“The same sun that melts the wax, hardens the clay”
Fishing for Men
Materials
1. Cardboard box or a sheet hung across a barrier to hide the other side.
2. A pole with a string and bent piece of wire shaped into a hook.
3. A variety of items with loops or hooks attached.
Activity
Place the items in a large box. Make sure the box is big enough so that no one can see into the box. Give them their fishing pole with the hook and allow them to fish items out of the box. Have some items that are nice prizes while others that are jokes such as an old shoe. Wire or rattan baskets with handles can also be used with items placed inside. Wire loops can be attached to items that otherwise might be difficult to snag. For an added application, attach scripture verses to the items.
Discussion
1. What are the things the world values? What things does the world go fishing for?
2. What are we to fish for as Christians?
3. Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never goes fishing?
4. Is a person a fisherman if he never catches a fish?
5. Is a person a true disciple of Jesus Christ if he never attempts to win a soul for Christ?
6. As a fisherman, do we cast our nets in our backyard or do we go to a place where fish can be found? Jesus never suggests that the world should come to the church but commands the church to go into the world to witness. Jesus has given us the example – he goes to the people, he never waits for the people to come to Him.
Applications
1. Matthew 4:17-22 – We are to be “fishers of men”
2. Use for a lesson on evangelism.
3. How is telling others about Jesus similar to fishing?
4. Lures are attractive to fish. How can you make the good news of Jesus attractive to your friends?
Closing Activity
As a closing gesture, give each kid a fishing lure as a reminder of the fact that we should be fishers of men (Remove the hooks for safety and tape them to a card with a key phrase from the passage in matthew 4:17-22.)
“I hope you will be good fishers of men each day!”
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.
The Character of a Champion
Of the many Olympic events, to win the Marathon is one of the most prestigious. Yet in the 1968 Olympic Marathon, it is not the winner, the one who finished first, who is most remembered, but the runner who finished last.
Darkness was falling. Only a few thousand spectators remained in the stadium. The Marathon had been won over an hour earlier. Now, as the last of the spectators were leaving, their attention was suddenly drawn to the sound of police sirens and whistles at the marathon gates.
Out of the cold darkness, John Stephen Akhwari, wearing the colors of Tanzania, entered at the far end of the stadium, painfully hobbling, his leg bloody and bandaged.
Earlier, several miles into the race, Akhwari had found himself trapped in the middle of some runners. Unable to see well, he fell and severely injured his knee and ankle. He watched in anguish as the other racers continued. But he didn’t give up there.
Grimacing with every step, he now painfully hobbles around the 400 meter track, eventually crosses the finish line and collapses–the last man to finish the marathon.
The spectators rise and applaud him – saluting the man’s determination. Without looking back, Akhwari quietly walked off the field. Later, when asked why he did not quit, he replied, “My country did not send me 7000 miles away to start the race. They sent me 7000 miles to finish it.”
Akhwari was never awarded a medal. They don’t hand out awards for perseverance at the Olympics. Yet few remember who won the gold in the 1968 Marathon. Instead they remember John Stephen Awkwari — the runner whose determination and perseverance represented the true character of a Champion.
Anyone can start something
but true Champions finish what they start!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
-Hebrews 12:1
Copyright 2003 by Ken Sapp
Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?
What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”
Camping Tips
1. When using a public campground, a tuba placed on your picnic table will keep the campsites on either
side vacant.
2. Get even with a bear who raided your food bag by kicking his favorite stump apart and eating all the ants.
3. Old socks can be made into high fiber beef jerky by smoking them over an open fire.
4. When smoking a fish, never inhale.
5. A hot rock placed in your sleeping bag will keep your feet warm.
6. A hot enchilada works almost as well, but as the cheese cools it will stick between your toes.
7. You’ll never be awakened by the call of a loon if you have an unlisted number.
8. The best backpacks are named for national parks or mountain ranges.
9. Steer clear of parks named for landfills.
10. Acupuncture was invented by a camper who found a porcupine in his sleeping bag.
11. Effective January 1, 1999, you will actually have to enlist in the Swiss Army to get a Swiss Army Knife.
12. While the Swiss Army Knife has been popular for years, the Swiss Navy Knife has remained largely unheralded. Its single blade functions as a tiny canoe paddle.
13. Modern rain suits made of fabrics that “breathe” enable campers to stay dry in a downpour. Rain suits that sneeze, cough, and belch, however, have been proven to add absolutely nothing to the wilderness experience.
14. Lint from your navel makes a handy fire starter. Warning: Remove lint from navel before applying the match.
15. You’ll never be lost if you remember that moss always grows on the north side of your compass.
16. You can duplicate the warmth of a down-filled bedroll by climbing into a plastic garbage bag with several geese.
17. When camping, always wear a long-sleeved shirt. It gives you something to wipe your nose on.
18. You can compress the diameter of your rolled-up sleeping bag by running over it with your car.
19. Take this simple test to see if you qualify for solo camping: Shine a flashlight into one ear. If the beam shines out the other ear, do not go into the woods alone.
20. A two-man pup tent does not include two men or a pup.
21. A potato baked in the coals for one hour makes an excellent side dish.
22. A potato baked in the coals for three hours makes an excellent hockey puck.
23. You can start a fire without matches by eating Mexican food, then breathing on a pile of dry sticks.
24. The guitar of the noisy teenager at the next campsite makes excellent kindling.
25. Check the washing instructions before purchasing any apparel to be worn camping. Buy only those that read “Beat on a rock in stream.”
26. The sight of a bald eagle has thrilled campers for generations. The sight of a bald man, however, does absolutely nothing for the eagle.
27. It’s entirely possible to spend your whole vacation on a winding mountain road behind a large motor home.
28. Bear bells provide an element of safety for hikers in grizzly country. The tricky part is getting the bells on the bears.
29. In an emergency, a drawstring from a parka hood can be used to strangle a snoring tent mate.
Author: Bruce Cochran, Backpacker
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!
Church Hypocrites
Heard: “Pastor, I want you to know why I do not come to your church–There are hypocrites in it.”
Reply: “There’s room for one more!”
Even the church that Jesus pastored on earth had imperfections:
1. The Church Council went to sleep rather than pray with the pastor
2. James & John wanted to call down fire on another denomination
3. Peter denied ever knowing the pastor
4. His financial administrator betrayed the pastor (Judas)
5. Thomas refused to accept the word of the church council and other members
6. “They all forsook Him” at the judgement hall (Mt. 26:56)
Author: Mavis Williams
Capsized
Once, there was a storm in Holland, and a boat capsized in the wind and rain and fog. A Rescue Team went out and worked to exhaustion recovering all but one survivor. They came back and the team was exhausted. “Who will go?” someone shouted. Then 16 yr-old Hans said “I will go!” His mother begged him not to go: “Your father died at sea 10 years ago. Your brother Paul was lost at sea just three weeks ago. I can’t take any more heartache. You are all that I have left.”
Hans explained: “I have to go. What if everyone said, Not me. Let someone else do it’?” Hans went out to try to rescue the last survivor.
An hour passed anxiously for his mother and everyone. Then a voice came through the fog. Hans called out: “Tell my mother that I have rescued my brother Paul!”
Source: Unknown
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.
Don’t Join That Church
If you should find the perfect church, Without one fault or smear,
For goodness sake! Don’t join that Church, you’d spoil the atmosphere.
If you should find the perfect church, Where all anxieties cease,
Then pass it by, lest joining it You mar the masterpiece.
If you should find the perfect church, then don’t you ever dare,
To tread upon such holy ground, You’d be a misfit there.
But since no perfect church exists, made of imperfect men,
Then let’s cease looking for that church & love the church we’re in.
Of course, it’s not a perfect church, That’s simple to discern,
But you and I and all of us could cause the tide to turn.
What fools we are to flee our post in that unfruitful search.
To find at last where problems loom, God proudly builds His church.
So let’s keep working in our church, until the resurrection,
And then we each will join that church Without an imperfection.
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.
Call Time Out
I wasted an hour one morning beside a mountain stream,
I seized a cloud from the sky above and fashioned myself a dream,
In the hush of the early twilight, far from the haunts of men,
I wasted a summer evening, and fashioned my dream again.
Wasted? Perhaps. Folk say so who never have walked with God,
When lanes are purple with lilacs and yellow with goldenrod.
But I have found strength for my labors in that one short evening hour.
I have found joy and contentment; I have found peace and power.
My dreaming has left me a treasure, a hope that is strong and true.
From wasted hours I have built my life and found my faith anew.
Source: Unknown
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.
Billboards
A Ft. Lauderdale advertising agency launched a billboard campaign (including the inside and outside of buses) that included 17 different messages from God. This non-denominational campaign was sponsored by an anonymous client.
1. “Let’s Meet At My House Sunday Before the Game” – God
2. “C’mon Over And Bring The Kids” – God
3. “What Part of “Thou Shalt Not…” Didn’t You Understand?” – God
4. “We Need To Talk” – God
5. “Keep Using My Name in Vain And I’ll Make Rush Hour Longer” – God
6. “Loved The Wedding, Invite Me To The Marriage” – God
7. “That “Love Thy Neighbor” Thing, I Meant It.” – God
8. “I Love You…I Love You…I Love You…” – God
9. “Will The Road You’re On Get You To My Place?” – God
10. “Follow Me.” – God
11. “Big Bang Theory, You’ve Got To Be Kidding.” – God
12. “My Way Is The Highway.” – God
13. “Need Directions?” – God
14. “You Think It’s Hot Here?” – God
15. “Tell The Kids I Love Them.” – God
16. “Need a Marriage Counselor? I’m Available.” – God
17. “Have You Read My #1 Best Seller? There Will Be A Test.” – God
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.
Bertoldo de Giovanni
Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time.
Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities.
Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!”
We have nothing to do with how much ability we’ve got, or how little, but with what we do with what we have.
Author: Gary Inrig
Source: A Call to Excellence
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.