Monthly Archives: June 2009

Humor

Noah’s Wife

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A preacher, ending his sermon, announced that he would preach on Noah and his Ark on the following Sunday and gave the scriptural reference for the congregation to read ahead of time. A couple of Sunday school boys noticed something interesting about the placement of the story of the Flood in the Bible, so they de-cided to have some fun. They slipped into the church and glued two pages of the pulpit Bible together.

On the next Sunday, the preacher got up to read his text. ‘Noah took unto himself a wife.’ he began, ‘and she was’ — he turned the page to continue — ‘three hundred cubits long, fifty cu-bits wide and thirty cubits high.’

He paused, scratched his head, turned the page back and read it silently, turned the page. Then he looked up at his congregation and said. ‘I’ve been studying this Bible for almost fifty years, but there are still some things in it that are hard to believe.’

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!

Game Ideas

Clothes Line Relay

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Number of Players: two equal teams of any number
Location: open area able to accommodate the entire group
Materials: clothesline, clothes

The players are divided into 2 teams. Each team is given a sack of clothes. Place an equal number of clothes in each sack and of the same type. You could choose a shirt, a cap, a pair of socks and trousers. At the command the first player of each team runs with the sack to the clothes line and pins all items on the clothesline and returns to his team. The next person must run to the clothes line, put on all the clothes and return to his team where he removes them and places them in the sack. Repeat until all team members have gone with the first team to do so being declared the victors!

Can be used for a lesson about putting on the armor of God, putting on the new self in Christ, etc.

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!

Game Ideas

Dog Biscuit Relay

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Number of Players: equal teams of any number
Location: open area able to accommodate the entire group
Materials: clothespins and dog biscuits

Give group members each a pinch-type clothespin to put in their mouth so the clothespin can be opened and closed with their teeth. Have each team form a straight line, with each team member down on all fours (like a dog) facing in the same direction so that they are side by side. Put dogfood or regular bowls with 10 to 12 dog biscuits in each on the floor in front of each team’s line. The first person in each team’s line must take the dog biscuits out of the bowl, one at a time, using the clothespin in his or her: mouth. The biscuits are then passed on to the next person and so on down the line. If a biscuit is dropped, the person who dropped it must pick it up with the clothespin. No hands are allowed at any time. Teams must stay in a straight line and remain on hands and knees throughout the relay. The first team to put all its biscuits in the bowl at the end of the line wins.

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!

Icebreakers

Left Holding the Bag – Game Idea

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Game Description
This game is based on the familiar English idiom to be “left holding the bag.” “Left holding the bag” refers to a situation when a person is abandoned by others involved so that they bear the blame or responsibility. Example: Everyone rushed home after the party left the room in a mess so the youth leader was “left holding the bag”. The phrase is a variation of one which dates back to about 1600 — to “give one the bag (to hold)” in which a person was left with an empty bag while others took all the valuable contents.

Game Materials

  • A bag (You can use just about any bag for this but the game is more fun if it is a cloth bag that makes very little sound when dropped.)
  • You’ll also need solid chairs for everyone as things usually get a little wild with youth diving for chairs. There should be one less chair than the number of participants.

Game Preparation

  • All the youth are seated in a circle and one youth stands in the middle holding a bag.
  • Safety Tip: Place the chairs in a tight circle with no gaps or you might have some youth miss the chairs and end up on the floor!

Game Play

  • Select one youth to be in the center of the circle, “Holding the bag”.
  • The youth in the middle of the circle must then walk around the circle and take the hand of another seated youth. (If you have an almost equal mix of girls and guys you can ask them to grab the hand of someone of the opposite sex.)
  • That person then leaves his/her chair and takes the hand of another youth and so on.
  • This continues until the first youth drops the bag and everyone runs to a seat.
  • The youth left without a seat picks up the bag and the game begins again.

Variations
Play a few rounds and then add some items to the bag:

  • Slips of paper, each with icebreaker styled questions like: “what is your Favorite Ice-cream? Most embarrassing moment? Happiest memory? Best vacation? Favorite movie? Favorite book?” etc.
  • Slips of paper with a forfeit on each one. You can find examples of forfeits here: Game Forfeits
  • Slips of paper with review questions from a previous lesson.
  • Slips of paper with personal questions to introduce the topic of the next lesson.
  • Charades that youth will need to act out for the rest of the youth to guess. (Can give points and have girls vs guys teams for the guessing)
  • Items of clothing in the bag (pillowcase) – youth must pull something out and wear it.

Take it to the Next Level

  • In real life, have you ever been left “holding the bag?” What happened?
  • What feelings might a person have when they are forced to take the blame for someone else’s actions?
  • Are there times when we let others take the blame for things we have done?
  • Was Jesus “left holding the bag” when the disciples abandoned him at his arrest? Is it the same thing? Why or why not?

While we have to take responsibility for our own sins, Jesus wants to take the blame – He has stood in our place to take the punishment for us. There may still be consequences, but through His death on the cross we receive God’s forgiveness. He took the punishment for us!

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!

Devotional

Gather or Scatter

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cards2.jpg

Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

I love playing games, not all the time but sometimes. It’s easy to get burned out playing them too much so I try to only play them once in a while.

One game I never want to play again is 52 pick up. I’m sure most of us are familiar with 52 pick up. We probably learned it from our mean older brother or sister who one day approached us all nice and friendly. For a moment it seemed like they were your best friend as they asked you if you would like to play a game. Sure you said, what shall we play? How does 52 pick up sound they reply? You’re just so happy that they would even ask that you let down your guard and you say “yes”. That’s when you find out just how rotten older siblings can be. They take the whole deck of cards, all 52 and they throw them into the air scattering them all over the floor in a huge mess. As they walk away they say with a grin, “okay pick them up”.

You know as Christians we have to be careful of making messes with our lives. Jesus said “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” There are lots of times in our lives when we think we’ve finally got it together. We swear that this time it’s going to be different, I’m going to live for God no matter what. But what happens? In a couple of days or weeks we find that were right back in a rut.

Why? I think the most important reason is because we fail to act on what we claim is true. In other words, we say we believe in God but it’s not evident in the way we live our lives. I mean how many times have we heard that lust is wrong? Yet we look for images on the web or the television that cause us to lust. What about swearing? We know from God’s word that it’s wrong to swear so why do we do it? And what about coveting? We know that it’s wrong too yet still we want what we want and we act as though we could never be happy till we get it.

We’re supposed to be the light of the world, the ones who carry the message of hope and love to the lost. When we tell them we’re saved and that they need what we’ve got do you think it’s going to mean anything when they see how we really live? You don’t act any better than them and you’re going to tell them they need what you’ve got. Hey don’t blame them if they don’t take you seriously because honestly neither do you.

When Christians live this way they aren’t helping they’re hurting, they’re not gathering instead they’re scattering. In order to truly change we need to stop playing the same old games with our faith. Quit doing what you know from God’s Word is wrong and do what is right. Is it easy? No! is it hard? Sometimes, but that’s the cost of sacrifice. Until you’re willing to truly give up the junk in your life. Until you’re willing to put your life under God’s microscope and say Lord help me to hate what you hate and love what you love. How much gathering do you really expect to get done? How much change should you really expect?

The reason we struggle so much is because deep down inside we really don’t want to change. Our sinful nature is at war with the Spirit inside us trying to get us to do what we know is wrong. It’s the voice inside that says it will make you feel good if you just give it a try. Your faith is what gives you the strength to live above your emotions though. It’s what should drive you to do whats right not because it feels good or because it feels right but because you know it’s right and it’s what God wants you to do. If by faith you can’t live above your emotions then I ask you how strong is your faith?

2 Corinthians 5:7-10 “We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. “

Contributed by Rob Heverling (robhev@yahoo.com>


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…

Teaching Illustrations

Calling All Teachers

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Once upon a time, there was a church staff looking for teachers for children and preschoolers and youth.

And some adults said, “I don’t want to leave the sweet fellowship and study in my adult class.” (But the drug pusher on the street said, “Not even the threat of jail will keep me from working with your children.”)

And some adults said, “I could never give the time required to plan and go to teachers’ meetings.” (But the pusher, the porno book dealer, and the movie producer said, “We’ll stay open whatever hours are necessary everyday to win the minds of the kids.”)

And some adults said, “I’m unsuited, untrained, unable to work with children, preschoolers or youth. (But the movie producer said, “We’ll study, survey, spend millions to produce whatever turns kids on.”)

So, the adults stayed in their classes and enjoyed the sweet fellowship and absorbed the good Bible Study, and could go out of town often on the weekend and were available to do whatever was good to do on Wednesday or Sunday nights instead of teachers’ meetings.

And when Sunday came, the children came to their classes and no one was there except the church staff going from one room to another trying to assure them that someone would surely come to teach them some Sunday soon. But no one ever came, and the young children soon quit coming because they had gone to listen to others who did care about the things they did and what went into their minds….


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…

Icebreakers

Guess Who?

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Game Description
Divided into at least 2 groups of 4-6 people, an individual youth will attempt to get his/her team to guess a name written on a piece of paper.

Game Materials

  • Pens
  • Small Pieces of Paper
  • A Container (basket, hat, bowl, or bag) for each team
  • Timer or stopwatch

Game Preparation

  1. Cut several pieces of paper into small pieces, large enough to have a name written upon them. You want to have enough slips of paper for each youth to have 10 pieces.
  2. Each youth writes down the names of 10 people on the 10 pieces of paper. These names must be famous personalities (real or fictional) as well as names of those in the youth group, their parents and other significant adults everyone knows.
  3. Collect all the names into a container for each team and then distribute each container to a different team of youth than the one that wrote the names it contains.

Game Play
This icebreaker game for youth is play in rounds.

Round One

  1. must describe that person to the other members of his/her team.
  2. Every time a name is guessed correctly, another name is retrieved from the container.
  3. Each team has one minute to guess as many names as possible.
  4. If the youth get stuck on a name, they can set the name aside and draw a new name.
  5. When the time runs out, add up the total number of names guessed and subtract those passed and set aside to calculate a score for each team.

Round Two

  1. Put all the names back into the container.
  2. This round is similar to Round One but a youth can only use one word to describe the person to his/her group. Some of the names will have already been guessed so it is easier then it seems.
  3. Once again, calculate the score for each team

Round Three

  1. This round of the game is played similar to the first two rounds, but this time, the youth must ACT out the name written on the paper without making any sounds.

Add up the scores from all three rounds to determine an overall winner.

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!

Devotional

Underdogs

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1 Samuel 17:45-47 ‘David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

When you think of underdogs one can’t help but think of sports. Their are so many stories in the sports world of teams who were told they never have a chance of winning and yet they went on to beat the odds and end up shocking the world. I’m sure I could list tons of teams who were told they never had a chance, or why even show up? but as they say in the sports world “that’s why they play the game”.

Now to be called an underdog you have to meet certain criteria, you have to lack more skill than your opponent, you have to be weaker, or you have to make less money than your opponent. Payroll seems to be everything in the sports world these days so if your team doesn’t have a high payroll or enough star talent and you some how walk into the playoffs then you might be an underdog. If one of your star players is injured and can’t make the big game you could be an underdog. If you don’t have home field advantage and a first round bye that could make you an underdog too.

With so many possibilities out there any team could be an underdog on any given day. So why do we make such a fuss when it comes to underdogs? Why do we find them so hard to not route for? Probably because we love to hear stories of people or teams who beat the odds when everything was stacked against them. We like knowing that some times the little guy can come out on top in the end.

We all have experienced moments when it seemed like their was no use in trying, when we felt like we should just cut our loses and run. But underdogs never give up, they never throw in the towel, they always have hope leading them on. I mean that’s what being an underdog is all about isn’t it? It’s about having hope even when everyone else has given up all hope. It’s about believing in yourself and God when everyone else chooses to throw in the towel.

Take David for instance. Here’s a guy who by the worlds standards never had a chance when he went up against Goliath. I mean Goliath was huge, he was over 9 feet tall. His armor and his helmet alone weighed about 125 pounds. That’s probably more than what David weighed soaked and wet. The shaft of Goliath’s mighty spear weighed another 15 pounds. This is crazy! Who in their right mind would even want to take a shot at this giant Philistine.

Goliath would come out every day for 40 days and shout at the Israelites mocking them and how did they respond? verse 11 says Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. They wanted nothing to do with this giant.

Luckily for the Israelites David enters the scene. David was a man who feared know one, except God that is. He knew that it was God who determined the victor not man. It’s hard to believe that of all the people who would dare to stand up against the giant it would be a lowly inexperienced shepherd boy. I mean other than protecting some sheep in the field from wild animals his resume was pretty small. It’s not like he had a long list of past experiences he could fall back on. Yet he got the job to take on this Philistine.

The king offered David his best armor but David was so young and small that he could hardly move with it on. Instead he decided he was going to take on this giant with God as his shield and protector. He didn’t need any armor because God was going to fight for him, God was going to give him the victory. I love his words in verse 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

If only we could have as much faith as David did when we face our giants. If only we believed that God could help us overcome any obstacle like David. We know what God has done in the past, we’ve seen what he can do in the present, why do we doubt what he can do in the future. He’s the same God yesterday, today and always.

The problem is that we are not the same as we were yesterday, today, and always. We allow our faith to falter, we get out of step and out of touch with God and we like the Israelites get scared when the giants come on the scene. The giants only look big when we allow our God to become a small part in our lives. When you’re not giving God the time he deserves then be sure that even the smallest of giants can look GIGANTIC.

1 Samuel 17:46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

Thanks to Rob Heverling (robhev (at) yahoo.com) for graciously sharing this with us for the website. Drop this brother in Christ an email and let him know you appreciate him!

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Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
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Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
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