Thanksgiving Twister

November 21, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Instead of a twister game sheet, cut Thanksgiving shapes from construction paper and use sticky-tack to adhere them to the floor. Make a twister spinner that includes right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot and another that contains the various Thanksgiving symbols.

Some optional symbols are:
Autumn Leaf, Corn, Cornucopia, Cranberries, Family, Mayflower ship, Pie, Pilgrim, Plymouth Rock, Pumpkin, Puritans, Turkey, Indian

Activity
Play a game of Twister, but instead of colored dots use pictures of Thanksgiving items taped to the floor. Change the spinner to reflect the pictures. If you don’t have a spinner you can easily make one.

Variation
Instead of playing on an individual basis, divide the group into teams. The team with the last remaining members in the game wins.

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

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Teaching Illustrations

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

November 21, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted’ for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

(signed) G. Washington

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Teaching Illustrations

Thanksgiving Proclamation (Abraham Lincoln)

November 21, 2005 kensapp 1 Comment

This Thanksgiving Quote comes from Abraham Lincoln:

... Abraham Lincoln was a man who learned to face discouragement and move beyond it. Did you know that it was Abraham Lincoln who, in the midst of the Civil War, in 1863, established the annual celebration of Thanksgiving?

Lincoln had learned how important it is to stop and thank God in the midst of great difficulties.

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

You can find more Thanksgiving Quotes Here!

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Resource Reviews

The Leader and his Reading

November 20, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

I. Reasons to Read

“The man who desires to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly at his books.”(148)
“the spiritual leader must master God’s Word and its principles and know as well what is going on in the minds of those who look to him for guidance. To achieve those ends, he must, hand in hand with personal contacts, engage in a course of selective reading.” (148)
“The spiritual leader should read for ‘spiritual quickening’ and profit, and that will strongly influence his selection of books for reading.” (151)
“The spiritual leader should read with a view to ‘mental stimulation’.”(151)
“He should read for ‘cultivation of style’ in his preaching and teaching and writing.” (151)
“The leader should read… with a view to the ‘acquiring of information.’ “ (151)
“He should read in order to have ‘fellowship with great minds.’ “(152)
“It is for the spiritual leader to cut a channel between what he reads and what he says or writes, so that others may reap its benefits to the full….many more ministers could communicate their appreciation of spiritual books to their congregations by guiding them in a course of selected reading.” (159)

II. The choice of books

“Some are to be tested, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” (150)
“If it is true a man is known by the company he keeps, it is no less true that his character is reflected in the books he reads, for they are the outward expression of his hungers and aspirations.”(152)
“Our reading should be regulated largely by what we are and what we do or intend to do.” (153)
Biographies- “One cannot read the lives of great and consecrated men and women without having inspiration and kindled and aspiration aroused…. It provides him with numberless illustrations for use in his own service.” (154)
“It is better that we should always tackle something a but beyond us.”(155)
“The leader should immerse himself in books that will further equip him for a higher quality of service and leadership in the kingdom of God.” (156)

III. How to read

“It is easy to read. It is much more difficult to secure effectually the fruit of reading in the mind.” (156)
“We cannot profit from what we read unless we think”(156)
“Master those books you have.”(156)
“Read little that is to be forgotten.” (157)
“Read with pencil and notebook in hand.” (157)
“Have… a book in which to put what is striking, interesting, and worthy of permanent record.” (157)
“Verify as far as possible historical, scientific and other data, and let no word slip past until its meaning is understood.”
“Let the reading be varied, because the mind so easily runs into ruts.” (157)
“Reading should be correlated where possible”. (157)
“He suggests that evey solid book requires three readings. The first reading should be rapid and continuous. The subconscious mind will then go to work on it and link it up with what you already know on the subject. Then take time to think what contribution it has made to your knowledge. The second reading should be careful, slow and detailed, as you think out each new point and make notes for later use. After an interval, the third reading should be fairly rapid and continuous, and a brief analysis should be written in the back of the book, with page references to subjects and illustrations.” (158)

Resource: J.Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership

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Youth Sermons

The Sermon on the Mount Today

November 20, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain and gathering them around him And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Then Simon Peter said, “Do we have to write this down?”
And Andrew said, “Are we supposed to know this?”
And Philip said, “What if we don’t know it?”
And Bartholomew said, “Do we have to turn this in?”
And John said, “The other disciples didn’t have to learn this.”
And Matthew said, “When do we get out of here?”
And Judas said,’ “What does this have to do with real life?”

And Jesus wept.

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Youth Ministry

Enlisting Youth Leaders

November 20, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

E xpect God’s guidance through prayer
N eglect no possibilities when making a personal list of potential leaders
L essen the fears of potential leaders by working to overcome barriers they may have to serving
I nitiate contact by mentioning the possibility of working with youth
S tructured situations with youth should be observed by potential leaders
T rain potential leaders by enrolling them in a training program.

Youth Leader training should begin with a broad prospective and progressively narrow in on the specific job you have in mind
1. Spritual foundations
2. Spiritual Leadership
3. Basic Youth Ministry Leadership Skills
4. Youth Program Organization its Structure of leadership
5. Specific Youth Leadership Position

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Music

Music in Times of Hardship

November 20, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Psalm 90:14-15 “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all of our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.”

Floods of sorrow and hardship that would have drowned a lesser soul, released a song of hope and Christian Joy in the heart of reverend Luther Burgess Bridgers. During the early years if his ministry God richly blessed him and his wife and three precious boys were born into the family. In 1910, his popularity was growing and he received and accepted an invitation to conduct a two-week series of evangelistic services in another state. Leaving his family to the safe-keeping of his wife’s immediate relatives, he kissed them goodbye and left. Two glorious weeks later, the services closed and many a sinner was converted and many a saint was strengthened. He was wonderfully used by God and was at the peak of popularity,,, then that very night, he received a phone call. A disastous fire had completely consumed the house of his father in law and taken the lives of his wife and his three sons. It was at this time that he wrote the words and tune to a song very familiar to us today…

There’s within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low
Fear not I am with thee, peace be still
In all of life’s ebb and flow.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.

The third stanza pointed to the momentary times of hardship, but he last looked to an eternal future.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the paths seem rough and steep
See his footprints all the way.

Soon he’s coming back to welcome me
Far beyond the starry sky
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown
I shall reign with him on high!

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.

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Game Ideas

Thanksgiving Bingo

November 19, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
1. Bingo cards for each participant. Make Bingo cards using a grid of squares (5X5) and placing Thanksgiving related items in each square. Make each card different in the choice of items on it and the placement of the items.
2. Coins or markers to cover squares. You can also simply allow them to mark on the cards.
3. Bingo items in bag to pull out. Write them on small peices of paper or ping pong balls.

Activity
1. Play according to standard bingo rules.
2. Randomly draw the items from a bag and call them out..
3. The first person to get all of a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally yells out “Gobble, Gobble, Gobble,”

Possible Thanksgiving Bingo items:
1621, Autumn, Blessings, Corn, Cornucopia, Cranberry, Dinner, England, Fall, Family, Feast, Giblets, Gobble, God, Gravy, Harvest, Mayflower, New World, November, Pie, Pilgrim, Plymouth Rock, Pumpkin, Puritans, Stuffing, Thanks, Thursday, Turkey, Wampanoag Indians, wattle

Variation
Instead of words, you can also include photos of common objects associated with Thanksgiving and Harvest

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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

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Game Ideas

Can you pin the missing tailfeather on the turkey?

November 19, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Large picture of a turkey. (If you aren’t very artistic, use an OHP and a coloring book image and project it on to a large piece of posterboard.) Leave a gap for a missing large tailfeather.

Activity
Blindfold one child / youth and have them attach the feather to the turkey. Play this game for Thanksgiving in the same way you would play “pin the tail on the donkey.” Instead of a donkey tail, pin a feather on the turkey where it would belong in the gap.

Variations
1. Pin the snood (the red flesh growth that hangs over the beak) on the turkey.
2. Pin the wattle on the turkey
3. Leave all the tailfeathers off the turkey and award every child who gets one near the right place.

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Game Ideas

Thanksgiving: Back to Back

November 18, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A variety of simple images. Images should be related to the Thanksgiving. Some possibilties include a turkey, a pumpkin, a pie, an indian, fall leaves, the Mayflower ship, pilgrims, etc. You can also use simple greeting cards for the design.

Activity
Form teams of six people. Instruct each team to sit in a line, one person behind another, and take a vow of silence for the duration of the game. Give the first person in each line a pencil and a piece of paper. Then show the last person in each line a simple image of an Thanksgiving object. That person must use his or her finger to draw the object on the back of the person in front of him or her. This continues until the drawing reaches the first person in line. He or she must draw it on the piece of paper. Have judges determine which team’s picture closest resembles the original picture. If time permits, play more rounds, letting team members change positions if they wish.

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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

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