1. Add Social Time
Start your meetings ten minutes earlier than usual with a fun icebreaker*!

2. Keep It Moving
Change gears every twenty minutes – Every 20 minutes change something! Activity, presentation style, take a break, change the sitting arrangement, change partners or groups, have a team presentations, exercise, game, quiz, etc. You can even throw a related icebreaker* in the middle of the meeting as an attention getter! Just make sure everything ties together!

3. Creative Reflections
After your lesson, break the youth into groups of 5 to 8 people and challenge each small group to perform a creative expression of the lesson as a skit, a song, a rap, a dance, etc. recap part of the “learnings” from the session. You can also use a related icebreaker* to close a session if it reinforces the theme.

4. Change Places
Place the names of the youth and teachers attending the meeting in a bowl. Then, everyone draws a name other than their own. When responding to ideas, youth anonymously assume the persona of the person on their card and respond from their (assumed) point of view. Later they can try to guess who was playing who!

5. Give Them A Chance!
Have soft kids’ toys in the room (foam balls, squish toys, etc.) Any time someone crushes another person’s idea (e.g., “that won’t work…we tried that before…it’ll cost too much…” etc.), or says something negative or discouraging, group members are invited to pick up the nearest soft toy and bombard the offender, shouting “Give Them A Chance!”

6. Countdown
Got some people who dominate the discussion? Get a three minute egg timer (miniature hourglass) or electronic alarm clock and use it to time discussions. When the agreed-upon time is up, the timekeeper shouts out “Time!” which is the signal to move on.

7. Call an expert!
During a break, group members call someone (another youth not present in the meeting, a parent, a teacher, a youth worker, etc and get another perspective or insight on a key question! Everyone then reports back to the group!

8. Balloon Toss
Youth must write ideas to a given challenge on a small piece of paper (one per sheet), fold the paper up and put it inside a balloon. The must then blow up balloons, and tie them. Everyone tosses the balloons around for 15-30 seconds (high energy break), and then captures a balloon. Each person takes the new idea or answer they have received, and builds on it and report to the group.

9. Games
Add a game to the lesson or include a game in the middle that teaches an important truth or application related to the lesson… Make your point then continue with the lesson! During breaks, stage games or competitions that challenge people mentally or physically. If energy is lagging, use games that involve some physical activity.

10. Celebrate Success
Award Blue Ribbons, sweets or other treat for good answers, for contributing to discussions, and for being actively involved and participating!

11. Lighten Up!
Ask the youth to identify the most common types of disruptive behaviors in meetings (interrupters, boors, manipulators, side conversations, nay-sayers, etc.) Anytime someone reflects one of these behaviors, any member (or the whole group) can shout out “I Don’t Think So!” to lightly remind the “offender.”

12. Exercise Break
Rotate responsibility for group members to lead the group in some kind of physical exercise to start the meeting or use during breaks. If desired, award prizes for the best exercises of the week/month. Bring a boom box with upbeat music to accompany.

13. Think Outside the Box
Wear something unusual! Change the meeting location, decor, seating arrangement, dress code, lesson style, or another common feature to something unusual.

14. Thinking Caps
Create hats for different roles in the group… from time to time change hats… Doubter, debater, champion, questioner, Mr Practicality, what if?, Just the facts, gut reaction, What I feel, Optimist, pessimist, creativity, off the wall, Pastor’s perspective, Parent’s perspective, etc. Members must respond from the perspective of the person represented by the hat. You can even use Biblical characters! Save the hats for future meetings, but don’t use them every week! Make them wild, fun and silly.

*Need help for creative icebreakers to add excitement plus a message to your meetings?
Check out “Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the Next Level!” by Ken Sapp
Visit www.creativeicebreakers.com

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!

In many ways, Paul was a spiritual Father to Timothy, and his letters refer to him as his beloved son. He taught and mentored Timothy as his son in the faith! There is much we can learn from Paul’s example in teaching Timothy!

Do what I did!

There’s well known phrase heard today, “Do as I say, not what I do.” But you would have never heard Jesus or Paul use those words. In fact, they would say “Do what I did!” In fact, Jesus said we would do even greater things than he did! To the church at Corinth, Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 11:1 So as a teacher, not only did Paul set an example for Timothy, but his own example was Christ himself!

Paul, as he mentored and taught his disciple Timothy, reminded him of this same truth, in his second letter to Timothy:

“Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.” (2 Tim 3:10-11 RSV)

When Paul says, “You observed,” he uses a very strong Greek word, which means, “You came right along with me; You followed me in these things, you accompanied me through all of this; you saw all these things, now don’t forget them.”

Someone once said “Don’t lead me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.”

Actions Speak Louder than Words – Practice What You Preach

Paul taught Timothy not merely with words, but with his example. If you really want to know what someone believes, all you need to do is observe how they live life. Actions speak louder than words! Paul did not merely teach the truth; he lived it! You could see his teaching in his life, in his actions, in his behavior.

Reactions Speak louder than Actions

But his example didn’t stop there. It is said that you can learn more about a person from their REACTIONS than from their ACTIONS. In a controlled situation anyone can live according to his stated ideas and standards. But if you really want to know what a person is made of, look at how they REACT to circumstances. Look at how they react when things are less than ideal. Look at how they handle the difficulties life throws their way!

It has been said that 10% of life is determined by our circumstances, but 90% of life comes from how we RESPOND to those circumstances.

So, not only was Paul’s teaching and his actions involved, but so was his conduct in various circumstances. “You observed my conduct,” he says. That means that when he was confronted with danger, persecution, and stress, he reacted in line with his teaching; he practiced what he preached. Paul controlled his temper, subdued his lusts, mastered his passions, conquered his fears, and forgave his enemies. He worked with his hands in order to not be a burden to others, he prayed for his friends, he kept himself growing and walking in his relationship with God.

He RESPONDED to LIFE as a living example of everything he taught! It doesn’t mean he was perfect. In fact he admitted many times that he was far from it. His writings show his struggles as well as his victories! But that was why his example was so powerful. He was REAL! He was HONEST! In his life we can see ourselves and take hope, courage, and confidence from his example!

Live Life on Purpose
Paul lived his life according to PURPOSE! Paul tells us this goal, this aim, this purpose very clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:9. “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” Everything Paul did in life was done with the understanding that he would please Christ! Charles M Sheldon wrote a book “In His Steps” in which the whole town began to ask the question, “What would Jesus Do?” and examined the results if we would make that simple question determine our actions. That same question has become a movement today with bracelets, necklaces and a myriad of other items reflecting the question: WWJD – What would Jesus Do?

Your Life and Your Teaching are Inseparable
Paul spoke to Timothy often of his teaching and his example. For him they were inseparable.

• “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 1:13)
• “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)
• “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

So next time, don’t just focus on the lesson plan you intend to teach, but also focus on the life that you live, the example that you set, so that you can also say as Paul said,
“IMITATE ME as I imitate CHRIST!”

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Jesus was the Master Teacher. Not only was He an excellent communicator, but he also had the ability to ask questions that probed both the heart and the mind. The disciples were challenged to answer His questions with more than superficial, fact-based answers. The questions Jesus asked caused listeners to think and evaluate before responding.

Asking good questions is both an art and a skill. Teachers today can learn to ask questions that cause people to reflect and evaluate as well as give fact-based answers. Here’s some guidelines to improve your questions.

• Ask open-ended questions – Questions should be asked in such a way that students will be able to provide a variety of responses. For example, if you have a lesson on the vine and the branches. Don’t ask the obvious question – What does Jesus compare us to? Your only answer is “A vine” Instead ask, “What are some of the possible reasons Jesus used a vine to represent us as Christians?”
• Ask one question at a time. Focus everyone’s thoughts on a single question and you will get much better answers and lively discussion.
• Address everyone with the questions. Don’t allow one person to answer all the questions. Spread them around, call students by name, invite more people to answer. Some of your most quiet kids might have some of the deepest insights.
• Provide positive feedback based on member responses. When you tell a student he is wrong, you will quickly have a silent room when you try discussions in the future. Affirm everyone for giving an answer, then artfully ask questions and pose alternative to guide students to the correct answers.
• Follow some questions with another question. The purpose is to generate discussion, not to test a student’s knowledge. Students need to be engaged in conversation.
• After asking questions, wait for a response. If no response comes quickly, ask the question again and tell learners you will wait for them to think about their answers. People need time to think. Silence may seem uncomfortable but don’t rush too quickly to end the silence.
• Challenge people to answer their own questions sometimes. Occasionally a question can best be answered by the questioner because that person really does know the answer. They just need a little help to think through it and sift it out from their thoughts.
• Affirm all responses. Even incorrect answers reflect an effort to learn. When necessary, comment on incorrect ideas or answers, but be careful not to discourage people from answering questions in the future.
• Admit you don’t have all the answers. When necessary, promise to provide answers to questions you cannot answer in the session. Follow up individually or with the entire class to make sure correct answers are given.

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Last time we looked at Successful Bridge Building and the importance of knowing your destination. Building bridges requires you to take stock of where you are and where you want to go. We mentioned that is must be in BROAD terms and set the DIRECTION you want to go. That moves us toward the destination. But the true destination is a change in the life of the student.

2.Goals tell what should happen to the learner, not the teacher!

• Goals do not express what the teacher will know or understand.
• Goals do not state what the teacher will do to teach the lesson or the course.
• Goals tell what happens or will happen to the learner.

For example, the following statement tells what will have happened to the learner at the end of a course.

• Knows the temptations of Jesus

Which of these goals describes what will happen to the learner rather than what the teacher will do to teach?

1. Understands the beatitudes of Jesus.
2. To increase the student’s understanding of the beatitudes of Jesus.

The Answer?
In number 1, the student obviously understands the methods of Bible study.
Number 2 tells what the teacher intends to do. You should have checked number one.

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Building bridges requires you to take stock of where you are and where you want to go.

Every bridge has a starting point and an end point. Too often, teachers think all they need to do is explain what the Bible means. But knowledge for the sake of knowledge is meaningless. While we must surely begin with this, we must then explore how Biblical truths apply to the lives of our youth. We need to choose a destination.

With each truth, there are many possible destinations. Some applications will be very closely related to a truth, while others may be a little far off. We need to explore those that are closely related and choose a destination, a landing point. When we do this, it will be much easier to determine the direction and links that will take us to our chosen destination. Anything else is just extra weight. Add too much weight and we risk the possibility that the bridge may collapse before we reach our goal!

Where do you want to go? CHOOSING YOUR GOAL!

An effective goal reveals in relatively broad terms what the student should learn. Instead of stating what the student will do to prove he has learned, it sets in relatively broad terms the direction of learning.

Read the following statements. Which ones do you consider “relatively broad” statements of the direction of learning.

1. The student arranges in chronological order a random list of ten events in the life of Jesus.
2. The student knows the teachings of Jesus.
3. The student matches the 10 beatitudes of Jesus with examples of each.
4. The student demonstrates understanding of the meanings of the beatitudes.
5. The student understands the teaching of the “sermon on the mount”

The ANSWER?
The list contains some very specific statements-one and three. They specify rather minute indicators that the learner has achieved a goal. So we do not call them goals. Numbers two, four, and five express learning intent in relatively board terms.

Next: More about choosing your goal!

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There is something about a bridge that is fascinating.

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world’s longest single-span suspension bridges. Its rust-colored structure is strikingly beautiful when partially shrouded in a morning fog and illuminated by rising sun. Colorado’s Royal Gorge bridge has a total length of 1,260 feet and is suspended 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River, which flows through the bottom of the canyon below. This height makes the Royal Gorge Bridge the world’s highest suspension bridge and one of America’s most spectacular attractions. Florida’s Tampa Bay Bridge spans seventeen miles on Florida’s gulf coast. The list goes on.

When you see one of these incredible monuments to modern construction they seem an impossible achievement. How do they build a bridge to connect two land masses thousands of feet, or even many miles, apart over choppy seas or across towering cliffs?

There are answers, of course – answers that involve elaborate construction processes. A qualified structural engineer specializing in bridge design could tell you of the theory and process of bridge building that is behind such accomplishments. But, for the uninformed or the inexperienced, building a bridge is still a mystery.

Effective Bible teaching is also a bridge-building task only a few have mastered.

The Bible teacher must build a bridge from the ancient world of the Bible to the modern world of the student.

What are some of the gaps a Bible teacher must bridge?

• Time: The student must be able to cross not only to the past but to his own future as well.
• Meaning: We must be able to take what it meant to original hearers and cross over to what it means to our hearers today.
• Culture: This bridge must take the student into a society far different from his own and back again.
• Needs: Must bring the Biblical truths to the needs of the learner.
• Level: We must bridge the gap between Biblical truths and the level of understanding of the learner.

The teacher must help the student construct a bridge that will carry biblical principles from the world of Abraham, David, Jesus, and Paul to one of stock markets, housing projects, school hallways, and the Internet. This is no easy bridge building project, but it can be done.

In the next installment of “Building Bridges” we’ll look at an important question that we need to ask ourselves before we can build an effective bridge from the Bible to the youth of today!

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“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”
Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

Getting Back in Touch with Your Personal Creativity!

I am often asked, “How can you come up with so many Creative Ideas?”

Personally, I think all of us are born creative. We are born with a “Sense of Wonder”. Unfortunately, as we get older we tend to lose our sense of wonder. We figure everything out. Things began to have but one interpretation, the correct answer, a single perspective, fossilized associations. We forget how to “think outside of the box” and tend to see things in only one way. But give a child a banana and it becomes more than a healthy snack. With a little imagination it becomes a gun, a smile or a frown, a mobile phone, a nose, an antenna, a flute, and more.

So how can we regain our creativity? What is the solution?

1. Loosen up

Break out of the walls, take on the qualities of a rubber band – be flexible. Embrace the ridiculous and challenge the rules. What if the impossible were possible?

2. Look at Things Around You in Unusual Ways.

a. Turn things on their heads. What if the flea was the elephant or the elephant the flea? What if the ice was hot and the fire was cold? What if the turtle was fast and the rabbit too slow?
b. Take things to extremes. Imagine the ridiculous, exaggerate a quality or characteristic.
c. Change the scene. What if you were teaching race-car driving to the golf pro? Or golf to the race-car driver? What if you were giving the lesson at the beach, in a cave, in the morgue, on the moon? What if you were teaching in the kitchen, the toy store, on the farm, in the blacksmith shop? What if you were a policeman, a lawyer, an alien, a fish?

All these things change your perspective. Some of the world’s greatest inventions and achievements came from people looking at things from a different perspective.

3. Look Everywhere for Inspiration

The Bible, an encyclopedia, your music collection, chemistry, nature, household items, junk drawers, machines, animals, science, the body, the alphabet, shapes, colors, textures, sports, transport, street signs, magazines, fairy tales, movies, cartoons, TV, daily routines, occupations, songs, hobbies, books, clothes, office supplies, kitchen utensils, arts, crafts, instruments, quotes, idioms, emotions, famous personalities, flavors, cars, photos, desserts, drinks, tool sheds, food, games, game shows, insects, etc.

a. Look to your senses. How would you describe it according to smell, to touch, by sound, taste or sight?
b. Look around you – Walk through a toy store or other store , empty your junk drawer, visit an appliance store, a supermarket, a bakery, a Christmas tree. What if it were a bird, an animal, an insect, a fish?
c. Look to others. The most creative people in the world are those who draw intelligently from the idea well of others.
d. Look for similarities, differences, and various characteristics? What objects, things have similar attributes?

4. Look Between (Link and Make connections)
a. List all possible associations, even the seemingly ludicrous. Don’t evaluate, just list.
b. Pick out the best, but save the rest
c. Draw applications, find connections – While most ideas are never new, how they are applied is never old. What are the metaphors, the object lessons, the parables, the truths?

5. Look Back.
How did things go? What worked? What didn’t? What inspirations came to mind? Unexpected truths?

6. Look Ahead.
How could it be done better next time? Write it on a card and place it in a file for future use.

Practice these 6 steps and in no time at all you will find yourself being asked the same question I am – “How can you come up with so many creative ideas?”

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…