Welcome back to your #1 source for free youth ministry ideas! I am a little late on posting, as my plate gets more full with each day. I want to start off with a good joke I found recently:
"Growing Up" - My son Mark was only 5 ft. 8 in. when he left for college in the fall. He worked through the Christmas holidays and didn't return home again until the February break. When he got off the plane, I was stunned how much taller he looked. Measuring him at home, I discovered he now stood at 5 ft. 11 in. My son was as surprised as I. "Couldn't you tell by your clothes that you'd grown?" I asked him. "Since I've been doing my own laundry," he replied, "I just figured everything had shrunk."
I tell you what, that joke shows just how much parents have to teach their children. As for us youth leaders, many of our students don't receive the training they should and it falls on our shoulders to teach them to be responsible, godly young adults. Now on to our first resource. In the devotional I am currently reading out of daily, I have begun on the topic of "Money". Financial responsibility is one of those topics that we need to be teaching, and that doesn't just mean about tithing.
Resource #1: Combine the story of The Good Samaritan and The Rich Young Ruler. Explain that money is a blessing from God and He expects us to use that money to further His kingdom. The key to the lesson is to make money our servant not our master. Have the students briefly discuss their views and thoughts on money, if they are learning at home how to be financially responsible and so forth prior to and then after the the lesson.
Resource #2:- A couple of months ago I rented a great Christian film that recently came out, "In The Blink Of An Eye". The film has a good storyline and it gets across the point that in the blink of an eye Jesus will return and the true Christians will go to Heaven. There will be no time to make the decision once He arrives. Be sure to teach along with showing this film, the scripture of Mttw. 25:1-13 where it tells us that no one but the Father knows when Jesus will come return. The decision to follow Christ is too important of a decision to put it off until we are "older" or "done doing everything we want to do".
"Do you want a room with a view?" - During a visit to a mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub." "Oh, I understand," said the visitor, "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup." "No," said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug." So, do you want a room with or without a view? :)
I want to take the opportunity to raise awareness for a missing college student, Bryce Tarter. He has been missing since January 31st. Visit www.bringbrycehome.com for more information. No matter where you live you can be on the lookout for his white Nissan Frontier, which has yet to be found and is the key to getting him back home. Have a blessed week and please let your fellow youth leaders know about the blog and leave your comments on what you like and don't like.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Welcome back fellow Youth Ministry Geeks! Glad to see you are here for more free youth ministry ideas. It hasn't been quite a week but I'd rather be early than late. Anyways, let's get to the goods. Our first resource is the illustration, "Make your reservation for Heaven NOW!" and "All reservations for Heaven are made in this life." Talk about the decision to give your life to Christ and what that means. Stress to the kids that waiting to make the decision until they are older and ready to settle down, when they are dying, or whatever it is that's keeping them from committing to Jesus.
These teens are making a decision when they haven't investigated and have all the evidence before them and that's why we MUST take them on the journey and allow for open discussions and that requires the teens to participate. No matter how long it takes, get started right away because you know their is no time to waste! Once we die our destiny is fixed. Also discuss the statistic that if a person doesn't accept Christ by the time they are 18, they are unlikely to do so later in life.
Your second resource is a lesson on love. Study the chapter of I Corinthians 13 and discuss the difference between lust and love. Teens and young adults get the two confused and make life-changing decisions based on this information. They believe that what they see in movies and on t.v. is how real relationships and marriages are going to be and should be.
Again, you have to get these kids to open up and let you in on what they believe, what they have experienced, what they want and how they are going after it. We must teach them that we have to learn how to love others and that God gives us the standard for what real love looks like. They also must know that until we allow God to love us, we will never be able to love anyone else with true love. Why? Because Jesus is the example and I Cor. 13 are the directions. Explain how difficult it can be to love someone when they are being "unlovable". Two key points to make are the following:
1. Direction not Intention determines destination. (Use the analogy of a car wanting to get to Washington, D.C. from Alabama. If the driver only has the intention of getting to D.C but doesn't drive in the DIRECTION of D.C., he will not get there.)
2. We must lead our heart, not lead with our heart. ( We must train ourselves to do as Jesus would. "What Would Jesus Do" is vital to the Christian life)
Make sure you tell a friend and leave your thoughts. Let's make Free Youth Ministry Ideas the top Youth Ministry Blog.
These teens are making a decision when they haven't investigated and have all the evidence before them and that's why we MUST take them on the journey and allow for open discussions and that requires the teens to participate. No matter how long it takes, get started right away because you know their is no time to waste! Once we die our destiny is fixed. Also discuss the statistic that if a person doesn't accept Christ by the time they are 18, they are unlikely to do so later in life.
Your second resource is a lesson on love. Study the chapter of I Corinthians 13 and discuss the difference between lust and love. Teens and young adults get the two confused and make life-changing decisions based on this information. They believe that what they see in movies and on t.v. is how real relationships and marriages are going to be and should be.
Again, you have to get these kids to open up and let you in on what they believe, what they have experienced, what they want and how they are going after it. We must teach them that we have to learn how to love others and that God gives us the standard for what real love looks like. They also must know that until we allow God to love us, we will never be able to love anyone else with true love. Why? Because Jesus is the example and I Cor. 13 are the directions. Explain how difficult it can be to love someone when they are being "unlovable". Two key points to make are the following:
1. Direction not Intention determines destination. (Use the analogy of a car wanting to get to Washington, D.C. from Alabama. If the driver only has the intention of getting to D.C but doesn't drive in the DIRECTION of D.C., he will not get there.)
2. We must lead our heart, not lead with our heart. ( We must train ourselves to do as Jesus would. "What Would Jesus Do" is vital to the Christian life)
Make sure you tell a friend and leave your thoughts. Let's make Free Youth Ministry Ideas the top Youth Ministry Blog.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Intro:
In a youth ministry not so far away.....a youth leader is in desperate need of free youth ministry ideas......they find a reliable, biblically sound, relative to teens blog that offers fresh and innovative ideas that will challenge their teens and that just happens to be this blog. So welcome to Youth Ministry Lite. You will not find a lot of fancy bells and whistles at this blog. I am one youth leader who has spent hours of research looking for illustrations, games, lessons, and such on a weekly basis. I am what you would call a "collector". I hear quotes on radio programs, find a fun and biblically sound game, or maybe its a headline from the newspaper.....I write it down, clip it out, or print it out and file it away until I need it.
It is from that collection and my current research that I am sharing with you, in the hopes that you will visit this blog on a regular basis to use the free youth ministry ideas I post each week, as well as pass along the address to your colleagues. I will also include a free scripture, quote, or joke as well as initiate a conversation about an issue that all youth leaders face.
As I have said, I am also a youth leader so you can count on everything coming from a fellow soldier who is in my own little foxhole. I am starting this blog with the intention of not only providing free youth ministry ideas, but also making contacts with other youth leaders who would like to contribute to the blog, whether it be a seasoned writer or a hobbyist, whether it's a single youth ministry idea or a smorgasboard of years experience. If you are one of those wanna be writers, this blog is the place to get a little hands on experience. Simply email me at youthministrylite@yahoo.com . Again, Welcome to your dream come true!
I.
Our first free resource is the dvd lesson series "Youthbytes" which can be found at www.youthbytes.org. The series is great to use every now and then to give the teens something new. Each dvd consists of scripture and solid bible teaching. The teens can easily relate what they learn to their daily lives and they will get a few laughs in as well. You can have a free sample dvd sent to you and you can view small bytes of various videos on the website.
Everyone has seen the huge billboards along the highway saying, "I GEEK...." Our second free resource is the illustration "I GEEK JESUS". Talk about the purpose behind the billboards, which is basically to coax the public to go to their public library and learn about whatever topic interests them. Let the kids know that this is the attitude every Christian should have when it comes to following Jesus. We must read our bibles to get to know Jesus and learn how we are to model our lives.
Next I want to talk a bit about what is going on in my life regarding youth ministry. I unfortunately had to leave my original church home due to conflicts in biblical foundations and other issues. We were a small church with an even smaller youth group, but we had kids who were faithful who came from various backgrounds. I did not want to leave them but God was clear in His will for me.
I spent many months praying and crying because my heart was broken.
I was serving as the "unofficial" Head Youth Leader because our Youth Pastor had left. I got a lot of hands on experience because the ministry had to continue and during that time, God taught me much. I know that there was purpose behind my being there because God led me to that church, but I had fulfilled what I was supposed to and it was time to move on. Now months later and several new churches having been "tested", I possibly may have found where God wants me.
This new church is also small and when it comes to Youth Ministry, they have a couple of volunteer adults so there is plenty of room for me and for the ministry to grow. I am naturally a person who thinks outside the box and is a go getter. I have been called to work with teens and to share my personal journey to Christ. I want to reach the teens who are turned off by church and who are hurting right here in my community.
I will keep you up to date on how things are going as I continue down this road. Serving God in any fashion can be difficult and it may mean leaving a church we don't want to and staying at one we would probably leave, if it were up to us. If you have had a similar experience, please leave a comment. How nice is it to have a site for free youth ministry ideas now!
In a youth ministry not so far away.....a youth leader is in desperate need of free youth ministry ideas......they find a reliable, biblically sound, relative to teens blog that offers fresh and innovative ideas that will challenge their teens and that just happens to be this blog. So welcome to Youth Ministry Lite. You will not find a lot of fancy bells and whistles at this blog. I am one youth leader who has spent hours of research looking for illustrations, games, lessons, and such on a weekly basis. I am what you would call a "collector". I hear quotes on radio programs, find a fun and biblically sound game, or maybe its a headline from the newspaper.....I write it down, clip it out, or print it out and file it away until I need it.
It is from that collection and my current research that I am sharing with you, in the hopes that you will visit this blog on a regular basis to use the free youth ministry ideas I post each week, as well as pass along the address to your colleagues. I will also include a free scripture, quote, or joke as well as initiate a conversation about an issue that all youth leaders face.
As I have said, I am also a youth leader so you can count on everything coming from a fellow soldier who is in my own little foxhole. I am starting this blog with the intention of not only providing free youth ministry ideas, but also making contacts with other youth leaders who would like to contribute to the blog, whether it be a seasoned writer or a hobbyist, whether it's a single youth ministry idea or a smorgasboard of years experience. If you are one of those wanna be writers, this blog is the place to get a little hands on experience. Simply email me at youthministrylite@yahoo.com . Again, Welcome to your dream come true!
I.
Our first free resource is the dvd lesson series "Youthbytes" which can be found at www.youthbytes.org. The series is great to use every now and then to give the teens something new. Each dvd consists of scripture and solid bible teaching. The teens can easily relate what they learn to their daily lives and they will get a few laughs in as well. You can have a free sample dvd sent to you and you can view small bytes of various videos on the website.
Everyone has seen the huge billboards along the highway saying, "I GEEK...." Our second free resource is the illustration "I GEEK JESUS". Talk about the purpose behind the billboards, which is basically to coax the public to go to their public library and learn about whatever topic interests them. Let the kids know that this is the attitude every Christian should have when it comes to following Jesus. We must read our bibles to get to know Jesus and learn how we are to model our lives.
Next I want to talk a bit about what is going on in my life regarding youth ministry. I unfortunately had to leave my original church home due to conflicts in biblical foundations and other issues. We were a small church with an even smaller youth group, but we had kids who were faithful who came from various backgrounds. I did not want to leave them but God was clear in His will for me.
I spent many months praying and crying because my heart was broken.
I was serving as the "unofficial" Head Youth Leader because our Youth Pastor had left. I got a lot of hands on experience because the ministry had to continue and during that time, God taught me much. I know that there was purpose behind my being there because God led me to that church, but I had fulfilled what I was supposed to and it was time to move on. Now months later and several new churches having been "tested", I possibly may have found where God wants me.
This new church is also small and when it comes to Youth Ministry, they have a couple of volunteer adults so there is plenty of room for me and for the ministry to grow. I am naturally a person who thinks outside the box and is a go getter. I have been called to work with teens and to share my personal journey to Christ. I want to reach the teens who are turned off by church and who are hurting right here in my community.
I will keep you up to date on how things are going as I continue down this road. Serving God in any fashion can be difficult and it may mean leaving a church we don't want to and staying at one we would probably leave, if it were up to us. If you have had a similar experience, please leave a comment. How nice is it to have a site for free youth ministry ideas now!
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