Life Lessons I learned from my Dog! Week 1 Don t judge a dog by its bark!

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Verity Williams
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1 Life Lessons I learned from my Dog! Week 1 Don t judge a dog by its bark! Bible Read: Luke 7:36 (Pharisees were religious leaders of their time) Ask students: Let s talk about a dinner party what takes place in our culture today? o Ex: clean up house, dress nice, set table, shake door, take coats, have drinks, sit down for meal, serve guest bring flowers if you are guest etc In Jesus culture, dinner parties were very different. There were expectations of being a guest for a meal. Some things to expect back then: o Meal is banquet o Meal open to public o Dishes of food set in middle couches reclining o Guest greeted with kiss (kiss on each cheek for equal / kiss on hand for rabbi) o Feet were considered offensive sandals left at door o Guest reclined servants go behind them & pour water over feet. *to not wash feet would be considered extremely rude and imply the guest was inferior. Read Luke 7:37-38 The woman is probably a prostitute well known in small community and despised by religious people. She knows what she was going to do by anointing w/ perfume brought w/ her She was upset by the rudeness shown to Jesus no kiss or feet washing. She s crying & washes his feet with tears & kisses his feet. Dries his feet w/ her hair she lets her hair down for us not a big deal but back then women only let their hair down for husbands could even divorce over this is a woman did this in public. Read Luke 7:39 Simon the Pharisee condemns the woman o All he sees is a sinner no compassion a label for all those unclean tax collectors, lepers, prostitutes all sinners unclean the outsiders - not the in crowd Every culture has their in and out crowd in today s world. Maybe the homeless, mentally ill, losers, drug dealers, etc Simon questions Jesus judgment allowing her to let down her hair and touch him If anything will get Jesus upset, it s judging outsiders like this Jesus responds to Simon the Pharisee by telling a story: Read Luke 7:41-43

2 Jesus tells the story to pull the rug out from under Simon & his attitude towards sinners. We have to admit that love is a response to grace Read Luke 7:44-48 Gets crazier in remembering the culture back then: o Women were devalued in this culture o To praise a woman in all-male gathering was radical a profound statement of worth. o Even if a host isn t hospitable it was unthinkable to publicly question the host s actions. o Jesus mentions 3 expressions of missed opportunities of hospitality a kiss of greeting, foot washing & anointing of oil Bringing it all together: In this story we encounter rudeness, pride, self-righteousness, harsh judgment, hard heartedness, rejection, and worst of all labeling this woman as a sinner. I love this story because it breaks down our categories of who s in & who s out. Jesus came to bring good news to everyone, but especially to those who are treated poorly. It says so much about God. It says so much to those who feel on the edge, despised, rejected & unwelcome. And it says so much to us when we start assuming we re the ones who are in and have it all together. His welcome is for the unwelcome. Conversation Questions: 1. Do you ever feel judged? How does it feel? 2. Why do we judge others so quickly? How can we change this? 3. What are some ways you can include others? at school, at home, & at church? 4. List some ways or times that Jesus didn t exclude others. Play (Activity): Don t judge a book by its Cover! Pass out the pieces of paper (books) to each student. You can do some brainstorming as a group, but have them write on the OUTSIDE of the book (the cover) the things that they think others see about them, or the false things that they see/feel/think about themselves. Ex.(insecure, ugly, shameful, not cool crowd etc). But then have them open the book and write on the INSIDE of the book all the things that are true of them they things others see in them and also what God sees in them. Ex (beautiful, God s child, creative, smart, talented etc)

3 Life Lessons I Learned from my Dog Week 2 Dog Gone Jealous! PLAY As a group- you are going to make 2 Top 10 Lists. Top 10 things we get jealous of and Top 10 things we are thankful for. JEALOUS TOP 10 THANKFUL TOP CONVERSATION 1. Which list was easier to make? Why? 2. Does anyone want to share a time when you experienced jealousy in your own life? 3. How can we help and encourage one another when we have jealous feelings? 4. What are you most thankful for that you sometimes don t think about thanking God for? BIBLE Luke 12:22-23 (NIRV ) 22 Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. He said, I tell you, do not worry. Don t worry about your life and what you will eat. And don t worry about your body and what you will wear. 23 There is more to life than eating. There are more important things for the body than clothes. 1. What does this scripture say about worry? 2. What does this passage teach us about jealousy? 3. What are some Bible Stories that involve jealousy? 4. Read verse 23 again what are some more important things in your life? ENCOURAGEMENT 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus. PRAY TOGETHER- JOYS AND CONCERNS

4 Life Lessons I Learned from my Dog Sit Dog Sit. Good Dog. Week 3 BIBLE John 21:1-6 After this, Jesus appeared to his disciples again. It was by the Sea of Galilee. Here is what happened. Simon Peter and Thomas, who was also called Didymus, were there together. Nathanael from Cana in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee were with them. So were two other disciples. I m going out to fish, Simon Peter told them. They said, We ll go with you. So they went out and got into the boat. That night they didn t catch anything. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore. But the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, Friends, don t you have any fish? No, they answered. He said, Throw your net on the right side of the boat. There you will find some fish. When they did, they could not pull the net into the boat. There were too many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Simon Peter, It is the Lord! As soon as Peter heard that, he put his coat on. He had taken it off earlier. Then he jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat. They were towing the net full of fish. The shore was only about 100 yards away. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals. There were fish on it. There was also some bread. Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish you have just caught. 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat. He dragged the net to shore. It was full of large fish. There were 153 of them. But even with that many fish the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, Come and have breakfast. None of the disciples dared to ask him, Who are you? They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same thing with the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 1. How do we see obedience in this passage? What about faithfulness? 2. What happens when Jesus asks them to drop their nets? 3. Why were the disciples surprised when they caught fish? 4. What does Peter do when Jesus finds out it was Jesus? 5. What does this passage teach us about listening? CONVERSATION Scar Show & Tell Have students( if they want) show and tell a scar that they have. (these will most likely be physical scars but you may have students share emotional scars) Share about how you were faithful, or not faithful even after you got your scar Share when you were not obedient and suffered because of it Share when you were a great listener and were rewarded. Why is being faithful and obedient important in our walk with Jesus? PLAY Simon Says - You may play multiple games with different leaders. Have fun with it. Ask questions like: How does this game relate to the topic of obedience and faithfulness in Christ? In our spiritual walk? In our relationship with others? PRAY- Share joys and concerns

5 2 John 1:6 The way we show our love is to obey God s commands. He commands you to lead a life of love. That s what you have heard from the beginning.

The Book of John LESSON TWENTY-FOUR. John 21. Day 1 John 21:1-3 Day 2 John 21:4-6 Day 3 John 21:7-14 Day 4 John 21:15-17 Day 5 John 21:18-25

The Book of John LESSON TWENTY-FOUR John 21 Day 1 John 21:1-3 Day 2 John 21:4-6 Day 3 John 21:7-14 Day 4 John 21:15-17 Day 5 John 21:18-25 273 1 Look in His Word Feel free to underline, circle or otherwise