Millionaire

Main Point:  Without love we have nothing, and we need to grow in our understanding of the love God has for us.

Vital Info Before You Get Started:  The following info should help you contextualize this very popular song so you can have a great discussion about it with your kids.

• IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: We at The Source for Youth Ministry believe that certain elements in our youth culture can serve as good discussion jump starters with students. At the same time, we would never hope to introduce teens to a negative influence that they haven’t already encountered. This balance is a delicate one. In our experience most teens, churched and unchurched, keep pretty current with music and music videos like this one. Thanks to YouTube, MTV.com, Spotify, and iTunes, the most popular music videos and songs are free to access only a click away. If you decide to use this, do so by catering it to fit your family’s needs.
• Kentucky bred Chris Stapleton moved to Nashville in his early twenties and instantly found work as a songwriter. About six years later he joined the music group The SteelDrivers, which he enjoyed for a few years before founding a rock group called The Jompson Brothers.
• Stapleton became a solo artist in 2015 and has since released three studio albums.
• Known for his signature long hair and beard, Stapleton and his singer-songwriter wife, Morgane, live in Nashville with their five kids.

Introducing the Song – Say Something Like This:  The song has been described as a soulful blast of heartland rock and features Stapleton singing along with his wife Morgane. The song is about “spare love” and the value of relational closeness over material wealth. The song received a Grammy nomination and was performed live on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Ellen.

The Music Video:  The music video can be viewed for free at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR3Y_RKWENo

Song Lyrics – Millionaire

They say love is more precious than gold
It can’t be bought, and it can’t be sold
I’ve got love enough to spare
That makes me a millionaire

I got a woman with eyes that shine
Down deep as a diamond mine
She’s my treasure, so very rare
She’s made me a millionaire

When we ride around, ride around this old town
In my beat up car, with the windows down
People look at her, then they look at me
They say that boy, he’s sure living in luxury, sweet luxury

Because love is more precious than gold
It can’t be bought, no, never could be sold
I’ve got love, enough to share
That makes me a millionaire

When her kisses fall from everywhere
Like riches on a millionaire
When my pockets are empty and my cupboard is bare
I still feel like a millionaire

Because love is more precious than gold
It can’t be bought, no, and it can’t be sold
I’ve got love, enough to spare
That makes me a millionaire

Three Questions to Ask in the Car (with thoughts to dive deeper with your kids):

Q:  Why do you think he believes love is more precious than gold? What makes it that way?
A:  Start the conversation with a discussion on the value of love.

Q:  Where do you think love comes from?
A:  The goal is to steer the conversation to God being love, and all love coming from God. Use 1 John 4:8, which says, whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Q:  What are some ways that God has shown love to you?
A:  Here you can get practical and dive into ways your teenager has experienced the love of God. Push them to go beyond the cross and talk about how God has personally shown His love to them.

Where to Take It from Here:  Wherever it feels natural. If these questions lead to a longer discussion on the topic, wonderful!  (There is a guide just after that paragraph that helps you do just that.) If your kids are barely uttering grunts, don’t get discouraged – the next time it feels right, try out another song. Keep engaging them

For Deeper Discussion: 
(If your kids seem into diving in deeper and looking at what the Bible has to say on the subject, the following discussion guide can help take you there.)

Want help getting your teenager engaged in conversation? CLICK HERE for a helpful article from our “Parenting Help” page providing you with 3 Essentials to Talking with Today’s Teens.

Transition Statement – Say Something Like This:  Few would deny that love is valuable, but have you ever considered that love might be worth more than anything this world has to offer? Everyone has heard that God loves them, but is it possible that we have room to grow in understanding what that love for us truly means? Let’s take some time and talk about these things.

Discussion Questions:

1. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Stapleton says that love is more precious than gold. What are some other things that you would personally consider to be worth more than gold?
2. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: How do you feel about this song being written and performed by people who are clearly millionaires? Do you think they still believe what they are singing? Explain why you think the way you do.
3. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: What do you think he means when he sings, “I’ve got love enough to spare”?

4. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: At one point he sings, “when my pockets are empty and my cupboard is bare, I still feel like a millionaire.” Why do you think he is able to feel this way?

5. ASK ALL FAMILY MEMBERS: What are the ways you best receive love? If you are familiar with love languages, what is yours? (acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time, gifts given)

6. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Where do more of your efforts go, toward chasing material things and accomplishments, or toward showing love to others? Can you do both of these at the same time? Share why you feel the way you do.
7. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: What are some ways you have experienced God’s love?
8. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: If someone were to ask you how you know God loves them, what would you say?

Read the following passages:

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

9. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Paul (author) is saying that if you spoke every language there was, had knowledge of what’s going to happen, could explain all mysteries and had all knowledge, and had a faith that moved mountains – it’s meaningless without love. Do you think he is exaggerating, or do you think he literally means what he is saying?

10. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS:  Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. What do you learn about love from reading this chapter?

11. ASK ALL FAMILY MEMBERS: Looking at 1 Corinthians 13, which part of love is the most challenging for you? Why do you say that?

12. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS:  1 John 4:8 says, “whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  What does this tell you about the relationship between God and love?

13. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS:  Look at the second verse above, 1 John 4:16. What does it mean to rely on God’s love?

14. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS:  The original language translated “and so we know” literally means, “we come to know.” It implies a continual learning. Think back over the last several months. What are some ways you have come to better understand God’s love for you?

15. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS:  As you have experienced God’s love, in what ways would you say that is better than any temporary pleasure or material thing?

Wrap Up – Say Something Like This: When a person experiences the love of God, they encounter a love that flows through them in a way that brings deeper satisfaction than anything this world can offer. The more we come to know and understand this love, the more our perspective changes to where we see the other things of this world differently. How has your understanding of God’s love impacted your life in this way? Take a moment and reflect to God the ways His love is “better than life” (Psalm 63:3).

(Pause and give them a quiet moment to pray silently.) 

While we would all admit the value of love, the idea that without love we are nothing is a sobering thought. If we embrace 1 John 4:8 and know that God is the very definition of love, that means without God we are nothing. As we come to a deeper knowledge and understanding of His love, we experience God as He has intended. What are the things that keep you from understanding and experiencing God’s love? What are the steps you need to take to encounter and embrace His love each day? Take a moment and talk to Him about these things. 

(Pause and give them a few moments to pray silently.) 

Love is greater than all because God is greater than all. His love for you and I says everything about who He is. He has chosen to love and value us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. He has then invited us to experience His love so we would see that He is truly better than anything else in this world. We can have all of the possessions, power, and pleasures of this world, but without His love we have nothing. Let’s be people who embrace this free gift, and continue to grow in our understanding of this love and the One who loves us. As we experience this love, let’s be people who radiate that same love to others that they too would feel like a millionaire.

CLOSE IN PRAYER