Watch Your Step!

Description
In this creative icebreaker, youth will make some important observations based upon footprints or photos of feet and relate these to our personal walk – our personal journey in life.

Resources
For this activity you will need a fairly accurate representation of each participant’s feet. There are a variety of ways you can achieve this.

  1. My personal preference is to have sheets of colored paper – the type that does not leave a stain when wet. (Test it first so you don’t have permanent footprints across your carpet!). Have the participants remove their shoes and socks, then step on a damp towel and then finally step on the paper. A wet footprint will be left behind. Quickly trace it with a dark colored marker and let it dry! For a quick meeting just paste the sheets of paper around the room or project them on a wall using an OHP. If you have a longer event for a couple of days, like at a youth camp, you can also cut them out and place them around the teaching area.
  2. Alternatively, you can have students remove their socks and take digital photos of their feet. Paste them into a powerpoint presentation or a photo slide show and project them on a wall for students to see.
  3. A little messier variation is to use water soluble finger paints and have participants step into a tray of finger paint and then onto a white sheet of paper. Be sure to have a damp towel ready to thoroughly clean their feet before they leave a mess of prints across your meeting area!

You might also want to number the prints and have a numbered name list so that you can correctly identify the prints later.

Preparation
Preparation will depend upon how you plan to make the footprints.

What to Do

  1. As the youth arrive, collect their footprints.
  2. Prepare the prints for display by making them into photo enlargements, slides, overhead transparencies, powerpoint slides, digistal slideshows, or etc so that the pictures are large enough for the entire group to view them at the same time.
  3. For fun, you can also throw in a few gag prints, such as animal feet, baby feet, big clown’s shoes, and two feet side-by-side but facing in opposite directions. These will be your beautiful feet pageant.
  4. Go through the numbered prints and have youth match the print with the person who made it. Can you even identify your own footprint?
  5. Award the person who correctly identifies the most feet! With the Incredible FEAT award!

A lot of our idioms and common sayings refer to “feet”. Share a few appropriate idioms or the entire list of idoms with the group. Which of these idioms best describes you? Why?

Idioms referring to feet
• back on your feet again
• dip your toes in the water
• drag one’s feet
• fall at his feet
• find your feet
• fleet of foot
• foot the bill
• get a foot in the door
• get cold feet
• get off on the wrong foot
• get to one’s feet
• get your feet wet
• has two left feet
• have a foot in both camps
• have feet of clay
• have one foot in the grave
• have your feet on the ground
• hold someone’s feet to the fire
• hot foot out of here
• land on your feet
• make an about face
• My foot!
• on foot
• on your back foot
• pussyfoot around
• put a foot wrong
• put your best foot forward
• put your feet up
• put your foot down
• put your foot in it
• put your foot in your mouth
• shoot yourself in the foot
• sit at the foot of a teacher
• stand on your own two feet
• step on another person’s foot
• step on the gas
• stop dead in your tracks
• sweep someone off his/her feet
• take a load off your feet
• take a stand
• take steps toward something
• the ball is at your feet
• thinking on your feet
• throw yourself at someone’s feet
• tiptoe through it
• to get under foot
• vote with your feet
• watch your step
• world’s at your feet

Taking It to the Next Level
Many times when we talk about the characteristics of a person, we refer to their heart. But we reference the feet almost as often in our expressions. That’s because the feet tell us two very important facts about someone: where one’s standing and which way someone is going. A firm stand and a consistent walk are both traits we admire in others. When we talk about our journey in life we often talk about those times we slip and stumble as well as those times when we took a step in the right direction.

  • What is something that you have taken a stand for in your life? What are some things that you need to take a stronger stand on?
  • What are some steps that you have taken in the right direction with your life? The wrong direction?
  • What are some areas in which you have stumbled along the way in your journey?
  • What are some ways that we can make our walk sure? How can you get back on your feet and take a new step in the right direction with your life? In what areas do you need to watch your step?
  • Taking a stand and finding your footing in life isn’t always easy – especially when you might need to step on a few toes to do so. How can you find the balance between taking a stand on things that are important to you without stepping on too many toes? Should you worry about stepping on toes? Why or why not?

Action Point
As a footnote to this lesson, identify at least one area of your life where you need to get back on your feet! How can you take a new step in the right direction with your life beginning today? In what areas do you need to watch your step in the journey ahead?

(As a meaningful reminder, give the participants the piece of paper with their footprint on it to write the answer to the questions below. Encourage them to place it on the door of their room as a reminder that every day they step outside that door they need to also take a step in the right direction for their life!)

Spiritual Themes

  • Sure footed – Many of the proverbs talk about making our paths straight, about stumbling, about watching our step. Proverbs 4:26 – “Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established.”
  • God’s Protection – “. . . unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24, KJV).Hab 3:19; 2 Sam 22:34; Ps 18:33 – “”The Lord God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”
  • Evangelism – Romans 10:15 – “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Ephesians 6:15 – “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”
  • Servanthood – John 13 – Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
  • God Holiness – Joshua 5:15 – “And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so.” (Exodus 3:5)

Find out how you can get 52 of my best icebreakers of all time! (That’s a full year of icebreakers – one a week!) They even lead into lessons on youth related issues!

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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.

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Praying Hands

Note there is considerable debate about the truthfulness of this story, but the idea is touching nonetheless. When I tell it I just preface it with: “Many of you have seen the famous painting by Albrecht Durer entitled “The praying hands”. There’s a story, fictional but still touching about how the drawing was created. The story goes like this….”

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder’s children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, “And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, “No …no …no …no.”

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look … look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother …for me it is too late.”

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands,” but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love “The Praying Hands.”

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one – no one – – ever makes it alone!

“Even though the story is fiction, I hope the intent of the story touches your heart…”


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…

Get Lost

Description
This game provides an opportunity to mix the group up and for them to share information about themselves in a non-threatening way while having fun. In this elimination game, people are grouped into groups of three and then one person in every group which meets a certain characteristic is asked to “Get Lost.” Everyone who had to leave must quickly find another group and form groups of three again. The last group to form is eliminated.

Resources
None

Preparation
Prepare a list of criteria. You can choose from the list below or create your own:
• Name closest to letter “A”
• Name closest to letter “Z”
• Neither the youngest nor the oldest in a group.
• Oldest
• Youngest
• Has the most colorful socks
• Has the oldest living grandparent
• Has the most cousins
• Has the least number of pets
• Has the most pets
• Has the largest pet.
• Is the tallest
• Is the shortest
• Has the longest hair
• Has the shortest hair
• Has the shortest fingernails
• Has the biggest foot.
• Has the smallest foot.
• Has the longest finger
• Has the darkest skin tone.
• Has the smallest nose
• Lives farthest from this meeting place
• Lives on the highest floor
• Born the Farthest away
• Longest last name
• Biggest shoe size
• Lives the closest to this place
• has been on the most vacations in the past year
• Has the most siblings
• Birthday closest to today
• Shortest Person
• Youngest Baby brother/ sister
• Has the most traffic tickets
• Has been a member of this group for the longest time
• Newest member of this group
• Has been to the most foreign countries
• Longest fingernail
• Spent the most money today
• Has played on the most sports teams
• Can do the most one-armed push-ups
• Tallest Person
• Longest eyelashes
• Smallest belt
• Highest numbered Street Address
• Biggest Purse / or wallet
• Highest Serial Number on currency
• Most jewelry
• Least jewelry
• Longest earrings
• Wearing the most blue
• Oldest
• Neatest handwriting
• Messiest handwriting
• Loudest
• Most quiet
• Has darkest color notebook
• Most rings
• Biggest hands
• Has most books
• Whistles the loudest
• Longest Paper Airplane Throw

What to Do

  1. Form groups of 3-7 people. It’s ok if groups are not equal as long as there is a minimum of three in each group and they are balanced as closely as possible.
  2. Based upon different criteria, at a given signal, one person in each group will be told to “get lost”
  3. Ask them to introduce themselves to each person in the group and then determine which person in their group meets the specified characteristic.
  4. Allow time for the groups to introduce themselves and determine who best fits the given criteria. You might want to ask the groups to raise their hands when they have identified the person so that you know when everyone is ready.
  5. Explain to the groups that on your signal the identified person must move to another group. You will say “One, Two Three!!!” and then all the groups will say “Get Lost!!”
  6. Then every group must get ONE new member to replace the one they lost.
  7. The last group to reform is eliminated.
  8. Continue to play with new criteria for getting lost until only group survives. Then you tell this trio that for being so competitive that they must all “Get Lost!”

Variation 
Give them an additional question to share while introducing themselves such as a favorite ice-cream, a discussion thought, etc.

Taking It to the Next Level
In each round of this game there were a lot of people who were rejected. Among them some were even eliminated. Whenever people form groups this will always be the case. There will also be those group members that are very popular and those that no one seems to want. There will always be selection and rejection when groups are formed. It’s part of life. It’s of great benefit to be around like minded people. It’s good to be surrounded by people that inspire you and challenge you to grow and become your best. Yet it is also good to have people who are different, people with a different perspective, people with skills and gifts you don’t possess. The question is what is the best way to handle the selection process?

  • Have you even seen someone get rejected from a group? On what basis were they rejected?
  • What are some of the reasons that people get rejected from a group?
  • Have you ever been told to “get lost”? Been rejected from a group?
  • Why? What was the basis for your rejection?
  • How did it make you feel? Did it seem fair? How did you respond?
  • Is it wrong to want to choose your friends? Why or why not?
  • Does bad company always corrupt good character?
  • If everyone were exactly like you, what would the world be like? Would there be anything missing in the world?
  • Are there ever legitimate reasons to be selective about a group? When? If so, how can you be selective yet also seek the best for everyone?
  • How can you find a balance of putting together the best group for a situation, task, or specific purpose, yet also making sure that no one is rejected? Can it be done? How should it be done?

Action Points

  • What is one way that you can become more accepting of others?
  • Identify several specific people that you need around you to help you to achieve your goals and dreams in life? What can you offer to them in return? Commit yourself to be that kind of person.
  • Find someone in the group whom you don’t know very well, but whom you would like to know and make an effort to reach out to them. You never know what undiscovered gifts you might find in others.
  • What is one way you can personally bring out the best in others, even when they may not be part of your chosen group?

Possible Applications / jump off points to spiritual discussions
Tell youth they are all “LOST” but in grace you are going to consider them all the victors and give each a prize. Grace is actually an “undeserved gift.” In the book of Romans we discover that all men are “lost” because of our sinful nature. Like some of the characteristics in the game, part of our sinful nature we have no control over… it was passed down as a result of Adam and Eve’s fall. But other aspects of our sinful nature are due to choices we made so that we are without excuse. But through Grace, God pardons our sin so that we are no longer lost, but saved! Instead of getting lost, let’s “get saved” through God’s grace. Let me tell you how…

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.

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Pillsbury Dough Boy Funeral

Veteran Pillsbury Spokes model Pop N Fresh died yesterday >of a severe yeast infection. He was 71. Fresh was buried in one of the largest ceremonies in recent years. Dozens of celebrities turned out including Mrs. Butterworth, the California Raisins, Hungry Jack, Betty Crocker, and the Hostess Twinkies. The graveside was piled high with flours as longtime friend Aunt Jemimah delivered the eulogy, describing fresh as a man who “never knew how much he was kneaded.” Fresh rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with many turnovers although he was never one to loaf around. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Still, even as a crusty old man, he was a roll model for millions. Fresh is survived by his second wife. They have two children and one in the oven. The funeral was held at 4:50 for about 20 minutes.

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.

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How to Stay Young

  • Throw out nonessential numbers. 
    This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay “them.”
  • Keep only cheerful friends. 
    The grouches pull you down.
  • Keep learning. 
    If your passion is music, start learning a musical instrument. Piano Nadu is a great resource if you’re planning to get a digital piano. Never let the brain idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.
  • Enjoy the simple things.
  • Laugh
    often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
  • The tears happen. 
    Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
  • Surround yourself with what you love
    whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
  • Cherish your health: 
    If it is good, preserve it.
    If it is unstable, improve it.
    If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
  • Don’t take guilt trips. 
    Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
  • Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

Source: Circulating on the internet


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…

ACME lawsuit

COYOTE v. ACME

In the United States District Court, Southwestern District, Tempe, Arizona
Case No. B191294, Judge Joan Kujava, Presiding
Wiley E. Coyote, Plaintiff
v.
Acme Company, Defendant

Opening Statement of Harold Schoff, attorney for Mr. Coyote:
My client, Mr. Wiley E. Coyote, a resident of Arizona and contiguous states, does hereby bring suit for damages against the Acme Company, manufacturer and retail distributor of assorted merchandise, incorporated in Delaware and doing business in every state, district and territory. Mr. Coyote seeks compensation for personal injuries, loss of business income, and mental suffering caused as a direct result the actions and/or gross negligence of said company, under Title 15 of the United States Code, Chapter 47, section 2072, subsection (a), relating to product liability.

Mr. Coyote states that on eighty-five separate occasions he has purchased of the Acme Company (hereinafter, “Defendant”), through that company’s mail-order department, certain products which did cause him bodily injury due to defects in manufacture or improper cautionary labelling. Sales slips made out to Mr. Coyote as proof of purchase are at present in the possession of the Court, marked Exhibit A. Such injuries sustained by Mr. Coyote have temporarily restricted his ability to make a living in his profession of predator. Mr. Coyote is self-employed and thus not eligible for Worker’s Compensation.

Mr. Coyote states that on December 13th he received of Defendant via parcel post one Acme Rocket Sled. The intention of Mr. Coyote was to use the Rocket Sled to aid him in pursuit of his prey. Upon receipt of the Rocket Sled Mr. Coyote removed it from its wooden shipping crate and, sighting his prey in the distance, activated the ignition. As Mr. Coyote gripped the handlebars, the Rocket Sled accelerated with such sudden and precipitate force as to stretch Mr. Coyote’s forelimbs to a length of fifty feet. Subsequently, the rest of Mr. Coyote’s body shot forward with a violent jolt, causing severe strain to his back and neck and placing him unexpectedly astride the Rocket Sled. Disappearing over the horizon at such speed as to leave a diminishing jet trail along his path, the Rocket Sled soon brought Mr. Coyote abreast of his prey. At that moment the animal he was pursuing veered sharply to the right. Mr. Coyote vigorously attempted to follow this maneuver but was unable to do so, due to poorly designed steering and a faulty or nonexistent braking system. Shortly thereafter, the unchecked progress of the Rocket Sled brought it and Mr. Coyote into collision with the side of a mesa.

Paragraph One of the Report of Attending Physician (Exhibit B), prepared by Dr. Ernest Grosscup, M.D., D.O., details the multiple fractures, contusions and tissue damage suffered by Mr. Coyote as a result of this collision. Repair of the injuries required a full bandage around the head (excluding the ears), a neck brace, and full or partial casts on all four legs.

Hampered by these injuries, Mr. Coyote was nevertheless obliged to support himself. With this in mind, he purchased of Defendant as an aid to mobility one pair of rocket skates. When he attempted to use this product, however, he became involved in an accident remarkably similar to that which occurred with the Rocket Sled. Again, Defendant sold over the counter, without caveat, a product which attached powerful jet engines (in this case, two) to inadequate vehicles, with little or no provision for passenger safety. Encumbered by his heavy casts, Mr. Coyote lost control of the Rocket Skates soon after strapping them on, and collided with a roadside billboard so violently as to leave a hole in the shape of his full silhouette.

Mr. Coyote states that on occasions too numerous to list in this document he has suffered mishaps with explosives purchased of the Defendant: the Acme “Little Giant” Firecracker, the Acme Self-Guided Aerial Bomb, etc. (For a full listing see the Acme Mail Order Explosives Catalogue and attached deposition, entered into evidence as Exhibit C.) Indeed, it is safe to say that not once has an explosive purchased of Defendant by Mr. Coyote performed in an expected manner.

To cite just one example: At the expense of much time and personal effort, Mr. Coyote constructed around the outer rim of a butte a wooden trough beginning at the top of the butte and spiralling downward around it to some few feet above a black X painted on the desert floor. The trough was designed in such a way that a spherical explosive of the type sold by Defendant would roll easily and swiftly down to the point of detonation indicated by the X. Mr. Coyote placed a generous pile of birdseed directly on the X, and then, carrying the spherical Acme Bomb (Catalogue #78-832), climbed to the top of the butte. Mr. Coyote’s prey, seeing the bird seed, approached, and Mr. Coyote proceeded to light the fuse. In an instant, the fuse burned down to the stem, causing the bomb to detonate.

In addition to reducing all Mr. Coyote’s careful preparation to naught, the premature detonation of Defendant’s product resulted in the following disfigurements to Mr. Coyote:

1. Severe singeing of the hair on the head, neck and muzzle.
2. Sooty discoloration.
3. Fracture of the left ear at the stem, causing the ear to dangle in the aftershock with a creaking noise.
4. Full or partial combustion of whiskers, producing kinking, frazzling, and ashy disintegration.
5. Radical widening of the eyes, due to brow and lid charring.

We come now to the Acme Spring-Powered Shoes. The remains of a pair of these purchased by Mr. Coyote on June 23rd are Plaintiff’s Exhibit D. Selected fragments have been shipped to the metallurgical laboratories of the University of California at Santa Barbara for analysis, but to date no explanation has been found for this product’s sudden and extreme malfunction. As advertised by Defendant, this product is simplicity itself: two wood-and-metal sandals, each attached to milled-steel springs of high tensile strength and compressed into a tightly coiled position by a cocking device with a lanyard release. Mr. Coyote believed that this product would enable him to pounce upon his prey in the initial moments of the chase, when swift reflexes are at a premium.

To increase the shoes’ thrusting power still further, Mr. Coyote affixed them by their bottoms to the side of a large boulder. Adjacent to the boulder was a path which Mr. Coyote’s prey was known to frequent. Mr. Coyote put his hind feet in the wood-and-metal sandals and crouched in readiness, his right forepaw holding firmly to the lanyard release. Within a short time Mr. Coyote’s prey did indeed appear on the path coming toward him. Unsuspecting, the prey stopped near Mr. Coyote, well within range of the springs at full extension. Mr. Coyote gauged the distance with care and proceeded to pull the lanyard release.

At this point, Defendant’s product should have thrust Mr. Coyote forward and away from the boulder. Instead, for reasons yet unknown, the Acme Spring-Powered Shoes thrust the boulder away from Mr. Coyote. As the intended prey looked on unharmed, Mr. Coyote hung suspended in air. Then the twin springs recoiled, bringing Mr. Coyote to a violent feet-first collision with the boulder, the full weight of his head and forequarters falling upon his lower extremities.

The force of this impact then caused the springs to rebound, whereupon Mr. Coyote was thrust skyward. A second recoil and collision followed. The boulder, meanwhile, which was roughly ovoid in shape, had begun to bounce down a hillside, the coiling and recoiling of the springs adding to its velocity. At each bounce, Mr. Coyote came into contact with the boulder, or the boulder came into contact with Mr. Coyote, or both came into contact with the ground. As the grade was a long one, this process continued for some time.

A sequence of collisions resulted in systemic physical damage to Mr. Coyote, viz., flattening of the cranium, sideways replacement of the tongue, reduction of length of legs and upper body, and compression of vertebrae from base of tail to head. Repetition of blows along a vertical axis produced a series of regular horizontal folds in Mr. Coyote’s body tissues — a rare and painful condition which caused Mr. Coyote to expand upward and contract downward alternately as he walked, and to emit off-key, accordion like wheezing with every step. The distracting and embarrassing nature of this symptom has been a major impediment to Mr. Coyote’s pursuit of a normal social life.

As the Court is no doubt aware, Defendant has a virtual monopoly of manufacture and sale of goods required by Mr. Coyote’s work. It is our contention that Defendant has used its market advantage to the detriment of the consumer of such specialized products as itching powder, giant kites, Burmese tiger traps, anvils, and two-hundred-foot-long rubber bands. Much as he has come to distrust Defendant’s products, Mr. Coyote has no other domestic source of supply to which to turn. One can only wonder what our trading partners in Western Europe and Japan would make of such a situation, where a giant company is allowed to victimize the consumer in the most reckless and wrongful manner over and over again.

Mr. Coyote respectfully requests that the Court regard these larger economic implications and assess punitive damages in the amount of seventeen million dollars. In addition, Mr. Coyote seeks actual damages (missed meals, medical expenses, days lost from professional occupation) of one million dollars; general damages (mental suffering, injury to reputation) of twenty million dollars; and attorney’s fees of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Total damages: thirty-eight million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

By awarding Mr. Coyote the full amount, this Court will censure Defendant, its directors, officers, shareholders, successors, and assigns, in the only language they understand, and reaffirm the right of the individual predator to equal protection under the law.

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!

Ten Signs of a Frustrated Mother

  1. Your children know how to read HTML code but can’t operate a vacuum cleaner.
  2. Your children tell you that you said “yes” and you don’t even remember the question.
  3. You go to the grocery store and find yourself having a good time.
  4. Your husband asks how your day went and you rate it on a scale of 1-10 repeats of “stop that!” or “no!”.
  5. You can’t remember the last time you didn’t have to share your drink.
  6. You mistakenly tell the kids it’s “sanity” time when you meant to say “bed” time.
  7. The laundry seems to have taken on an evil nature and you begin to feel that it’s out to get you.
  8. You dread hearing the phone ring because it’s a sure sign there’s about to be trouble amongst the children.
  9. It’s finally your turn on the computer and “Touched by an Angel” is just coming on.
  10. You go to sleep with “I’m bored” or “I’m hungry” still ringing in your ears.

Source Unknown

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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.

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Job Description for Mothers

“Mother of all jobs”

An exhilaratively exhausting profession, exceedingly rewarding and exhaustively expensive. Guarantees educational and medical debts.

The work hours require 24 hour-a-day, seven day a week attention with unexplained and unprogrammed emergency calls. Warning: occupationally hazardous to your health, lasting a lifetime. No previous experience needed.

Apply at the labor department, Ob-gyn ward of the hospital of your choice.

Reference needed: one qualified, encouraging, husband, who is willing to join you in this venture, no experience needed.

Benefits: The product of your labor is a one of a kind, designer gift from God and responds to a lifetime of love, attention, and nourishment. Batteries not required. No exchanges or refunds accepted.

Book of instruction: The book of Proverbs, The Holy Bible.

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

Angel

Once upon a time, there was a child ready to be born. She asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”

God replied, “Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be >waiting for you and will take care of you.”

“But tell me, here in Heaven, I don’t do anything but sing and smile, that’s enough for me to be happy.”

He said, “Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel’s love and be happy.”

And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don’t know the language that men talk?”

“Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.”

And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you,” the little child asked.

God said, “Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.”

“I’ve heard that on earth there are bad people, who will protect me? “Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life,” God promised.

“But I will always be sad because I will not see You anymore,” she said.

“Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.”

At that moment, there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the child in a hurry asked softly, “Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name.”

God silenced all fear when He said, “Your angel’s name is of no importance. You will simply call her Mommy.”

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 Great Adventure

The Chorus of the song “The Great Adventure” by Steven Curtis Chapman goes like this:

Saddle up your horses we’ve got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace
Let’s follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other – this is The Great Adventure

A western cowboy theme is a popular one for youth camps and is a great metaphor for the Christian Journey. Check out the “Great Adventure” Youth Camp curriculum from Creative Youth Ideas. Here are some of the topics found in this tested and fun filled Bible study series:

  • Saddle Up: The Journey of Faith
    Genesis 12:1-5
    In order to begin the “Great Adventure” we must “Saddle Up” our faith. We must pack our bags and prepare for the journey. We put a blanket on it, cinch the saddle straps, step in the stirrups to mount it, then spur it forward. Only God knows where our faith will then take us! Abram, before he was called Abraham, began a similar adventure.
  • Pony Express: The Bible as a Letter from God
    Various Scriptures
    The Pony Express delivered the mail in the early days of the West. Mail was loaded into saddle bags and carried by riders upon horses. The Bible is like one of those saddle bags in that it contains letters. Yet the letters in it are to God’s people, written by God and delivered by his prophets, disciples, and other men that He chose. To read the Bible is to read God’s letters to YOU!
  • Jail Break: Freedom from Sin
    Luke 4:16-22 and Isaiah 6:1-6
    The jailhouse was a common feature in most towns of the Old West. Wanted Posters were placed around the town with the photos of famous outlaws and bandits. It was the local sheriff’s duty, with his star badge to make sure all the lawbreakers were captured and locked away. In the Kingdom of God, all of us are lawbreakers as well. But Christ didn’t put on the sheriff’s badge, six-shooter, and cowboy hat to lock us away. In fact he came to set all prisoners free!
  • Trailblazing: The Wide and Narrow Paths
    Matthew 7:13-14
    As the first wagon trains and settlers traveled west, they not only cut the trail and found the mountain passes, but also marked them clearly so that others would be able to follow them. Known as trailblazing, the markers might be as simple as a pile of stones or a hatchet chop to a tree that would help others to find the correct route on their journey. Christ also taught us how to find the route to God. Are you willing to follow the trail?
  • Tracking: Knowing God’s Will
    Romans 12:1-2 and others
    Where am I going? How do get there? What signs mark the path? What direction should I take? It is important that each of us discover the path that God wants us to take in life. There will be challenges and adventure. The struggles will be tough, but the rewards will outweigh anything we could ever imagine. Every Christian must learn to recognize the call of God, to recognize the signs along his path, and to follow God’s directions for his individual life.
  • The Blacksmith’s Shop: Tools to be Used by God
    Isaiah 64:8
    The blacksmith begins to pound, envisioning what the tool was planned for, making it sharper, more durable, useful. The pounding and melting down of the metal is not comfortable or easy. Change is never easy, but over time the scars are removed, the cracks are filled, and the impurities are burned away. The dull becomes sharp. The crooked becomes straight. The weak becomes strong. The useless become the useful. Then we are plunged into water and the moldable becomes the strong tool to be used!
  • The Christian Frontier: Becoming Christlike
    Romans 8:29; Selected Passages
    What is the new frontier for new believers? In actuality it is as much the journey as the destination, but the ultimate aim for all believers is to become Christlike in character, attitudes and actions.
  • Gold Rush: Salvation
    John 3:1-21
    No story of the wild west would be complete without the tales of the gold rush. Many men gave up everything to find it. For Christians, heaven is described as having streets of “gold.” In John 3:1-21 God gives Nicodemus directions to get to the streets of Gold. Those same directions are a map for us today, to find the greatest treasure mankind has ever known!

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