by
Chet
6. January 2010 11:07
Tonight I'm leading the youth group at our church in an hour I'm calling Lessons Learned from a Microwave. This past Sunday, we had a group of them out for the afternoon to perform a variety of "science" experiments using a Microwave to cook different objects. If I remember correctly, we nuked a banana, 4 hot dogs, marshmellows, an orange, a CD, two frozen eggs, a fruit snack, semi-frozen grapes, a cell phone, and a large ball of aluminum foil. While some of these objects behaved "as expected" or did not show much in terms of exciting results, others surprised us. Overall, it was a great afternoon, and in the process no one got hurt, we didn't need the fire extinguisher, and I believe a variety of lessons, or at least life truths, can be taken from the experience. I'm going to share our videos, along with some of those things they've made me think of, with the teens tonight. I'm also curious what they will come up with as applications of the knowledge we have gained. These are the type...
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by
Chet
3. December 2009 12:50
I had the dream of anyone who's ever taught a group of teenagers happen to me last night. One of the girls, a 16 year old (or maybe she's 15, I can't remember now, but I'll guestimate on the high side to give her a moral boost when she reads this) came up to me afterwards to tell me why she and another girl had not been there for youth group that night, because they were helping out with Team Kid, which is some sort of somethingorother where they were teaching younger kids about Holiness, at least on that particular night. So she asks me, "Do you know what that word means? Holy?"
"Well sure, I say... it means 'set apart.'" I don't know if she was expecting a bigger answer or not, but that's my understanding of the basic meaning of the word, and it was right on what they'd apparently been teaching, so we're on the same wavelength. "So," I ask her... "are you holy?"
..Gears start turning... "Well, yeah, I guess so... you know, when I ask forgiveness... but only God's really holy.... ...
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by
Chet
14. October 2009 09:41
Finding Your Place in the Bigger Story
A lesson for youth on freedom and significance
Tonight (10/14/2009) I'm leading our youth group,and want to start talking about "The Bigger Story." This is actually much more than just what could be accomplished in a single night, much less even in an hour a week, once a week, for any period of time, so tonight I just want to start cracking the door open... seeing where they are, what their expectations and hopes are to what the future holds, and how they came to that "conslusion." Are we aiming to be what the world has planned for us, what we feel we can accomplish, or what God has specifically designed us to be? That's not all that hard to answer on a surface level, but down deep, who am I really LIVING as if I'm going to be when I "get big?"
ICE BREAKER - What do you want to be?
Give each person in the group two card to write on. On the first card, have them write their name, and answer the question "What do you want to be when yo...
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by
Chet
13. October 2009 06:34
Some topics I'd like to cover in youth group...
Freedom
Fear
Promises / Language / Words "Matter"
"The Bigger Picture" / Finding your place in the story
Some Resources
Games
Movie / Video clips
Music
Stories
More thoughts and comments to come...
by
Chet
9. October 2009 21:49
This continues a series of events known as a weekend in my life... Part one is here.
So after a long Saturday, we hit the sack for a good 6 hours of sleep before waking up and hitting a Sunday running. We've lined up some teenage friends to come home with us after church to ride horses for the afternoon, so it's going to be a full day.
First things first. We need 2 cars. Between my family, Adam, and the kids coming home with us, there will be seven of us. I'd be fine stuffing all the guys in the back of the truck, but alas... that's not happening (now that I think of it, did I even bring it up?) So Adam's going to drive my car in so he can bring the teens back to the house after church. He comes and leaves a little early, since he claims he actually drives the speed limit (good 17 year old). 5 minutes after he leaves, though, the phone rings. It's Adam. "I think I'm out of gas." Greeeeeat. Let the ADVENTURE continue! We rush around to get out the door with a can of gas I had in the...
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by
Chet
9. September 2009 09:07
Tonight we're going to talk about loneliness at youth group, and how, in reality, we are never really alone. But at the same time, the feelings of loneliness are real in day to day life, and we should learn how to deal with them and be healed of them. We can also learn how to help others who are alone, and how to find them in the first place, because lonely people are everywhere, often right in front of us.
Dewey is going to share a short devotional he read the other day that he thinks is really good, and talks about how God is always there with us. I'll probably come back and edit this post once I know what that's about.
After that, we're going to do a few activities centered around the theme. Not sure what order we'll do these; maybe even go back and forth.
Movie Clips
There are countless movies that center around the theme of loneliness. Whether it's someone living the self-empowered life of "if it is to be, it's up to me" and "succeeding" in it while isolating themselves from a...
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by
Chet
3. September 2009 10:34
I'm reading a book called Fields of the Fatherless by C. Thomas Davis right now in my "spare" time. I picked it up for two reasons: First, it caught my eye with the "Fatherless" part of the title. Second, it was 75% off. The book is actually all about caring for those in need - orphans, widows, and strangers. Towards the beginning of the book, it asks the question, "what do the Fatherless look like today," and gives these pictures:
A widower at church who always shares candy with the squirrely kids.
The girl who babysits your children and has no father at home.
The single mom next door who always seems to be harried - in and out of her car with kids, groceries, and work related paraphernalia.
The unruly little boy at your child's class who keeps getting moved to another foster home
The only looking Asian college student waiting for the buss everyday as you pass by.
Even your own grandma who lost her husband 10 years ago and spends her days watching soap operas.
The book go...
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by
Chet
1. August 2009 13:49
I'm writing on empty right now. It's 2:00 PM Saturday, and I've had 5 minutes of sleep since 6:00 AM Friday. There is a two hour nap in my sights, but not just yet... but it's coming. I sit here trying to stay awake, and wind up listening to the daily audio bible and journalling on my blog, just to keep my mind engaged. I just put my son down for a nap, and prayed for supernatural rest, relief from fatigue, and blessing for the 15+ teens and adults who were at our house all night last night. What a night it was. Full of fun, but also full of times to talk, to reflect a little, and even to just hang out and starve ourselves of sleep for"the cause."
A noble cause? Maybe not. But it was fun. We had a bunch of the teens from church over for an overnight party at the house. It wound up involving a lot of fire-related sitting and chatting, horseback riding, guitar, games in the dark, movies on the big screen, and games under the barn lights or in the loft. We had one guy who sacked out up...
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by
Chet
28. July 2009 12:32
So we're having an end of the summer party for the teens of our church this Friday night into Saturday... really looking forward to it. Trying to think of some confidence / trust building games we could work into it to make it both meaningful and fun. I thought of having the kids climb up into the loft and then fall into the waiting hands of their friends, 10 feet below... but I'm not sure I even trust us to do that, so if we did it, I would have to go first, and that... well that just may not happen!
Anyone got ideas? We've got a barn, loft, climbing rope, lots of grass, lots of fence, and a few trees... Oh and a 4000 volt electric fence. I wonder what we could do with THAT!?
by
Chet
18. June 2008 16:56
Ice breaker: Back to Back
This is the game where you start out with two people sitting back to back and they have to stand straight up without using their hands. Add one person every time they stand up successfully. Our record is ten! The students will be amazed at how it works!
Ecclesiastes 4:9 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart
The Point: This is a great game for showing students what teamwork can do. It would be nearly impossible to accomplish this by oneself.
Prayer Requests & Prayer
Divide up – teens with adults
Play First Portion of Prayer Request
Psalm 51:1-4 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness; According to the greatnes...
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