(10 minutes, easy set-up)
Students will examine the lives of celebrities to consider the consequences of the choices they make.
Gather articles from the newspaper, magazines, or online describing celebrities—past or present—who are dealing with the consequences of good and bad decisions. (Examples could include the Kardashians, Angelina Jolie, Pete Rose, Michael Vick, Aaron Hernandez, Tim Tebow, and Eric Liddell.)
Invite students to look through the stories that you have provided. Explain that these are all people who endured the spotlight of attention as they made either good or bad decisions, and then had to publicly deal with the consequences. Invite students to identify whether each celebrity made good or bad decisions as well as the consequences they experienced. Point out that although celebrities sometimes manage to avoid severe consequences for a variety of reasons, there are always informal and formal consequences for their actions.
Ask: Why is it important for us to think about consequences when we are considering actions and decisions? After students share their answers, explain that even if there seem to be little or no consequences to our actions, when we sin our relationship with God and others is always affected, as we will see today. Say: Today we’ll look two different consequences—one for trusting God and one for not trusting Him.