Lean In // 5 minutes
Women, would you rather be Miss America or Madam President? Men, would you rather be Mr. Universe or Mr. President?
Leader Note: Create some banter back and forth here. Ask people to defend their answers. For fun have a some people take sides to argue why their position is better.
Look Down // 10 minutes
Read 1 Samuel 16:1-7 and 1 Peter 3:3-4
What do you learn about beauty?
Sample answers…
- We look outwardly
- We consider outward beauty to be an indication of status
- God’s value system of beauty is different than ours
- God looks at the heart
- Beauty does not come from what we “put on” or what we have
- Beauty of the heart lasts, it never fades
- God values gentleness and humility
Look Out // 15 minutes
What does it look like to use the world’s standard of beauty, where have you seen it?
What does it look like to use God’s standard of beauty, where have you seen it?
Look In // 25 minutes
Where have you used the world’s standards of beauty on yourself?
Leader Note: After this question lead you group through a time of affirming and calling out beauty in one another.
Set this up by saying something like… “Many of us have been feed a string of lies concerning our beauty and worth. As we go through life it becomes easy to believe those lies and lose sight of the way God see’s us. We’re going to take time now to speak truth over one-another by calling out the beauty we see and affirming the truth of how God sees each of us.”
Here’s a sample of what this could look like…
“Jane, you are beautiful. God calls you His loved daughter. He has placed within you His very image. You are His masterpiece, created by Him and for Him. We have seen the way you serve and care for others, for your family. The life you live is a reflection of the very beauty God has placed in you. We replace every lie that has been spoken over you, every thought that comes to steal and destroy what God has given you with the truth of God’s word. We proclaim God’s healing and freedom in Jesus Name.”
Do this one at a time, asking the person who is being affirmed to say back what they hear when the group is done. It takes time for truth to sink in and we often don’t hear it the first time! If that’s the case speak those words again in love and ask them again what they heard. If you have a large group you may want to consider splitting up between men and women in order to save time.
Key Verse: The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
Key Thought: God’s standard of beauty is different than the world’s
Learn More About Flow Questions: Check out Kenton Beshore’s book Ask in the Irvine Campus Bookstore for more on the Flow Question model.