Anna Zaros

September 15, 2011

One Day

Key Lines: Sometimes I lay/Under the moon/And thank God I’m breathing/Then I pray/Don’t take me soon/’Cause I am here for a reason/Sometimes in my tears I drown/But I never let it get me down/So when negativity surrounds/I know some day it’ll all turn around/Because all my life I’ve been waiting for/I’ve been praying for/For the people to say/That we don’t want to fight no more/They’ll be no more wars/And our children will play/One day

Questions: How did Jesus’ disciples work against poverty, violence, and injustice in their lives? How were they rewarded? How do you work against such difficulties in your daily life? How do you stay hopeful for better days? Where and how have you seen God’s blessings in the midst of sorrow, hardship, and poverty? If you could write a beatitude, what would it be?

September 8, 2011

Release Me

Key Lines: Come and release me sender/Come and release me/I will go/It’s the part I need to show/Come and release me silence/Come and release me so I’ll know/When it’s time to let it go/I want to know/Where the deeper parts of life will grow/I want to see/Where’s the deeper part of love in me/Where’s the part of love in me

Questions: When have you felt called to a special mission or task? What was thecall? What are ways we can try to understand God’s vision for our lives? How is Jesus’ response to God a model we can follow in our response to God in our lives? How is vocation different from career?

Adapted from Spirit Xtra 2010-2011 by Anna Zaros

September 1, 2011

Man in the Mirror

Key Lines: I’m starting with the man in the mirror/I’m asking him to change his ways/And no message could have been any clearer/If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change, yey

Questions: What is one small way you want to make your school, neighborhood, or town a better place?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra pt 2, 2011 by Anna Zaros

August 25, 2011

Fix You

Key Lines: And the tears come streaming down your face/When you lose something you can’t replace/When you love someone but it goes to waste/Could it be worse?/Lights will guide you home/QAnd ignite your bones/And I will try to fix you

Questions: What does Jesus as good shepherd mean to you? Think of a time when you have felt really down. What did friends or family do that was comforting to you?  What can we learn from these people in our lives about how to treat others?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra 2009-2010 by Anna Zaros

August 18, 2011

True Colors

Key lines: You with the sad eyes/Don’t be discouraged/Oh I realize/It’s hard to take courage/In a world full of people/You can lose sight of it all/And darkness still inside you/Make you feel so small/But I see your true colors/Shinin’ through/I see your true colors/And that’s why I love you/So don’t be afraid to let them show/Your true colors/True colors are beautiful/Like a rainbow

Questions: When has someone judged you unfairly? How did it feel? Have you unfairly judged someone else? How did you get to know this person’s “true colors” instead? What groups of people are on the margins of society today as tax collectors were in Jesus’ time? What examples does Jesus set for us in how to reach out to outsiders?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra 2010-2011 by Anna Zaros

August 11, 2011

Each Tear

Key lines: Every night there’s one thing I do/I bow my head and I pray for you/And the last thing that I want/Is for you to fall apart/Your future will get clear/I want you to remember/In each tear/There’s a lesson/Makes you wiser than before/Makes you stronger than you know/In each tear/Brings you closer to your dreams/No mistake, no heartbreak/Can take away what you’re meant to be

Questions: When has something positive come from a hardship or complication in your life? How do you find the positive in the midst of the negative?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra 2010-2011 by Anna Zaros

August 4, 2011

King of Anything

Key Lines: You sound so innocent/All full of good intent/Swear you know best/But you expect me to/Jump up onboard with you/And ride off into your delusional sunset/I’m not the one who’s lost/With no direction/But you’ll never see/You’re so busy making maps/With my name on them in all caps/You’ve got the talking down/Just not the listening

Questions: When did you do something that you knew really wasn’t you? How did you feel afterwards? What tempts you to turn away from who you truly are? What tempts you to turn away from your relationship with God? How do you handle these temptations and stay true to yourself? What encourages you to trust God?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra 2010-2011 by Anna Zaros

July 28, 2011

Wavin’ Flag

Questions: What does faith mean to you? How does your faith affect the way you live your life? What responsibilities and duties do you fulfill because of your faith? What do you see in the future for yourself, your community, and your world? What can you do today to help bring this vision about?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra 2010-2011 by Anna Zaros

July 21, 2011

Bulletproof

Key Lines: I won’t let you turn around/And tell me now I’m much too proud/To walk away from something when it’s dead…Tick tick tick tick on out/I won’t let you turn around/And tell me now I’m much too proud/All you do is fill me up with doubt/This time baby I’ll be bulletproof

Questions: What difficulties have you faced in your life? How did you get through them? How was your relationship with Jesus a source of strength for you? How has God protected you during difficult times in your life? When, if ever, have you felt unfairly judged because of your faith? How did you handle the situation?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra 2010-2011 by Anna Zaros

July 7, 2011

I Run To You

Key Lines: I run my life/Or is it running me/Run from my past/I run too fast/Or too slow it seems/When lies become the truth/That’s when I run to you/This world keeps spinning faster/Into a new disaster so I run to you/I run to you baby/And when it all starts coming undone/Baby you’re the only one I run to/I run to you

Questions: Who do you turn to in both good times and bad? How has God responded to your needs in times of sorrow and of joy? How have you expressed gratitude for God’s help, love, and compassion? Are you a person others turn to when they are in need? What examples does Jesus give us about how to be there for others?

Adapted from SPIRIT Xtra 2010-2011 by Anna Zaros