Disney Devos - Moana

Disney Devos

This devotional guide is an effort to encourage parents to engage their kids and their culture.  It was born out of my inability to get my daughter to talk to me.  She is very private by nature and just doesn’t offer a whole lot of personal information, even when asked.  But, boy does she love the new movie, Moana.  Now that will get her talking.  So I figured I would meet her where she was and hope to spark some good discussion about Jesus along the way.  Plus, one of the things I want to teach my kiddos before they leave this house is how to filter the world through the Word of God.  I want them to look at every piece of literature, every song, every movie, every experience through the lenses of God’s Word.  I want them to hang on to what’s noble and good and true, and how to trash the junk.  We found these devos to be good practice for just that. 

Before diving in to any devotional, I found it important to listen first, so here’s some questions you can begin asking your child about any movie to get a feel for where they are in their understanding, and maybe even some additional issues that may need to be addressed.

What was your favorite part of the movie?

What was your least favorite part?

Who is your favorite character and why?

Were there any lessons you learned from the movie?

The following questions are not intended to be comprehensive, but a good place to start.  Hope you enjoy the conversations with your child!

MOANA 1

Who is Maui?

What is Maui? (a demi-god)

What is a demi-god?  (some religions believe in many gods, each one having unique and different powers, some bigger, some smaller)

What powers did Maui have?

Talk about the difference between fiction and non-fiction.  Is Moana fiction or non-fiction?

Read Deuteronomy 6:4. 

What does the Bible say about God?  Are there many gods, or one God?

Read 1 Corinthians 8:5. 

Who is our God?

What powers does our God have?

MOANA 2

In the movie, what was the heart of Te Fiti?  (the power of creation)

Why is it important?

Whose was it?

Who stole it?

What did Maui use it to do?

If you had the heart of Te Fiti, what would you create?

What is your favorite thing you have ever created?

Read Genesis 1:1

Who does God’s Word say has the power of creation?

Read Colossians 1:16

What did God use this power to create?

What are some of your favorite things God created?

MOANA 3

Who was Moana’s best friend? (Pua)

At the beginning of the movie, who went with Moana on the boat? (Pua)

Why do you think Pua didn’t go with her on the second journey beyond the reef? (He was scared)

Sometimes even our closest friends might leave us and fail us, but we have one friend who will never leave or fail.

Read Hebrews 13:5 and Proverbs 18:24

Who is our friend who sticks closer than a brother? (Jesus)

MOANA 4

Who chose Moana? (The ocean)

Why did the ocean choose Moana? (She was brave and strong, even as a child)

What was she chosen for? (To restore the heart of TE Fiti)

Did you know that you are chosen?

God chose you.

Read 1 Peter 2:4

Why did God choose you?  (Not because we are strong or brave or great, but because we are precious and special to him, and because he loves us)

What are we chosen for?  (To be his children and to worship him)

Read Ephesians 1:4-6

MOANA 5

What was Moana’s mission?

Who are some of the characters that helped Moana ?

Who was your favorite?

What role did each of them play in the mission?

Could any of them have done it by themselves, without the others?

How did Hei Hei end up helping Moana?

What is our purpose as Christians? (To know Jesus and to make him known to the world)

Can we fulfill this purpose on our own?

Read 1 Corinthians 12:22

How are we supposed to fulfill God’s purpose?  (All working together)

Can we do it alone? 

Who are some of people you can work together with in the body of Christ?

MOANA 6

Who is Tamatoa?

Where did he live and what did he do?

What kinds of things did he collect?

What did he use them for? (To temp the fish so he could eat them)

Read 1 Timothy 6:9-10

What kinds of things can tempt us? 

Do temptations look good? Or bad?

What will our temptations lead us to?

How can we guard against temptation?

Read 1 Corinthians 10:13

MOANA 7

What are some of the obstacles Moana faced on her journey?

(getting beyond the reef, rough seas, convincing Maui, learning to sail, monsters, etc.)

Were there any times where she wanted to give up?

What made her keep going?

What was her reward once she completed her mission?

(Maui got his hook back, going back to her people a hero, leading them to become voyaging again, stopping the darkness from spreading and starting new life)

 As Christians, what are some of the obstacles we will face on our journeys?

(Temptations, sickness, bad guys, etc.)

Will there be times we will want to give up?

Read James 1:2-4

How will we keep going?

Read Galatians 6:9 and James 1:12

What will be our reward for persevering to the end?

MOANA 8

Who taught Moana, shared wisdom with her and encouraged her most? (Her grandmother)

Even after her grandmother died, we see her spirit guiding and giving her wisdom.  There are some cultures that believe that people’s spirits can continue to help us.  But according to the Bible, there is only one person whose spirit still lives on earth after they die.  Who is that? 

Read John 14:16 and 26

Who is our counselor?

How does He help us? (teaches us and reminds us about God’s Word, helps us know what to do)

  

MOANA 9

How did Maui get his tattoos? 

Which tattoo did Moana ask Maui about?

How did he get that one?

What happened to Maui’s parents?

Who took care of Maui when his parents didn’t want him?

What does it mean to be an orphan?

Are there orphans in our society?  How do they become orphans?

Read Psalm 68:5, 6a

Who promises to take care of the orphans?

How does he take care of them? (He is their Father, he sets them in families)

Read James 1:27

Who does God want to use to take care of the fatherless?

How care we help care for the orphans? 

(foster care, babysitting, loving on friends in class, giving stuffed animals to crisis center, operation Christmas child, etc.)

MOANA 10

What was Maui’s big mistake? (He stole the heart of Te Fiti)

Why was it wrong for him to take the heart of Te Fiti? (It wasn’t his, it was stealing)

What were the consequences of his mistake? (Spreading disease and darkness)

How was he supposed to fix his mistake? (restore the heart, put it back)

What are some of the mistakes we make and what are our mistakes called? (lying, cheating, etc. - sin)

Why is our sin a big deal? (it separates us from God)

What are the consequences of our sins? (give examples)

Read Romans 6:23

What is the solution for our sin?  (Jesus restores us.  We can’t fix it, but God can)

Read Romans 5:8

whole 30 for real people

so my husband and I just finished the whole 30 diet.  we're not usually for jumping on bandwagons or following trends, but I was desperate for something to push my reset button in regards to my relationship with food, (mostly my addiction to sugar),  and this claimed to do just that, so we jumped in.  it was definitely a learning experience.  for anyone who cares, I would love to share some of our common sense take-aways.  so here goes:

1) awareness? yes.  learning to read labels has been very eye opening.  it is pretty ridiculous how much sugar is in our food supply.  while we are not ready to ban processed food from our home or spend the fortune it takes to eat purely whole foods, we have definitely gained an awareness of what we're putting in our bodies and will be making some changes going forward.  but we're not talking paleo or clean eating, we're just talking baby steps.  but even baby steps towards healthier eating are steps in the right direction and worth taking. 

2) discipline? yes.  meal planning is essential to success for any diet, but is also a great life skill.  we have been planning our meals one week at a time.  we make our list and go shopping at the beginning of the week to get what we need.  this is a discipline we would like to maintain going forward.  knowing what you're having for dinner, and having the stuff to make it is an easy way to decrease stress significantly when you have a busy family life.  it's one less decision you have to make.  plus, you can usually take the leftovers for the next days' lunch so you get a bonus meal for the work you put in.  we also take turns cooking, and that has helped a ton.  I am seriously so thankful for a husband who enjoys cooking.  it would get real old, real quick if I was going solo.  we also include our kiddos in the cooking and in trying new foods.  it's been fun for us as a couple, but as a family as well. 

3) weight loss?  yes.  while losing weight is not the central focus of the whole 30 diet, it is certainly a benefit.  in 30 days, rob lost 17 pounds, and I lost 11.  we did not count calories, and were able to eat until we were full.  so i'd say that's a pretty good deal.  (now, I will say that for the first 2 weeks, my body did not like me at all for taking away the sugar that it was used to for fuel.  I was achy and tired and felt like I had the flu.  but it was well worth it once we rounded the corner)  

4)  feel good? yes.  did you know that for every 1 pound of weight you lose, it is equivalent to taking 4 pounds of pressure off of your joints?  that fact has been pretty motivating to me throughout this process.   we took our kids hiking over spring break at the end of our whole 30.  we hiked 6 miles and I felt better than I have felt in years!  I expected to be achy and sore after about mile 2, but I actually found myself a little bouncy and ready for more.  (makes sense if you consider I was carrying 44 less pounds of pressure and rob was carrying 68 less)   I never did get that sense of "tiger blood" or extreme energy that some experience, I may have just needed some more time.  but I did enjoy enjoy the hike.

5) clearer skin? yes.  while I did not notice a significant difference with a lot of the other positive physical benefits that whole 30 claims, I did indeed notice the skin on my face was a lot clearer. 

6) better mood? maybe, yes?.  I did not feel as though I had a better overall mood during the whole 30..... that is until we reintroduced sugar.  when we began reintroducing added sugars and sweets back into the diet, I did notice myself being more cranky and irritable.  a surprising additional benefit I did notice was that my pms symptoms were drastically decreased while on the whole 30 diet.  I guess sugar does indeed affect mood and cramps.  I didn't want to believe what I've always read, because I didn't want to give up the very thing I crave during that time of the month.  but when faced with the truth learned by experience, I will definitely be more motivated to eat clean certain times of the month for sure! 

7) lifestyle changes? yes.  like I said, we're not ready to go vegan or anything, but we will definitely be getting rid of some things going forward.  after realizing how much sugar is included and how little nutritional value you get in return, we have decided to get rid of Poptarts.  our kids are not a fan of this idea, but the truth is that they are just junk. we're not getting rid of everything, but we're starting there.  we also told them they could still have cereal, but they have to choose from the ones that have 10g of sugar or less.   i'm going from 3 tbsps of my beloved coffee creamer to 1.  and after learning how certain foods cause an overall feeling of grossness that I was numb to before, I will definitely be consuming smaller portions of bread and dairy.  i.e. 1 cracker barrel biscuit instead of 4.  embarrassing to admit, but like I said, this is whole 30 for real people.