Beggar King

April 30, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Once there was a time, according to legend, when Ireland was ruled by a king who had no son. The king sent out his couriers to post notices in all the towns of his realm. The notices advised that every qualified young man should apply for an interview with the king as a possible successor to the throne. However, all such candidates must have these two qualifications: They must (1) love God and (2) love their fellow human beings.

The Young man about whom this legend centers saw a notice and reflected that he loved God and, also, his neighbors. One thing stopped him, he was so poor that he had no clothes that would be presentable in the sight of the king. Nor did he have the funds to buy provisions for the long journey to the castle. So the young man begged here, and borrowed there, finally managing to scrounge enough money for the appropriate clothes and the necessary supplies.

Properly attired and well-suited, the young man set out on his quest, and had almost completed the journey when he came upon a poor beggar by the side of the road. The beggar sat trembling, clad only in tattered rags. His extended arms pleaded for help. His weak voice croaked, “I’m hungry and cold. Please help me… please?”

The young man was so moved by this beggar’s need that he immediately stripped off his new clothes and put on the tattered threads of the beggar. Without a second thought he gave the beggar all his provision as well. Then, somewhat hesitantly, he continued his journey to the castle dressed in the rags of the beggar, lacking provisions for his return trek home. Upon his arrival at the castle, a king’s attendant showed him in to the great hall. After a brief respite to clean off the journey’s grime, he was finally admitted to the throne room of the king.

The young man bowed low before his majesty. When he raised his eyes, he gaped in astonishment. “You… it’s you! You’re the beggar by the side of the road.”

“Yes,” the king replied with a twinkle, “I was that beggar.”

“But…bu…bu… you are not really a beggar. You are the king for real. Well, then, why did you do this to me?” the young man stammered after gaining more of his composure.

“Because I had to find out if you genuinely love God and your fellow human beings,” said the king. “I knew that if I came to you as king, you would have been impressed by my gem-encrusted golden crown and my royal robes. You would have done anything I asked of you because of my regal character. But that way I would never have known what is truly in your heart. So I used a ruse. I came to you as a beggar with no claims on you except for the love in your heart. And I discovered that you sincerely do love God and your fellow human beings. You will be my successor,” promised the king. “You will inherit my kingdom.”

Author: Unknown
Source: The Sower’s Seeds

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…

Youth Ministry

Barriers to Effective Communication

April 30, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

When communicating with your youth leaders, try to avoid the following:

By Passing

Different words have different meanings. Make your communication idiot proof so that no one can misinterpret it.

Allness

We think we have said everything necessary after a few minutes. Always have a time for questions in order to check communication.

Guess Proneness

Beware assigning hidden deeper motives to things.

Hardening of the Categories

Beware over generalization, all teachers are alike, all _____ are alike, we need to recognize differences in people.

Either / Or Thinking

Beware of categorizing things into boxes (i.e. “churches are either X or Y.”)

Blinderness

Like blinders on horses, sometimes we can only see one way to do something. We need examine other possibilities.

Thalamic Reaction

Think before you react. Don’t jump to conclusions.

Misuse of Small Talk

Do not give information through small talk. It is not an effectivemeans to spread information as it may not be taken seriously

Misuse of Labels

Labels are dangerous as they have a connotation of permanence and of being true 100% of the time. Neither is true.

Misuse of “And”

and

responsibilities “multiply” the work.

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…

Parents Ministry, Youth Ministry

The 7 Cries of Today’s Teens

April 29, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

For several years now the Gallup Poll has surveyed thousands of teenagers to discover their most important needs. The seven needs listed below have been in the teen’s “top 10” list for the last 6 years.

The need to be trusted. Teens believe that their elders distrust them and regard them as rresponsible and unpredictable. Teens today want to be taken seriously – and we, as their parents, would be wise to create an environment at home that allows them to earn that trust.
The need to be understood and loved. Please note that the teens who responded to the survey did not asked to be “fixed and made whole.” I believe they know their lives are in heavy transition at this point. But the data from the research is clear that teens tend to believe that their elders do not understand them. Teens crave to be listened to and loved . . . preferably by parents or guardians. (And if they don’t get this need met by you, Mom and Dad, they’ll go somewhere else!)
The need to feel safe and secure. Say what? Wild, reckless, self-confident teenagers who know no fear need to feel safe? That’s right. They need to know their home is secure and their school is safe. Sadly these days such is not always the case.
The need to believe that life is meaningful and has a purpose. Studies show that this is a growing need in the populace as a whole. Society in general is realizing that there are moral absolutes – and I’m convinced that Millennials (pre-teens and teenagers) can be the transitional generation for bringing spiritual revival to the world!
The need to be listened to – to be heard. Though this might sound like #2, there’s a huge difference between feeling “understood” and “listened to.” The latter takes time, and the breathless pace we lead our lives doesn’t make that possible. As parents, we need to make sure our kids know they are being listened to and being heard.
The need to be appreciated and valued. A poor self-image is a key factor in anti-social behavior . . . just ask the residents of Columbine and Paducah. Roughly one-third of all respondents to the Gallup survey indicated they felt worthless and unappreciated.
The need to be supported in their efforts. This means anything from helping with homework to showing up at Little League or soccer games. Its one thing to get your kids involved in a lot of activities; the real benefit to your children, however, is when Mom and Dad also participate.

By and large, teens remain eternally optimistic, particularly about their personal futures. At the same time, however, they are apprehensive about the future of society as they face a host of problems that simply were not on the scene just a few decades ago.

They need you adults to stand in the gap with them. They have a heavy load to bear. But, with God’s help, you can make a difference in their lives. After all . . . you’re not just raising them to be good kids – you’re training them to become responsible adults!

(Excerpted from the book, The Seven Cries of Today’s Teens: Hear Their Hearts, Make the Connection by Tim Smith)

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Creative Teaching Ideas

Empty

April 29, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Wrap up several empty boxes in bright, attractive wrappers. Try to use boxes that look like things that are easily recognizable and that the group would enjoy.

Activity
1. Hold up the items one by one and ask the participants to try to guess what is in each package. Don’t let them touch the gifts. Then tell them they could win the prizes and find out if their guesses are correct.
2. Have a question and answer quiz game and award individuals with play money.
3. After all the money has been distributed to those answering the questions, hold an auction for the wrapped gifts. You might suggest that they can pool their money to buy an item together.
4. After all gifts have been auctioned off, allow everyone to open their gifts. Of course they will all be dissapointed that the boxes are empty.
5. At the end of the session have a reward for everyone.

Applications / debrief
1. We often spend a lot of time, money, and effort for things we think are going to be so wonderful and when we finally get them we still feel empty and disappointed like these empty boxes. Yet Jesus promises us a gift of eternal life. We don’t have enough money to pay for it, but he paid for it with his life on a Cross. That’s what Easter is about. Jesus paying the price so we could have eternal life. We can try to find meaning in life through all kinds of things, but we can only find meaning in God.
2. Ecclesiastes 2:1-24, Materialism, Our hearts desires
3. The disciples were disappointed when they discovered the empty tomb. But disappointment turned to joy when they discovered the Risen Savior. And everyone gets the same reward!
4. Blaise Pascal said that inside every man there is a god shaped vacuum that only God can fill. We can try to fill that void in our lives with many things, but only God will bring us contentment and happiness.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

Learn More…

Icebreakers

Bang-Bang Your Dead!

April 28, 2006 kensapp 1 Comment

Group Size: Groups of any size.

Time: 10 minutes

Applications: Learning Names

Materials
None

Objective
For the group to learn each others names. As people are eliminated they will have to learn the names of different persons on their left or right until only two participants remain for the final duel.

INSTRUCTIONS

Circle up: All participants stand in a circle facing each other.

Introduce: Go around the circle having everyone introduce themselves by name.

Ready-Aim: Everyone makes a gun with their hands by interlocking the fingers together and pointing out their two index fingers.

BANG BANG: The game begins by the facilitator calling out the name of someone in the group. That person must quickly duck (squat down). The two people on either side of the person whose name was called fire their guns at him by pointing their guns in his or her direction and saying “Bang-Bang! Your’e Dead”.

Eliminate: If the named participant does not duck in time then he is the one shot dead and is eliminated. If he ducks in time, the participant on either his left or right who gets shot first is eliminated. Whoever is shot must dramatically die and then sits down in the centre of the circle and calls the next name. The game continues until only two participants remain.

Last Duel: When there are only two people left, they should stand back to back in the center of an open space. The facilitator then begins slowly counting from 1. With each number, the participants take one step forward. As soon as the facilitator skips a number, the two participants must turn around and shoot each other– “Bang-Bang You’re dead.” Whoever shoots first is the overall winner.

Icebreakers 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!

Youth Ministry

Youth Workers Survival Kit

April 27, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Toothpick
To remind you to pick out the good qualities in others… (Matt 7:1)

TestaMint’s
To remind you to refresh yourself from God’s Word Every day (Psalm 119:11)

Aspirin
For the headaches that come with the job of ministering to teenagers.

Nuts
To remind you that you have to be a bit nuts to work with youth

Rubber band
To remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out…(Romans 8:28)

Band Aid
To remind you to heal hurt feelings, your or someone else’s… (Col 3:12-14)

Pen
To remind you to list your blessings everyday…Eph 1:3

Eraser
To remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it’s okay… (Gen 5015-21)

Post It Notes
To remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything with Jesus…(Phil 4:13)

Mints
To remind you that you are worth more than a ‘mint ‘to your heavenly father…(John 3:16-17)

Time Out
To remind you to relax daily and go over that list of God’s blessings…(1 Thess 5:18)

Jolly Ranchers
To remind you that our attitudes on Sunday mornings are important. Attitudes are contagious. If our attitudes reflect our joy about being here it will spread to the teens.

Life Savers
To remind us of our ultimate purpose, to point our young people toward a deeper relationship with the greatest Saver of all- Jesus! (Phil 1:9-11)

A Highlighter
I hope that working with teens will be a highlight of your year.

Kleenex
For the tears we shed on account of our teenagers, and for wiping their tears in times of hurt and frustration.

Spiritual Journal
Because it is important to take care of yourself spiritually.

Three Musketeers Bar
To remind you that you are not in this alone. You have my support, love, and encouragement. I want to help you in any way I can, professionally and personally. And of course you have the greatest support anyone could possibly desire in our Lord.

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Icebreakers

Dream Vacation

April 26, 2006 kensapp 1 Comment

Materials
None

Icebreaker Description
Youth will share a little about themselves as they choose a dream vacation that reflects their life goals.

Icebreaker Preparation
None

Icebreaker Activity

“You’ve just won a dream vacation for two. You can travel to any destination in the world and stay there for two weeks, and all your expenses will be covered. Where would you go?”
“What if you there was an additional condition in the rules for your free vacation: You must choose a destination that will help you to achieve your goals in life? Would your destination change? What does your newly chosen dream vacation reflect about your goals, dreams, purpose in life, direction for your life?”

Discussion

Allow pairs time to discuss their new vacation choices and why they’d chosen them with their partners.
Then have kids announce their choices to the entire group.
Allow time for teenagers to ask each other why they chose their vacation destinations and what they reflect about their goals and dreams for the future.

Debrief
When we think of vacations we think of fun and excitement. But when we think of our goals in life we often are fearful and less than optimistic about what the future holds for us. If we realise that God is in charge and we can trust him with our future, the future becomes so much less scary. They say that if you enjoy what you are doing, you will never work a day in your life. Every day will be like a vacation. When we find God’s purpose for our lives we will find meaning and joy in everything we do because we are living the life God intended.

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

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

Youth Ministry

Youth Personality Types

April 26, 2006 kensapp 1 Comment

Dr. G. Keith Olson, in his book entitled: “Why Teenagers Act the Way They Do” outlines some personality types of youth.

1. The Power Oriented and 2. Competitive

The power-oriented personality needs to see self in control of lives. The competitive personality chooses competition as the primary way of relating to others and has extreme narcism. The primary difference between competitive and power-oriented personalities is the use of power. The power oriented personality uses power to develop skills for maturation and growth, but the competitive personality uses power against others to enhance him/her-self.

3. Aggressive and 4. Rebellious

The aggressive personality attempts to push others away and position itself against others and seeks to cause them pain and psychological injury. The rebellious personality wants to push others away or withdraw from social experience, but unlike the aggressive personalty he/she is not interested in revenge. The self-demeaning personality has a lack of belief in him/her-self and is submissive and practices passive withdrawal.

5. Dependent and 6. Conforming

The dependent personality prefers to rely on someone else who will assume responsibility or adopt the leadership role because he/she fears he/she will be inadequate or fail if he/she was to have that role.

The conforming-personality seeks to reduce anxious feelings by being accepted and liked and may sacrifice too much of him/her-self in an attempt to gain the acceptance of others. The responsible personality is as close to the social ideal as adolescents get and is a blend of power oriented and conforming personalities that follows through with commitments and respects authority.

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Teaching Illustrations

The Cross Room

April 26, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.” The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear it’s weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then open another door and pick any cross you wish.” The man was filled with relief. “Thank you, Lord,” he sighed, and did as he was told. As he looked around the room he saw many different crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. “I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered. And the Lord replied, “My son, that’s the cross you brought in.
”

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

Learn More…

Youth Ministry

Creating a Climate of Cooperation with your Youth Leaders

April 26, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Care must be genuine
Orders that you know will not be followed should never be given
Only use punishment in extreme cases.
(Discipline sets fences & boundaries. Punishment functions when discipline breaks down.)
Public praise or blame of an individual should never take place
(There are some times when you should praise publicly, but don’t give the appearance of playing favorites)
Employ personnel policies which help people
(i.e. people oriented instead of task-oriented)
Restrict yourself from manipulating people
Avoid passing the buck
Try to understand people’s needs.
(family situations, motives, etc.)
Educate yourself in knowledge of when and how to listen.

Get Help on Your Youth Sermons

Creative Youth ideas: 1700+ Resources for youth leaders, pastors, ministers to help plan camps, retreats, and meetings using games, illustrations, Children's Worship, Bible Studies, object lessons, sermons, creative ideas,creative activities