American Dream Casting Crowns All work no play

“American Dream” Casting Crowns All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul But he's moving on full steam He's chasing the American dream And he's gonna give his family the finer things Not this time son I've no time to waste Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play And then he slips into his new BMW And drives farther and farther away So He works all day and tries to sleep at night He says things will get better; Better in time

So he works and he builds with his own two hands And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem More and more like a nightmare With every passing day 'Daddy, can you come to my game? ' 'Oh Baby, please don't work late. ' Another wasted weekend And they are slipping away 'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night He tells them things will get better It'll just take a little more time

He used to say, 'Whoever dies with the most toys wins' But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end? I'll take a shack on the rock Over a castle in the sand Now he works all day and cries alone at night It's not getting any better Looks like he's running out of time 'Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands His kingdom stands All they really wanted was You

KUTLESS "Sea Of Faces" I see the city lights all around me Everyone's obscure Ten million people each with their problems Why should anyone care? And in Your eyes I can see I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world Lost in a Sea of Faces Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine Because you traded Your life for mine Sometimes my life it feels so trivial Immersed in the greatness of space Yet somehow you still find the time for me It's then You show me Your love

And In Your eyes I can see And in Your arms I will be I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world Lost in a Sea of Faces Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine Because you traded Your life for mine If only my one heart Was all you'd gain from all it cost Well I know you would have still been a man With a reason To willingly offer your life I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world Lost in a Sea of Faces Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine Because you traded Your life for mine Just one in a million faces

• In the beginning sperm joins with ovum (egg) to form one cell - smaller than a grain of salt. • This union brings together the 23 chromosomes from the father with the 23 chromosomes from the mother to make a single new life with 46 chromosomes - the genetic blue print for the development of every detail this new person will ever have.

• For the next few days the fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus. • At the end of the first week it implants itself into the lining of the uterine wall and draws nourishment from its mother.

• By only Day 20 foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are already established. • By Day 21 the heart begins to beat. • By the 4 th week, the backbone and muscles are forming. Arms, legs, eyes, and ears have begun to show.

• Now one month old, the embryo is 10, 000 times larger than the original fertilized egg and is developing rapidly.

• Now one month old, the embryo is 10, 000 times larger than the original fertilized egg and is developing rapidly.

• At Week 5 five fingers can be discerned in the hand. The eyes darken as pigment is produced. • Brain waves can be detected and recorded. • At Week 6 the liver is now taking over production of blood cells, the brain begins to control muscle movements and organs.

• Week 7 - The embryo begins to move spontaneously. The jaw forms, including teeth buds in the gums. • Soon the eyelids will seal to protect the embryo’s developing light-sensitive eyes, and will reopen at about the seventh month.

• By the 8 th Week the now-called fetus is a little more than an inch long. The fetus has now everything found in a fully developed adult. • The heart has been beating for more than a month, the kidneys are functioning; the stomach is producing digestive juices. • And it responds to touch.

• At Week 9 the tiny one has fingerprints and will curve its hand around an object placed in its palm. • By Week 10 the fetus can squint, swallow, and wrinkle its forehead. At the 11 th week, the fetus is now about 2 inches long. Urination occurs. Muscle movements are becoming more coordinated.

3 m • Now 3 months old, the unborn sleeps, awakens, and exercises its muscles. It “breathes” amniotic fluid to help develop its respiratory system. Fine hair is growing on the head.

4 m • At 4 months the fetus is 810 inches long and weighs half a pound. • The mother starts to “show. ” The baby’s ears are functional. • It can hear its mother.

• The fetus at 5 months is now about 12 inches long. There is definite movement felt by the mother. The unborn may jump in reactions to startling or loud noises.

• At the 6 th month oil and sweat glands are now functioning. The delicate skin is protected from the fetal waters by a special ointment called “vernix. ” Born now and given proper care, the baby would survive…

• At 24 weeks, this unborn child was operated on for spina bifida while still in the uterus. • This is Sarah Marie Switzer, the baby who was operated on above.

• At Month 7 the baby now uses the four senses of hearing, vision, taste, and touch. The child can respond to his or her mother’s voice.

• In the 8 th month the skin begins to thicken with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. Antibodies increasingly build up. • The baby is nearly ready for life outside the womb.

• Toward the end of this month the baby is ready for birth. By this time the infant normally weighs 6 to 9 pounds, and his or heart is pumping 300 gallons of blood per day.

Not a baby

Who Am I? “Know Thyself and Thine Own Self Be True” 1. Where are you from? Background. How has this formed you? 2. What are some of your earliest memories? Positive? Negative? How have these formed you? 3. What are some of your unique gifts/qualities? Talents? Try to list 6 or so. 4. Who or what are the most important influences in your life? 5. What are some life changing experiences you have had? 6. Any major setbacks? 7. Draw a ‘life line’ -- a line with ups and downs that symbolizes your life experience thus far.

I. THE DESIRE FOR GOD 27 The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for: The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.

The Purpose of Life: To Love God “Man was created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord and in this way to save his soul. The other things on earth were created for man's use, to help him reach the end for which he was created. Thus, it follows, that he must use these means, insofar as they help him to reach his goal, and to refrain from using them insofar as they keep him from that goal. ” -- St. Ignatius of Loyola We have all come from God and one day we will all go back to God.

Psalm 139 O Lord, you search me and you know me, You know my resting and my rising, You see my purpose from afar. You know when I walk or lie down, All my ways lie open to you.

Before ever a word is on my tongue You know it, O Lord, through and through. Behind and before you besiege me, your hand ever laid upon me. Too wonderful for me, this knowledge, too high, beyond my reach.

O where can I go from your spirit, or where can I flee from your face? If I climb to the heavens, you are there. If I lie in the grave, you are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn and dwell at the sea’s furthest end, even there your hand would lead me, your right hand would me fast.

If I say, “Let the darkness hide me and the light around me be night, ” even darkness is not dark for you and the night is as clear as the day.

For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation. Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you when I was being fashioned in secret and molded in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw all my actions, they were all written in your book; every one of my days was seen before one of them came into being.

To me, how mysterious your thoughts, the sum of them not to be numbered! If I count them, they are more than the sand; to finish, I must be eternal, like you.

O search me, God, and know my heart. O test me and know my thoughts. See that I follow not the wrong path and lead me in the path of life eternal.

Welcome to the planet Welcome to existence… I dare you to move I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor I dare you to move Like today never happened Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout Welcome to resistance The tension is here Between who you are and who you could be Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell Where can you run to escape from yourself? Where you gonna go? Salvation is here

I dare you to move I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor I dare you to move Like today never happened Today never happened before

“Dare You to Move” Questions to Ponder 1. What are the meanings of the videos in relation to the lyrics? 2. Which lyrics stand out to you? 3. What do people get knocked down by in life? 4. How have you been knocked down by life? 5. What do you think the line “Maybe redemption has stories to tell” means?

“American Dream” Casting Crowns All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul But he's moving on full steam He's chasing the American dream And he's gonna give his family the finer things Not this time son I've no time to waste Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play And then he slips into his new BMW And drives farther and farther away So He works all day and tries to sleep at night He says things will get better; Better in time

So he works and he builds with his own two hands And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem More and more like a nightmare With every passing day 'Daddy, can you come to my game? ' 'Oh Baby, please don't work late. ' Another wasted weekend And they are slipping away 'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night He tells them things will get better It'll just take a little more time

He used to say, 'Whoever dies with the most toys wins' But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end? I'll take a shack on the rock Over a castle in the sand Now he works all day and cries alone at night It's not getting any better Looks like he's running out of time 'Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands His kingdom stands All they really wanted was You

Youth/Young Adults • The desire to know and to be known: “Cause I don’t want the world to see me, cause I don’t think that they’d understand, well everything’s made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am. ” -- Goo Dolls • Expressed in a healthy manner, this is a good thing and helps the person to grow. • Expressed in an unhealthy manner, the young person seeks false ‘knowing’ through sex, drunkenness, etc. These heightened experiences give the feeling of connection, but instead keep the individual isolated and, again, stunts true emotional and relational growth.

Misguided Focus • Teens often experiment with drugs, alcohol, sex, very often learning lessons the hard way. Some learn by going to foolish extremes, some learn by seeing the failings of friends and, of course, some never learn. Some, literally, end up dead. • Despite warnings, many end up missing the sign posts given by parents and friends. . .

Some even drop out of school, in spite of the signs telling them to stay in school -it’s the place where you can learn to spel…

Ahhhh…next slide please

We all need good friends…and we all need to avoid those friends who act like vicious dogs and wear masks all the time.

“The Way I Feel” 12 Stones Lately I've been wandering Off the narrow path You've given me so many things that I've never had All in all I know it's you that always pulls me through If you reach deep inside you'll see my heart is true Cuz I hate the way I feel tonight And I know I need you in my life Yes I hate the way I feel inside And I promise to make the sacrifice The world I know is pulling me, more and more each day I feel like the odd man out as I begin to pray Spiteful eyes are watching me With everything I do In the midst of darkness, Lord My spirit calls on you Cuz I hate the way I feel tonight And I know I need you in my life Yes I hate the way I feel inside And I promise to make the sacrifice yeah--Bridge--(You know sometimes deep inside. . . ) I feel like this…

Questions to Ponder 1. Who are your friends? Name your top 3/4 2. How well do they really know you? On a scale from 1 -10? 3. Are they a good influence on you? How so. 4. Are you a good influence on them? How so. 5. Are they a bad influence on you? How so? 6. What changes are needed in your friendships?

Forrest Gump 1) “Running on Empty”, “Go Your Own Way” and “Against the Wind” 2) Running from pain and suffering 3) Running for no particular reason 4) Running back and forth to the ocean 5) Scene in the desert -- like…. ? 6) Moses -- go from slavery to the Promised Land 7) I’m tired -- I think I am going to go home now 8) “You got to put the past behind you before you can move on. ” 9) “Sweet Home Alabama” --- “Lord, I’m coming home to you…”

Forrest vs. Jenny 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Forrest is a man of promises Money is something that Forrest uses carefully and for good. Forrest lives in a world of names. Forrest turns to God in his time of need -- Church scene. Shows unconditional love. 1) 2) 3) Jenny has sold out Wastes her money on drugs, alcohol, etc. vs. using it for good. Jenny lives in a nameless world -- where it doesn’t matter who you sleep with, do drugs with, etc. Doesn’t care about how they treat her. Bye, baby its been a sweet love. Though this feeling I can't change. But please don't take it so badly, 'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame. But, if I stayed here with you girl, Things just couldn't be the same. Cause I'm as free as a bird now, And this bird you'll never change. And this bird you can not change Lord knows, I can't change. Lord help me, I can't chaye-ea-ea-ea-. 4) 5) Jenny turns to despair in time of need. Doesn’t understand unconditional love.

Forrest Gump 1) Suffering happens to us all -- it’s how we use, through God’s grace, that suffering for good and redeem it.

Questions on Forrest Gump 1) Are you running away from anything in life? 2) How can you come to more peace in your life? 3) Why is leaving the past behind so difficult for some people? 4) What are some things from the past ‘that you have to leave behind you’?

The Monkey and the Gourd Stupid Monkey What do you need to let go of in order to live?

Questions to Ponder -- Your Parents & You 1. 2. 3. Does your family do things together? Do you have fun together? Do you talk to your parents about things that interest you/them? Do you help your parent understand you by telling her/him how you think/ feel? 4. Do your parents explain their reasons for decisions regarding you? 5. Do your parents trust you? Why/why not? 6. Do you try and see your parents point of view? 7. Do they try and see your point of view? 8. Do your parents notice when you are down? Do you let them know when you are down? Why not? 9. Do you treat your parents the way that you would want to be treated by your own children someday? 10. What is the relationship between your parents and their parents? What bearing do you think this has on your relationship? 11. What significant changes would you like to see in your family?

Called by God All of us are called by God for a specific purpose that is different than anyone else’s. We look to others for guidance, but, ultimately, God has called me to something very specific for my life.

Legacy What do you want your legacy to be?

The Story of Alfred Nobel • The obituary stated Le marchand de la mort est mort ("The merchant of death is dead") and went on to say, "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday” (1888). • On November 27, 1895, Nobel signed his last will and testament and set aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prizes (including the Nobel Peace Prize).

Write out the eulogy that you would like people to hear at your own funeral. “Well done my good and faithful servant, come and share your Master’s joy!” Matthew 25

Summary Points • If you were to summarize this opening section of this course, what would you say? List the 5 most important points.

“Lead of Love” -- Caedmon’s Call Looking back at the road so far It sure has left its share of scars Mostly from leaving the narrow and strait

Looking back it is clear to me A man is more than the sum of his deeds And how you’ve made good of this mess I’ve made is a profound mystery

Looking back you know you had to bring me through All that I was so afraid of though I questioned the sky, now I see why…

Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view looking back I see the lead of love

Looking back I can finally see how failures bring humility (I’d rather have wisdom and pain) brings me to my knees (than be a comfortable old fool) helps me see my need for thee.

Looking back you know you had to bring me through all that I was so afraid of though I questioned the sky, now I see why;

Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view looking back I see the lead of love

Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view looking back I see the lead of love