Session 1. Girls In His Image. - The Beauty of Imagination -

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Silvia Gibson
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Session 1 Girls In His Image - The Beauty of Imagination - 1.

The people in the video discussed how they thought true beauty is attained using phrases like feeling good about

If you disagree, how do you see it differently? Do you think beauty is given, or is it developed? 3.

1 Session 1 Girls In His Image - The Beauty of Imagination - 1. In the interviews people were asked to give their opinion about 2. The people in the video discussed how they thought true beauty is attained using phrases like feeling good about yourself and being true to who you are. Do you agree or disagree with their opinion? If you disagree, how do you see it differently? Do you think beauty is given, or is it developed? 3. In what ways do you think God is beautiful? 4. When asked to respond to who is beautiful to you, there were some surprising responses including, grandmother and even dad. Where are some of the more unexpected places that you have discovered beauty?

One of the young ladies confesses that she struggled growing up because she was consistently compared to her sister. Can you relate? How does it feel to be compared? 3.

2 1. In the panel discussion, one of the girls shared that she feels that movies give us misconceptions about beauty. How do you think that movies and other media misrepresent beauty and its relationship to love? 2. One of the young ladies confesses that she struggled growing up because she was consistently compared to her sister. Can you relate? How does it feel to be compared? 3. During the discussion one of the guys says,...seduction is really just putting on a lie. What do you think he means by that statement? 4. Given the conversation in Colored by Image, list some ways that beauty can surface. 5. Where is the mystery in Jon Micah s story? Why was the truth about God and about himself hard to find? 22

3 Let s see what the Bible has to say about the image our lives should reflect. We ll pay special attention to what God says about girls we ll focus specifically on the guys next week. 27 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:27,31a (HCSB) 1. What do you think it means, He created them male and female? 2. How do you think girls are unique image bearers of God? 15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die. 3. Where was Adam created? Genesis 2:15-17 (HCSB) 4. Where was Eve created? What do you think this says about how girls bear God s image? 3

4 Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.... Ezekiel 28:12 (NIV) 5. How is the king of Tyre, our enemy, described in Ezekiel 28:12? 1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You can t eat from any tree in the garden?... 4 No! You will not die, the serpent said to the woman. 5 In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate [it]; she also gave [some] to her husband, [who was] with her, and he ate [it]. Genesis 3:1-6 (HCSB) 6. Why do you think Satan identified Eve for this attack instead of Adam? What do you think this means for beauty today? Here s the Point: Our enemy despises beauty and wishes to cause injury to God by demeaning it. His goal is to attack and distort this aspect of God s image in us particularly, as Genesis 3 reveals, in girls. Shattered: A Visual Illustration God originally designed mankind to reflect His glory as a mirror reflects your image. Adam and Eve s trust in the enemy devastated the human race. The effect this sequence of events had on humanity is similar to the effect a hammer can have on a mirror. Broken mirrors reflect broken images. A distorted reflection is no longer one complete image, but fragments of that image. This is a distortion of beauty. 4

5 1. In what ways has beauty been distorted? 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn... (emphasis added) Isaiah 61:1-2 (NIV) 2. Keeping the pieces of the mirror in mind, what do you think Isaiah 61:1-2 says about restoring beauty? Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. Hosea 2:14 (HCSB) Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I ll come right in... Revelation 3:20 (MSG) 3. How do girls begin the unique journey to re-capturing the beauty that is currently under attack from the enemy? 1 There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated 2 by your life of holy beauty. 3 What matters is not your outer appearance the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes 4 but your inner disposition. 1 Peter 3:1-4 (MSG) 4. According to 1 Peter 3:1-4, what matters most to God? What impact do you think beauty can have? 5

6 5. Describe qualities that make a girl truly beautiful. If God values inner beauty, why don t we always place priority on hearts over looks? Here s the Point: The path to recovering the beauty that has been lost begins with opening the door and allowing Jesus to speak into the deepest places. Girls can use beauty its depth, mystery, uniqueness, and intrigue to reflect God s image and point others to Jesus. For the Girls: 1. Now that all the girls are together, let s get down to honest conversation: > Do you think that our culture pressures you to conform to a certain image? If so, how would you describe that image? > Do most guys help you feel better about yourself, or do they add to the problem? > What problems can come from an unhealthy self-image? > In today s session we examined passages that discuss how girls uniquely bear God s image. How does this truth make you feel? > How do you think girls can reflect the image of God in ways guys cannot? 2. Work together to compose a list of the top five things you wish guys knew about girls. Write them on the top half of your poster board. 3. Based on what we ve talked about, compose a list of how you think God would describe true beauty to the guys in the room. For the Guys: 4. Now that all the guys are together, let s get down to honest conversation: > What image do you think our culture tries to project as ideal beauty? How would you describe that image? > Do you think most guys respect beauty as a reflection of God, or do they make it something less? > Where do guys get their information about beauty? > In today s session we examined passages that discuss how girls are created uniquely as God s image bearers. Does that truth make you feel differently about girls? Explain. > How do you think girls can uniquely reflect the character or image of God to others? 6

7 5. Compose a list of the top five things you wish girls knew about guys. Be honest, but appropriate. Write them on the top half of your poster board. 6. Compose the list of godly traits that make up a true beauty. (You might think of this as taking inventory for what you look for in a godly girl. ) Remember the Scripture we ve discussed tonight. Prayer Requests: Life in the Flood Zone Will You Experience the Rush? Once we begin the lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ, we need to focus and harness the incredible gifts God has given us. Girls must learn to use the power of beauty to reflect God s character, placing the attention on Him and not themselves. Similarly, guys must learn to recognize and respect the power of true beauty, not attempting to twist or manipulate it. Assignment Discovering Beauty Keep a journal of sorts (a piece of notebook paper, a composition book, something you can keep in your wallet or purse) with you and take notes throughout the week. Think about the ways girls uniquely reflect God s nature and character. Spend time in thanks for God s creative genius and make a commitment to look and respond to beauty that is more than skin deep. Consider this question to take to God as you complete this week s assignment: What do you enjoy most about Me? 7

Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal.

Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. What Is THE Gospel? Part 2 http://biblos.com/ Definition of THE Gospel According to Jesus Christ-He Should Know So let s start out with a list, as to what are often quoted as being the various gospels