Tag Archives: Family

Devotional

Bible Lessons from the Olympics: Bringing Home the Gold

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The Dream of a Lifetime

Canoe racing was added to the Olympics at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

At that time, ocean going ships were the primary means of travel between the United States and France. Athletes couldn’t hop on a jet and be there in a matter of hours like they do today. This presented a dilemma for one member of the United States four man canoe team who were expected to win the gold medal.

Bill Havens’ wife was expecting, and if he made the long journey there was a good chance he wouldn’t make it back in time for the birth of his first child. While his wife insisted he should compete, he struggled with the decision. If he stayed, it would mean setting aside his life long dream he had spent years working towards. If he went, his wife would give birth without him at her side.

His eventually decided to withdraw from the Olympics and stay behind with his wife because he considered being with her more important than pursuing his life-long dream in the Olympics.

The United States four man team won the gold in canoe racing without him. And Bill’s wife gave birth so late, that had he left and competed in the Olympics he could have still returned home without missing the birth of his son. While the world saw it as a missed opportunity, Bill Havens had no regrets. His commitment to someone he loved dearly was more important to him than a Gold medal around his neck.

But this story doesn’t end there…

28 years later, in 1952, Bill Havens received a cablegram from Frank, the son he stayed behind to seen born. The cablegram was Helsinki, Finland, the venue for the 1952 Olympic Games:

“Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you lost while waiting for me to be born.”

Frank Havens won the gold medal for the United States in the canoe-racing event. He won the Gold medal that his father had sacrificed 28 years earlier to be with his mother while he was born.

As Christians, we also make a commitment to someone we love that is more important to us than anything the world could offer. And at the end of this race called life, we also will receive a reward we have dreamed of getting, but did not earn. This reward was not earned by our son, as was the case of Bill Havens, but by the Son of God. And he does not bring it home to us, but brings us home to receive it in Heaven.

“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8

Take It to the Next Level

  • What dilemma’s do Christians face as they live out their commitment to Christ, to the one they love? What struggles do you face? What struggles have you face?
  • Bill Havens sacrificed the Gold, and never expected that his son would one day receive it.  As Christians we know that our sacrifices here on earth will be honored in heaven. Do we live for the rewards or do we live the way we do because of our commitment to the one we love? What’s the difference?
  • How does knowing that God will honor our sacrifices, give us strength to make the difficult choices in life?
  • What is a commitment you need to make out of your love for Christ this week, knowing that God will honor that commitment?
  • How can you make that commitment a reality?

 

Get "Go for the Gold" Youth Bible Study SeriesGo 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”

Get "Destined to Win" Youth Bible Study SeriesDestined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Humor

How to Know if You Are Ready to Have Kids

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Mess Test
Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

Toy Test
Obtain a 55 gallon box of Legos (or you may substitute roofing tacks). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream because this would wake a child at night.

Grocery Store Test
Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop. Always keep them in sight & pay for anything they eat or damage.

Dressing Test
Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all the arms stay inside.

Feeding Test
Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

Night Test
Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag & fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it in water. At 3:00pm begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00p.m. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00pm.Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00a.m. Set alarm for 5:00. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

Automobile Test
Forget the BMW and buy a station wagon. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Stick it into the cassette player. Take a family size package of chocolate chip cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Physical Test (Women)
Obtain a large bean bag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans. And try not to notice your closet full of clothes. You won’t be wearing them for a while.

Physical Test (Men)
Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

Final Assignment
Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training and child’s table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run wild. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

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Fathers Are a Gift from God

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Fathers are a voice of wisdom.

  • My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.” “We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply. “We’re raising boys.” ~Harmon Killebrew
  • Fathers represent another way of looking at life – the possibility of an alternative dialogue. ~Louise J. Kaplan, Oneness and Separateness: From Infant to Individual, 1978
  • When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Mark Twain

Fathers are examples for youth

  • He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland
  • I love my father as the stars – he’s a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. ~Terri Guillemets

Fathers inspire youth to greatness.

  • Love and fear. Everything the father of a family says must inspire one or the other. ~Joseph Joubert
  • The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering-galleries, they are clearly heard at the end and by posterity. ~Jean Paul Richter

A Father’s true wealth is found in his children.

  • A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown
  • Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance. ~Ruth E. Renkel
  • A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown
  • Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. ~Bill Cosby

Fathers are a gift from God

  • The greatest gift I ever had Came from God; I call him Dad! ~Author Unknown

 

 

Creative Teaching Ideas

Who’s the Father?

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Description
As we celebrate Father’s Day we are reminded that God created us through fathers and that fathers are all around us in creation. Father’s are special, and we often have special names for fathers such as dad, daddy, etc. In the animal kingdom some father’s also have special names. Do you know the special name for each father in the animal kingdom?

alligator ………. bull
ant ……………… gyne
antelope ………. buck
bear ……………. boar
bee …………….. drone
bird (general) .. cock
bison ………….. bull
buffalo ………… bull
camel …………. stallion
cat …………….. tom
cat …………….. gib
cattle ………….. bull
chicken ……….. rooster
crocodile ……… bull
deer ……………. buck
deer ……………. hart
deer ……………. stag
dolphin ……….. bull
donkey ………… jack
duck …………… drake
elephant ……… bull
elk ……………… bull
falcon …………. tercel
ferret …………… Jill
fox ……………… reynard
fox ……………… vix
giraffe …………. bull
gnu …………….. bull
goat ……………. billy
goose ………….. gander
steg ……………. steg
grouse ………… gorcock
guinea pig …… boar
hare …………… buck
hare …………… jack
hawk …………. tiercel
hedgehog ……. boar
hippopotamus.. bull
horse ………….. sire
horse ………….. stallion
horse ………….. stud
impala ………… buck
kangaroo ……… boomer
Lemur …………. dictator
moose ………….. bull
mouse ………….. buck
mule …………….. jack
ox ……………….. steer
panda ………….. boar
pig ………………. barrow
pig ………………. boar
possum …………. jack
porcupine ………. boar
rabbit ……………. buck
rat ……………….. buck
reindeer …………. bull
rhinoceros ……… bull
seal ………………. bull
shark ……………. bull
sheep ……………. ram
sheep ……………. tup
sheep ……………. wether
squirrel …………. buck
swan ……………. cob
turkey …………… gobbler
turkey …………… tom
turkey …………… jack
walrus ………….. bull
wasp ……………. drone
whale …………… bull
wolf …………….. he-wolf
yak ……………… bull
zebra …………… stallion

Icebreaker Game Idea: Who am I and where is my Father
Write the name of each Male (father) and the matching animal on separate index cards or name labels. Shuffle them, and as youth arrive one on the back of each youth so that each person cannot see his own card. The youth must mingle around the room asking each other “yes” or “no” questions about the animal on his or her back in order try to not only identify what is on his or her back, but to also find his or her match. Reduce the number of cards for smaller groups. Duplicate some of the animals for larger groups.

Game Idea: Concentration Card Matching Game
You can place the cards face down so that they cannot be seen in several rows on a table. Do not stack the cards. Youth then turn over any two cards. If a father is matched with the correct animal they can take both cards and then choose two more. If the two cards do not go together they must leave the cards in place and turn them back over. Youth takes turns trying to match cards. This can be done in teams or as individuals. At the end of the game when all the cards have been matched and taken, the youth or team with the most cards wins.

Game Idea: Matching Fathers Concentration Card Game
As a variation you can get photos of fathers and the youth. Paste or print each one on a card. Play it in the same way as the game above except the youth must also match father and child together.

Game Idea: “Battle” also known as “slap”
Shuffle and deal the cards into two equal piles. Divide the youth into two teams. Each team chooses a person to turn over cards. Each team turns over a card at the same time as the other team. When the two cards go together the first person to slap the top of the discards in the center gets all those cards. If they slap the stack and the cards do not match, the other team gets all the cards. The team can shout directions for its player and help them to determine when to slap the deck. Once the deck has been slapped, the next person from each team turns over the cards. The game is over when one team obtains all the cards in this manner.

Father – Child Game Idea
Have each child bring a stuffed animal. Put all the stuffed animals in a pile. Then one by one each father is blindfolded and must find his child’s stuffed animal without looking!

Game Idea: “Name That Animal”
In this variation, youth get to see animal listed on the card, but must make the sound of the animal to find their match. Have dictionaries available as some youth will not know what their animal is. Make sure that there are not duplicate names of fathers as some of the names of the males are the same for different animals.

Game Idea: Which one is my daddy?
Blindfold youth the youth and line up the fathers in a row of chairs. Each youth must find his or her father using only touch. You could guide them to touch the father’s face, or the fathers could hold out their arms, or you could use a hand, a foot, or a leg for identification. You could also do it the other way around so that fathers are blindfolder and must identify their children by touch. The story of jacob and Esau in the Genesis 25 of the Bible would be a great follow up as Isaac wasn’t able to identify which son was which.

Take it to the Next Level
Each animal in this list has a special name for its father. Your parents gave each of you a special name as well. And God knows each one of you by name. Just as the parents take care of their babies, your father takes care of you. Take some time to thank your father for taking care of you.

  • What are some of the unique characteristics of your father?
  • What are some of the things that would help you identify your father if you could not see?
  • What are some of the phrases and words your father often uses?
  • What are some ways that your father takes care of you?
  • What are some things that you treasure about your father?
  • In what ways has your father blessed you?

You can then ask the same questions, but in regard to our heavenly father.

 


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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Father’s Day as well as other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do in celebration of the holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Parents Ministry

Responsibilities of Fathers

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Scripture has many passages on the family relationship, and of fathers and children.  Here are a few of the responsibilities of fathers mentioned in the Bible:

  • Provide for his family (Matthew 7:9-1; 1 Timothy 5:8)
  • Instruct his children (Proverbs 1:8)
  • Exhort, encourage and implore children (1 Thessalonians 2:11)
  • Punish unruly children (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)
  • Raise the children in the discipline and nurture of the Lord without provoking them or exasperating them causing them to lose heart (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21)
  • Discipline his children (Hebrews 12:7)
  • Love his wife (Ephesians 5:25,28,33)


Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Father’s Day as well as other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do in celebration of the holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Parents Ministry

How to Get Along with Your Parents

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How to Get along better with your parents
  • Avoid raising your voice with your parents at any time.
    One sure way to start a real argument with misunderstandings and hurt feelings is to raise your voice during a discussion. (See Proverbs 15:1)
  • Let God change your parent’s minds; that’s His job, not yours.
    It is often difficult when your parents refuse to give you permission to do something you really want to do. Take their answer as coming from God Himself and go to Him in prayer about the situation. As you know, God is very powerful and He can work to change your parents’ minds.
  • Astound your parents with the over-obeying method.
    It will help your parents know that you are maturing and can handle responsibilities on your own. The next time Dad asks you to wash the car, mow the lawn as well. Or, the next time Mom asks you to do the dishes, maybe clean up the living room as well. Not only will this blow your parents’ minds, but, after a few attempts at this method (done sincerely by you, not as a way to manipulate your parents) you will begin to see it pay off!
  • Encourage your parents. 
    Sometimes parents become confused and hesitant also. They need encouragement too!
  • Set a good example for your parents by staying away from alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
    Parents tend to copy the languages, styles, and tastes of the young as it is the only reasonable substitute for finding the fountain of youth. The example you set is very important.
  • Be concerned about the outside activities of your parents. 
    Insist that they bring their friends home so you can meet them. Be sure they get to bed at a reasonable hour, especially on weeknights. Wouldn’t want them to burn themselves out, would you? Also makes things more enjoyable in the morning if everyone has had a good night’s sleep.
  • Carefully watch your parent’s activities in the home.
    The effects of television on adults is not the greatest these days. Daytime soap operas are much too strong for the average mother, and fathers may not be able to take all the violence and sex on nighttime shows, especially after a hard days work.
  • Don’t be too strict with your parents. 
    Allow them to have some access to the phone, the stereo, or the car. Otherwise they might get jealous and take it out on you.
  • Let them have their way sometimes, especially with the little things.
    If you show you are willing to give in some of the time, they are more likely to cooperate when it is some big deal to you.
  • At least once a week do something nice for your parents.
    The key is to do something before being asked. You will be surprised at the results.
  • Never, never, never do anything to betray their trust in you or make them question your honesty.
    When your parents lose faith in you and it is your fault, you have lost big time.
  • Love them as if you were loving Christ–your home will never be the same!


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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and many other common celebrations. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all the next holiday and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Parents Ministry, Teaching Illustrations

A Father’s Influence

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Various studies conducted by Yale, John Hopkins and other groups have documented the following;
The absence of a father is a stronger factor than poverty in contributing to juvenile delinquency.

In 48 cultures around the world crime rates were highest among adults who as children had been raised solely by women. Closeness with parents was the common factor in hypertension, coronary heart disease, malignant tumors, mental illness and suicide. A study of 39 teenage girls suffering from anorexia nervosa showed that 36 of them had one common denominator; lack of closeness with their fathers.

An emotionally or physically absent father contributes to a child’s

  1. low motivation for achievement;
  2. inability to defer immediate gratification for later rewards;
  3. low self esteem;
  4. susceptibility to group influence and juvenile delinquency.

(Again the stats speak for themselves, father’s are important in the lives of their children, and they need to be there not just physically but emotionally as well).

And let me say something up front again, when I say fathers, I am not referring solely to biological fathers; I am also speaking of step-dads as well. Over 40% of all marriages in the US involve a remarriage of 1 or both parties. 1 out of 3 Americans (80 million people) is either a step parent, step child or step sibling. 1 out of 5 children under the age of 18 is a step child. And by the year 2,000 step families (involving 1 spouse who has children) and complex families (in which both spouse have children) will soon be the majority.

Now, If you’re like most men – even those who had a poor or harmful experience with their own fathers – you have a general idea of the kind of father you want to be. You have a picture in your mind of what a model father looks like: you want to be the kind of father: whose children feel secure, confident, loved and accepted whose children save sex for marriage, and remain faithful to their spouse in marriage. whose children develop a reputation as men and women of integrity; honest, ethical, hardworking. whose child might say, “my dad keeps his promises. whose children stand up to unhealthy peer pressure, children who develop healthy friendships,. whose kids say no to drugs and alcohol and risky behavior. whose children quickly admit their mistakes, who are forgiving and patient with others and who enjoy a healthy sense so self- esteem and self confidence. whose children have a hard time picking out a fathers day card (not because they say too much but say too little)

That’s the kind of father we all want to be. That’s the kind of father I want to be. But I know that I am not all I should be. And I know that for me to do this I need a model, I need an example of a father that I can pattern myself after, a father from who I can learn from and imitate.

Source: www.Sermoncentral.com


Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you not only to plan your next Father’s Day celebration, but also ideas for planning activities for numerous other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Icebreakers

Family Tree

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Materials
None

Icebreaker Description
In this icebreaker / crowdbreaker, youth will refer to each other by famous personalities in their fictional family trees

Preparation
None

Icebreaker Activity

  1. Form pairs of group members not related to each other.
  2. Then have each pair create a fictional family tree that shows how the partners really are long-lost relatives descended from a famous ancestor (real or fictional).
  3. Youth must explain to the entire group about their famous ancestors.
  4. During the rest of the meeting, have kids refer to each other by their famous ancestors’ names. For example, if a pair claims to have descended from Solomon, call them “the children of Solomon” or if from David, the “Mighty Men of David”.

Optional Debrief

  • Who are some of the people in your family tree?
  • Who are some of the people you wish you had in your family tree?
  • Have you ever done a genealogical study on your family tree? What interesting things did you discover?
  • Why is our family ancestry important?

Conclusion
Sometimes we think our lives are governed by our parents, by our ancestry, or by those in our family tree. But we each make our own choices. Our past does not have to determine our future. In Christ we are a new creation. We have a heavenly Father and we are his children. We can choose to live as children of God or we can choose to allow other things to take his place in our lives. We can choose to live as a child of God or live according to the flesh. Our ancestry is determines not by our blood, but by our relationship with the heavenly Father as children of God.

Application
What are some ways you can live as a child of God this week?
What are some areas of your past you need to overcome and choose to live as a child of God?

Scripture
Galatians 3:29, Ephesians 3:6, Romans 8:12-17
Genealogy of Jesus: Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38

Get Icebreakers ebookIcebreakers 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!