Fear 2

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Questions

What are your deepest fears? (Talk about one of your own stories on fear). Even the legendary explorer, mountaineer and ex-SAS member, Sir Rannulph Fiennes discusses his own struggles and solutions for fear in his book, ‘Fear: Our Ultimate Challenge.’

The Bible tells us not to fear but instead to trust God. We put our trust in lots of things, but usually not God! But these things we trust in don’t stop fear. Even those who believe in God still have fears, though they try not to have! Fear has to be confronted.

Fear of going on planes? 

I went on flight back from US once and in our 6 hour flight. For 4 and a half hours we had the worst turbulence I’d ever known with the plane shaking and dropping and going back up suddenly! Some people were sick and many were very scared. That was scary, but not as scary as this..

Video Clip – plane crashing into the Hudson River,
New York City, 2009

Find a video clip on YouTube. We used this one from the US Coast Guard official channel – https://youtu.be/3mLKfRVU3qM

Interviews with survivors of Hudson River plane landing

“The plane shook a bit and immediately, you could smell smoke or fire. All of a sudden, the captain came on and said, ‘Brace for impact’ and that’s when we knew we were going down, into the water. And we just hit and somehow the plane, you know, stayed afloat and we were all able to get on the raft and – it’s just incredible right now that everybody’s still alive.” – Alberto Panero

“There was a lot of silence.. People started praying. It was hard to take in.” 

Someone else said: “There was a big bang. I prayed and prayed and prayed. Believe me, I prayed. I knew we were going to crash. The question was: how close to the buildings were we going to be. Honestly. I thought we were all going to die.”

David Paterson, the Governor of New York, praised “the heroic pilot who saved himself and 154 others. We have had a miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a miracle on the Hudson.”

Video Clip – from the movie, ‘Freedom Writers’

SAY – ‘Freedom Writers’ is a true movie story of a school in Los Angeles where the students were helped to succeed by an amazing teacher.

This clip is about one of the things the students made happen, with the help of their teacher – they fundraised and brought Miep Gies to their school, the woman who hid Anne Frank from the Nazis to come and visit them. Here’s what happened..

Clip is from ‘Freedom Writers’ – Chapter 12 – ‘Heroes’. Timings: 1:21:41 – 1:25:22 (graffiti of ‘Miep Gies’ on wall – scene cutting from school)

The Bible

Not everyone likes change. There was a time when an old leader had died and a younger guy was taking over the leadership. He had a massive task – to lead a whole nation into a new land in which there were enemies and many hard things. But God told this new leader, called Joshua not to fear, but to be strong and courageous, because God was with him. He did this and was successful.

Sometimes, we have big things to face in life. But whatever we focus on is what will grow. If we focus on the problem, we magnify it. If we focus on facing up, getting through, step by step.. it’s easier to confront and more powerful. 

OUR DEEPEST FEAR – Marianne Williamson, from ‘A Return To Love’

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others

Video – Coach Carter clip

Explain – Coach Carter has locked the gym until the students get their grades up. He has also helped the save the life of a student after a drugs related shooting death.

Clip is chapter 19 on DVD. Timing start: 1:41:13. This can run to the end of the poem below, as Coach Carter leaves the gym (1:43:14). You can stop the clip here – or carry on to the end of the clip (Richmond winning the ball game), 1:46:03. Clip duration – 2 mins 1sec (or 4mins 50secs).

Summary

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

Time to shine the light in your darkness!