Lesson 24. Power of the Media, Part II. Promise of the Week: I will apply the THRPPGEW test to all my media choices.

Transcription

1 Lesson 24 Power of the Media, Part II Promise of the Week: I will apply the THRPPGEW test to all my media choices. Memory Verse: Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is good, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Leader Note: Media is defined as any source of information that influences us. This could be anything! - Commercials in-between shows - The display at Ulta with the latest, greatest beauty must-have - The not-so-random ad on your Facebook feed - Billboards - News media commentators It is not just the news media, but now also social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat and more. Add to that all the entertainment media: TV, Music, Film, Print, Internet, Gaming. There is also the expansive world of advertising. These are all examples of media. Joel Kime In Proverbs 4:23 we read above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. Another way to describe this principle is to look at what Paul says in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. We are called to be holy. We should desire purity in our life, and the simple fact is that there is plenty of media that is less than holy. We should not allow it in our ears and eyes. (*excerpts from These girls have benefitted from a year of lessons and godly teaching. Hopefully their brains are full of scripture and truth! Media is vying for their attention and affection. Summer break is right around the corner. It holds

2 a host of temptations as schedules change drastically and many of them have hours of free time and less adult supervision. Media will become their babysitter. They will need and use this lesson throughout summer as they make wise choices for what they allow in their eyes and ears. EXTRA: See PDF A Parent s Primer on Electronic Addiction by Walt Mueller Lesson 24: Power of the Media, Part II Soaked in Jesus Props clean kitchen sponge Tray or large dish Pitcher of clean water Small amount of water dyed with food coloring Large clear mason jar OR large clear bowl Medicine dropper Last week we used a sponge illustration to show the girls that what goes in must come out. If you absorb the world, then you squeeze out the world. We challenged the girls to absorb Jesus and love God with all their heart, mind and soul. Today we want to give the girls a practical tool to make wise choices. As we begin this lesson let s put a twist on the sponge illustration. Last week we showed you a great illustration with this sponge. What type of water did we encourage you to absorb? - Clean water = Scripture and Jesus But when the sponge absorbed the colored water or worldly foolishness, what did it squeeze out? - Colored water = Worldly lies and foolishness What would happen if I soaked this sponge in clean water so it was FULL? (*Lay sponge in dish and add clean water until the sponge is covered and soaked completely.) Let s say your heart and mind are FULL of Jesus, to the point of overflowing. Then you notice a magazine cover in the grocery line. The

3 headline says skinny girls get more likes and love. Is that godly wisdom or worldly foolishness? - Worldly foolishness Your eyes glanced across it and your mind tries to absorb it. (*Fill medicine dropper with colored water and drip a few drops in the dish with sponge.) Later that day you re online checking your Instagram account and a friend posts an inappropriate picture with some cursing in the caption. Your mind takes in the image and words as you skim your feed. (*Drip a few more drops of colored water in the dish with sponge.) Remove the sponge and squeeze it into the clear jar. What kind of water comes out? - Clean water Why? - sponge was soaked full of clean water so there was no room for the colored water, it dispelled (definition: cause to vanish) in the clean water A life soaked in Jesus has less room for worldly foolishness to take hold. Because we live on the planet earth and are surrounded by people, some that love Jesus and some that don t, we will always be exposed to things that don t honor God. Our sponge wants to absorb something. If we continually fill ourselves with scripture and truth then there s less room for the world to take hold. We can refute the lies, negativity and temptations because we know what honors God and we re reading, living, choosing that on a daily basis. * This lesson will be more relevant if you will choose up-to-date media examples. Visit cpyu.org and check out their Top 10 lists of music and movies that are popular with teens and even Culture Hot Quotes that list celebs latest tweets and quotes. Split girls into small groups preferably 3-4 girls. Give each group a different media example (ideas below) and the verse and list of questions. - What is the overall message of this particular example?

4 - Ask them to filter it through THRPPGEW and decide if it s godly wisdom or worldly foolishness. What in this is a lie or stands opposite to the Bible and what is true and holy? - Why should I do with this particular sample of media? Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is good, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Media Examples: - current hit song and print the lyrics - quote from a popular female actress that may sound good but is far from truth - Netflix teen series - print out an article on the show describing the storyline and characters or show a clip - several ads from a magazine that showcase material things sold in a sexual manner - tweets or FB status updates from teens that highlight inappropriate language, gossip or bullying (if this one is too difficult to find then create a scenario of your own because we know it has been said somewhere/sometime on social media) How do we keep our sponges full of Jesus? Can we go to church on Sunday and not pick up our Bible until the following Sunday? No! We keep our sponge full by constantly putting more Jesus in which means we need to be spending daily time with him. All of you have heard our THRPPGEW verse all year but I want to remind you of what the very next verse (Philippians 4:9) says too. Philippians 4:9, What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Paul is saying Get Practical (my paraphrase!). Practical = consisting of action, designed for actual use Take everything we ve talked about and put it into practice every single day. How do we do that? What are the verbs in this verse?

5 Learned Girlz 4 God has had so many great lessons this year on temptations, trials and truth that you experience as a middle school girl. You have learned lots! How else can you learn about God and his truth? Received If you are a follower of Jesus then you have received some very precious gifts. Does any know what some of those are? Salvation/Grace, Forgiveness, Spiritual Gifts, Love Do not lose sight of the gifts God gave you and be consumed with the gifts of this world. They are temporary and God s gifts are eternal. Heard and Seen Paul is telling the church at Philippi to look at his life. What Paul says is what Paul does. He is the same no matter what. If people were to listen to your words and watch what you do, would they think you loved Jesus or the world? Who in your life is like Paul? Could you approach them and ask them to teach you and help you become more like Jesus? Practice Practice makes Progress. Progress spurs more practice. Questions and process below is taken from: cpyu.org, 3(D) Review and Joel Kime How to Eat Media Nov 2016 see Parent PDF of 3(D) Review available to CPYU 3D Twenty- One Pilots Review Question 1 Discover What is the message/worldview of the song? Question 2 Discern How does this song hold up in light of the biblical worldview? Question 3 Decide What should I do with this song? Media Measure This can be done nightly before bed. (* Do this with your girls and show them how quick and easy it can be. Help them think critically and not just check boxes. The more you know about your time and attention with media, the more equipped you are to make better choices.)

6 1. What kind of media did I engage with today? Social Media Internet TV Music Magazines Texting News Shows 2. How much time did I spend with media today? less than 1 hour 1-3 hours 4-6 hours 3. How much time did I spend praying and reading God s Word today? less than 15 minutes minutes an hour 4. Do I feel more calm and confident or anxious and dissatisfied with my life today? < > Calm Anxious < > Confident Dissatisfied 5. Did anything I read or heard today contribute to how I feel right now? What/Why? STOP! Get out your Bible and read God s love letter to you. PRAY! Ask God for His peace and His truth. Commit to cut back on your media intake by 10 minutes tomorrow. Commit to spending 10 more minutes with Jesus tomorrow than you did today. Little by little, you can change your habits and start absorbing more Jesus and less media influence. It takes time, effort, discipline and sacrifice. But it is SO worth it. Girlz 4 God Promise of the Week: I will apply the THRPPGEW test to all my media choices. Memory Verse: Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is good, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

7 to the Parents: Re: Girlz 4 God Lesson 24 Power of the Media, Part II Dear Girlz 4 God Parents, Thank you for allowing your daughter to attend Girlz 4 God this week! Media is defined as any source of information that influences us. It is not just the news media, but now also social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat and more. Add to that all the entertainment media: TV, Music, Film, Print, Internet, Gaming. There is also the expansive world of advertising. These are all examples of media. Joel Kime In Proverbs 4:23 we read above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. Another way to describe this principle is to look at what Paul says in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. We are called to be holy. We should desire purity in our life, and the simple fact is that there is plenty of media that is less than holy. We should not allow it in our ears and eyes. (*excerpts from These girls have benefitted from a year of lessons and godly teaching. Hopefully their brains are full of scripture and truth! Media is vying for their attention and affection. Summer break is right around the corner. It holds a host of temptations as schedules change drastically and many of them have hours of free time and less adult supervision. We challenged the girls to filter media through THRPPGEW (is it true, honorable, right, pure, pleasing, good, excellent and worthy of praise?). We also gave them a nightly survey to check in on how much time they spend with media. This might be a great tool for you to use as well or even to do together! Media Measure 1. What kind of media did I engage with today? Social Media Internet TV Music

8 Magazines Texting News Shows 2. How much time did I spend with media today? less than 1 hour 1-3 hours 4-6 hours 3. How much time did I spend praying and reading God s Word today? less than 15 minutes minutes an hour 4. Do I feel more calm and confident or anxious and dissatisfied in myself and my life today? < > Calm Anxious < > Confident Dissatisfied 5. Did anything I read or heard today contribute to how I feel right now? What/Why? Promise of the Week: I will apply the THRPPGEW test to all my media choices. Memory Verse: Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is good, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.