Outhouse Confession

Once there was a little boy who lived in the country. For bathroom facilities, they had to use an outhouse. The little boy hated it because it was hot in the summer, cold in the winter and stank all the time.

The outhouse was sitting on the bank of a creek and the boy determined that one day he would push that outhouse into the water.

One day after a spring rain, the creek was swollen so the little boy decided today was the day to push the outhouse into the creek. So he got a large stick and pushed. Finally, the outhouse toppled into the creek and floated away.

That evening his dad sternly told him to sit down. Knowing he was in trouble, the little boy asked why. The dad replied, “Someone pushed the outhouse into the creek today. It was you, wasn’t it, son?”

The boy answered yes. Then he thought a moment and said, “Dad, I read in school today that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree and didn’t get into trouble because he told the truth.”

The dad replied, “Well, son, George Washington’s father wasn’t in that cherry tree!”

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

An Old Question

“Can I be a Christian without joining the church?”
Answer: Yes, it is as possible as being:

A student who will not go to school.
A soldier who will not join an army.
A citizen who does not pay taxes or vote.
A salesman with no customers.
An explorer with no base camp.
A seaman on a ship without a crew.
A business man on a deserted island.
An author without readers.
A tuba player without an orchestra.
A parent without a family.
A football player without a team.
A politician who is a hermit.
A scientist who does not share his findings.
A bee without a hive.

– Robert G. Lee, SERMONIC LIBRARY, pp. 115-16.


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Father’s Are Wonderful People

Fathers are wonderful people too little understood,
And we do not sing their praises as often as we should …
For, somehow, Father seems to be the man who pays the bills,
While Mother binds up little hurts and nurses all our ills …
And Father struggles daily to live up to ‘HIS IMAGE’
As protector and provider and ‘hero of the scrimmage’
And perhaps that is the reason we sometimes get the notion
That Fathers are not subject to the thing we call emotion,
But if you look inside Dad’s heart, where no one else can see,
You’ll find he’s sentimental and as ‘soft’ as he can be …
But he’s so busy every day in the gruelling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff to his partner and his wife …
But Fathers are just WONDERFUL in a million different ways,
And they merit loving compliments and accolades of praise,
For the only reason Dad aspires to fortune and success
Is to make the family proud of him and to bring them happiness …
And like our Heavenly Father, he’s a guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on to be always on our side.

Source: Unknown

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

The Ballad of the Oyster

There once was an oyster
Whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand
Had got into its shell.

It was only a grain,
But it gave him great pain;
For oysters have feelings
Although they’re so plain.

Now, did he berate
The harsh workings of fate
That had brought him
To such a deplorable state?

Did he curse at the government,
Cry for election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?

No! He said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
“Since I cannot remove it,
I’ll try to improve it.”

Now the years have rolled by,
As the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate
Destiny–stew.

And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral;
For isn’t it grand
What an oyster can do
With a small grain of sand?

What couldn’t we do
If we’d only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.

Author Unknown

 


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Fallen Man

Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement. He is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor – that is the only way out of a hole. This process of surrender – this movement full speed astern – is repentance.

– C. S. Lewis

Emotional Charades

Activity
This is like normal charades, but the items to be pantomimed are different emotions. Do not announce this beforehand, but let the groups figure it out for themselves. The person who guesses the emotion gets a point.

Some suggested emotions that can be used are: anger, fear, happy, nervous, bored, bitter, overwhlemed, depressed, at peace, embarassed, loved, proud, detached, shocked, hate, and finally, love.

Icebreaker / Crowdbreaker Variation
In larger groups you might give each person one of the above motions. There should be at least two people that have each emotion. The objective will be to display the emotion until you find the other members of your group. When you think you have found your partners/group have a seat. Continue until all groups are seated. Then have each group strike a pose of their emotion.

Photo Variation
Obtain a variety of photos from newspaper clippings, magazines, and advertisements. Have the group identify the emotions displayed on people’s faces. Discuss the difficulty of recognizing love and other emotions.

Couples Variation
couples must perform the charade and whoever guesses it gets the next item on the list to pantomime. The person who guesses the emotion and the nearest person of the opposite sex on his/her right will be the next couple to get the clue. This means the two will have to demonstrate the emotion with each other… (e.g. Anger – pantomime yelling at each other, being upset, etc.)

Application / Debrief
1. What does love look like? What actions show love? How did you find your group? How do we find love? What do our emotions reveal about us? Are negative emotions a sin? Is it easier to control positive or negative emotions? Which emotions are the easiest to show? The most difficult?
2. Discuss the different emotions Jesus portrayed in his life as revealed in the scriptures.
3. Discuss the fruits of the spirit and how they relate to our emotions.
4. Focus in on the emotion of love and use the activity for Valentine’s Day
5. Use this as an introduction to a discussion on God’s Love


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Spider Soccer

Game Description
In this variation of soccer or international football, youth are bound together with 3 other persons to play the game.

Game Materials
Soccerball (football) and collored strips of cloth to distinguish between teams. You may also use colored armbands or baseball caps to differentiate teams.

Optimal Group Size
Ideally a minimum of 16 persons on each team. If the group is smaller, you may want to combine them together in groups of three instead of groups of four.

Game Venue
Soccer field or large open field

Game Preparation
None

Game Play 

  1. Just as a spider has eight legs, so does this soccer player.
  2. Form two teams.
  3. Within each team, have kids form groups of four. Give each group of four a supply of colored cloth to tie their ankles together so they form a square facing outward. They must also lock arms.
  4. Play a normal game of soccer, normal rules, with each foursome acting as one player.

Get Icebreakers ebookIcebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Every Earthly Hope

It is precisely when every earthly hope has been explored and found wanting, when every possibility of help from earthly sources has been sought and is not forthcoming, when every recourse this world offers, moral as well as material, has been drawn on and expended with no effect, when in the shivering cold every stick of wood has been thrown on the fire, and in the gathering darkness every glimmer of light has finally flickered out—it is then that Christ’s hand reaches out, sure and firm, that Christ’s words bring their inexpressible comfort, that his light shines brightest, abolishing the darkness for ever.

– Malcolm Muggeridge

Father’s Day Ideas

There are quite a few creative ideas for Father’s Day on the website. Some are listed below:

Father’s Day Stories
Build Me a Son
Dream Car
Poem for Moms and Dads
My Father
The Origin of Father’s Day

Father’s Day Games
Father’s Day Relay
Searching for Dad
Who’s Father?

 

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Sardines

Game Description
In this classic variation of hide-and-seek, youth search for the hidden persons and then join them in their hiding place.

Game Materials
None

Optimal Group Size
Any size group.

Game Venue
Preferrable a large facility with lots of places to hide.

Game Preparation
None

Game Play 

  1. Break up into teams (usually pairs or trios) until everyone is part of a group. Turn off all the lights in the building, and send one team to hide. Give them enough time to hide.
  2. Then, everyone goes out to find them.
  3. The purpose is to find the team hiding, and then join them. The game ends when all teams are hiding together except for the last one.
  4. Then, the next to hide is the first team to find the hidden group.

Get Icebreakers ebookIcebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!