Allen Gardiner

November 28, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

One of God’s faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his troubles, he said, “While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me.” In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, “I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God.”

Source: Unknown

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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.

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Teaching Illustrations

Agonizing Silence

November 28, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. “You were one of Stalin’s colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?” “Who said that?” roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, “Now you know why.”

Source: Today in the Word, July 13, 1993

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Humor

Albert Einstein

November 28, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

In the course of their conversation at a dinner party, Albert Einstein’s young neighbor asked the white-haired scientist, “What are you actually by profession?” “I devote myself to the study of physics,” Einstein replied. The girl looked at him in astonishment. “You mean to say you study physics at your age?” she exclaimed. “I finished mine a year ago.”

Source: Today in the Word, September 25, 1992

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.

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Humor

Age is a Funny Thing

November 28, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids?
If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
“How old are you?”
“I’m 4 and half.”
You’re never 36 and a half, but you’re 4 and a half going on 5! That’s the key.
You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number.
“How old are you?”
“I’m gonna be 16.”
You could be 12, but you’re gonna be 16.
And then the greatest day of your life happens: you become 21.
Even the words sounds like a ceremony–you BECOME 21. YES!!!!
But then you turn 30. Ooohhh, what happened here?? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED.
We had to throw him out. There’s no fun now. What’s wrong?? What changed???
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40…stay over there, it’s all slipping away…
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, you’re PUSHING 40, you REACH 50…my dreams are gone…
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, you’re PUSHING 40, you REACH 50 and then
you MAKE IT to 60…Whew! I didn’t think I’d make it.
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, You’re PUSHING 40, you REACH 50, you MAKE IT to 60, and
by then you’ve built up so much speed, you HIT 70!
After that, it’s a day by day thing. You HIT Wednesday, you get into your 80s, you HIT lunch.
I mean my grandmother won’t even buy green bananas, “Well it’s an investment, you know, and maybe a bad one.”
And it doesn’t end there…Into the 90’s, you start going backwards: I was JUST 92. Then a strange thing happens, if you make it over 100, you become a little kid again: I’m 100 and a half!!
Age is a funny thing.

Source: Unknown

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

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Creative Teaching Ideas

Battle

November 28, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Index Cards

Setup
Known as “battle” or “slap.” Write key words, phrases and other facts that match up on a set of index cards. Place the names listed below as well as descriptions on separate note cards. Include as many copies of the names as there are descriptions.

Activity
Divide the cards into two stacks, one for each team. Players turn over cards simultaneously. If two cards match the first player to slap the discard pile gets all the cards in it. The object is to collect all the cards. After a couple minutes change players on each team.

Example of cards: The Rebuilding of the temple
Babylonians – Destroyed Jerusalem
Darius – King of Persia
Cyrus – King of Persia
Cyrus – allowed Jews to return
Cyrus – granted money for rebuilding the temple
Cyrus – ordered temple vessels returned
Zechariah – Prophet
Haggai – Prophet
Haggai – said “Jews too busy with own houses and God’s house is in ruins.”
Daniel – exile
Temple – Place of sacrifice
Temple – dedication
Temple – rebuilt
Exile – noble family
Exile – wealthy, educated, or skilled
Exile – The “children of the captivity”
Tatnai – Persian Governor over Judah
Shadrach – exile
Meshach – exile
Abednego – exile
Belshazzar – Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzer – Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzer – statue of self
Zerubbabel – Governor of Judean community
Worship – Temple
Ezra – Post-exilic book
Nehemiah – Post-exilic book
Malachi – Post-exilic book

Application
1. This can be used for any lessons that have facts for review that can be matched.
2. Rebuilding the temple: 2Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1-6; Isaiah 44-45

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Teaching Illustrations

Would You Consider Abortion?

November 27, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Would you consider abortion in the following 4 situations ?

1. There’s a preacher and wife who are very, very, poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she’s pregnant with 15th. They’re living in tremendous poverty. Considering their poverty the excessive world population, would you consider recommending she get an abortion?

2. The father is sick with sniffles, the mother has TB. They have 4 children. 1st is blind, 2nd is deaf, 3rd is deaf, 4th has TB. She finds she’s pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion?

3. A white man raped a 13 year old black girl and she got pregnant. If you were her parents, would you consider recommending abortion?

4. A teenage girl is pregnant. She’s not married. Her fiance is not the father of the baby, and he’s very upset. Would you consider recommending abortion?

In the first case, you have just killed John Wesley. One of the great evangelists in the 19th century.
In the second case, you have killed Beethoven.
In the third case, you have killed Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer.
If you said yes to the fourth case, you have just committed the murder of Jesus Christ !!!!

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Drama Ideas

Difficult Times Drama

November 27, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
You’ll need 1 role card for each person, tape, and Bibles. A tape player and blues music are optional.

Role Cards
Print the following “roles” on 3X5 cards. Not all options may be suitable so use your own discretion.
* Business and home were lost in a flood.
* Home and all belongings were destroyed in a fire.
* Family was killed in an auto accident
* Home was burglarized.
* Family member is dying of cancer
* Father Lost his job a week before Christmas.
* Failed all your examinations
* Best friend died in a freak accident
* You are being forced to leave Singapore
* Your brother died during an National Service drill
* You mother was hospitalized and can’t afford the bills
* Your sister was raped.

For a little humor you could include:
* You ran out of toilet paper
* Your goldfish died
* You were stood up on date

Think of a different role for each student; or simply repeat.

Activity
Form a circle. Walk among the youth and tape a role card on each person’s back so that others may read the role. Say: “I’m giving you each a role to play although you don’t know what it is. I will tell you that each of you has become the victim of some sort of disaster”.

For a few minutes, let youth mingle and role play, treating each other as if they were really in the designated circumstances, but without revealing the roles. You may wish to play some blues music.

Discussion
1. What was your initial reaction to your situation?
2. What are some feelings that you might have under these circumstances? Explain.
3. How might you feel toward other people? toward God?
4. How did others respond to you in your activity?
5. Were the reactions realistic? Why or why not?
6. How did their words make you feel?
7. Why is it difficult to trust God in hard times?
8. What is one reason we can trust God in the hardest times?

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Creative Teaching Ideas

Asleep

November 27, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Preparation
The group will be divided into teams of 8 persons, each arranged in a circle. Each circle will have a disciple (adult) to watch them.

Activity
1. The group has one minute to form a circle around the disciple with not more than four points of contact with the ground. (Members may not lie across the ground)
2. After 1 minute time will be called, and disciples will take note of the group. If the group has not reached the correct arrangement, the disciple falls asleep and that team is out.
3. This continues with remaining teams forming new arrangements every minute. i.e. they must arrange themselves differently.
4. The team which keeps their disciple awake the longest will be rewarded.

Application
1. Sometimes the desire to accomplish a task is not enough. There must also be confidence in God and commitment to him. The disciples falling asleep in the garden of Gethsemane was one event in which you see a lack of commitment. Jesus in the Garden is an example of real commitment.
2. Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1, Matthew 26:36-46 – Garden of Gethsemane

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Food for Thought