Question of the Day

Share in the comments!

VIDEO - I Had Sex

There's a great new video resource available from the Skit Guys called "I Had Sex".  This video would be a great intro into a discussion on sex, choices, teen pregnancy, parent/youth relations, and more.  Trisha and I have had several young girls (and guys) in our ministry go through unplanned pregnancies over the years.  Have you ever had that experience?  What helped you help them?

You can watch and download "I Had Sex" here:  http://skitguys.com/videos/item/i-had-sex

WORSHIP: How He Loves

One of - if not THE - most popular song among our students for the last couple years has been "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillan.  They just don't seem to get tired of it, and honestly, I'm not tired of leading it yet.  Every time we hit that big chorus at the end, into the bridge, and into another big chorus, man, it just really takes us there!  Above is the original artist teaching how to play the song.  I play it a different way, and you can see that here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GfpLuzq82Y&feature=related

Enjoy!

SERIES: Exodus

I'm currently teaching through a six-week series I've created called "Exodus".  The series is a walk through the book with an emphasis on the main character, God (not Moses!), and who He reveals Himself to be, and ultimately what that means for students today.  Check out this brief summary of each week below:

Part 1 – “God Hears”

-          Exodus 1:1-2:25

-          The plight of the Israelites, God hears them and lays the groundwork for their rescue.

-          You may question God’s will and purpose, but He is faithful to His people, hears them, and is working out a plan for good in your life.

Part 2 – “God Calls”

-          Exodus 3:1-4:17

-          God reveals Himself, His plan, and His calling to Moses.  Moses objects, but God reassures him.

-          God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.

-          Whatever God has called you to do or be, trust Him that He knows what He’s doing.

Part 3 – “God Challenges”

-          Exodus 4:18-12:51

-          Moses goes to Egypt, confronts Pharaoh, Pharaoh says no, the ten plagues, Pharaoh caves.

-          There are consequences to disobedience.  If we don’t obey and follow God, we should expect difficulties, trials, or hardship, but obedience can lead to blessing.

Part 4 – “God Provides”

-          Exodus 13:1-31:18

-          Red Sea, manna, water, direction, the Law.

-          When you follow God, He provides what you need to follow Him and stay in His will.

-          Beware of becoming dissatisfied…

Part 5 – “God Corrects”

-          Exodus 32:1-33:6

-          Golden calf, consequences.

-          What happens when we become dissatisfied in God?  Idolatry.  What are the consequences?

Part 6 – “God Restores”

-          Exodus 33:7-40:38

-          Tent of meeting, Moses and the glory of the Lord, the return of the Law, the Tabernacle, and the recommitment to the Promise.

-          No matter how unfaithful we are to God, He is still faithful to us and His ultimate goal is restoration the story He wants to tell is one of redemption!


As always, feel free to steal any of my ideas and use them for your own!  

GAME: Human Tic-Tac-Toe

Set-Up:  You'll need 9 chairs set up in a 3x3 grid.  Space them apart some, enough so that youth can move in between them easily.  Divide students into two equal teams lined up single-file on opposite sides of the grid.

Play:  Play with regular tic-tac-toe rules.  One team is "X's", the other is "O's" (you could have them make the letters/shapes with their arms when they sit down).  Pick a team to go first, and have the first person in line run to a chair.  QUICKLY point to the first person in line for the other team and have them go.  Keep the back and forth going quickly until one team wins.  Play best 3 out of 5, or however long you want to keep it going!  When a game is over, send the kids sitting down to the back of their lines, so that everyone gets a turn.

Tip:  If you don't move fast enough, it can get boring, AND kids will strategize too much which leads to stalemates.

Have fun!

- Tim B.

New Home!

A fairly accurate representation of me done by one of my students!

Welcome to the newest version of my blog, Youth Ministry Stuff!  I've made the switch over/back to Blogger for several reasons, none of which I'll bore you with here, but plan on bringing you the same content as before - lots of YM resources I'm currently using myself or that I find online!  Thanks so much for those of you that are "regulars" for stopping by, and for any newbies, welcome!  Introduce yourself in the comments - I'd love to hear from you!

I look forward to posting more soon!

- Tim B.