Creating a Strong Family

When parents around the world describe the qualities that make their family strong, these are some of the things they talk about.

APPRECIATION AND AFFECTION

  • Caring for each other
  • Friendship
  • Respect for individuality
  • Playfulness
  • Humor

ABILITY TO COPE WITH STRESS AND CRISIS

  • Adaptability
  • seeing a crisis as a challenge
  • Growing through crisis together
  • Openness to change
  • Resilience

COMMITMENT

  • Trust
  • Honesty
  • Dependability
  • Faithfulness
  • Sharing

TIME TOGETHER

  • Quality time in great quantity
  • Enjoying each other’s company
  • Simple good times
  • Faithfulness
  • Sharing fun times

POSITIVE COMMUNICATION

  • Sharing feelings
  • Avoiding blame
  • Being able to compromise
  • Playfulness
  • Agreeing to disagree

SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING

  • Hope
  • Faith
  • Compassion
  • shared ethical values
  • Shared moral beliefs


Get "Creative Sermon Ideas" eBook

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Creative Sermon Ideas
This 100 Page e-Book Includes All The Help You Need To Prepare Powerful, Life-Changing Youth Sermons That Will Turn Your Preaching Around And Make Your Youth Sit Up And Listen! Includes 7 Complete Sermons.
–> I want More Youth Sermon Ideas…

What we can do as parents

I gave you life,
but I cannot live it for you.
I can teach you things
but I cannot make you learn.
I can give you directions
but I cannot always be there to lead you.
I can allow you freedom
but I cannot account for it.
I can take you to church
but I cannot make you believe.
I can teach you right from wrong
but I can’t always decide for you.
I can buy you beautiful clothes
but I cannot make you lovely inside.
I can offer you advice
but I cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love
but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to be a friend
but I cannot make you one.
I can teach you to share
but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you respect
but I can’t force you to show honor.
I can grieve about your report card
but I cannot doubt your teachers.
I can advise you about friends
but I cannot choose them for you.
I can teach you about sex
but I cannot keep you pure.
I can tell you the facts of life
but I can’t build your reputation.
I can tell you about drink
but I can’t say NO for you.
I can warn you about drugs
but I can’t prevent you from using them.
I can tell you about lofty goals,
but I can’t achieve them for you.
I can teach you kindness,
but I can’t force you to be gracious.
I can warn you about sins
but I cannot make your morals
I can love you as a daughter or son
but I cannot place you in God’s Family.
I can pray for you
but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can teach you about Jesus
but I cannot make HIM your Saviour.
I can teach you to OBEY
but I cannot make Jesus Your Lord.
I can tell you how to live
but I cannot give you Eternal Life.
–Source Unknown


Get "Creative Sermon Ideas" eBook

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Creative Sermon Ideas
This 100 Page e-Book Includes All The Help You Need To Prepare Powerful, Life-Changing Youth Sermons That Will Turn Your Preaching Around And Make Your Youth Sit Up And Listen! Includes 7 Complete Sermons.
–> I want More Youth Sermon Ideas…

Strayed

Strayed
(Song and Lyrics by Church of Rhythm)

When I was young I grew up in a Christian family
I wanted to please my parents
I wanted them to be so proud of me
So I took their faith and I learned their religion
And I went to a church where everyone was a Christian

I strayed far, but I am fine.

Then I went away to school and found new friends
I wanted to please them to, to be liked by them
And if they didn’t need God, then neither did I
And I got to be so busy, that he pretty much slipped my mind

Well I’ve been out of school and I am finally alone
No one to tell me what to do, but no beliefs to call my own
But in my moments of loneliness, in my desperate independence
I wondered if there was a God and if he cared where I’d been

I strayed far but I think I’ve missed you God all this time

And when I’d run till I’d run out
When being broken made me look a second time
Well now I can see, I can see clearly
That you’ve been with me all this time

I strayed far, but you have been with me God all this time


Get "Creative Sermon Ideas" eBook

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Creative Sermon Ideas
This 100 Page e-Book Includes All The Help You Need To Prepare Powerful, Life-Changing Youth Sermons That Will Turn Your Preaching Around And Make Your Youth Sit Up And Listen! Includes 7 Complete Sermons.
–> I want More Youth Sermon Ideas…

Pet Introductions Icebreaker

Simple Icebreaker Ideas

People introduce themselves with their first pet’s name (or doll’s name if they didn’t have a pet) as their first name and the street they lived on as their second. If your first pet was a dog named “Lucky” and you lived on Cross Street, you would be Lucky Cross.

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!

Chatter Bugs

Icebreaker Description
A fast-paced icebreaker game for youth where partners quickly share answers to a question from the facilitator. Partners and questions are changing all the time.

Icebreaker Materials
(Optional) “Chatter Bugs” handouts containing a list of questions for youth that are somehow connected to your session theme or topic.

Optimal Youth Group Size for this Icebreaker Game
15-30 youth but it can be played with less or more.

Icebreaker Venue
This icebreaker can be played anywhere, but ideally the location should be large enough for the youth to form some semblance of a circle.

Icebreaker Preparation
If you have time in advance, you might create a list of questions that are somehow connected to your session theme or topic.

Instructions for this Icebreaker Game for Youth

Setting the Stage

  1. “This game is going to be played in Rounds! This game is going to be played in what?” [Everyone will answer “Rounds”]
  2. “!Round 1 – Everyone find a partner. Everyone find a partner.”
  3. Wait a few moments then announce: “If you don’t have a partner raise your hand. If you don’t have a partner raise your hand.” Help those without a partner to match up. (The facilitator might need to partner up with a participant if there are an unequal number of youth.)
  4. “Now that you have found a partner you will have to choose among yourselves who will be the ‘ladybug’ and who will be the ‘lightning bug’. You cannot both choose the same thing!” Give them a few moments to decide.
  5. “Lady Bugs raise your hand… Lightning Bugs raise your hand!” If you want to add a little craziness, ask the lady bugs to flap their wings and the lightning bugs to shake their tails!

Round 1

  1. “In round 1 you are going to introduce yourself to your partner and share 3 things about yourself that most people don’t know! Only one person will speak until I tell you to stop. Whenever I shout ‘Chatter Bugs Stop’ You stop. You stop when Whenever I shout what?” [They will Answer — “chatter Bugs Stop”]
  2. “Lady Bugs speak first — Go.”
  3. You can give them a few minutes depending on the overall time available. When you are ready for them to change shout “Chatter Bugs Stop!”
  4. “Lightning Bugs Next — Ready…Go” Give them the same amount of time then shout “Chatter bugs Stop”
  5. “Give yourself a big round of applause. You have completed Round 1.”

Round 2

  1. “Now for round 2″ Are you ready? …Are you sure you are ready?”
  2. “Lady bugs form a circle facing outward, shoulder to shoulder.”
  3. “Lightning bugs, form a larger circle around them.. facing your partner.”
  4. (Optional) Once everyone is in place, distribute “Chatter Bugs” handouts with the questions or topics they will discuss.
  5. “Now we are going to play round two. We are going to play what?” [round two]
  6. “In round 2 you will be given a question or topic to discuss. Sometimes you will be the person talking – the ‘sender” while the person facing you will be the listener – the “Receiver.”
  7. “For the first discussion, Lady bugs you will be the sender. Lightning bugs you are the receiver. When I announce “Chatter Bugs stop”, you immediately stop. Any questions?”
  8. “The first topic / Question is….” [Announce the first topic or question]. “Lady Bugs GO!”
  9. “Chatter Bugs” Stop!”
  10. “Lightning Bugs… Your turn. Ready… Go.”
  11. “Chatter Bugs Stop”
  12. “Now, everyone in the outer circle… Rotate one person to your right to face a new partner. Rotate”
  13. Now Call out a different topic and have participants repeat the process until they have completely gone around the circle and met everyone.”
  14. “Give yourself a round of applause, you have completed Round 2”

Round 3 (Optional)

  1. “Now for round 3″ Are you ready? …Are you sure you are ready?”
  2. “Facing your partner, I want all the lightning bugs to rotate your body 90 degree to the right so that you are now facing the back of another lightning bug.” “Good.”
  3. Lady bugs, rotate your body 90 degrees to your right so that you are now facing the back of another Lady Bug.” “Great”
  4. “When I say ‘Go’, you will start walking forward, staying in your circle. This means the Lightning bugs will be in a circle rotation counter-clockwise and the Lady bugs will be in a circle rotating clockwise.
  5. “At some point I will yell ‘Chatter Bugs.’ When I yell ‘chatter bugs’ you must return to your original partner, get back to back with your bums touching, and flap your wings — arms” “The last couple to get into that position will be eliminated.’ [You might want to demonstrate the correct position with two of the youth.] “Any questions?”
  6. “Let’s try it once for practice.” Ready…. GO!”
  7. Shout “Chatter Bugs”
  8. Once they have done it, correct anyone who is out position. Point out who would have been eliminated.
  9. “Any Questions?”
  10. “Ready.. GO”
  11. Play the game until there is only one couple left and give them a prize as the “World’s Greatest Chatter Bugs”

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!

What can you do to help young people handle disappointment?

Here are some suggestions to help parents and youth workers to effectively teach young people how to handle disappointments that occur in their daily lives:

  1. Try to see situations from the child’s point of view as well as your own.
  2. If you are responsible for setting up an expectation the child has, then own that and take steps to set up and expectation that is better for both of you.
  3. To make the change to more realistic expectations validate the child’s feelings of disappointment
  4. Relate a time when you experienced disappointment
  5. Verbalise the feelings. Show the child the words that describe the feeling as this will help them describe theirs.
  6. Enable the child to see that our feelings do not have to equal our actions.
    Ask questions like:

    • Do you feel disappointed some sometimes?
    • Do you feel disappointed because we usually do this and today we aren’t?
    • Does that make you feel frustrated?
    • Does it make you feel angry?

    Choose your words carefully and emphasise the word ‘FEEL’. “When this happens, DO YOU FEEL ANGRY?” This question implies that anger is a feeling…not an action. It’s a completely different question to “When this happens ARE YOU ANGRY”, which implies angry actions which we do not want the child to engage in. What you ultimately want is for your child to recognise their emotions and over time learn how to decide on appropriate and effective positive actions. This is a very empowering process that develops with practice and allows the child to feel in control of themselves.

  7. Model how you handle disappointment. Verbalise your own mental processes when you are experiencing disappointment.
  8. And lastly, if you know a situation is coming up that will be naturally disappointing to the child, then prepare your child:
    • Let them know what’s going to happen so they don’t let their anticipation build.
    • Validate that this will be disappointing for them. This implies that it’s OK to feel disappointed but that you expect they will know how to handle the feeling…that you have confidence in them and this gives them personal power to cope.
    • Do not bribe them to pacify them. This implies you do not have confidence in them and removes their personal power to cope.

Helping children and youths to handle the emotion of disappointment does not take any more time than not helping them to handle the emotion of disappointment. In fact, it may save you time, help your relationship and empower your child to experience more happiness in their life.

By Vicki Jardine, Director of Highly Successful Kids.
You can catch up with Vicki at:
/highlysuccessfulkids.com


Get "Creative Sermon Ideas" eBook

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Creative Sermon Ideas
This 100 Page e-Book Includes All The Help You Need To Prepare Powerful, Life-Changing Youth Sermons That Will Turn Your Preaching Around And Make Your Youth Sit Up And Listen! Includes 7 Complete Sermons.
–> I want More Youth Sermon Ideas…

Scars

“I’ve discovered something” I said.

“See, even as we get older we continue to learn,” he replied with a chuckle.

I took my dog, Phil, to the vet yesterday. When the doctor came into the room he was limping.

“Should I ask how you are doing?” I said.

“Oh, it’s my knee. They want me to really appreciate the operation I’m about to have so they delayed it another month so I could suffer more,” he replied.

It was then for the first time I actually showed my scar to someone.

“Look, I had an operation on my arm.”

My wife has been telling me that it really didn’t look bad. It was healing very nicely.

When I showed it to him and his assistant they said, “Eeeeeewe! That’s awful!”

So much for healing nicely.

That’s when I discovered something.

“Doc, when I was a kid and fell I remember showing all my friends because I thought it was “cool.” Having a scar at that age was like having a battle injury so you had to share it.”

I then pointed to a scar at the hairline on my forehead.

“That’s when I got hit with a door!” I said proudly.

“That explains so much, Bob,” he said laughing.

“Then I went into young adulthood and vanity took over. I was in a band and never wanted anything to scar this beautiful face of mine,” I said struggling to get it out without laughing.

“Now, at 59, I just now joined that group of older folks who are proud to compare operations, aches, pains and how many meds I have to take just to get through the day.”

I have overheard older folks trying to out do their friends by claiming their pain is worse or they have had more operations than the other.

The winner is the one who is in worse shape, I guess.

Then there are those at any age, who use physical and emotional scars as an excuse. The kind of excuse that holds them back, limits them, provides a crutch for why they are’nt happy or where they would like to be at this point in life.

“Too tall”…”too short”…”too fat”…”too thin”…
“my parents”…”my family”…”ever since my divorce”…”ever since we had children” and on and on.

All scars that never heal because we keep picking at them.

I swore I would never do that, yet, today I didn’t even hesitate to show Doc my scar.

It’s okay. I see it as reverting back to my childhood.

If you are of the Christian faith, I suggest that you turn to the One who bore the scars of death for you.

Then you will have no excuse.

What scars do you have?

If you would like to receive Bob’s Inspirational stories, please visit http://www.IWishYouEnough.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…

Copycat

Youth Game Description
In this youth game idea, a person in the center of a group of youth must identify the leader who begins an action that everyone else in the youth group imitates.

Game Materials
None

Optimal Youth Group Size for Game
10-20 people but it can be played with less or more. For very large groups you may wish to split the youth group up into multiple circles.

Game Venue
This youth game can be played in any open area, indoors or outdoors

Game Preparation
Set up the game by getting everyone in the youth group to stand in a circle facing inwards.

Game Play

    1. Ask one of the youth to leave the room for a minute. This youth will be “it” or the person who will try to identify the leader.
    2. While he or she is out of the room, the rest of the group decides who will be the “leader.” The leader will be the youth who initiates the movements for that round of the game.
    3. When the leader has been chosen, invite the youth who left the room back to stand in the center of the circle.
    4. Each round begins with all the youth in the circle swinging their arms up and down.
    5. The leader will initiate other movements, which the rest of the youth must copy. They must be careful to copy the leader without revealing who the leader is. They should not stare at the leader or identify the leader in any way.
    6. The leader can do just about anything he or she wants. The more crazy the action, the more fun!
    7. Here are some basic ideas: clapping, making a funny face, doing a karate kick, stamping a foot, act like a monkey, jump up and down, spin in place, pat his or her head, rub his or her belly, do a dance dance move, cross arms, pick his or her nose, etc.
    8. The person in the center of the circle is allowed to make up to three guesses. If a guess is incorrect, the round continues. If the guess is correct, the leader takes the center position for the next round and must leave the room while a new leader is chosen from among the remaining youth. If all three guesses are used up and the leader is not correctly guessed, you can have the person in the center do a forfeit then select a new leader. Follow this link for some forfeit ideas

Take it to the Next Level
Leaders set the example for followers.

Game Debrief

  • In what ways do the actions of leaders set examples for others to follow?
  • What are some of the actions a leader should do to set an example for followers?
  • What are some of the characteristics that identify a person as a leader?
  • What are the qualities that are essential to leadership?
  • Who are some of the leaders in your life? What characteristics made them stand out as leaders?
  • What are some of the qualities of bad leaders? How can we avoid them?
  • Should we always blindly follow a person as a leader?
  • What are some different types of leaders?
  • Do leaders in different positions need to have different qualities? Explain.

Game Application
We are all called to be leaders. There will always be someone who looks up to us, who follows our example. As leaders, how can we set better examples for others? What is an area where you need to rise to the challenge of being a leader?

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!

Caterpillar Race

Game Description
Teams of youth move toward the finish line in small hops, connected like a caterpillar with many legs.

Game Materials
No additional game supplies are needed.

Optimal Group Size for Game
Any number of youth

Game Venue
You’ll need some space for youth to line up as teams as well as to move a good distance. This game can be played indoors or outdoors.

Game Preparation

  1. You will need to designate the start and finish line in some way.
  2. Divide the youth into teams of equal size, with at least 2 youth on each team.
  3. Youth must choose a one-syllable name for each team.

Game Play

  1. Line the teams of youth up next to each other behind a starting line.
  2. Youth must place their hands on the shoulders of the team members in front of them. They are not allowed to lose contact with the person’s shoulder at any time. If a person loses contact with the person in front of them the entire team must move back to the start.
  3. The first person in each line hops one step forward. The next person in line then also takes a hop. Continue down the line until the last person in line hops one step forward. Players may move forward only by hopping one step forward with both feet at once.
  4. After the last person in line hops, he or she must shout out the name of the team.
  5. Then the whole team may hop one step forward at the same time.
  6. The whole process then begins again with the first person taking a single hop. The next, etc.
  7. If a team member breaks any of the above rules, it must return to the starting line and begin again.
  8. First team to completely cross the finish line wins.

Get "Go for the Gold" Youth Bible Study Series
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.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”

Get "Destined to Win" Youth Bible Study Series
Destined to Win

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.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”