Unafraid Youth Leader Guide: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times - Softcover

Hamilton, Adam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1501853821 ISBN 13: 9781501853821

Publisher: Abingdon Press, 2018

Synopsis

Americans are anxious people. A recent study found that one in five of us has an anxiety disorder and we spend over $2 billion a year on anti-anxiety medications. Often our life events play a significant role in our worries and fears.


In this study based on his book Unafraid, Adam Hamilton explores the most common worries and fears experienced by Americans today. He considers practical steps for overcoming these fears, and reflects upon fear in the light of Scripture and a faith that promises again and again that we don't need to live in fear. We can live with courage and hope.


This Youth Study Book takes the ideas presented in Adam Hamilton’s book and interprets them for young people grades 6-12.

About this title

About the Author

Adam Hamilton is senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. The Church Report named Hamilton’s congregation the most influential mainline church in America, and he preached at the National Prayer Service as part of the presidential inauguration festivities in 2013.

Hamilton is the best-selling and award-winning author of The Walk, Simon Peter, Creed, Half Truths, The Call, The Journey, The Way, 24 Hours That Changed the World, John, Revival, Not a Silent Night, Enough, When Christians Get It Wrong, and Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, all published by Abingdon Press.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Unafraid Youth Leader Guide

Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times

By Adam Hamilton

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2018 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5018-5382-1

Contents

Introduction, 
1. Understanding and Countering Fear, 
2. Crime, Race, Terrorism, and Politics, 
3. Failure, Disappointing Others, Insignificance, and Loneliness, 
4. Apocalypse, Change, Missing Out, and Finances, 
5. Aging, Illness, Dying, and Fear of the Lord, 

CHAPTER 1

UNDERSTANDING AND COUNTERING FEAR

Fear is a universal human condition. We all know what it feels like to be afraid. Sometimes fear can protect us from harm. The fear of pain and injury may keep us from touching a hot stove or jumping off a second-story balcony; the fear of being grounded may inspire us to keep up with our schoolwork and study for the next big test.

But fear also can be destructive. A fear of failure or rejection or getting hurt can keep us from taking advantage of opportunities; it can make us reluctant to take risks and make sacrifices; it can prevent us from answering God's call or taking a stand for people who are suffering.

In Part One of his book Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, pastor and author Adam Hamilton explores what fear is and where it comes from. He looks at how fear can be a gift and how fear can cause brokenness and suffering. Hamilton also discusses how we — as children of God and followers of Christ — face our fears and respond to fear with faith.

This session corresponds to the following chapters in Unafraid by Adam Hamilton:

• Chapter 1: Afraid

• Chapter 2: The Anatomy of Fear

• Chapter 3: Paralyzed by Fear a Mile from the Promised Land

• Chapter 4: Facing Your Fears

Session Activities

Opening: Hopes and Fears (5–10 minutes)

Supplies: whiteboard or paper, markers

From Unafraid, by Adam Hamilton

The reality is everyone worries about something. We all have things we fear. And most of us will have seasons when anxieties and fear simply overwhelm us. Fear is a powerful emotion that shapes all of us in profound ways we often don't fully understand. Look behind depression's door, and you'll often find fear. Addictions, too. Peer beneath broken marriages and friendships, beneath prejudice and hate, and you'll find fear.

Often during worship and fellowship, Christian communities share joys and concerns. Joys are praises and things that people are thankful for; concerns are worries and situations in need of healing. To open your time together, exchange joys and concerns but, for purposes of this study, use the language of "hopes" and "fears."

For example: "My grandparents are visiting, and I hope that we will have a good time together." "I fear that a friend of mine is hurting because of some family problems." List these hopes and fears on a whiteboard or large sheet of paper.

Open your time together with this prayer or one of your own:

God, as we prepare to begin this study, we give you our hopes and our fears. We thank you for all the ways that you have blessed us and the hope that we have through you. We ask for the strength and courage to face and endure our fears. Watch over us during this time together, that we will learn about ourselves and our faith and grow in our relationships with one another and with you. Amen.

Afraid (10–15 minutes)

Supplies: whiteboard or paper, markers

From Unafraid, by Adam Hamilton

Often we fear things that will never happen; yet real or imagined, these fears have power. Sometimes our battles with fear take a more serious turn, becoming a debilitating struggle with panic attacks or anxiety disorders. There are other times when fear is well placed, and people have good reason to be afraid: they are facing life-threatening illnesses, the impending death of a loved one, potentially devastating legal conflicts, or significant economic distress.

Each person in the group should jot down in the space below a list of his or her top five fears. Participants need not be too specific. Allow a few minutes for everyone to create a list. Ask each person to read aloud the list of fears. Discuss:

Have someone read aloud the selection from Unafraid by Adam Hamilton that's shown above. Hamilton argues that fear is behind many of the problems we face as individuals, communities, and nations, including problems of depression, addiction, prejudice, and violence. Write those four words across the top of a whiteboard or large sheet of paper. Ask:

• What fears might cause each of the four things shown on the board?

As fears are named, list them under the result they might lead to. For instance, someone might say, "Fear of failure." Consider whether a fear of failure could result in depression or addiction or prejudice or violence; then list it under the appropriate heading or headings. Spend about five minutes brainstorming fears. Then ask:

• How has fear had bad consequences for you?

Adam Hamilton says that fears have power. Sometimes fear is justified and protects us from dangerous situations. But often fear is painful and destructive. To counteract the power of fear, we need to take a look at what fear is and what tools God gives us to deal with it.

The Anatomy of Fear (15 minutes)

Supplies: note cards, markers, Bibles

From Unafraid, by Adam Hamilton

Our body's capacity to experience fear, and our ability to respond to perceived threats, when working properly, are absolutely amazing. ... Your heart begins to race, your breathing becomes more rapid and more shallow, your mouth gets dry, your muscles tense up — all aimed at helping you fight or flee. ... Our responses to a perceived danger happen almost instantaneously — before the rational mind can process the experience.

Have each participant write on a note card the name of an animal. The animals chosen should be well-known animals that everyone in the group would be familiar with.

Collect the animal cards. Have one person shuffle them and hand them out to the members of the group. Allow everyone a minute to think about how the animal on the card would react when threatened in a "fight-or-flight" situation. Would the animal on the card lunge and attack? Would it roll into a ball? Would it turn and run away? One at a time, allow each person to mimic how that particular animal would act in such a situation.

Then brainstorm a list of threats that might cause a young person to make a flight-or-fight response. These can be situations where a person feels physically threatened, emotionally threatened, or placed under a great deal of stress. Discuss:

• In which of these situations would you fight? ("Fighting" doesn't necessarily mean swinging fists or exchanging harsh words; it just means actively confronting the threat.)

• In which of these situations would you flee? (Again, "fleeing" isn't limited to literally running away but would include any effort to avoid confrontation.)

• In what sorts of situations is it better to confront a threat?

• In what sorts of situations is it better to walk away from a threat?

Read aloud each of the Scripture passages below. For each one, discuss:

• What threat do people in the story encounter?

• How do they respond to this threat — by fight or by flight?

• What do you think is the appropriate response in this situation?

Scriptures:

• Numbers 13:25–14:10

• John 18:1-12

Fear is a gift from God that helps us avoid danger. But, as Adam Hamilton points out, "we often misread signals, worry about threats that are not real, and find ourselves overwhelmed by false fears, paralyzing anxiety, or unhealthy fretting concerning things that (a) we don't need to be afraid of, (b) will never happen, or (c) worrying and fear can do nothing to save us from." The rest of this study will look at how we can face and overcome these destructive fears.

Paralyzed by Fear a Mile from the Promised Land (10 minutes)

Supplies: Bibles, paper, pens or pencils

From Unafraid, by Adam Hamilton

Before entering the land, the Israelites sent twelve spies. ... Two of the spies said, in effect, "It's all there, just like God promised. And it's awesome! God is with us — let's go get it!" But then the other ten spies spoke up. "We can't go and take the land," they said. "The city walls are strong, the people are even stronger. They look like the giants of old. ..."

And with that, the same people who had witnessed God's deliverance from the mighty Egyptians began to weep and suggest it was time to give up. ... It wasn't until the next generation arose that the children of Israel finally entered the Promised Land. Can you imagine, for thirty-eight years they remained paralyzed by fear just a mile from the Promised Land.

Discuss:

• When has fear kept you from trying something or taking advantage of an opportunity?

• You looked at the story from Numbers 13–14 as a part of the previous activity. Do you think that the Israelites' fear in this Scripture was justified? Why or why not?

• What did the Israelites lose out on because they gave in to fear?

• In this situation, the people of Israel showed a lack of faith. What does it mean to have faith in something or someone?

Whenever there is a major tragedy, such as a natural disaster or act of violence, prominent figures respond by offering thoughts and prayers. As Christians we believe that prayer is an effective and necessary response to tragedy. We also believe that a faithful response to any situation requires not only prayer but also action.

Divide into teams of three or four. Have each team come up with a seemingly impossible situation or insurmountable challenge, like the giants that the Israelites faced in the Promised Land. Teams should try to come up with situations that are relevant right now (such as issues facing your community or recent disasters that have been in the news).

Once a team has selected a situation, it should come up with a prayer and a plan of action:

• Prayer: Teams should write a prayer that (a) lifts up the struggles that people are facing, (b) thanks God for those who are working to heal the situation, and (c) asks God to offer strength and comfort both to those affected and those helping.

• Plan of Action: Teams should come up with one specific way to bring healing to the situation. As needed, do research to learn what the real needs are and what efforts are already under way to address the situation. It is also quite possible that the best way to help is to donate money. (Most food banks, for example, prefer cash donations to food donations because they know what food is most needed and are able to purchase large amounts of food for little money.) If this is the case, come up with a plan for raising the money that you will donate.

Spend about ten minutes working on prayers and plans of action. Then have each team read its prayer and summarize its plan. As a group, determine one plan to follow through on. Decide what your next steps will be and who will be responsible for these steps. Then discuss:

• How can the prayers and plans of action you came up with bring hope to people and communities experiencing fear?

• Why is it important to respond with both prayer and a plan of action?

• How does having a plan of action keep us from being paralyzed by fear and giving up in the face of adversity?

Facing Your Fears (10 minutes)

Supplies: Bibles

From Unafraid, by Adam Hamilton

My daughter Danielle ... while enrolled at Kansas State University ... joined the skydiving club. ... I asked her why in the world she would do something like that, and she said, "Dad, I joined the skydiving club as a way of confronting all of life's fears head-on, in one act. I knew that in my family I was genetically predisposed to anxiety, and I wanted to take preventative measures to keep fear from being a governing force in my life."

Refer back to the fears you listed for the activity called "Afraid." Discuss:

• When have you had to face one of these fears? (In other words, when have you had to do something you were afraid of doing, such as speaking in public or flying or dealing with a spider?)

• Have you, like Danielle, benefited by confronting your fear?

Some version of the words "fear" or "afraid" appear more than 400 times in the Bible, and the most common phrase in the Bible is (depending on translation), "Do not be afraid." Read aloud Luke 1:26-38. Ask:

• Who is told not to be afraid? What might she have to fear?

• How does the person in this Scripture face her fear?

Adam Hamilton says, "We can focus our imagination on all the things that might happen, and by inflating the threats or obstacles we face, we turn them into giants. Or we can focus our imagination on the presence of God ... and trust that we will sense his love and mercy holding us near. When we imagine God's presence and power we find we can begin to live with courage and hope."

• How do you see courage and hope in play in Luke 1:26-38?

Closing (5 minutes)

Close your time together by discussing the following questions:

• What is one thing that you learned or that you will think about differently as a result of today's session?

• What is one thing that you will do this week in response to what you've learned or discussed today?

Close with the prayer below or one of your own:

God of faith and hope, thank you for this time we've had to reflect on our fears and imagine how we can bring healing and comfort to those who are suffering and afraid. Watch over us this week, and guide us to be people who put our faith into action. Amen.

CHAPTER 2

CRIME, RACE, TERRORISM, AND POLITICS

One of humankind's most common and deadly fears is the fear of one another. We worry about violent crime and acts of terror; we feel threatened by people with different worldviews or different perspectives on issues that we care about. These fears can lead to prejudice and hate. We assume that certain groups of people are dangerous based on the actions of a few of their members; we become suspicious of people whose cultures and points of view we don't understand.

In Part Two of his book Unafraid: Living With Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, pastor and author Adam Hamilton looks at how and why we fear people of different cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, and political views and at how these fears spread and become destructive. He also considers how we can overcome these fears and show God's love to people we might otherwise fear.

This session corresponds to the following chapters in Unafraid by Adam Hamilton:

• Chapter 5: We Need a Security System

• Chapter 6: Troost Avenue

• Chapter 7: Weaponizing Fear

• Chapter 8: The Sky Is Falling!

Session Activities

Opening: Hopes and Fears (5–10 minutes)

Supplies: whiteboard or paper, markers

From Unafraid, by Adam Hamilton

The impalas reminded me of humans. Like them, we often live on edge — never quite sure who is friend or foe, or from which direction the next threat is likely to come. But there's a big difference. The predators we fear most are not other species but our fellow human beings.

As you did in the opening session, begin your time together by sharing hopes and fears. Again, list these hopes and fears on a whiteboard or large sheet of paper.

Also use this time to discuss the plan of action you developed last week in "Paralyzed by Fear a Mile from the Promised Land." Talk about what changes you may need to make to your plan, and determine what steps you need to take next. Discuss:

• Based on the quote above from Adam Hamilton, what topics do you think might we be talking about during this session?

Then open your time together with this prayer or one of your own:

God, thank you again for this opportunity to gather together and reflect on the message you have for us. Open our hearts and minds so that we are able to let go of our fears and prejudices and see people through your eyes. As we discuss our fears and worries, remind us of the hope we have through you. Amen.

We Need a Security System (10–15 minutes)

Supplies: Bibles

From Unafraid, by Adam Hamilton

In a recent Gallup poll, 53 percent of Americans reported that they worry "a great deal" about crime and violence. This was up from just 39 percent two years before, and was the highest level since 2001. ... But the facts about violent crime are quite different from our fears. ... Violent crime rates have reduced by more than half since the early 1990s, and the murder rate has dropped to the level it was in 1964.

Adam Hamilton, in Unafraid, says that television shows featuring violent crime, as well as twenty-four-hour news coverage on television and social media, have caused people to be very frightened of violent crime, even though crime rates are historically low. Discuss:

• For what other reasons might people be afraid of violent crime?

• Hamilton points out that, statistically, one's chances of being a victim of violent crime are very slim. What are you afraid of, even though you are statistically unlikely to be hurt by it?

Though many of the things we fear are unlikely to affect us, there are certainly times when fear is justified. Regardless of what we fear or why we are afraid, we should not allow our fears to control us or cause us to act impulsively. We can avoid giving in to fear by releasing our fears to God. One way to surrender to God and to experience God's assurance is through a practice called lectio divina, or "divine reading."

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Unafraid Youth Leader Guide by Adam Hamilton. Copyright © 2018 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1501853821
• ISBN 13: 9781501853821
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64