA surfer Mitchell Goosen is forced to move to Cincinnati to live with his cousin. His cousin, a bit quirky in and of his own right, works to introduce Mitchell to some of his more popular classmates. However, Mitchell’s laid-back attitude and unique sense of style are not well received by the students in his class.
Transition
Have you ever been bullied? What are some ways you deal with bullying?
How does your faith impact the way you respond to bullying?
In the song “Glow in the Dark” from his latest album Where the Light Gets In, Jason Gray talks about what it means to persevere through hard times in your life and allowing God’s light to shine through you.
Song
Take a listen.
Transition
Ever feel like that – like the world’s just one big mess, like you’ve taken a fist to the chest?
How do you respond? Does being a Christian impact the way you respond to life and/or peer pressure? How?
Bible Study
Read Matthew 5: 13-15
· What do you think Jesus means in these first couple verses?
· What happens if you cover the flame of a candle?
· What happens when you put a candle in the center of a room?
· What kind of faith life are you living? Are you a candle being snuffed out?
Read Philippian 2: 12-15
· What do you think Paul means to “work out your own salvation”?
· Who/What gives us power to move through life?
· As Christians, how are we to respond to life’s pressures? (v 14)
· How do you typically respond?
· What does verse 15 mean to you?
· Can it really be that simple? Explain.
Wrap Up
Perhaps one of the best cinematic speeches ever given comes from the 2006 film “Rocky Balboa.” Stallone’s character is about to come out of retirement to fight one more round, but his son doesn’t think it’s the best idea. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk82j1jQw_8) Rocky takes a look at his kid and he sees someone just trying to keep his head down, trying to keep the jeering comments and laughs at bay. But Rocky knows there’s so much more to the kid in front of him.
The same can be said for our relationships with Christ. Life is always going to hit us, in one way or another. It’s going it hurt. People are going to disappoint us and hurt us. Life isn’t always going to be sunshine and rainbows. But life isn’t really about that, is it? Life is about how we, as Christians, can take the hits life throws our way and still continue pushing forward – allowing Christ’s light to shine through the chaos and pain. Like Jason Gray says in his song, it’s only when we’re truly broken that Christ’s like can really shine through.