EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – Owning a Faith That Matters – Session 4

**EXTRA supports the group plans in the Bible Studies for Life leader guides.**

Date: February 11, 2024

Praying Faith

The Point: Faith looks to God to provide what we need.

Get Into the Study

After discussing Question #1, use the following information to transition from Question #1 to RECAP in the group plan and to the topic of prayer.

In November, Netflix began rewarding viewers. A after binge-watching three consecutive episodes, “the fourth episode will be completely ad-free.”

In comparison, it seems quaint, even other-worldly, how TV shows once functioned. We checked the guide, made sure to watch at a particular time, so we wouldn’t miss the episode, and waited at least a week to have cliff-hanger situations wrapped up. The streaming era has changed all that. “Many entertainment companies are releasing entire seasons and series of shows at once.” 38.7 percent of all TV viewing now happens on streaming sites. 60 percent of US adults ages 18-45 years old prefer for “all episodes of a season to be released at the same time.” Websites offer “Binge-worthy” ranking lists.

But it’s not an idea without problems. Nearly 90 percent of viewers have “reported sleep loss due to binge-watching content.” 45 percent of young adults have canceled social plans in favor of binge-watching a TV show. Johns Hopkins noted the increase of binge-watching during the COVID pandemic. “Experts warn that because people are replacing time once spent exercising, socializing and sleeping,” there are increased risks for health conditions from unhealthy meals, snacks, and a more isolated, sedentary lifestyle. Researchers warn that problems like heart disease, depression, obesity, behavioral addictions, sleep problems, loneliness, and anxiety, are all correlated with binge-watching.

Say: A 2022 Forbes survey revealed that “Americans spent an average of 13 hours and 11 minutes a day using some type of digital media,” which includes these increasing quantities of binge-watching television shows. While we may find it easy to click “play” on the next episode in a series, we aren’t as quick to turn to the Lord in prayer. (Continue to RECAP in the group plan.)

Information for this post was gleaned from:

Get Into the Study [Option from Adult Leader Guide]

In advance, play an interesting video clip about binge watching TV. Then ask Question #1.

Study the Bible

Use the following information to introduce Question #3.

Being a keeper of a lighthouse has been described as “tedium interrupted by periodic terror.” Days and weeks of pounding waves can be suddenly altered by hurricane winds or a “Nor’easter.” On December 31, 2023, the last human lightkeeper of an American lighthouse retired. “Boston Light” was built in 1716, and for nearly two decades, Sally Snowman served as keeper.

Sally Snowman’s journey to becoming the lightkeeper of Boston Light is a tale of persistence. From the age of ten, on a picnic with her dad, she looked up at the lighthouse and declared her intent to get married in that spot (which, later, she did). As a young woman, she followed her dad’s footsteps into the Coast Guard, pursuing other jobs along the way. Her love for the lighthouse persisted, and Sally and her husband wrote a book together, highlighting Boston Light. “By 1990, most lighthouses [had moved toward automation, and were unmanned]– with one exception.” It surprised Snowman when preservationists urged for a civilian lighthouse keeper to be found. “A national search was conducted, and Snowman, at fifty-two, was named the keeper–the seventieth in Boston Light’s history.”

But with the end of 2023 came the end of “307 years of keepers of Boston Light.” While she insists the transfer of lighthouse care to other entities is for the best, she walks away with decades of memories, and an intention to persist in serving in and around the lighthouse. “Give me a National Park volunteer hat; I’ll just be one of the tour guides.”

Say: “Sally Snowman’s lifelong commitment and persistence to serving mariners with Boston Light stands as an example for us. As we think about challenges and needs that sometimes last for decades in our lives, we could think it’s hopeless and can feel tempted to give up.”

Proceed with leading the group to discuss Question #3.

Information for this post was gleaned from:

Jessica Connell wrote these Leader Extras. Jess is a homeschooling mom of 9 who has served around the world in ministry with her husband. She loves hiking, exploring, and being active in her local church in North Texas.

Study the Bible [Option from Adult Leader Guide]

In advance, play a musical version of The Lord’s Prayer and encourage your group to sing along or reflect. Then close in prayer.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

When has persistence paid off?
When have you been glad you didn’t get what you’d asked for?
What program or series on TV are you tempted to binge watch?
What TV program tempts you to binge watch?

Luke 11:1-4

How does it make you feel to know that Jesus invites us to pray?
What sorts of needs does this ‘model prayer’ urge us to entrust to God?
If we prayed with the same desires and attitude of Jesus, how could this change our motives?
What sections of Jesus’ “model prayer” really stand out to you? Why?
How did you learn to pray?
What impact does prayer have on your ability to trust God?
What does this prayer reveal about Jesus’s priorities?

Luke 11:5-10

How might persistent prayer produce change in the believer instead of God?
Why must patience and persistence come together in a believer’s prayer life?
Jesus told a parable about persistence. Why is it important to be persistent in prayer? What does persistence have to do with faith?
Why is it important to persistently seek God?
How do you gain the strength to not give up in prayer?
How are persistence and faith related?

Luke 11:11-13

How might praying with God’s goodness in mind bring about peace in the life of a believer?
How might consistently praying with God’s goodness in mind impact a believers’ faith?
In what way does our view of God impact the way we suspect He will answer our prayers?
What attributes of God do you find comforting, as you consider approaching Him in prayer?
When has God given you something better than what you asked for?
What are some reasons we might be hesitant to pray about something?
What are some “good gifts” you have received from God?

For Those in Your Group

Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:

A Key Ingredient to Prayer

Podcast

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