PREPARE FOR Awesomeness Guide
Discussion Guide Layout Design: Suzanne Kafer Special thanks to editors, Ron Kafer and Lindsey Kafer Kung Fu Panda & 2008 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved. Images by DreamWorks Animation LLC 2008. All images reprinted courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC. No other uses are permitted withot the prior written consent of owner. Use of materials in violation of the foregoing may result in the civil and/or criminal penalties. Special thanks to DreamWorks Animation LLC for helping make this discussion guide possible.
Prepare for Awesomeness Kung Fu means excellence of self which applies to more than the physical. It speaks to the higher ideals of the art of Kung Fu. In Kung Fu Panda, Po says There is no charge for awesomeness. Isn t that terrific? We can be the best we can be, at the top of our game, and it won t cost us a penny! But wait -- that sounds too easy. As you watch Kung Fu Panda, you will see that true awesomeness isn t something we can buy, but it is something that we have to prepare for. To truly prepare for awesomeness, you will need a guide. A good guide leads you in the right direction. Our guide will be the Bible. Just like Po, we all have to train, practice and study to become the best that we can be. While you watch Kung Fu Panda, you will see: Guide Jealousy Bullies Self Doubt Loving Families The Furious Five aren t happy that Po has been selected as the Dragon Warrior. The snow leopard, Tai Lung, is one mean cat. Po knows he isn t as fast or strong as the other legendary fi ghters and the more they say the worse he feels. Even though Po left his family in search of his dream, his father, Ping is waiting to take him back. Have your Bible (Awesomeness Guide) ready as we look for direction from the Master. 3
JEALOUSY The Furious Five aren t happy that Po has been selected as the Dragon Warrior The Furious Five aren t happy that Po has been selected as the Dragon Warrior. Jealousy can make you say and do things that are hurtful. Can you think of a Bible story that deals with jealousy? How about the story of Joseph and his brothers? Find Genesis 37: 12 36 in your Awesomeness Guide (Bible) and read the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph was a young man who found special favor with his father, Jacob. Joseph had many brothers and they were all very jealous of the special attention Joseph received. One day Jacob sent Joseph to the field to check on his brothers as they tended sheep. Allowing the jealousy to fill their hearts with evil, the brothers decided they would get rid of Joseph. They sold him to a group of men who took him to Egypt. Has anyone ever been jealous of you? Have you ever been jealous of someone? Did the things you were jealous of become more important than the friend who owned them? Years passed and as Joseph grew he looked to God for guidance. God gave him wisdom and blessed him. Hard times fell over the land and Joseph s brothers found themselves in need. They had no idea that Joseph, the brother they treated so badly, would be the one they would need to turn to. Do you think Joseph forgave his brothers and helped them? Read Genesis 45 to find out. Jealousy can make us say and do hurtful things. Think of how sad Joseph s brothers were after they sold their him. Jealousy makes us lose sight of people s feelings. If you start to feel jealous of a friend, think of all the things you like about him or her. Think of how sad you would be if you lost their friendship. 4
BULLIES The snow leopard, Tai Lung, is one mean cat The snow leopard, Tai Lung, is one mean cat. Tai Lung is coming back to the Valley of Peace to cause problems and Po has to try to stop him. Po doesn t want to fight him but he knows everyone in the valley is in danger if Tai Lung isn t stopped. Can you think of someone in the Bible who was brave and decided to fight a big mean bully? How about David? Read 1 Samuel to see what happens. David didn t seem like the person who could beat the bully. He was a shepherd boy, a musician who sometimes played for the king. How was he supposed to beat Goliath, a 9 ft giant? Do you think God helped David have the courage he needed to fight the giant? Can you think of things in life that take courage? How about standing up for something that you know is right? God had a plan and David had an important part. David knew that his power was not enough to beat Goliath, but he had faith that God would be with him and direct him. 5
SELF DOUBT Po knows he isn t as fast or strong as the other legendary fighters and the more they say the worse he feels. Po knows he isn t as fast or strong as the other legendary fighters. Po finds many excuses to back up why he is not the one for the job. Do you ever doubt yourself? Have you ever thought, That s too tough or I m not the one to do that? Have you heard of Moses? God choose Moses to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. The Israelites had been held in Egypt for many years. They had cried out for God s help and He heard their cries and was ready to help them break free from the Egyptian Pharaoh who held them captive. Read Exodus 3: 23-24. Wow, Moses must have been very sure of himself for God to select him! He must have been a very popular person, full of confidence & ready to go talk to the Pharaoh. Actually, Moses was a quiet man tending sheep and goats in the desert when God spoke to him. He definitely was not popular in Egypt either, a mean Pharaoh had tried to kill him once before! Moses began to look for excuses. I m not a good speaker, was one, I can never think of what to say, was another. Read Exodus 4: 11-14 to find God s reply to Moses. Can you name a leader in your church? How do you think God helps them do their job? In the book of Exodus you will find the story of God using someone who doesn t believe he can do the job. God lets Moses see that He is going to be with Moses guiding him. God wanted Moses to put aside his self doubt and to go and have faith in God s power. God made each of us to live connected to Him. We can do that by first giving our hearts and lives to God. Then we can ask God to help make us more like Him. 6
LOVING FAMILIES Even though Po left his family in search of his dream, his father, Ping, is waiting to take him back. Ping is Po s dad. Po works in the family restaurant with his dad. Day after day Po serves his dad s secret ingredient noodle soup. This makes Ping very happy. Then one day Po decides to follow his dream and he tells his dad he s leaving. This makes Ping very sad. In Luke 15: 11-24, Jesus tells the story of a son who decides he wants to leave his father s house and go his own way. This son is ready to be his own boss and make his own decisions. After a while the son spends all his money and he is hungry and alone. How he misses his home and family! He remembers how he hurt his father when he left. In these two stories both sons have made choices and then regretted their actions. Also in both stories the fathers were very happy to welcome their sons back home. Why did the sons want to go home? Do you think the sons were afraid to go home? If so, why? There are differences between the story of Po and the story of the Prodigal Son. The dream the Prodigal Son followed led to a life that was not good, and he was ashamed. His father was there to show forgiveness and to guide him in the right direction. Ping helped Po realize his dream was not a bad idea; it was Po s self doubt that needed work. Ping encouraged Po. Have you ever made a bad decision? Did someone warn you not to do it but you did anyway? If so, what did you learn? How does it feel to be forgiven when you have done something wrong? This story focuses on forgiveness. What if the fathers had said No, you made your choice and you can never come back? It was love that made the fathers say Welcome home. That love comes from God. God s son, Jesus, came to this earth years and years ago to teach us about love and forgiveness. God is our heavenly father and we can always depend on His love. 7
Thank you for reading our Prepare for Awesomeness guide. We have two other fun activities for you. On the website, www.worddistribution.com/paramount/kungfupanda, you will find a word puzzle as well as a recipe for our Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup. One last thing, there are many lessons we can learn by reading our Bible. There is one Secret Ingredient that is very important. To find what it is, solve the secret ingredient word in the word puzzle. You can also find it by reading Matthew 22: 37 40. 8