Sing 2

This weekend we're starting our series at KidPak, "At the Movies," and we've chosen a few movies for the series, starting with "Sing 2," which actually is a pretty good movie.  We were watching this movie together and I'm sad to say I didn't get to see it in the theaters.  I wish we did - it was really good.  We own it now, of course, and will probably be watching it again some time soon.  

If anything, it gives me a chance to listen to all U2 music I've collected over the years.  I had Maddie listening to "The Joshua Tree" in the car, and of course elsewhere I've been back going through that catalogue.  I remember going to see them in the 90's, back when I saw all kinds of concerts.  I saw the Zooropa tour at the Omni, back when that was in Atlanta.  We saw so many concerts back then - I saw Paul McCartney, Elton John, Billy Joel, Peter Gabriel, Aerosmith, Huey Lewis, Joan Jett, Mike and the Mechanics, Jimmy Buffet, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Paula Abdul, The Outfield, and even Wayne Newton one time.  And yes, of course there were several concerts of They Might Be Giants too.  That's just off the top of my head.  I remember seeing a few of those, and then the Christian concerts - Amy Grant, Carman, Newsong, Newsboys, Michael W. Smith and a few others there too.  We used to watch concerts all the time.  It's pretty pricy nowadays, so you'd have to choose your battles in that regard.  It was a big moment when the Eagles came along and started charging $100 for a single ticket.  Now that's pretty commonplace.  

Anyway, back to "Sing 2."  I spent a good bit of time today working on hopefully a good message for that, and I suppose I can share it here.  I don't share everything here that much, but this gives you an idea of what we're doing at KidPak this series at least...

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KidPak Adventures:  At the Movies
Sing 2

CUE SLIDE:  AT THE MOVIES

 

LIGHTS UP

 

HOST:  “Welcome to our new series, ‘At the Movies!’  For the next few weeks, our church will be taking a look at a few recent awesome movies, and we’ll be looking to our Bibles too.”

 

HOST:  “Research for this series is so fun.  Basically, you get to sit down and watch some great new flicks, and it’s so good to be back in theaters again to see some of these.  Has anyone seen a good movie lately?”

 

Let audience reply.

 

HOST:  “What have you seen?”

 

Get a few answers from audience.

 

HOST:  “There was one movie that surprised me how good it was – it was a movie called ‘Sing 2.’  Has anyone seen that one?”

 

CUE SLIDE:  SING 2

 

HOST: “Just like the first ‘Sing’ movie, this one features a cast of talented singers and performers who were trying to reach higher for their dreams.  And as you see from this first clip here, they all seem pretty talented.”

CUE CLIP 1:  SING 2 CAST - 3:04 – 5:56

 

CUE SLIDE:  SING 2 CAST

 

HOST:  “Dream big dreams.  That’s what Buster Moon always says to his friends.  And it’s great, great advice.  Since the last movie, he’s been encouraging and telling his new friends to keep reaching higher.  Because the truth of it is, everyone has a dream.  In fact, that’s your first point there.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “POINT ONE:  EVERYONE HAS A DREAM.”

 

HOST:  “Each one of us in this room has a dream to do something, and the great thing is that God has a dream for us too. Look at this famous scripture in the Bible.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “JEREMIAH 29:11”

 

HOST:  “You’ve probably heard this one before.  God is telling us, “I know the plans I have for you.  I want you to enjoy success.  I do not plan to harm you.  I will give you hope for the years to come.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  AT THE MOVIES

 

HOST: “It’s important to know this:  God is on your side.  He’s got big dreams for you too.  Even when things don’t look like they’re going your way, know this: your steps are ordered of the Lord, and guess what?  You’re going to succeed!

 

CUE SLIDE:  “BUSTER MOON”

 

HOST:  “Here’s one guy that keeps reminding everyone of that.  Now sometimes inside, Buster Moon may not feel like he’s going to make it.  But nevertheless, he keeps reaching higher and he keeps dreaming those big dreams, telling others to do the same!”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “SING 2”

 

HOST: “But in our movie today, that’s really put to the test.  So far, he and his friends are a huge success, and they want to keep dreaming bigger and keep going further.   But just one critical voice is about to challenge everything, as you’ll see in this next clip.”

 

CUE CLIP 2:  SUKI’S BAD ADVICE - 6:28-10:56 (edit out one driver’s comment to Buster along road)

  

CUE SLIDE:  SUKI

 

HOST:  “Wow.  Just a few simple words from that talent scout were so incredibly devastating.  Has anyone ever said anything like that to you, that you’ll never be good at something?”

 

Let audience answer

 

HOST:  “I was told that, and you know something, just like Buster… for a while I believed it.”

CUE SLIDE:  ASH

 

HOST:  “But I love what the character Ash says not long after this moment.  She tells Buster – and she’s telling all of us – these simple words.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  ASH QUOTE

 

HOST:  “Never let anyone tell you your worth.  You see, God knows how valuable you are, and God knows what you’re capable of, and God still has that dream for you.  Fortunately for Buster, he has another friend in that clip we all just saw, and this other friend also had a few words for Buster.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “NANA”

 

HOST:  “These words were encouraging.  Unlike that talent scout, Nana tells Buster to keep going.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “NANA QUOTE”

HOST:  “She said, ‘Anyone who dares set out to follow their dreams is bound to face a lot worse than a dip in the canal.’  She tells him it takes guts, stamina and faith.  And you know something?  She’s right.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “SING 2 CAST”

 

HOST:  “You see, each of the characters in this movie face big obstacles, and each one is given every reason to give up.  And you know something?  The same is true for you.  Everyone has challenges.  That’s our second point.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  POINT TWO - EVERYONE HAS CHALLENGES

HOST:  “Everyone has a dream.  But everyone has challenges too.  And if you want to get anywhere in your life, you’ve got to face those challenges head-on with a song in your heart about God’s faithfulness and love.  Don’t forget:  God has a big dream for you.  And this scripture will help you when critical voices try to tell you you’re not worth that much.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “1 JOHN 4:4”

 

HOST:  “It says ‘You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.’  Wow.  That should give you every confidence in the world.  Turn to your neighbor and say, ‘You got this!’”

Let audience reply.

 

CUE SLIDE:  SING 2

 

HOST:  “Fortunately, Buster has friends to encourage him.  And I think that’s ultimately the point of this movie.  You see, there are people out there that lift you up, and there are people that put you down.  We definitely see this with Johnny’s story.”

CUE SLIDE:  JOHNNY

 

HOST:  “We find out in ‘Sing 2,” that he can sing and play piano, but he definitely cannot dance.  And in order to get this big part right, well… he has to dance much better.  So he’s put into this dance class… and let’s just see how that goes.”

 

CLIP 3:  BAD DANCER - 44:24-46:04

 

CUE SLIDE:  KLAUS

 

HOST:  “It’s a disaster.  Johnny is trying his best, but do you think that teacher is helping him out?”

Let audience answer

 

HOST:  “Of course not.  There’s no encouragement, no hope, and no help whatsoever.  So Johnny meets another character named Nooshy, who isn’t even a teacher.  Johnny can’t dance that well yet, but Nooshy is positive and encouraging.  And let’s see how that turns out.”

 

CLIP 4:  GOOD DANCER - 58:00-59:36 (edit part of song or shorten clip there)

 

CUE SLIDE:  NOOSHY and JOHNNY

 

HOST:  “Is he dancing better?”

 

Let audience reply.

 

HOST: “Of course he is!  And that brings us to the third and final point of this.  Yes, we said everyone has a dream.  And everyone has challenges.  But… not everyone has someone to help.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  POINT THREE – NOT EVERYONE HAS SOMEONE TO HELP

 

HOST:  “Before watching this movie, I thought it was going to be all about never giving up on your dreams and so on.  And that’s a great story.  But really, ‘Sing 2’ is about helping others.  It’s about encouraging others.  And that’s what God wants us to do.  Look at this scripture, our memory verse for today.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “1 THESSALONIANS 5:11”

 

HOST:  “It tells us, ‘So encourage one another with the hope you have. Build each other up. In fact, that’s what you aredoing.’  Johnny only becomes a great dancer because he chooses the right friend to help him, instead of the one who doesn’t believe in him.  Buster Moon is a constant source of encouragement, guiding his friend Meena and defending his other friend Rosita when no one else will.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “SING 2”

HOST:  “Isn’t it good to have a friend like that?  As you leave here I want you to do two things.  Ask yourself, are my friends the kind that will make my life better?  Are they the kind that encourage, and would help me find my dreams?  That’s a real friend there.  But the other question is this, what kind of friend are you?  Are you the kind of friend that stays by someone else’s side, even at their lowest moment?”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “CLAY CALLOWAY and ASH”

 

HOST:  “We mentioned Ash earlier, and her story is no different than the others.  She’s a true friend.  You see, she really looks up to an older rock star named Clay Calloway, who is going through the darkest time in his life.  He’s alone and he’s hurting.  In order to help him step back into the light, it’s going to take effort.  It’s going to take time.  It’s going to take patience.  And it takes the entire movie, but a true friend never gives up.  A true friend is always there, and will always be there to help bring others to the light.  ”

CUE SLIDE:  “SING 2”

 

HOST:  “At the end of this movie, it’s great to see all of our heroes overcome their challenges.  But what about Clay Calloway?  Let’s see what happens next.”

 

CUE CLIP  5:  1:33:28 (or 1:34:01) to 1:37:55 (or 1:38:46)

 

CUE SLIDE:  CLAY and ASH

 

HOST:  “’So encourage one another with the hope you have.  Build each other up.  In fact, that’s what you’re doing.’  Clay Calloway steps out of the darkness and into the light, and …he finds his smile again.  But he only does it because he had a friend there to show him the way out.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  THREE POINTS TOGETHER

 

HOST:  “Everyone has a dream.  Everyone has challenges.  But not everyone has someone to help. The Bible tells us to encourage each other and build each other up.  That’s what Buster Moon and his incredible friends are able to do, and because of that, together they’re able to reach higher, encourage one another, and keep on dreaming big dreams.”

 

HOST:  “Because of all that, they’re able to sing.”

 

CUE SLIDE:  “SING 2”

 

HOST:  “Let us pray.”

 

Prayer thought:  “God you have a dream for all of us, and as we just heard in that song, you broke the bonds and you loosed the chains, carried the cross of our shame.  Thank you, Lord, for being a friend that’s closer than a brother.  Today, help us to be a friend to others that desperately need it.  Help us and remind us to encourage, to guide, and to show others out of their darkness, and into your glorious light.  Amen.”

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Anyway, that's one thing I was doing today.  Maddie was with Animal Crossing, although when I got home we were both playing a few games.  We watched Darth Vader again tonight, and of course he was terrifying in a great way.  The "Obi Wan Kenobi" series really nailed that character.  

It was a quiet day today, obviously.  I was out there watering the plants after a missed rain storm.  Nana was pretty restless today, and of course that makes everyone else on edge.  Simultaneously, Mom has been having some stomach problems that we're trying to figure out, so that doesn't help much.  It's too hot in the day to go outside much - the heat has been pretty strong lately.  The storms have been the pop-up variety, all over and sporadic, although today they missed out on us.  We're happy to have a bird bath out there for our animal friends.  We spotted a squirrel just sitting there beneath the splashing fountain, just lying flat on the deck there letting droplets of water hit it as it cooled off.  Our bird visitors are many:  our bluebird families, chickadees, mourning doves, a few wrens, a nuthatch or two, woodpeckers for sure, cardinals, sparrows, and a few hummingbirds.

We also have a lot of mosquitos at the moment.  That's annoying.  But the lightning bugs are beautiful in the woods at night, decorating the darkened areas of the forest and just adding this mystical beauty to the trees in our back yard.

We didn't have any classes or anything today, so it was a rather uneventful day.  But summer days can be like that, and there's a time and place for relaxing for Maddie.  It's okay to sit about and play games, watch her usual YouTube channels, listen to music and so on.  

Tonight we read of course.  Currently the Mysterious Benedict Society is trying to locate Mr. Benedict and Number Two, as they have been all book long.  They've been following a trail of clues through Europe, and it's been a fun chase.  After reading, we said our prayers.  Maddie doesn't go to bed right away, but that's okay too.  We've got another few weeks before we have to get back into the old schedule of things, and that's alright.