LESSON 14: LISTEN AND RESPOND
THEME: Family Problems (Husband’s Version)
VERSE: Psalm 68:6: “God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”
VOCABULARY: devastated, excited, odd jobs, weighed, slip away, extended family
STORY: There is a man. His name is Juan. He is 46 years old. When he was 23 he was married with 2 kids. He lived a great life. He had a job that he loved. He went to work every day and was very happy. When he came home he was excited to be home and spend time with his wife and kids. When he was 36 he went to work and was told they were closing down his company. He was devastated. He didn’t know what to do. He had been working at the same job for 16 years. He went home and talked to his wife. She reassured him that everything would be fine and that with time he would find a new job. He tried for years to find a new job. For many years he worked odd jobs just to make some money. Eventually, the family lost their house and had to live with their extended family. It weighed so much on Juan that he eventually lost hope. He started spending a lot of time away from the house. His family didn’t know where he was. Then he started spending nights away from the house. His family continued to worry. They did not know what he was doing. Over time they realized he had started to use drugs. One time when he was really upset he went to a bar and had a few drinks. Someone there introduced him to a new drug. Juan was very upset about his situation, so he decided to try the new drug. Things went downhill from there. Juan continued to use drugs and eventually just stopped showing up at home. He let his happy life slip away. Now at 46, he is living on the street. He does not see his kids anymore. He sometimes sees his wife, who comes and prays for him and with him. No matter what happens, his wife still loves him and knows that God will bring back the man he once was. Psalm 68:6 says, “God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”
ACTIVITIES:
- Review the vocabulary words. Listen to the Vocabulary File for pronunciation. Look up the meaning of any words you don’t know.
- Listen to Audio 1 as you read through the story.
- Listen to Audio 2 – Story with Questions as you read through the story and answer the questions.
- Answer the following questions:
- What chains hold Juan down?
- Who can break our chains?
- What are some chains that can hold us back?
- What are things that we can pass on through our families that hold us back?
- End class in prayer.