Roar

The Song: Roar by Katy Perry

Main Point: We must make sure that our identity is firmly rooted in Jesus and what He has done 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, 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.

• Don’t appear as if you have a “canned” discussion in your head and rattle off questions like a teacher giving a pop quiz—your kids get enough of that in school. This is a guide, primarily—not a verbatim script. Just familiarize yourself with the content here and start a conversation in the most natural, unforced way you know how.

• Katy Perry has become a household name…even if it’s a controversial one. She built her career by making music about kissing other girls, living an impossibly consequence-free teenage dream, and surviving risqué and irresponsible Friday nights. Her sultry apparel and attitude even got her cut from an episode of Sesame Street. It’s little wonder why most parents don’t trust her or appreciate her work. But lately, the same celebrity has been producing more socially-responsible music. In 2010, she released the song Firework, a tune about revealing one’s inner strength in the face of adversity. Then in 2012, she released Wide Awake, a song about learning lessons the hard way. Now comes Roar, another song about finding courage in life’s upsets.

• The song has been a huge hit since she sang it underneath the Brooklyn Bridge on MTV’s 2013 VMAs. The video has been viewed several million times, and as of this writing, the song is ranked #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. No surprise really. It’s got a pretty positive message, and a catchy vibe, to boot.

• In Roar, Perry channels her inner Survivor and sings about “the eye of the tiger.” On a few occasions in the music video, Perry wears a leopard print bra and grass skirt, but compared to some of her earlier attire, that’s pretty tame.

Introducing the Music Video:
Take a look at the lyrics I just gave to you. You’ll probably recognize this popular song right away. It’s Katy Perry’s “Roar.” The music video has been viewed online millions and millions of times. I want us to discuss the song’s lyrics in a moment, but first, let’s take a close look at the tune’s music video and the message Katy has embedded in it. Specifically, look at all she has to overcome, how she does it, and how it affects her life.

The Video:
The music video can be found online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8

Song Lyrics

Q: What was the main message in Katy’s song?
A: She talked about all the obstacles she had to face in life, and the changes she made to herself to be able to handle those hurdles better.

Q: How did Katy’s identity change from the beginning of the song to the end?
A: At the beginning of the song, she admits to being somewhat of a loser. She was pushed around. She didn’t want to rock the boat. She was a sucker for other people’s words, often falling for anything and everything. But she made some changes, and by the end of the song, she claimed she was a fighter and a champion.

Q: What did Katy mean when she said “you’re gonna hear me roar”?
A: She wanted to be victorious. She wanted to roar like a lion, the king of the jungle. She wanted to overcome her obstacles and struggles. If she could do that, she knew her life would “roar.”

Where to Take It from Here:
Wherever it feels natural. If these questions lead to a longer discussion on the topic, wonderful! (There’s a guide just after this 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, the following discussion guide can help take you there.)

Transitional Statement:
Aside from Perry painting an elephant’s toenails and brushing a crocodile’s teeth, the video was fairly straightforward: she’d been through some pretty difficult upsets, but she found strength inside of her that allowed her to roar. As a family, we want the same for each other, as well. We want you to be able to overcome the adversities in your life. We want you to be a champion. We want you to be victorious. But for any of that to happen, you must find your true identity in Christ. That’s the first and most important step. Let’s talk about that for the next few moments.

Discussion Questions:

1. HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: As we get started, let’s all take a second to share one place we definitely wouldn’t want to be stranded.
2. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: What were some of the things that went wrong for Katy in the video? (Parents – Her plane had crash-landed, her selfish boyfriend was eaten by a tiger, she was terrified by wild animals, she had to fashion her own survival tools, etc.)
3. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Would you say she did a good job of getting over those hurdles? Why or why not?
4. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: Katy said she went from a zero to a hero in her song. What were some of the “inner” changes and “outer” changes that Katy made to alter her identity?
5. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: How do you typically handle obstacles in life? What do you do to get over and past them?
6. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: In the song and video, Katy made it sound like her strength came from within her. Where does your strength come from?

Read the following passage:

1. 1. Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV)

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions– it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: How does Paul, the writer of this passage, describe our identity in verse 1? What does that mean?
2. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: According to verses 4 and 5, what has God done for us? What does that mean?
3. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: How does Jesus, and what He’s done for us, change our identity?
4. ASK A FEW FAMILY MEMBERS: What is the difference between basing our identity on ourselves and basing it on Jesus and what He’s done for us? Which is better and why?
5. HAVE ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS ANSWER: What are some of the obstacles you will face this week? How will basing your identity in Christ change the way you face those obstacles?

Wrap Up:
The music video we watched is a very popular one. It’s been viewed online literally millions and millions of times! The message is certainly a clean one; Katy faced some difficult times and some tough challenges, but she made the necessary changes and fixed herself.

That identity is the only one worth living!

Close in Prayer