Tough Stuff 12 Comprehensive Sessions on Growing Through Life's Deepest Pains

Lesson Segments:The Black KnightTree-Roots InteractionTree Diagram1. We''re often in denial about the pain in our lives.2. When we sin, we go against God''s plan for our lives.3. It''s often impossible to control our sin because it''s rooted in the past.In the face of God''s perfection, we are ashamed of our sin and hurts.Beneath the sin and hurts, we have legitimate and God-given needs.We''re also ashamed of our needs and see them as the problem.We respond by hating ourselves and/or hating others.4. Jesus wants to forgive our sins, heal our hearts, and fill our needs.Jesus isn''t ashamed of us or angry with us. Jesus loves us.When we confess our sins and forgive those who''ve hurt us, we''reable to receive healing from Jesus and allow him to meet our needs.Moving from denial to understanding...Getting rid of shame and self-hatred...Dealing with the roots of our sin...Finding Jesus'' healing for our lives...The Point: We deny our obvious wounds all the time by saying "I''m fine."Time Needed: 5 MinutesMaterials: Video of Monty Python and the Holy GrailLarge screen TV or video projectorPreparation: Cue video to the Black Knight sceneStart: 13:05 (the Black Knight fighting another knight)Stop: 17:24 (Arthur rides off)Stage: Play "Black Knight" scene.What did you think about the Black Knight''s state of mind?Desired response: Help group to see the ludicrous denial involved in theBlack Knight''s insistence that he is still able to fight.He''s really a sad case. The Black Knight is gradually reduced to nothing but atorso, and still he thinks it''s only a flesh wound! He has a problem. No arms,no legs-but he thinks he can go on fighting.We laugh, but we do this all the time in our emotional lives. We run aroundwith all sorts of wounds, emotionally broken and torn, and we pretend everything''sokay: "I''m fine," we say. We have pain stuffed deep inside, but we say,"I''m fine."Despite his denial, the Black Knight must have been in pain-after all, KingArthur chopped off his limbs in a fight! Despite our denials, we have pain, too.There''s a reason for our pain. We usually don''t have a chance to look at that.There''s always room to say "stop doing what''s wrong," but usually not verymany chances to look at why we''re in pain. In this session we''ll be looking atthe roots of the pain in our lives.The Point: Some sins we struggle with over and over again but can''t seemto control. These tough sins in our lives have roots of commission(things that hurt us) or roots of omission (things that weren''tdone but should have been). And then shame covers all-thesin, the hurts, and the underlying needs.Summary: Students build a "tree" that traces the roots of sin in theirlives-from our unmet needs (underground and invisible, likethe roots) to outward, sinful behaviors, actions, or attitudes(leaves and branches).Time Needed: 35 minutesMaterials: White bed sheet with "Shame" written on it with large black lettersMarkersOrange and yellow paper leaves (make enough for each studentto have 4 to 5)10 to 12 sheets of green construction paper (for "grass"-i.e.,obvious, visible, surface causes for our behaviors)10 to 12 sheets of brown construction paper (for "ro o t s " - d e e p ,invisible, forgotten causes of our behavior)2 sheets of yellow construction paper, one labeled "Self-Hatre d , "the other "Hatred of others"2 large hearts made of red construction paper-one cut in two,the other wholeSeveral rolls of double-sided tape (to attach leaves to the trees)Large wooden cross-approximately five feet high.RolesNeeded: Teacher/narratorAssistant to teacher/narrator (hands labels and materials toteacher, helps with props)Jesus (needs to be prepped before meeting)Tree(s)-1 or 2 volunteersPreparation: Cut out the leaves and the two hearts before the meeting.Have markers and tape ready.Have prepared labels for some of the deeper issues (grass leveland deeper roots).Role Prep: No preparation is needed for the person playing the Tree.The person playing the role of Jesus needs to be coached in advanceCoy, Wendy is the author of 'Tough Stuff 12 Comprehensive Sessions on Growing Through Life's Deepest Pains', published 2003 under ISBN 9780310245506 and ISBN 0310245508.