How much do you love Jesus? Many find it difficult to measure their love for their Savior. Here’s one way to do it. Read Luke 7:36-50 about Jesus being anointed by a sinful woman and Simon the Pharisee being put off by that. The clinching statement can be found in verse 47 where Jesus tells Simon, “Those who have been forgiven little will love little, but those who have been forgiven much will love much.” How much have you been forgiven? That’s how much you love Jesus. Chronicle some of the forgiveness you have received. Have a time of silent prayer for forgiveness/love.
SERVICE ACTIVITY
Challenge participants in a foot washing service (John 13) to leave their shoes at the door while their feet are washed. Have a group of people quickly polish and shine the shoes left behind. Read Matthew 23:25-26–Jesus’ stinging rebuke of the Pharisees for cleaning the outside while the inside was dirty. Encourage participants to take their time for soul cleansing, not just foot cleansing or shoe shining. If you’re ready before your shoes are, work on your heart some more while you wait.
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Play “thread the needle” by dividing into two equal groups that face each other while standing and holding hands with their teammates on either side. Number from 1 to the end of the line, starting with the left end of each line. A score keeper shouts out two numbers, such as 11 and 12. Both ends must then move and go under the held hands of numbers 11 and 12 on their own team while the rest of the line follows in tow. The first team to thread the needle and return to their original post receives a point.
SMALL GROUP
On a blank 4×6 card, anonymously write out a risk that would be difficult for you to take, such as bungie jumping, completely trusting God in your romantic relationship, taking a difficult class when you’re protecting your GPA, etc. Put all cards in one place, mix them up, then draw them one at a time. Each person in the group shares what it would take for them to take that risk. Then do the same for the next card, and so on.
SPECIAL CELEBRATION
People are already signing up for the 22nd annual Ultimate Workout mission trip. We’re making room for up to 150+. April 2 is the application deadline for this July 17-30 mission trip to Nicaragua. The cost is $900 U.S. plus your round trip air fare. Applications will be accepted after the deadline as long as there’s still room available. To sign up or just find out more information, contact Maranatha Volunteers International at www.ultimateworkout.org or call them at (916) 774-7700.
]]>In spite of being the “Commander-in-Chief,” it’s not unusual for a president of the United States to have had questionable experience in the military. Barak Obama didn’t serve. George W. Bush had a “soft” military post. Bill Clinton never did serve in the military. Wealthy or influential people often get their children into soft, low-risk military positions when the rest of the public is subject to front-line assignments. Is this right/fair/just? What analogies could you make for the spiritual warfare Christians face and those who grudgingly serve or do so only in low-risk ways? See Ephesians 6:10-18. Sing “We Are Soldiers” and/or “I’m In the Lord’s Army” (“I’m Too Young To March in the Infantry. . .”)
SERVICE ACTIVITY
Gather supplies for participants to each make 5-6 homemade colorful greeting cards. Fill some large coolers with ice and drinks (water, juice). Then, load up into vehicles and start driving through neighborhoods. Whenever you find someone working in their yard, on their roof, on their car or whatever, pull over, jump out and rush them as a group. Offer them free drinks and a card for the low price of having their picture taken with your group. Then, run back to your cars and get out before the police show up!
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Play hide-and-go-seek with cell phone texting and vehicles. One car (with a youth leader) is “It.” They hide in their car somewhere within a 10-15 mile radius of your church (have maps or GPS devices available). Youth head out in group vehicles, with a designated cell phone for each vehicle. Share these numbers with each vehicle. And start your search for the car-in-hiding. Limit clues to one word and text them to one designated call phone. Text a second word to a second vehicle, and so on. Have youth exchange text messages they receive the clues so they can string them together. The first vehicle to find “it” gets to go hide and send out text messages.
SMALL GROUP
Have the group stand in a circle. Each person gets an index card; signs their name in the top right corner. Collect the cards, shuffle them, hand them out again so nobody has their original card. Write a short note of encouragement or compliment to the person whose name is on the card, and have them sign their own name at the bottom. Collect the cards again. Now toss the cards into the air and into the middle of the circle. Have everyone find their original card, read the note, then find the person who wrote the note and join hands with them. You should end with a complete circle.
SPECIAL CELEBRATION
Do an exchange program one evening in which people swap parents and teens. Draw names to team up teens with “new parents.” Go to the adults’ house for a home cooked meal! Have a talk sheet on parent/teen relationship issues and have them discuss with their “host teen” issues of being a teen in today’ world, parent/teen relationships, etc. Bring everyone back together and debrief.
]]>Give an emphasis on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). After becoming familiar with them, choose which one has brought the greatest “blessing” in your life and which one has brought the least. How true are these statements of Jesus? What does “blessed” really mean? If you haven’t felt blessed by these, why not? Compare these responses among different age groups. Close with a blessing.
SERVICE ACTIVITY
Adopt a street is a way of taking responsibility for an area—getting it and keeping it clean. Select an area and assess what needs to be done. It may include removing trash, pulling weeds, hosing things down, even planting flowers or providing traffic control. Be sure to work in conjunction with city authorities. In the process you’ll want to get acquainted with the families or businesses on “your” street.
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Try group juggling. Form a circle and have somebody in the middle begin by tossing one ball to someone in the circle. Each person throws the ball to somebody who hasn’t received it. Once the last person has caught the ball, start it again, but add a second ball (it can be a different size). Keep adding more, and you can even time it. The record can be challenged at the next social.
SMALL GROUP
“I’ve Got A Secret” is a game of sharing something personal in a non-threatening manner. Each person writes on a small piece of paper something about themselves that nobody else in their group knows about them. Each piece of paper gets put into a bowl or the middle of the group. The leader then mixes them up and one person draws out one of the papers and reads it out loud. The reader guesses who that statement is about. If they guess correctly , the paper is disposed. If they guess wrong, the paper gets put back into the pile and another person draws out a paper. This continues until all of the secrets are out.
SPECIAL CELEBRATION
Camp Meeting Involvement. Throughout North America, religious gatherings called “Camp Meeting” take place during the summer. Typically a youth tent or meeting area is designated for programs geared specifically for youth (and scrutinized by some adults). Coming up with a speaker, music, drama, and testimonies can be quite a challenge for those who plan these events. Contact your local conference office and offer to provide some of the programming by your youth group. Then get with it and pray, plan, and do it in advance. For example, if you’re going to do a drama, practice it and perform it for other settings first. Involvement beats being a spectator any time!
]]>Revisit Matthew 7:1 (Judge not . . .) by reading the entire context (verses 1-6, note also verses 15-20). If we are NOT to judge, how can we make the kinds of “evaluations” Jesus suggests? The hyperbole is judging a splinter when you have a log (note the wry sense of humor). The key verse is Matthew 7:5 which calls for a removal of one’s own log so you can see clearly to indeed remove another person’s splinter. The application is a necessary sharing of other people’s blind spots! Can you handle that?
Conduct a toy recycling drive. Many people pass on toys to younger siblings. But what if you’re the youngest or only child, or if you still play with toys? Promote the idea and then collect the goods. Check items to make sure they are in decent condition. Then give them out to individuals, families, neighborhoods, or gathering places for young people. Or, they could be sold and the proceeds can go to a worthy cause.
Have a “Mud Bowl” by creating a muddy area (or you could just wait until after a hard rain). Choose teams or work individually. This could be a simple football game or have a variety of activities in the mud, such as making mud sculptures, having foot races, or playing games like tag, yankee bull, pull apart, soccer, amoeba tag, dare base, etc. At the end of the activity serve “mud pie”–the real thing. Need a shower?
When participants in your group know each other well enough to give affirmations based on elements deeper than physical appearance or vague generalities, prepare a blank sheet of paper for each person with only their name at the top of the page. Spread these on various tables. Provide pens and time for everyone to go to each paper and write a sincere affirmation about the person whose name is at the top of the page. Participants can save these for future reference or use as a Bible bookmark.
Hold a parent-teen retreat. Sometimes as children go through adolescence there can be extra tensions or misunderstandings because roles are changing. Take a topic like values and prioritize 10-15 items. Do this in separate groups (parents in one and teens in another), including a guess regarding the order you think the other group would rank things. Come together and discuss (lots of listening needed). You can also form new family groupings to practice listening skills since many families get stuck in ruts. Conclude with commitments for communicating.
]]>Several years ago the media was capitalizing on the supernatural craze. Do you remember the Matrix trilogy? How about the Lord of the Rings? You might not be a famous script writer that takes various world religions and includes elements from each to attempt to draw spiritual allusions that a greater variety of people tap into. What if you were to develop a story based on the following passages: Hebrews 1:1-3; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 4:14-16. What could your story line be? What would one of the scenes be like?
Start an after school basketball league for kids that don’t have anywhere to go or anything constructive to do. Have it be low-key with just pick-up games. If you’re able, add a few drills to learn skills and have coaches for each team. Your purpose isn’t to become an NBA coach, but to help shape young people through a receptive venue. School and community leaders are likely to support you, and they probably could offer some counsel that you might not be open to, but you’d benefit by listening!
For Valentine’s Day, do a kissing fund-raiser. Reduce germs by planting kisses with a rubber stamp off a red ink pad. You can sell kisses to people who can pay 25 cents to a dollar per kiss and they select the person who will receive it. The designated delivery personnel follow through. Add a twist of inclusive fun by making sure that anyone without at least one prominently displayed kiss gets one applied (no charge–go ahead and act like somebody ordered and paid for it already). Add more an hour later!
Lead in a series of small group Bible studies about Gideon’s escapades as found in Judges 6-8. Encourage an openness and vulnerability to apply each portion to one’s life. Some of the elements in the story include low self-esteem, cowardice, attempting to take a stand, trying the improbable, moving to the impossible, looking for signs from God, changing signs after God already responds, needing even more proof, greater miracles than we’ve ever imagined, running out of energy, being misunderstood by others, falling prey to your own success, worship and seeking an object to worship.
The Super Bowl–a once a year extravaganza that rarely lives up to the hype it suggests. Will it be the Colts or the Seahawks? Oh wait, they were Super Bowl contenders in the past, not this season! Are people near you rabid about it or could they care less? Even if only a few people participate, this is reason to gather as a group. Munchies can be cheap, or have people bring their own! Commercials have become a crucial part of the experience as well. You can launch on a variety of topics or use this as a culture-watch time to better understand your culture or your friends/acquaintances.
]]>Play the “X-O” game to see to what extent people will cooperate. Divide into 6 groups (1-5 per group). Each group votes X or O by secret ballot. Points are given according to the following combinations of votes: All vote “O”–each group wins 200 pts; 5 vote “O”, 1 votes X–O gets -200, X gets 1000 pts; 4 vote “O”, 2 vote X–O gets -400, X gets +800 pts; 3 vote “O”, 3 vote X–O gets -600, X gets +600 pts; 2 vote “O”, 4 vote X–O gets -800, X gets +400 pts; 1 votes “O”, 5 vote X–O gets -1000, X gets +200 pts; all vote “X–each group loses 200 pts. Continue for 10 rounds and keep score. Double points earned on 3rd vote; triple them on the 7th vote, and multiply by 10 on the 10th vote. Debrief. Open for a discussion on James 4:1-10.
Locate a place where firewood could be cut and taken for free. Arrange for chainsaws and a group of youth to go and cut firewood. Locate a dry place where the wood could be stored until an emergency exists (such as an extended power outage). Deliver dry firewood to those who need it. (Be sure a qualified person operates the chainsaw.)
Do a community scavenger hunt–instead of obtaining worthless objects, go for the practical values, such as getting the signature of someone who wants to quit smoking; collect 10 dollars for a local community service program; find someone who will attend church with you sometime; find someone who will let you mow and rake their yard. Add ideas as they are discovered. Plan for ways to follow-up on the ministry ideas. (Ex. Stop smoking clinic, special worship services, yard clean ups, etc.)
Personal license plates make candid statements about the driver of the car. Share examples of personal plates you’ve seen. Let the kids do the same. Then ask each kid to think of the personal plate that they would like to have on their car. Have them explain its meaning. Then have each person design a personal license plate that best defines his or her spiritual conviction. Be prepared to share yours as the leader.
Ultimate Workout # 22 takes place in Nicaragua this July 17-30. This Maranatha mission trip is for high school age youth. Approximately 200 are expected this year to construct One Day Church structures in the remote areas of northeastern Nicaragua. This will indeed be an “ultimate” experience due to the challenging living conditions! For more information, go to www.ultimateworkout.org. The cost for this mission trip is $900. Each person must provide their own transportation to and from Managua, Nicaragua.
]]>Conduct a Bible study on David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). As you read the familiar story, look to elements that you may have missed or understood in a less mature way. What/Who are the Goliaths in your life today? David had to fight in his own armor. What is the best armor for you to fight in? And now for the BIG question: what gave David the courage to take on Goliath when nobody else would? Do you have what he had? (Hint: you won’t find the secret to David’s courage unless you look in the preceding chapter–1 Samuel 16:13, but let people search on their own first.)
Just as it’s nice to provide cool drinks on hot summer days, try the opposite–warm or hot drinks on cold winter days. You pick the time/spot, like before/after church, outside a mall, on the street in a business district, at a low income apartment complex, at an outdoor sports event. Be sure you have all supplies, including garbage containers. Strike up conversations and invite people to join the warmth of your youth group.
Some people have done the group building/initiative game called “Over the Rope” (also referred to as the electric fence) in which participants must get everyone over a rope 5’-6’ above the ground. An alternative that isn’t so high is “Under the Rope” in which all the members of a group must crawl under a rope that’s only 12”-18” above the ground. To make it more difficult, draw two lines about 2’ on either side of the rope–no touching the ground inside those lines. Adjust if needed. Debrief.
On a cold winter day, meet by a cozy fireplace and sip hot drinks while you contemplate and share four progressively challenging Quaker questions about warmth. 1. Where did you live when you were 10 years old? 2. How did you heat your house at that time? 3. Where did you receive emotional warmth at that time? 4. When (if ever) did God become a warm person to you? Be ready to listen, affirm, and follow up.
For those able to take advantage of winter snow, do a snow weekend, complete with snowboarding, snow mobiling, skiing, sledding, ice skating, hockey, and even snowball fights. Rent a cabin or set of condos, take turns with cooking, include a focus on spirituality with small group discussions, times of praise singing and prayers, and even devotional talks. Use symbols by creating snow sculptures about spiritual themes and tap into Scriptures like Isaiah 1:18.
]]>Take predictions from a tabloid and mix in your own silly ones. Most will have something to do with a well known music, film, politician, or other person in the news doing something quite outlandish. Mix in a few natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes or tsunamis) or terrorist attacks or financial catastrophes, or perhaps something about global warming. Then compare with the prophecy of Daniel 2 (image made of various metals) or Revelation 2-3 (seven churches).
SERVICE ACTIVITY
Provide a written forum for youth issues by posting a question and then providing an answer. Include space for others to write their own opinions. Include a drop box for additional questions but have your own ready in case that box isn’t used much. Use the various answers as a springboard for group discussions, including how people make decisions and where they go for good counsel.
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
When you have a large group and you want to divide into smaller groups for a variety of activities, use barn animals and inform each participant what they are secretly by handing a slip of paper to each one. Then turn out the lights and have each animal make their sound (dog, cat, mouse, cow, horse, pig, goat, etc.). After it sounds like most of the same animals have grouped together, turn on the lights and let the stray animals find their kin. (If you have a very secure individual, you can make that person the only donkey.)
SMALL GROUP
Even though New Year’s is a time for New Beginnings, already many of us are in need of a new beginning since the new beginning. Perhaps what we need is to simply get started in what has already begun! A good 1-2 punch is combining 1 John 1:9 (forgiveness and cleansing from sin) with 1 John 2:1 (Jesus–our intercessor in heaven). Invite participants to write things they would like Jesus to forgive and cleanse and/or items they would like for Him to intercede on their behalf. Close with a song of rejoicing for all that Jesus does for us.
SPECIAL CELEBRATION
For a communion service, provide the drink in pottery-styled little cups, preferably cheap, throw-away types. Present an introductory sermonette based on 2 Corinthians 4 (especially verse 7). After giving the emblems to participants, play the song “Liquid” from Jars of Clay (1995) and provide lyrics. After the silent meditation, open it up for testimonies on being a jar of clay and yet containing Jesus within.
]]>Many people have added visual prompts when praying, such as artwork, candles, and even doodling. Some include music and maybe even clay or sand for people who are more kinesthetic. Tap into the sense of taste to either offer a prayer or listen for God during a season of prayer. In advance, put a collection of small food items in zip lock bags (one per person). Include items like candies, nuts, crackers, or other items of your choice. Let these tastes and textures lead you to pray for others during a 5-10 minute season of prayer.
Take the bouquet of flowers after the church service and take your youth group to a nearby cemetery to distribute the flowers to some of the graves. This involves taking apart the bouquet, and then choosing which grave site receives a flower and which one doesn’t. Give time for the youth to read the tombstones and imagine the lives of the people. When debriefing, consider whether to talk about the past, the present, and/or the future.
Divide into teams and give each group an unbaked pizza crust and the names of a few streets (territory) near the social activity for them to go door-to-door to ask for pizza toppings. Give each group 30-45 minutes. They can get only one topping at any house. When the groups return, bake the pizzas and have them eat the one they created. Judges can give awards for the most creative, best tasting, uneatable. etc.
Make a call for renewed commitment by setting personal and group goals for your small group. Examples of personal goals include having regular devotions, turning to prayer when tempted, building people up instead of tearing them down, etc. Examples of group goals include faithful attendance, participation, honesty and confidentiality, outreach, personal study prior to the study group. Make some suggestions for specific goals, but let individuals and the group modify them before making a realistic commitment. Do friendly but honest check ups periodically.
“Just Claim It 3” also known as JCI3, takes place this March 7-11 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Join thousands of young people for inspiration, challenge, fellowship, training, spiritual growth, and of course: PRAYER! For more information, such as speakers, workshops, registration, housing, etc., go to www.jci3.org.
]]>Make a list of 10 things you want to receive for Christmas. Prioritize the items and include an estimated cost of each thing. Then, based on the old tune “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” determine how many of your 10 gifts you’d receive based upon how naughty or nice you’ve been this past year. Have someone else in the group also determine this for you. Then compare with Psalm 103:10-11.
Encourage your teens to be alcohol-free by putting on a brief skit or two for elementary students about how to have fun without alcohol. Children look up to teens as cool role models, plus this can confirm healthy choices for the teens. Have the teens create and practice the skits so they go through the process of identifying good times without alcohol and how they maintain such choices, especially in contrast to the tremendous advertising that promotes alcohol use.
Host an alcohol-free New Year’s Eve party. Use a foam theme with sword fights, nerf basketball and nerf dodge ball. If you can, obtain the nerf-style of darts and have target contests as well as foam warfare. Night time outdoors can be a good time for steal the flag, dare base, hide and seek, and even steal the bacon. If you can make the arrangements, a velcro wall or even an air inflated jumping pit can be a great source of god, clean fun–either just to jump or to have some small competitions.
Who counts? Vaclav Havel, the popular former Czech president who led his country in democracy and served as a role model for the world, passed away last week. But those headlines got eclipsed in the Western World with the death of Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader considered a tyrant by Westerners. Why do the bad guys seem to always attract more attention? When Jesus died in Jerusalem, would it have made headlines in Rome? What about when Herod died? Discuss heroes, role models, and popularity. Who and what matters to you? What about to God?
Lots on young ladies coming of age (teen girls) go to a one-day event called “Revolve Tour.” The website www.revolvetour.com can put you in touch with one of these mega-events with big name speakers to inspire and music to celebrate. Look at the YouTube promo at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAE0bkVLQ-8 or you can try an old fashioned method: call 1-877-973-8658.
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