Friendships Are Not For the Faint Hearted - LOTR, Return of the King

Below is a movie clip that reveals some traits of good friends. Watch the interaction between Frodo and Sam in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.  Also watch for the devotion that the other characters have to Frodo, as well as to each other.  What friendship qualities do you see?  And also keep an eye on Aragorn for important character traits in best friends. 



This scene shows committed friendships in a number of ways.  Sam who has been a loyal partner to Frodo throughout the entire journey to Mount Doom.  The "fellowship of the ring" is the group of representatives of Middle Earth that accompany Frodo and defend him as he carries the ring.  Not only are they loyal to Frodo, but they become close friends and end up caring for each other as well.

It wasn’t easy to be a loyal friend to Frodo.  Everywhere he went he faced enemies who wanted to destroy him.  And if you were standing anywhere close to Frodo, you would be a target for the enemy as well!  And yet, these people were loyal.

• How was Sam faithful to Frodo?  How did he show his friendship?
  
• For those of you that know the plot of the Lord of the Rings, what did Aragorn mean when he declares "For Frodo!" as they charge into enemy lines?
  
• What did you notice about the discussion between Legolas and Gimli?
  
• Tell us about a time when a friend has shown commitment to you.
  
• In the movie we could see that being a friend to Frodo came with a cost.  It might not be as dramatic as going into battle, but maybe for some of us friendships come with costs.  When has it cost you to be a friend to someone?

There is a great demonstration of friendship in the Bible between two young men, David and Jonathan who have a relationship very similar to Frodo and Sam.

One description of their friendship is found in I Samuel 18:1; 3-4.

“Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.  Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.  Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.”

Jonathan and David had a radical friendship that required a great deal of work and commitment from both young men.  In fact, Jonathan’s dad was the King and was jealous of David.  He eventually wanted David killed. 

• What does verse 3 mean: “the soul of Jonathan was knit to David”?  (Look at a knitted sweater or scarf.  Notice how tightly the threads are connected together and how the shirt or sweater stays together because it is knitted.  Each stitch depends on the next to stay together--otherwise the sweater comes apart.)
• Why was it such a huge deal for Jonathan to take his robe, sword, bow and belt and give them to David?
• When have you given up something for a friend?
• What are some of the differences you can see between friendships that include God and friendships that don’t?

God calls Christians to be the kind of friends that will be loyal, even when it costs.  We saw Sam who cared enough about his friend that he would suffer through lack of food, water, and sleep.  We understand that there is only so much we can do as friends – we might not carry their burdens for them as Sam couldn’t carry the ring for Frodo, but we can ‘carry them’ as Sam did.  Jesus said that there is no greater love than this; a man who will lay down his life for a friend. The movie clip showed friends who were willing to take friendship that far.






Some examples of these principles from the bible:


Stand with your friend!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
“Two are better than one because they have good return for their labor.  For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.  But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.”

• Have you ever had a time when a friend helped you to "get back up" in some way?
  
• Have you ever had a time when you wished you had!

Sit with your friend!  

Job 2:11-13
“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came together and made an appointment to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.  When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept.  And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky.  Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.”

• How do you think it made Job feel that his friends were willing to come and just be with him - and not even feel the need to say anything?
  
• Has there ever been a time when you would have appreciated a friend like that?

Sharpen your friend!

Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Knives get dull with use.  Eventually they are just pieces of metal that are no good for anything.  Before ceramics were discovered, the best way that people had to sharpen a knife or a sword, was to use an metal file.  So iron could be sharpened by iron.

• What are ways we can "sharpen" each other?

Friendships Are Not For the Faint Hearted
It is so tough sometimes to be the friend God expects us to be.  As we saw in the movie clip there may be great sacrifices associated with the friendship.  Being a godly friend is not for the fainthearted – it is however for the fearless.  This week, think of the kind of friends you want, and see if that is who you are hanging out with.  Also, think about whether you are the acting like the kind of friend that you would like to have.



(Thanks to "The Source for Youth Ministry" for this topic!)

Forgiveness is key to friendship - Shrek

Shrek is an entertaining movie loaded with great conversations between Shrek the ogre and Donkey, the pushy but loyal friend. This scene takes place after Donkey and Shrek have attempted to rescue Fiona the Princess. Shrek is disappointed and angry and Donkey is ticked off too. Watch this conflict unfold.



In this scene we see resentment and harsh words. There has obviously been a conflict brewing and these two friends are at a crucial point. Will the relationship divide, like the swamp, or will they unite, through honest conversation and forgiveness? Donkey wants to hold Shrek accountable for his behavior; Shrek always pushes people away and doesn’t accept love or friendship. But Shrek just feels mad because he’s lost Fiona, and Donkey is on his case. We all have had or will have moments like this in our relationships. Conflict will either be something we work through or it will be something that breaks us up and ends relationships. Let's think about conflict that you have been a part of with friends or teachers or family members, maybe even others in this room.

Some of the specifics we discussed:

• Share a time when you and a friend fought, and finally one of you had to say you were sorry.
  
  
• How do you feel when you know there is conflict between you and someone else?
  
  
• Being forgiven feels good, so why do you think we take so long to ask for forgiveness?
  
  
• What are some good "friend qualities"?
  
  
• Which of these friend qualities do you possess?  Are there other qualities that make you a good friend?

One reason it’s important to have high-quality “true” friends is to have someone who will stand up for what’s right and to help you to do the same.


Consider the following passage:

Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NLT) If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble!

• When do we as Christians need to “reach out and help” our friends?

And how about this:

Hebrews 10:25 (NLT) And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

• Why might it be important to come to church regularly?
  
  
• What insight can Christian friends offer that unbelievers may not have?
  
  
• Think of a time when that’s exactly what happened – maybe a friend encouraged you, challenged your thinking, warned or confronted you about a questionable choice you made, or helped talk you out of doing something stupid. Or perhaps, you have been the encouraging friend.  Briefly share your experience.

Remember what Shrek says when he realizes how badly he has treated donkey:
"That's what friends do. They forgive each other."

(Thanks to "The Source for Youth Ministry" for this topic!)

Friends help us through hard times - Walk The Line

,This is the story of Johnny Cash, a famous singer loved by many.  But Johnny had a dark side.  He struggled with depression and drug addiction and was not a faithful family man.  He got caught up in his fame and became totally dependant on drugs and alcohol to numb his emotional pains.  In this scene you will see him waking up from a long sleep.  His friend June Carter and her family have taken Johnny away from his fast paced life and forced him to “de-tox.”  They got rid of all of his drugs and alcohol and they want to see him turn his life around.  Listen to their conversation.



One of the events that happened in the early part of Johnny Cash’s life was the death of his older brother Jack in a saw-mill accident.  In the clip we saw that he carried guilt about that tragedy. The movie implies that his drug use was his method of escaping guilty feelings. His friend and singing partner stood by him though.  She was a loyal friend who acted like good news.

Here are a few of the questions we discussed after watching the clip:

• In the clip Johnny said, “You’re an angel.”  What do you think he meant?
  
  
• Why did June say, “No I’m not.”
  
  
• Share about friend who has seen you (or is currently seeing you) through a bad time in life.
  
  
• Does this reveal anything about their character, like we discussed last week?

(Thanks to "The Source for Youth Ministry" for this topic!)

David Crowder Band Rockumentary #3

Are you smarter than Miss USA?

This actual footage of the Miss USA 2007 competition shows why you should all stay in school!!

Today's Lesson: Friendship

Last week we talked about character - What traits define it, and why it is important.
Not only do we appreciate good character in others, but we should have strong character as well.
These are the basics for a solid friendship.

Like we talked about last week, people can have what they call "friends" online, but that doesn't always mean much.  Most of us have friends at school that we would never dream of trusting with our money or our belongings.   If we don't trust them with our things, then why should we trust them with our secrets?  What should we look for in a friend?  What should we change about ourselves so that we will be good friends to others?  Why is this important?

These questions and others are answered and illustrated in the movie clips we have selected for today.  If you weren't with us, or if you want to watch them again, here they are!

Walk the Line
Shrek
Lord of the Rings:  Return of the King

Tomorrow morning - Friendship

Hey guys!  Hope you're planning on coming tomorrow.

Building from our discussion on character last week, our topic this week is friendship.  What makes a good friend?  Are you a good friend?  Why?  Think about this so you can bring us all your insights.

I hope to see you there!  We'll be watching some more movie clips and discussing what they illustrate.

Will you be coming?  If so, leave me a comment on this post.

Tell Us What's Going on!

Have you won a spelling bee? Get a track medal? Been in the paper? If you have, or you know someone else in the group has, let us all know!

Send me an email (jscottsmith3d@gmail.com) or message me on Facebook with the details.

How To Comment

Hey there. I've installed DISQUS, which is a comment moderation system. Sounds pretty technical, huh? The main reason for this is to make commenting easier.

To leave a comment, look for something that says "View Comments" or "X reactions and X comments" under each post. Click on it.

Then, at the end of the post, you will see a DISQUS comments area. If you want to add something, just log in and add it. If you have a Facebook account, just click on Facebook Connect. Likewise if you have a Twitter, DISQUS, or OpenID account, you can use that as well.

These are just to make things easier. If you don't have any of those accounts, no problem. Just type in your name and email address and you can make a login specifically for the blog. (Don't worry - your email address will not be public!)

Feel free to use this post to try it out.

Have a good one!

Twitter Will Kill You!!

atch the David Crowder Band display the perils of texting and tweeting.

Today's Lesson: Character

Are you on Facebook? If you're not, and you're not familiar, it's basically just a web site where people connect with their friends to chat, play games and share links. You can decide who is allowed to see your stuff online by making them a "friend". This doesn't necessarily mean that they are your friend in real life, but that's a whole other topic!

If you're on Facebook, think about which of your friends has the highest friend count. Are those people necessarily good friends just because they have lots of FB friends? What does that even mean?

If someone has a lot of "friends" on FB...
...does that mean you would necessarily want your parents to meet them?
...does that mean you would lend them money?
...would you trust them with your iPod overnight?
...would you tell them a secret no one else knows?

Why or why not?

What makes a good friend? Does number of Facebook friends, or real-life friends determine how good a friend someone is?

How do you pick your friends? Do you just wait for a friend request and then click 'accept', or do you have some sort of standards? What are they? Looks? Money? Popularity? Something else? (We had some great answers in class, but I'd love to hear some more here!)

After you've figured out your requirements to accept a person as a friend, think about this: Would you qualify? Why should people pick you as a friend?

We had a lot of comments about all of these questions, and they all ended up making a great definition for character. Watch these video clips for some good illustrations of the importance of character:

The Patriot

Ocean's Eleven

Batman Begins

It's what you do that defines you - Batman Begins

This is a clip from the movie "Batman Begins". If you haven't seen this movie, it's the story of how Bruce Wayne came to become Batman. This scene begins with Bruce Wayne and his lady friends exiting a large hotel restaurant after making a huge scene and swimming in the decorative indoor pond. Bruce is rich and arrogant, or so it seems, and he writes a check for the price of the hotel in order to not get kicked out of the hotel’s restaurant. On his way out he runs into Rachel, his childhood friend who has some interesting things to say about his actions. Let’s take a look at this scene.





In this scene it was obvious that Bruce was embarrassed by his actions when he saw his good friend Rachel. He tried to explain himself, but it was too late. There would be no sweet talking out of this one. His actions had been noted.

Here are a few of the questions we discussed after watching the clip:

• In the scene we just saw, it was obvious that Bruce was embarrassed by his actions when he saw his good friend Rachel. Have you ever seen someone doing something they shouldn’t have been doing and get caught in the act? What did they do?
  
  
• Share a time you were doing something you shouldn’t have been doing and got caught in the act. How did you react?
  
  
• Why do we try to explain ourselves in these situations?
  
  
• But do our outward actions speak loudly as to who we are inside? Why?
  
  
• How do our actions define us even more than our words?

James 2:14-17 (NLT)

What's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can't save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"—but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.

• What is it that proves our faith?
  
  
• How do actions prove what someone believes? If someone says “I’m trustworthy,” but lies repeatedly, they aren’t trustworthy. If someone says “I’m reliable,” but doesn’t show up when they said they would, they aren’t reliable.
  
  
• “Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all.” Likewise, good deeds are important because they show who we really are!
  
  
• Think of an “action” in your life that is wrong and might be embarrassing for all to see. Do these actions match our words? What can we do to make this right? Should we make this right?
  
  
• In the movie clip, Bruce’s friend Rachel said that “it’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” How do you think others look at you by your actions—in other words, how do your actions define you? How do people see you? Do people see Christ in you?

What are you going to do this week to start making your actions match your words?

(Thanks to "The Source for Youth Ministry" for this topic!)

Who are you when no one else is looking? - Ocean's Eleven

The movie Ocean’s Eleven is about a group of eleven thieves masterminded by Danny Ocean (George Clooney). The movie focuses on their attempt to rob a highly guarded casino (The Bellagio) vault with over $160,000,000 inside it on a fight night in Las Vegas. In this scene, they are about to shut the power off . . . notice how people react when the lights go out.





Dwight L. Moody defines our character as “WHO WE ARE IN THE DARK.” Some of us live very different lives when certain people are watching. We might look very good on the surface, but under the surface we have something to hide. It’s these areas of our life that we are holding onto that come out when we think no one is looking, and we discover the true desire of our heart.

• If you could be invisible for one day and you had the ability to go anywhere, what would you do? Think about your answers... are they good ideas or bad?
  
  
• What is an example you have observed when you’ve seen people act one way around certain people, and different around others or when they're alone? (don’t use names)
  
  
• Why do you think people sometimes act one way in public but another way when they are in private?
  
  
• If you know a person acts one way in private and a completely different way in public, does that person’s actions have any influence on what you think of them? What kind of impact does that knowledge have on your trust level of them?
  
  
• Have you ever done something in private, when no one was looking, that you later regretted doing? How did you handle it? How did that work out for you?

Romans 13:12-14 (NLT)

The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires.

• Darkness is often the cover that provides the outlet for our sinful desires because we think no one is looking. What does Paul say in the passage about our sinful desires and evil deeds?
  
  
• Whenever we get rid of something it leaves a hole that needs to be filled in. With what does Paul say to replace the evil deeds we have shed?
  
  
• Paul says to clothe ourselves with the “armor of right living” and to “Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires.” How can we do that? How can we avoid thinking of ways to do the sinful things we desire to do?

What are you going to do this week to shed one sinful thing that you tend to keep being tempted by?

(Thanks to "The Source for Youth Ministry" for this topic!)

Will you stand up for what you say you believe? - The Patriot

Have you ever had a friend say that they would do something but ended up not doing it? Have you ever heard someone say that they were friends with someone but later on they were mean to them or talked badly about them behind their backs? Aren’t you tired of people like that, who talk one way but act another?

First we’re going to watch a scene from a movie called The Patriot. The movie is about the Revolutionary War in the 1700s. In the movie, the British army is attacking the American armies, trying to keep them under the rule of England. If the Americans can win the war, they’ll have their freedom. In the scene we’re going to watch today, a guy named Gabriel Martin (Heath Ledger)walks into a church and interrupts a church service to recruit men for the militia (which is basically a small group of guys who aren’t soldiers but want to fight anyway). At first, the reverend and some of the men in the congregation object. But after one of the town’s own residents, a girl named Anne, speaks up about words and actions, several men including the reverend stand up to join the fight against the British army. The scene is a very powerful illustration of leadership and inspiration, as well as a beautiful picture of being called to action when until now there has only been boasting. Listen to what happens when the people in the scene are asked to put their actions to their words and join the militia.

• Without telling us the person’s name, can you tell us about someone that you’ve heard/observed recently, who said they’d do one thing, but then they did something else?
  
  
• How does it make you feel when someone does this? Why?
  
  
• Why do you think that it is important for your actions to match your words?

James 1:22-25 (NLT)

And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

• What’s the big difference between reading the Bible and doing what it says?
  
  
• What are some basic things that the Bible teaches us to do, but we as believers in Him… don’t actually do?
  
  
• Why do you think it’s sometimes so hard to actually follow through with our commitments to obey God?

Matthew 7:17-20 (NLT)
A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.

• What is Jesus talking about when He says you can tell what kind of tree it is by what kind of fruit it has?
  
  
• If we are people who say that we follow Jesus or that we worship God, then what kind of “fruit” should there be in our lives? Think about actual actions.
  
  
• How does it make you feel, knowing that people should be able to look at the way that you act and be able to determine who you worship?
  
  
• If someone were to look at this last week, and they looked at how you treated people, how you acted when you were alone, what kind of music you listened to and movies you watched, the conversations you had with people, what kind of tree would they say you are?

What needs to change in your life—if anything—so that people will be able to tell who you really are?

(Thanks to "The Source for Youth Ministry" for this topic!)

Charlie Bit Me!!

Here's the video we watched of Charlie biting his brother Harry's finger. If you have little brothers, watch out! Better yet - don't stick your finger in there!

Danny MacAskill street bike tricks

This is the video I played at the end today of the incredible stunts by Danny MacAskill.
(I can do all this stuff, but I have snow tires on my bike right now.)



Description from YouTube:

"Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill (more info at www.dannymacaskill.com) features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There's some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike."

Darth Vader after the Dentist

On the video, they call it "Chad after the dentist", but we all know it's the real Darth Vader.

This was a video made in response to "David After the Dentist"

David After the Dentist

Here is the video I played today of David after his dentist appointment: