While on a camping adventure, Liz and the gang must face their own fears of braving the wilderness. Are those “things that go bump in the night” a bear, an owl,or some pranking friends? Who will win the battle of bravery, and who’s a scaredy-cat?
Before You ListenTheme: Encouraging
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” What’s the last encouraging thing that someone said to you? What’s the last encouraging thing that you said to someone else?
2. Before Paul was a Christian, he led a movement to capture and kill Christians in Jerusalem. The book of Acts tells us that one day Paul met Jesus on his way to the town of Damascus. This experience changed Paul completely. Paul was filled with God’s Holy Spirit and soon he began preach boldly that Jesus is the Son of God. The believers in Jerusalem thought that Paul’s change was an evil trick to fool them. Paul met a Christian believer whose nickname was Barnabas. Barnabas means “Son of Encouragement.” Barnabas encouraged Paul. Acts 9:26-31 tells us how Barnabas helped convince the believers in Jerusalem that God had an amazing plan for Paul. Think about Barnabas, the encourager, as you listen to today’s program!
A: He pretended to see a spider.
2. When talking to Lucille, Chamy and Gaby, what two wild animals did Spike and Liz claim roamed around the woods at night?
A: The red-eyed owl and gigantic bears.
In this episode, Liz and the gang challenged each other and participated in hurtful name calling. These actions spoiled their time together and damaged their relationships. Their adventure out in the wilderness could have been so much fun, instead it was filled with anger, fear, and revenge.
When we talk to family and friends, we need to be encouragers like Barnabas. An encourager always wants other people to succeed. An encourager lifts up another person by speaking kind words and by helping when needed. How does getting encouragement and giving encouragement make you feel?
Barnabas’ real name was Joseph. But people gave him the cool nickname Barnabas or “Son of Encouragement” because they recognized the way he encouraged other people.
Around the dinner table or during family time, ask if anyone in your family has a nickname. Share your nicknames and talk about where that name came from. (Some nicknames are hurtful, so quickly eliminate those from the discussion).
What if people started calling you a nickname based on the great way you treated other people? What do you think your positive nicknames would be? Think about your positive behaviors (e.g., Sharing, Laughter, Kindness, Joy, etc) and suggest nicknames for each family member.
For example, if Rebekah empties the dishwasher without being asked, you might nickname her, “Daughter of Helpfulness.”