the OTHERS: help us brainstorm this teaching series

[3dunham]

this new teaching series, tentatively entitled THE OTHERS, begins in a couple of weeks at CRC. based on 1 Corinthians 13, we will be looking at the need and tools to help us love beyond ourselves to "the others." the specific topics to be covered over the seven weeks are:

LOVE is:

-patient (forbearing, puts up with lots)
-kind (and gentle and gracious)
-not jealous or envious
-not proud (humble)
-not seeking own interests; selfless
-forgiving
-persevering


as part of our genesisARTS group we are asking for your input to help us bring creative elements to these services. share with us your creative ideas for: music, videos, skits, dramas, visuals, set pieces, dance, worship, creative writing [poetry], etc. we want to hear your ideas!

so write some songs, some scripts, create a visual or picture. we may even use it on a Sunday.

[3dunham]

i will get this started. this is my preliminary idea for the series teaching visuals. my thoughts were that when dealing with love, it is easy to love myself, but there are those "others." and that is a difficult thing to love others, so i kind of wanted something that expressed the distance between myself and those around me. i thought this image captured that distance, especially in the hollowness of the eyes. eh, it is a first try....and probably not the final product.

[Beth Chase]

trey - on wednesday when I heard of "the others" the only thing I could think about was LOST. Don't know if you watch it - but "the others" are very hard to love! there could be skit opportunities - or good clips to use. I have some other ideas but don't want to spoil them by sharing on here. See you this weekend.

[Fran Bennett]

That is a very haunting photo! What if the font were in a slightly darker color (maybe closer to the skin tone)? I know you run the risk of not being able to read it clearly though if it goes too dark. not to get too philosophical, but having it closer to the same color in same ways could represent that even though we feel different and separate ourselves, we really do have a lot in common and share the same kinds of problems...

[Becky Bozic]

That photo is scary!!!! And that is probably as it should be.....
As an aside.....these visuals do things with your brain as you see them. I can't remember which series, but it was rather recent, where the visual every Sunday was a guy with sunglasses and moustache. Every time I looked up and saw him I kept thinking....."what is Freddie Mercury doing on the screen at CRC?" Of course....all the young folks would never pick up on the resemblance and would be paying more attention to the sermon!!!! :)

[Jill Damm]

WHAT PICTURE?!?!?

[Becky Bozic]

Click on the Attachment icon in Trey's first reply.

[Cari and Jeff Shepard]

If you want thought provoking...

I keep thinking how convicted I get when I'm absorbed in a book (or the computer) and my kids start acting up. Instead of stopping what I'm doing (seeking my own interest), I yell at them to stop. (Since they want my attention, they escalate their behavior.) Again, instead of stopping and focusing on them, I yell louder. Eventually tempers are lost and tears are shed. Think how much better life would be if the situation was different. If I only practiced what Love really is!

This scene could be changed from a mom with kids to a dad with kids to a husband and wife (or vice versa). We've all had times when we thought more about ourselves than those we profess to love.

Just a thought.

[Jill Damm]

That IS a strange picture!!! I don't think I like it.

[Diane Tarantini]

A couple of years back I had an "experience" with this particular scripture. My experience was two, maybe three, fold. First, I came to see the scripture as a description of God (because God is love). So, I read the whole scripture through, plugging in God's name whenever I saw the word "love" and I got a really good image of who God is.
Then, (because whoever has seen the Son has seen the Father), I did the same thing with Jesus. I inserted his name in the scripture whenever I saw the word "love."
Finally, because we are called to be like the Son, I read through the scripture putting my name in whenever I saw the word "love." Each time I came across an adjective or description (patient, kind, slow to anger, etc.) I asked myself, am I that? Am I that? Man oh man, did I come up lacking more often than not!
I try to remember to go through this "process" whenever I am struggling with an individual--my mom, my husband, my kids, a friend, etc.. It never fails to, as my father always said, "jerk a knot in my tail."

[Angela D Maust]

As successful as the art show is (I think so anyway) from the Unexpected series, I think it would be great to incorporate more opportunities for visual artists to express our interpretations of subjects in the series'. I know that takes an incredible amount of work. Let me know if I can help! I live close to an hour away, but I could help out on days that there is a lot that needs done. I'm sure it's too late to get a show up and running for the next series, but here's a plug for the great work you did for the Unexpected show!
Angela

[Jill Damm]

How'd the first message go today? We were away for our anniversary weekend and missed it.

[Mark Smith]

Karen shared with the worship team one time that she would often remind herself (and Tim) whenever somebody aggravated them in traffic, that Jesus died for that person too. Wow! that changed my thinking. I think if we approached everybody in that light, our daily lives would change drastically.

I was thinking after this week's message, the reason I get so annoyed with other people is because I don't consider them. During the times I make a concerted effort to love others that have wronged me, I try to come up with a possible scenario of their day (or life) that led up to them committing the offense. When someone tails me for going the speed limit, I try to think, "Maybe they just had the worst morning of their life, or maybe they will get fired if they are late, or maybe they have been beaten down emotionally their whole lives and are just a jerk..." I hope you see what I mean. It doesn't excuse the offense, but it helps me recognize that everybody has issues, everybody is imperfect and has hectic lives like me, and it helps me forgive and put myself in others' shoes.

My idea is a video like REM's "Everybody Hurts" but with a different song and in a setting other than traffic (especially since you just did a skit about traffic). I thought maybe a busy street with people passing and having freeze frames on individuals with subtitles of random issues, thoughts, or events that may be pressing on that person's mind as they go about their day. I think if we had that kind of insight into others' hearts as we interact with them, we would handle them with much more care and love. We can't read people's minds, but if we at least considered, daily, that everyone else is dealing with something, has scars, has fears, has insecurities ... is lost without Christ, we would treat everyone differently. I know I would if I could practice this, although I know that it takes God transforming my mind and heart first.

Anyway, sorry this is so long. If you use it, great; if not, great. I will try to think of a song. "Everybody Hurts" is perfect, but I'm afraid people might actually think it is a joke and not take it seriously. Also I would be glad to help brainstorm the phrases for subtitles. I think they would really need to challenge people's thinking as well being relatable to most people. If you want to contact me directly for more, just post to my chatterwall. Thanks.