Tag Archives: balloons

Balloon Faith for Youth

March 4, 2014 kensapp Leave a comment

Balloons are enjoyed not only by children and youth, but by people of all ages. We see them at birthdays and celebrations throughout the year. And like many things we enjoy in the world around us, they can be metaphors for spiritual lessons as well.

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What You Need

Lots of balloons
The Object lesson at the end requires Additional Resources

Some of my favourite Balloon Games for Youth

Air Race – Be the first to get a balloon to the other side of the room by blowing it up and letting it go. Where ever the balloon lands, the youth can pick it up and repeat the process.
Balloon Bump – Divide youth into two teams and give each team a different colored balloon. The team must hit its balloon in the air and not allow it to touch the ground. If a team’s balloon touches the ground the other team gets a point. To add to the excitement, add more balloons. Vary the game by choosing the body part that they must use to bump the balloon – elbows, knees, head, etc.
Balloon Capture the Flag – Give each team a color. Randomly hide balloons of the various team colors throughout the building. Teams start from a central BASE and must explore the building rescuing balloons of their own color by bringing them back to the BASE. All balloons inside the base are safe. Teams can also pop opposing team member’s balloons by sitting on them. At the end of a designated time period the team which rescued the most balloons of their team color wins.
Balloon Caterpillar – Split the youth into teams of 3 to 6 and have them line up with their hands on the hips of the person in front of them. Attach a balloon to the backside of the last person in the line’s belt. If they don’t have a belt you can use a length of string around his or her waste. Teams must move around, keeping their hands on the waist of the person in front of them and try to pop the balloons at the end of the other teams. The only person that use his or her hands is the person at the fron of the caterpillar.
Balloon Duels – Split the youth into two teams. Line up each team from shortest to tallest. Then Ask them to count off so that each youth on a team has a number. Tie an inflated balloon with an arms length of string to the ankle of each youth. To play, call out a number. The two players with that number come to the center of the room and try to stomp each other’s balloons. If you pop your opponent’s balloon first, your team gets a point. Repeat this process until all have played. The team with the greatest number of points wins.
Balloon hacky sack – See how many taps or how long a team can keep a balloon in the air without it touching the ground.
Balloon Identity – Everyone must write one piece of information about themselves on a small strip of paper and place it in a balloon. They then blow up the balloon and throw the balloon in the center of the circle of youth. One by one, participants select a balloon, pop it, and try to guess which youth matches the piece of information.
Balloon Juggling – Inflate an equal number of balloons for each team and place them in a plastic trash bag. The team must keep all the balloons in the air. Start with one balloon and every few seconds add another balloon until one of them touches the floor. The team that is able to keep the most balloons in the air wins.
Balloon Shaving – Divide into teams and give each team a fully inflated balloon to be held in one team member’s mouth. Cover it with whip cream or shaving cream and give each team a disposable razor. First team to remove the shaving cream wins.
Balloon Smashdown – Each youth is given a balloon with her or her name on it and must keep it in the air by tapping it from below. But at the same time others can tap it from above and try to get it to touch the ground. Everyone begins standing up, but if a balloon touches the ground the own must then get on their knees. If it touches the floor again they must sit, then lie on the floor, then they are out.
Balloon Stomp – Using an arm’s length of string or a rubber band, tie a balloon to the ankle of each youth so that it drags on the floor a few inches behind their feet. Then they must run around the room and try to pop each other’s balloons by stepping on them while also trying to prevent their own balloon from being popped. Last person to have their balloon unpopped wins. Best played with shoes removed. You can even make it more fun by adding a freeze portion. When the music stops, everyone must stop.
Balloon to Chair Relay – In teams, each person on the team must inflate a balloon, tie ot off, then race to a chair at the opposite end of the room and pop it by sitting on it. This can be very funny as some balloons refuse to pop easily and the youth are hopping up and down on them to pop them. First team to complete the relay wins.
Balloon Volleyball – Set up a divider across the room and play a game of volleyball with balloons.
Hot Air Race – Have a competition to see who can be the first to blow up a balloon until it pops.
Human Foosball – Seat the youth in rows, either on chairs or on the floor so that every other row turns around and faces the opposite direction. Use a balloon to bat around like a volleyball. A point is scored when a team taps the balloon past all of the opposing team and hits the wall (indoors) or beyond a boundary (outdoors). Highest number of points wins.
Sumo Wrestling – Teams choose the smallest person to be a “Sumo Wrestler” who will put on an oversized sweatshirt and pants. Each team is given an equal number of balloons to blow up, tie them in a knot, and “stuff” them in the pants and shirt of the Sumo Wrestler. The first team to blow up all balloons and make a Sumo Wrestler wins. For a part 2, the first Sumo wrestler to pop all his or her balloons first wins.
Twins – Youth are divided into pairs and placed back to back with a balloon in between them. The first pair to pop the balloon using only their backs wins.
Two Man Balloon Run – A two man team must run through an obstacle course using only their stomachs or head to hold the balloon between them. Anyone holds the balloon in their hands or lets the balloon touch the ground must stop and go back to the start to begin again.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

An Object Lesson using Balloons

What You Need

Two balloons – Add a little water into one before you inflate it and tie it off. The other should just have air.
A candle and something to light it with.
NOTE: Practice this yourself first before trying it with the youth.

What to do

Begin by lighting the candle.
Explain that the balloon (the one without water in it) represents a person’s life.
Explain that there are some things we face in life that are painful or even destructive.
Hold the stem of the balloon and touch it to the flame and it will pop.
Some people’s lives are destroyed by the difficulties they face.

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL
Read James 1:2-4

What are some of the things youth experience in life that are painful?
Ask the youth to share some of the trials a typical youth may face?
What are some trials that Christians may face?

Take out the balloon with a bit of water in it without drawing attention to the water inside.
Move the balloon with water in it toward the flame.
while holding the stem of the balloon, move it in a very small circle on top of the flame so that it is directly over the flame, but so that the flame is not concentrated on one spot for two long. You can do this for quite a long time – at least 10 seconds without the balloon popping. This is because the little bit of the water in the balloon draws the heat away from the balloon and disperses it.
Explain that the balloon has a bit of water inside it and this allows it to withstand the fiery trial.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

In John 7:37-38 Jesus promises us that if we come to Him, he will give us living water.
Romans 8:28 tells us that when Christ is in our lives, all things work for good.
If we have Jesus, the living water, in our lives, we will be victorious over the circumstances of life and the fiery trials.
What are some of the circumstances, trials, or difficult situations you face in which you can you let Christ take the heat for you?
What difference does Christ make in a person’s life?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

What difference has Christ made in your life?
How can Christ help you to face the your own circumstances trials or difficult situations?
What can you do differently this week to trust Christ in the situations you will face?

KEY SCRIPTURE VERSE

James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

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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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Creative Teaching Ideas

The Nature of God

September 11, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

We were recently very blessed in church when we got the opportunity to meet and worship with the writer of the praise song “Jesus Shall Take the Highest Honor.” It really opened our eyes and hearts to the magnificence of God and we saw a glimpse of what a big and indescribable God He truly is.

When we think about God, it really blows our minds. There’s so many things to say about Him, many things about His character that we still don’t understand. This activity helps youth at least gain some perspective on the personhood of God and relate to Him in ways they can describe and (at least try to) identify with.

The Nature of God

Resources

Balloons
Newsprint or a large sheets of paper
Markers for youth to write on the balloons and also to write on the newsprint

Preparation

To speed up the activity you can inflate the balloons in advance.

What to Do

Divide the youth into small groups and give each group a marker and some newsprint.
Individual groups brainstorm attributes of God and list their ideas on newsprint.
Groups share their answers and vote on 5 most important attributes from the collective ideas of all the youth.
Write the attributes of God on the inflated Balloons and place them in the center of the classroom.
Have the youth group stand in a circle around the balloons. For larger youth groups split into 2 or more circles.
Toss the balloons into the air. The youth must keep all the balloons in the air at once.
If a balloon hits the floor, everything stops and the youth must discuss what God would be like without the attribute that touched the floor.
If the same balloon hits the floor more than once, the youth must discuss one of the attributes on a balloon that has not been discussed yet.
Once all the attributes have been discussed, have everyone take a seat and get out their Bibles.
Share a few of the verses on the attributes of God. (Unless you have a lot of time, limit discussion to 3-5 attributes, but mention some of the others)
Discuss how the attributes affect our relationship with God.

Variations

Replace the word “God” in the instructions above with “friend” for a lesson on the qualities of a friend.
Attributes of the Church (Christians)
Attributes of a Good father / Good Mother
Attributes of a Christian
Attributes of a missionary / evangelist
Attributes of Christ
Attributes of the Holy Spirit

Take It to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

God is…

Alive (John 5:26)
Beyond Comprehension (Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 145:3; Romans 11:33, 34; Isaiah 55:8).
Compassionate (Psalm 103:13)
Eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; 1 Timothy 1:17)
Faithful (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Father (Matthew 6:9; 7:9-11)
Forgiving (1 John 1:9)
Gentle (Psalm 18:35)
Good (Romans 2:4)
Gracious (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 31:19; 1 Peter 1:3; John 3:16, 17:3; Psalm 103:8, Ephesians 2:7-9)
Holy (Leviticus 11:44-45, Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 1:13; Exodus 3:2, 4-5; Hebrews 12:29; 1 Peter 1:16; Isaiah 59:2)
Incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 86:8; Isaiah 40:25; Matthew 5:48)
Invisible (Exodus 33:20; John 1:18; 1 John 4:12; 1 Timothy 6:16; Col 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27)
Just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:30; Isaiah 45:21; Jeremiah 9:24; Job 34:12)
Love (1 John 4:8,16)
Merciful (Psalm 103:8)
Omnipotent; All-powerful (Revelation 19:6; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Genesis 17:1; 35:11; Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:6; Matthew 19:26)
Omnipresent; Everywhere (Psalm 139:7-13; Jeremiah 23:23; Mark 5:10; Jude 6; Revelation 20:1-3; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; 6:18; Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:49; 17:27-28; Psalm 139:7-13)
Omniscient; All knowing (Psalm 139:1-5; Proverbs 5:21; Psalm 139:1-6; Job 42:2; Acts 2:23; 1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 147:5; 1 John 3:20)
Patient (Exodus 34:6)
Perfect (Matthew 5:48)
Personal (Exodus 3:14, Romans 9:19; Isaiah 1:18; Romans 11:33-34; Genesis 1:27; Psalm 18:19; Psalm 103:13; Proverbs 6:16; Exodus 20:5; Psalm 103:8; Deuteronomy 4:25; Genesis 6:6; Psalm 103:1)
Provider (Matthew 6:25-27)
Righteous (Exodus 9:27; Matthew 27:45-46; Romans 3:21-26; Psalm 129:4; Psalm 19:7-9; Jeremiah 9:24)
Sovereign (Psalm 93:1; 95:3; Jeremiah 23:20)
Spirit (John 1:18; 4:24; Matthew 16:17)
Truth (Psalm 117:2; 1 Samuel 15:29; 1 Jn 1:5; John 17:17; Titus 1:2)
Unchanging (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:26, 27; Mal 3:6; But God can change his mind: Jonah 3:10; Gen 6:6)

Make it Personal

What attributes of God comfort you? Make you fearful?
How are the attributes of God revealed in his dealing with us?
Share a situation when you personally experienced one of the attributes of God. How did it make you feel? What effect did it have on your relationship with God, with others, or on the way you live your life?
What attributes of God should we also display in our words, thoughts, and actions?

Make it Practical

We are called not only to seek God and worship him, but also to be like him. While there are some attributes of God we can never have, there are other attributes of God that we are told to express in our lives as Christians. (Eph. 4:24, Colossians 3:10, leviticus 11:44, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:28-29, 1 John 3:2)

Which characteristics of God should do you need to express more in your life? Which is most difficult for you?
What can you start doing now that can help it to happen?

With all the awesome attributes of God, it may seem that God is out of reach. It’s hard to imagine that God should take an interest in us. But our awesome God can be found if we seek Him.

Close with a time of praise to God for who he is and for how he relates to us.

Scripture References

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
– Romans 1:20

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
– Jeremiah 29:11-13

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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Creative Teaching Ideas

Balloon Bop Relay

January 29, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

Description
Teams of youth must move different colored balloons from the front of the room to the back, then back to the front again. Balloons can be holiday colors or contain messages inside.

Resources Needed

Rubber Balloons in various colors. You’ll need one of each color for every team.
Open area for youth to move around. It can also be done in a classroom setting with youth sitting in chairs.

Advance Preparation

Put the verses of the Roman Road on small slips of paper and place them inside the balloons.

Romans 3:10-12
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 5:8
Romans 10:9-10
Romans 10:13

NOTE: You can also put steps to take, key learning points form a lesson, events in a sequence, or other scriptures on a topic inside the balloons to make this activity suitable for other lessons.

Getting Started

Divide the youth into 2 or more teams. If sitting in a classroom setting, divide the class into the two different halves of the room.
Place a balloon of each color in front of each team.
Inform the youth about the objective and the rules of the game.
Declare the winner of the game.

The Objective of the Game

One at a time, move each of the colored balloons to the back of the room and then return them to the front until you complete the journey for all of the balloons.

The Rules of the Game

You must bop (hit) the balloon to move it.
You may not grab the balloon with your hands.
If the balloon falls to the floor, you must quickly take it to the front of the room and start again.
Your team may only have one balloon in motion at a time.
The balloon must touch the back wall before it can be sent forward again.
First team to complete the relay using all of their balloons wins.

Adjusting the Difficulty Level

You can increase the difficulty of this game by adding one or more of the following rules.
A person may not hit the balloon twice in a row.
Hits must alternate between guys and girls.
You may not use your hands.

Discussion

Ask youth what were some of the keys to success in this game?

They might have a lot of answers, but here are some things you can highlight:

When near to you, do your part.
Don’t wait for someone else to handle things.
It’s a team effort.
It usually takes more than one person to see results.
Sometimes things don’t go as you plan.
Don’t give up. Patient progress will get you there.

Take It to the Next Level

Through the Bible, God delivered a message to the world. It came through different people and there were many parts to the journey, but it was “Finished” with Christ on the Cross. He’s passed on responsibility for delivering the message of the Gospel, the “Good News” to us.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

1 Peter 3:15
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

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Game Ideas

Balloon Gauntlet

August 2, 2011 kensapp Leave a comment

Introduction
Hit a balloon toward a goal and it doesn’t always go where intended. The same is often true in our pursuit of goals in life. But with teamwork and concerted effort we can make progress toward the goals God has laid out for us.

Game Description
Hit the Balloon through the gauntlet to the other team’s goal.

Game Materials

Inflated balloons. You might want to have several extras in case one busts.
A chair for each youth participating.

Game Preparation

Arrange the chairs in two rows facing each other.
One youth is assigned to each chair.
Each row numbers off, with those calling odd numbers being assigned to one team and the youth calling out even numbers assigned to the other.
Odds are assigned an end of the gauntlet as their goal. Evens are assigned the opposed end as their goal.

Game Play

A balloon is placed or tossed in the middle between the two lines of youth, an equal distance from each end.
Each team (Odds or Evens) hits the balloon when it is within range. They can choose to hit it to another player, up, down, or across the rows.
The balloon cannot be held or thrown but must be tapped or hit.
When a goal is scored, the balloon is placed back in the centre of the two rows, an equal distance form the two ends and play starts again.
If a balloon goes wide out of range it is tossed back in from where it went out.
The winner is the team which has scored the most goals after a set period of time.

Take it to the next level

Discussion

What are some of the goals in life that people have?
Goals that youth have?
What are some of your goals?
Do you ever find things going a different direction than you planned when pursuing your goals?
How can other help you keep on track for your goals?
Is goal setting Biblical or should we simply trust in God for the future?
What are some of our goals for the Christian life?
How can we help each other stay on track for our goals?

Scriptural Application

Is God is goal-oriented? (John 5:17; Ephesians 1:10)
Were Jesus and other biblical leaders spiritually goal-oriented? (Luke 13:32; John 17:4; 1 Corinthians 9:26,27; Philippians 3:13,14; 2 Timothy 4:7,8)
What are some of the goals we should have as Christians? (1 Corinthians 9:24,25; 2 Peter 1:5-8; 1 Peter 3:15; Hebrews 10:24,25)
What role does the rest of the Body of Christ play in setting our goals? (1 Corinthians 3:4-9)

Food for Thought
“Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God.” ~William Carey, Missionairy

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Creative Teaching Ideas

Youth Attractions

August 1, 2011 kensapp Leave a comment

Introduction
Rub a balloon against your hair and it builds up a charge that will allow it to attract small bits of paper or even stick to a wall. Our thoughts are often like the balloons. We attract what we focus upon. Change your thoughts and you change not only the attractions, but you will find new habits and new results coming into your life.

Game Description
This game is appropriate for any size youth group and balloons are loved by all ages. It can be used on a youth ministry game night, during Sunday School or as part of a Bible Study Class. The objective of the game is for youth to rub balloons against their hair to give the balloons enough static electricity for them to stick to the wall. Small pieces of paper with messages on them can also be placed inside the balloons. Whiteboard or Permanent markers can be used to write on the balloons as well.

Game Materials
You only need to have one balloon for each youth that plays and a few bare walls.

Game Preparation
You can either get the youth to inflate the balloons as part of the game or inflate them in advance. If you inflate balloons in advance, you can also write messages on small slips of paper and place them inside the balloons. Questions, quotes, scripture verses, instructions, key facts, and keywords for a lesson can be placed inside the balloons. An air pump is useful if you decide to inflate the balloons beforehand.

Game Play
If you have a large group of youth, you can play according to teams. It can be a free for all or played as a relay race. Teams can be assigned a particular color of balloons or it can be a free for all. In particularly humid climates, it may be very difficult to generate enough static for the balloon to stick to the wall but in most cases it is still possible. If the youth take too long or don’t give the balloons enough of a charge, they will fall from the wall.

Variation 1: Relay Race

Inflate a balloon and tie it off, or collect an already inflated balloon.
Take it to a designated wall and attach it to the wall using only static electricity to help it to cling to the wall. The easiest way is to rub it against your hair until it gets enough charge to become attracted to the wall and cling to it.
Once it clings to the wall the youth returns to his or her team and the next teen can go get another balloon. If the balloon loses its charge and drops, it must be recharged and attached to the wall again.
First team to get all their balloons attached to the wall wins.

NOTE: To make it a little harder, you can force them to charge the balloon with static electricity and then stick it to their head or clothes to carry it to the wall – i.e. it must be stuck to the person first to take it to the wall.

Variation 2: Free for All

Place all the balloons in a pile in the center of the room.
Youths must run to the center of the room, grab a balloon then inflate it and tie it off. Alternatively you can pile all the inflated balloons in the center of the room and they simply collect one. You can have them run one at a time or collect an already inflated balloon.
If a balloon falls from the wall it is free game for anyone to pick up and deliver it to their own wall.
At the end of a time limit the team with the most balloons still attached to their wall wins.

Take it to the Next Level

Discussion

What are the attractions in your own life?
What are the things you cling to?
Why do some things in life lose the attraction for us?
What are the attractions of living for Christ?
What are the attractions of the world?

Scriptures: Food for Thought

“Let your love be perfectly sincere. Regard with horror what is evil; cling to what is right.” — Romans 12:9
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you” — Matthew 6:33
“For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” — Proverbs 23:7
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:21
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” — Psalm 1:1-5
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” — Colossians 3:2
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” — Romans 8:5
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” — 1 Corinthians 10:13
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.” — James 1: 13-14
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” — Philippians 4:8

Potential debrief ideas / learning Points

It’s the close connection that gives it the charge.
In times the attraction is lost
Once the attraction is created it is sometimes difficult to stop it from clinging to us
New attractions can be created
Attractions can quickly change.
New attractions take time to create

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

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Game Ideas

Circle Tag

October 16, 2008 kensapp Leave a comment

Game Description
How fast can you pass the balloon?

Game Materials

Two inflated Balloons of equal size
Chair for each participant

Game Preparation
Make a circle of chairs facing inward, one chair for each participant

Game Play

Divide the group into two teams of equal number.
Have each team sit in a circle of chairs, alternating so that every other person is on the same team.
Each team is given a balloon. (Place the balloons on opposite sides of the circle.)
At a given signal, the balloons are passed in the same direction from person to person belonging to the same team.
The balloon must be relayed between players of one team as they are positioned in the circle while not hindering the opposing team.
The objective is to see if one team can move its balloon from player to player at such a speed that it overtakes the balloon from the opposing team. If this happens one point is scored and the game begins again.
To make it more difficult, add variations:
- Change the direction in which the balloon must travel
- Make each player sit on his/her right hand
- Make each player sit on his/her left hand
- Each player must pass the balloon behind his/her back

Discussion Ideas

Is Christianity a circular cycle or a straight line?
Is the Christian faith a race or a leisurely walk?
Is our Christian faith a competition where we try to catch up to pass others?
What are some of the things that we pass along to others in our Christian Faith?
What are some things that have been passed on to you regarding your faith?
What are some of the most important spiritual truths for you? How did you learn them? What difference have they made in your life? What difference could they make in a another person’s live if you were to pass it on?
What are some of the things that you have passed on to others? What was the result?

Take it to the Next Level
Choose one spiritual truth regarding your faith that you are going to pass to someone else this week. Send them a postcard, an sms, an email, make a phone call, or talk to them in person. Let them know why it is important to you and that you want to share it with them!

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

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Creative Teaching Ideas

Balloon Discussion

July 9, 2008 kensapp Leave a comment

Description
Use this activity to involve students in discussion.

Materials

Small Balloons
Permanent Marker
List of discussion questions.

Preparation

Inflate the balloons.
Write one discussion question on each balloon.

What to do
Toss the balloons in the air. Balloons must not touch the ground. If a balloon touches the ground, either the person nearest the balloon OR the last person to touch the balloon must read the question aloud then answer it. After the question has been answered, toss the balloons back in the air and go another round. You may wish to write the same question on more than one balloon. If a question gets asked too many times, just pop the balloon and remove it from the play.

Variations
This also works great as an icebreaker activity. Instead of discussion questions, use icebreaker questions!

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Game Ideas

Balloon Bust

April 24, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Game Description
This relay game for youth, children. and adults involves the inflation and popping of rubber balloons.

Game Materials

Balloon for each participant
Chair for each team

Game Play

Line your teams up and give each team an equal number of of balloons.
Place a chair for each team at the opposite side of the room.
Each person in succession, must blow up their balloon and tie it in a knot, then run across the room to the chair and sit on it to pop it.
The next person may not begin blowing up his/her balloon until the teammate at the opposite end of the room pops his/her balloon.
First team to pop all their balloons wins.

Potential Discussion Using this Game
Full of Hot Air: Now we know which team is “full of hot air.” The phrase “full of hot air” refers to someone who is not sincere and though they boast loudly about doing certain things will have no practical results. I wonder how many of us are like that as Christians? Do we proclaim to be Christians but have fail to live the Christian life? Do you make commitments and never follow through? What are some of the things you are committed to in your relationship with God? The church at Laodicea (rev 3:14-22) was refered to as lukewarm – They were neither hot nor cold. This is a similar concept. In this case God would prefer us to be completely committed or not committed at all rather than to make claims and never follow through. How can you be more committed in your relationship with God?

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Game Ideas

Easter Balloon Race

April 7, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
yellow, black, white, green, and red balloons

Game Objective
Using the air inside the balloons to propel them forward, move the balloon to the opposite end of the room and back.

Game Play
1. Divide the group into 5 teams – one team for each color of balloons.
2. Give each person an uninflated balloon of his /her team color.
3. On “go,” the first member of each team must blow up his/her balloon but not tie it shut.
4. They must then aim the balloon toward the opposite end of the room and let them go.
You may require that the balloons touch the opposite wall or cross a certain point you have marked upon the floor.
5. If a balloon doesn’t land beyond the finish line (or touch the opposite wall), the player goes to the balloon, blows it up and again lets it go toward the finish line.
6. The same process is repeated to go back to the team. When a balloon crosses the team line, the second team member blows up his or her balloon and lets it go.
7. First team to have everyone complete the relay, wins!

Now use the colors of the balloons to share the gospel. See Jelly Bean Salvation

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

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Game Ideas

Easter Card Puzzle Relay

April 3, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Scissors, a set of balloons for each team (Different colors to distinguish teams), paper, marker and trash bag to hold balloons.

Game Preparation
Write an Easter Bible Verse on a piece of paper paper, then cut it up into a puzzle (The number of pieces will determine how many balloons you will need). Use the same number of pieces for each team. Place each puzzle piece into a separate balloon (you probably will have to roll the puzzle piece up), blow the balloon up, and then put the balloons in a trash bag for holding and preventing them from getting mixed up.

Game play
Pick teams and give each participant a balloon (with a puzzle piece in it) In this relay race, particpants run down to a chair and pop balloon and retrieve the puzzle piece. When the team has collected all the pieces, they must put them together and find the special Easter message… First team finished is the winner.

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

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