California Gurls

Katy Perry’s on fire these days. The ‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer put on a show at the MTV Movie Awards recently. Her new album Teenage Dream doesn’t drop till August 24th but the single California Gurls song and video came out in May. It’s totally catchy and pretty popular. How popular? Well, it was #1 on iTunes and Billboard’s Hot 100 the last week of June – first week of July.

Have you seen the video online or on T.V.? If you haven’t you’ve probably at least heard the song on the radio. Maybe you’ve downloaded it and dance out and sing along to the catchy hooks and melodies as they blast through headphones on your .mp3 player.

The song grabbed our attention and got us asking some questions about the messages of the song &/or video. We thought we’d share our thoughts and questions here wanting to have some conversation with you about it and get your thoughts and feelings. BTW – the vid is sexually provocative so if you haven’t already seen it we’re not suggesting you check it out.

Listen to the song here
Read lyrics here

HMMM – FOR CONVERSATION

• What do you think of the song (or video if you’ve already seen it)?
• What are some of the messages the song is sayin’ with it’s lyrics?
• Read the lyrics here. Notice the lyrics “You can travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast / once you party with us, you’ll be falling in love…” Who is Katy Perry referring to as “You” and what does she assume is foremost on “you’s” list of life goals?
• California Gurls seem to be portrayed as having it all together, living the life and that they (versus the ‘You’s’) don’t need to “travel the world” to find a place, way of life or person to fall in love with. What do you think about that?
• What’s Katy’s biggest selling point for the ideal of California Gurls?

Katy Perry makes it sound like we all should be singing the song – I wish we all could be California Gurls and we’d be crazy if we didn’t want that.

We all can aspire and want to be better people and want for better things in our lives. Let’s explore how closely we buy into Katy’s definition of ‘better people and things’ though.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Song

1. What things does Katy say we’ll get to share with her if we buy into the California Gurls ideal?
2. How realistic is it that we’d find all those things even if we took the plunge?
3. Do you think it’s a sin to be tempted by or buy into the messages she’s promoting in this song?

Word

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. ~ 1 John 2:15-17

1. What’s this word from the bible saying we should avoid loving? What do you think that means? What about our pet, the fam and our bff’s – they’re in the world?
2. What’s the word on those in the passage who do love the world and anything in it?
3. Since, according to the bible, God created the world and everything in it, does this ‘everything in the world’ come from God too?
4. Did you notice what ‘everything in the world’ is described as?
5. What do you, I, we as people crave, lust after with our eyes and boast about owning or doing?
6. How does dealing with our cravings, our lusts, and our boastings apply to the message of the California Gurls” song?
7. Good news, there’s hope! What does this word tell us that brings hope?

WRAP UP
So, here’s the deal. If you haven’t already (we’re pretty much sure though that you have), you can be sure you will at some point get frustrated and sense a lack of fulfillment in your life. Those are emotions and experiences that come with walking upright, wearing clothes and sucking back air (being human) and living on this spinning piece of dirt ball in the galaxy. However, when those emotions and experiences come, you have a choice – a decision to make.

You choose… it’s your life. Will it be:
A. Katy Perry’s solutions from California Gurls song
B. God’s plan for your life and peace that you’ll never get from pursuing bikinis, bodies, beaches, pleasure, fantasy and sex.

Remember, the world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

Share some of your comments and question answers below!

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