For this warm-up you’ll need the following items:

• a rock about the size of a softball

• two or three cups of sand

• a pitcher of water

• a large pan, such as a 9x13 cake pan.

Put the sand in the pan, and then pour a little water onto it—just enough to make the sand damp so it can be molded into shapes. Ask one or two group members to form a small sand castle on one side of the pan. When they’re finished, place the rock on the other side of the pan.

Read Matthew 7:24-27. Now have someone pour the pitcher of water over the sand castle and the rock, and discuss these questions:

• What can we learn from this exercise? Write down your observations, then share them with the group.

• Why is a spiritual foundation like the one described in Matthew 7:24-27 necessary in our lives?

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