Reminders: Goal: To claim God s promise to be with us and not forsake us. Permission to photocopy for local church use granted by Barefoot Ministries.

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1 Reminders: Eight Below I ll Never Leave If you are going to use a movie clip, ALWAYS PREVIEW IT! No exceptions! You are responsible for what you show your group! Our writers will always try to provide clean clips and warn you of nearby questionable words or content, but all art forms are subjective. Only you can determine what to show your group. Number one rule: watch it first. Please read the Terms of Use at the end of this lesson for important licensing and copyright information. Goal: To claim God s promise to be with us and not forsake us.

2 Setting the Stage: To set the tone for your meeting, ask your students if they have ever been left somewhere on accident. Ask them to share the result of the incident and the emotions they felt during and after it. Also be prepared to give an example from your experience or, if you have kids, a time when you left your kids somewhere on accident. Explain that this discussion will tie into today s lesson about never being left alone by God. Eight Below Overview: An expedition to Antarctica leads scientist Dr. Davis McClaren to find a meteor from Mercury that has landed. Upon arrival, Dr. McClaren is teamed with National Science Foundation (NSF) dog handler Jerry Shepard. Jerry and his eight dogs take Dr. McClaren by sled to the site. While away, a strong winter storm approaches, so the journey is cut short. During the search, Dr. McClaren falls off an ice cliff and breaks through the ice into freezing water. Jerry and Maya, the lead dog, rescue the injured McClaren before an emergency evacuation is planned. The eight sled dogs are tied up and left behind. Later, Jerry wants to return, but cannot because of the intense storm. While he waits, he tries to enlist the help of others to rescue the dogs. He eventually receives help from Dr. McClaren and some of the NSF team several months later. Eight Below shows the dogs fight for survival fighting weather, empty stomachs, injuries, and wild sea lions. Viewers also see the dogs determination, unity, and resourcefulness to survive. Finally, Jerry shows up at the base camp and is reunited with the surviving dogs. Eight Below is an inspiring story about a committed man who is determined to not leave his friends and loved ones behind.

3 IMPORTANT NOTE: Eight Below is rated PG for some peril and brief mild language. Leaders should preview clips prior to showing them to the group. Also, it would be helpful if the leader has seen the entire movie. Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:5 8 In this closing portion of Deuteronomy, Moses has given final instructions to Joshua, who will take his place as Israel s leader. God gives Joshua a promise (and repeats it twice) that He will never leave nor forsake Joshua. God promises something that no other god can promise. It is also important to note that Moses receives a similar promise in Exodus 3 and 4 at the burning bush that God would be with him. In the film, Jerry is forced to leave his dogs. And although he promises to return, the hurt and disappointment that both Jerry and the dogs feel is evident. The contrast between these two situations will help students become more aware of God s presence in their lives. Movie Clip: Evacuation DVD Time: Start the clip at the beginning of chapter six (time: 39:54) when the team is loading the plane to evacuate. Stop the clip one-fourth of the way through chapter six (time: 43:25) after Jerry pulls his hood over his head and closes his eyes. Introduction to Clip After Jerry and the dogs save Dr. McClaren s life, the camp must evacuate. Jerry is forced by the storm to leave the dogs behind. He is given no choice. To protect them, he

4 tightens their collars and then says good-bye, saying he ll return. As he leaves, his face expresses his frustration and discouragement. What Did You See? After viewing the clip, ask the group these questions: What spiritual elements did you see? Which words, phrases, or images were the most powerful to you? Why? Why did Jerry have to leave the dogs? Why did he tighten their collars? Jerry tells Maya to be good and take care of the other dogs, then promises to return. Do you think the dogs (if they could) ever doubted that he would keep his promise? Why or why not? Could Jerry have stayed behind? Could he have done anything else for the dogs? Why or why not? As Jerry gets in the plane, what was he thinking? What do you think the dogs were thinking? What, if anything, would you have done differently if you were Jerry? What Did You Read? After reading the scripture for today, ask the following questions: What are the key elements in this scripture? What situations does Joshua have to face? What is the significance of the promise God gives Joshua? Why does Moses repeat the promise before the people?

5 How does the situation in this passage differ from what the dogs experienced? What Does It All Mean? Tie the movie clip and scripture together by asking the following questions: In what ways does the message of the movie clip represent God s faithfulness to His children? How does knowing God will not leave help you live life? How does it make you feel? How does it affect your words and actions? In what situation in your life this week do you need to see God s presence? How can you encourage a friend with the truth about God s loyalty? Creative Activity: Tell the group that you will all be going outside or into another room to play a game or do an activity. (Whatever reason you give, the goal is to ensure that no one will want to be left behind). Explain that you will also need one person to stay behind by himself or herself. Have your group decide how they will determine the person who is chosen (volunteering, drawing straws, rock-paper-scissors, etc.). After the person is chosen, leave the room with all the students except him or her. Return after two minutes and then tell the students that you were simply giving an illustration. Ask the person who was required to stay behind what went through his or her mind. Ask the group for additional observations. Encourage students to discuss how much more applicable God s promise to be with us is after this experience. To end the meeting, ask a few students to pray, focusing on God s loyalty and our response to the truth that He will never leave us.

6 TERMS OF USE: In producing this teaching material, Barefoot Ministries references the use of movie clips as suggestions for teaching Christian principles in home small groups. The use of movie clips is a suggestion only, and alternatively the movie content could be discussed verbally, without showing any movie clips. Special permission must be granted for any public performance of copyrighted material, including church use. Legal use of and licensing of suggested material under copyright is the responsibility of the local user and/or the local church. Barefoot Ministries is not responsible for the licensing or use of any media suggested in this material. Barefoot Ministries advises that any church or individual secure proper licensing before any public showing of any part of any motion picture, or recorded copyright media. You can secure a Church Video License and/or find out more information about public viewing of copyrighted media by contacting Christian Video Licensing International at or calling CVLI.