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Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Teddy Bear Faith

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Teddy Bear Faith

When you were younger did you have a teddy bear or another cherished possession? Did you hold it, talk to it, hug it close? Did it comfort you, give you courage? If you couldn’t find it, did you turn everything upside down looking for it? Teddy Bears remind us of a childlike faith. They remind us of the sense of security and comfort we gained simply by their presence. God loves us more than any beloved Child’s possession. And His constant companionship reminds us of the comfort, the security, and love that can only be found in Him.

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The Story of the Teddy Bear

In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, went hunting in the woods but didn’t kill anything. Before he left, one of his aides found a lost bear cub and offered it to him. But Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear, saying it would be unsporting. The next day a cartoon depicting the president having mercy on the cub appeared in newspapers across the US. A New York candy shop owner, Morris Mitchtom, saw the cartoon, asked his wife to make a toy bear to put in the shop window alongside the cartoon, and gave him a name: “Teddy’s Bear”. Mrs Mitchtom’s bear proved so popular that within a year she and her husband closed the candy shop and founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company, now one of the biggest in the world.

Games using Teddy Bears and Stuffed Animals

Note: Get teddy bears and stuffed animals cheaply at the nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army store. You can always donate them to a children’s charity or back to where you got them after your event. Giant stuffed animals and bears increase the level of fun!

  • Back to Back Bear Race – Split the youth up into partners however many as necessary. The players have to put a teddy bear between both of their backs and walk to the finish line and back to the team. First team to finish wins. You can make it more difficult by making it an obstacle course rather than a simple race. If the bear is dropped they must return to their team and begin again.
  • Hot Teddy Bear Attack – This is a variation on the old “Hot Potato” game. Give each youth one of the animals and have them stand in a circle. One or more Teddy Bears are the hot potato. Use more than one if you have a large group. While the music is playing, the youth must pass the stuffed animals in one direction around the circle as fast as they can. When the music stops, the people who are left holding the Teddy Bears are out. All of the rest of the people at that time get to attack the ones who are out with their animals by hurling them at high velocities. (Make sure the animals have no hard eyes etc so that no one get’s hurt) Once everyone who is still in picks up an animals, start over again. Make sure you include the Teddy Bears back in the game for each round.
  • Stuffed Animal Charades – Place a variety of stuffed animals in a box or king-sized pillow case. As each player takes their turn, in another room or away from all the other players, he or she blindly reaches into the box or pillow case and takes out a stuffed animal. The player acts out the animal while the other players try to guess what animal is being portrayed.
  • Stuffed Animal Personalities – Place a large collection of stuffed animals in the center of the youth group. Begin the conversation by asking your participants to share with you personality traits of each animal. During the discussion ask the participants to be thinking about which animal reflects some traits of their own personalities.
  • Teddy Bear Dodge Ball – Play a traditional game of dodge ball, but with Teddy Bears.
  • Teddy Bear Flag Football – In flag football, instead of tackling, you pull the flag from a person’s pocket. A flag can be a piece of cloth or a bandana. If your youth don’t have pockets, you can also attach a strip of cloth to a clothespin and it can easily be inned to a shirt tail. You’ll need a room large enough for running and passing. Place goal posts made from crepe paper on opposite walls. Field goals are awarded if the bear hits the wall inside the goal posts. You can use masking tape or crepe paper for goal line markers as well. You may want to include a girls-only quarter, follow boys-only quarter.
  • Teddy Bear Hat Trick – Position teddy bears or stuffed animals of various sizes and point values on the other side of a starting line. Teams toss a hat onto the targets. Team with the most points wins.
  • Teddy Bear Pass – Played just like Hot Potato, youth must pass a teddy bear around the circle when the music starts. When it stops whoever is holding it is eliminated.
  • Teddy Bear Pinata – Get a Pinata in the shape of a teddy bear and tie it to a rope that is hung between two trees. Youth are blindfolded, given a plastic baseball bat, and get three swings to break the pinata.
  • Teddy Bear Rescue – All youth stand around a blanket holding an edge. When you toss individual bears high into the air, the youth must try to catch the bear in the blanket.
  • Teddy Bear Targets – Position baskets or rings of various sizes and point values on the other side of a starting line. Teams toss stuffed animals or teddy bears into the targets for points. Team with the most points wins.
  • Teddy Bear Toss – Divide the youth into pairs. Each pair is a team. The winning team is the team who can throw and catch their bear over the greatest distance. Giant Bears make the game much more fun! Have participants start 10 metres apart. After each throw each member will move further apart. The team members alternate their throwing and catching roles after each throw. A bear catcher may not move from his/her starting position until the bear to be caught is in the air en route to that catcher. The pair that manages a successful toss of the greatest distance is judged to be the winner.
  • Teddy Bear Volleyball – Divide into teams of two, each person holding a towel at the corners. Teams stand on opposite sides of a volleyball net or some kind of divider. Each team must use the towel to toss a bear back and forth with another team. Continue playing until the bear is missed and a point is scored. You can play according to traditional volleyball rules on serving and scoring.
  • That’s My Teddy – Ask each youth to bring a teddy bear or stuffed animal to the party. (At the end you can even donate some of them to a needy children) At one point, put all of the stuffed animals into a pile and bring in each youth one-by-one and blindfolded to identify his/her stuffed animal from the pile, using only the way it feels as a guide.
  • Ultimate Bear – Play like this like Ultimate Frisbee but replace the frisbee with a bear. Form two teams. Players must move the bear by tossing it from one player to another until the bear can be passed and caught across the goal line. You cannot run with the bear and must plant one foot and pivot when you are holding it. If the teddy bear is intercepted or falls to the ground, the other team takes possession.
  • Warp Speed Teddy – Arrange participants in a circle, not too close, not too far from one another. Toss a teddy bear to someone else in the circle. If you receive it, toss it to someone else in the circle not immediately on either side of you. That person will toss it to another person who has not yet received it and again not immediately on either side of him or her. Once you have received the bear and passed it on to someone else, put your hands down to your side to indicate you have already received it. Throwing continues until the last person tosses the ball back to the first person. They must remember who they tossed to because they will try to recreate the pattern in the next run, only faster.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL – Lessons from Teddy Bears

1. Love

God Loves you more than a Teddy Bear – When you were younger did you have a teddy bear or another cherished possession? Did you hold it, talk to it, hug it close? Did it comfort you, give you courage? If you couldn’t find it, did you turn everything upside down looking for it? You loved it in precious, innocent way that a five-year-old loves things? You always wanted it with you. God loves you far more than you ever loved your teddy bear. God has so much more love for us than we could ever imagine. In fact, he loved us so much he gave himself for us, to pay our debt of sin, by dying in our place that we might live with him in heaven. As we have grown out love has grown as well. But the truth is we can never love more than God.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • In what ways do we underestimate God’s love for us? Why?
  • In what ways does God show his love for us?
  • How should we respond to God’s love for us?
  • Explain, “We love God, because he first loved us” 1 John 4:19
  • What lessons about love can we learn from 1 John 4:7-21?

2. Value

The Bear’s value wasn’t based on its cost. In fact, you probably had no idea of the cost of the bear. It may have cost very little, but in your eyes it had great value. It’s value was not based upon what it was made of, how nice it looked, or how what it cost to make it. It’s value was based on how much you as a child cherished it and loved it, how dear it was to you. You loved it because it was yours. In fact, in time the bear probably lost a lot of fur, became tattered, dirty, and maybe even started to fall apart. But you loved it all the same. The same is true of you. God loves you and your worth is found in how dear you are to him. He made you, he bought you, and he loves you. Sometimes your life may become a little tattered, dirty, and even seem to be falling apart. But God loves you even more than you loved your teddy bear. To the world you may seem insignificant, worthless, falling apart, but to God you are everything, you are cherished, you are loved, simply because you are his.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • How do you decide if something is valuable?
  • What decides the value of something?
  • How valuable are you to God? What was he willing to pay for you?
  • How does knowing that God CHOSE you make you feel?
  • How can realising God’s value for you and the price he paid for you motivate your life?

3. Comfort and Security

As children, a Teddy Bear gives us comfort and security. It is a constant companion. We cling to it in times of fear. We cherish it, and give it a special place in our lives. But as we grow older, our simple faith matures and the comfort and security is found in parents. But soon we also must move beyond that and we realise we can only find true comfort and security in God. True security and comfort can only come from our relationship with Him.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • When are times that Jesus can be a comfort to us?
  • How can we be a comfort to others?
  • What comforts you and gives you security?
  • Why are we safe in God’s hands?
  • How can knowing that God is always there for us help us to live a better life?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • How can you rest in God’s Love? His Comfort? His security?
  • Knowing that you are precious and valuable to God, what does this knowledge motivate you to do this week?

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SCRIPTURE VERSES

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  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
  • Psalm 62:1-2 – “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”
  • Psalm 112:8 – “His heart is secure, he will have no fear.”
  • Psalm 16:5 – “LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.”
  • Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
  • Romans 8:15-16 – “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
  • Ephesians 1:4-8 – “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will– to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”
  • Hebrews 13:5 – “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
  • See also PSALM 91:1-16

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Creative Teaching Ideas, Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Ping Pong Christians

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This lesson uses ping pong balls to remind us that as Christians we can be easily tossed around, unstable, blown off course if we lack faith. But through prayer and belief we can be strong enough to face and stand strong in any difficulties and circumstances we might face as Christians.

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Games using Ping Pong Balls

  • Balance – Who can balance a ping pong ball on a book (through an obstacle course?) without the ball falling off?
  • Bounce off – From a designated distance, bounce a ping pong ball at another ping pong ball to knock it off an open soda bottle. First to do so wins.
  • Bridge Run – Be the first to roll three ping pong balls into three different glasses set at varying distances, using a tape measure as a bridge. When the game begins, grab the tape measure and extend it towards the nearest glass. Pick up a ping pong ball and try to roll it across the tape measure and into the glass. Once you’ve found success with the first glass, move on to the next one. In order to win this game, all three glasses must contain ping ping balls and the tape measure must be retracted. The trick is getting the right angle – if the angle is too steep the ball will roll too quickly and right across the glass.
  • Double shot – Using 1 hand, toss 2 Ping balls at the same time so that they land in 2 separate glasses.
  • Fan Propulsion – Using a paper plate, be the first to fan a ping pong ball across a goal line.
  • Ping Pong Ball Catch – Holding a cup on top of your head, you try to be the first to catch a ping pong ball in the cup on top of your head as the ball is bounced off the floor and into the air. Harder than it seems.
  • Ping Pong in a cup – players stand at 10 – 20 feet apart in a room with a tile or concrete floor. One player bounces the ball toward the other who must catch the ball in a cup before it stops bouncing. The ball can only be touched with the cup.
  • Ping Pong Knock Out – everyone holds a plastic spoon in their mouth with a ping pong ball balanced on it. Using only blasts of air, each youth must blow the ping pong balls off the spoons of other youth. Last one with left with his or her ping pong ball on the spoon is the winner. (The difficult is sudden movements can drop the ball as quickly as a gust of air. And those gusts of air just might blow your own ping pong ball off the spoon) No physical contact is allowed.
  • Ping-Pong Ball Flick – Place a ping pong ball on top of an open soda bottle. Youth must quickly walk past with their arm straight out and try to flick the ball off without touching the bottle. Its more difficult than it seems.
  • Ropeway – Two team members hold a long loop of string taught with their hands and try to be the first to roll a ping pong ball to one end and back without dropping it.
  • Shake a box – Place 6 to 10 ping pong balls in an empty tissue box. (If needed, enlarge the hole in the top of the tissue box so it is big enough but not too big for a ping pong ball to fit through. Fill the box with 6 to 10 ping pong balls and attach it to the back of a youth using a piece of string or duct tape so that the bottom of the box is against the person’s waist / backside. Youth must dance around to shake the balls out of the box. First to do so wins.
  • Spoon & Ping Pong Ball Relay – A youth holds a spoon in his mouth and carries the ball through an obstacle course. Fast team to do so wins. (Variation – do it blindfolded with verbal instructions from your team)
  • Spoon Transport – A ping pong ball is passed player to player on a spoon. If the ball falls, the team must start over again at the beginning. (Variation – spoons are held in the mouth)
  • Straw Propulsion – Use a straw to blow a ping pong ball through an obstacle course on a table or the floor to a goal.
  • String Transport – Be the first to transport a ping pong ball sitting on top of an open soda bottle to another soda bottle that is several feet away using only a loop of string. (Use 36 inches / 1 meter of string with the ends tied together to create a loop. With your fingers inside of each end of the loop of string you can stretch it out to a long oval that can hold the ping pong ball in balance.) You cannot touch it with your hands. You drop it then you must start over.
  • Table Tennis Ball Goal Shoot – Set up goal markers on opposite sides of a table with team members alternating around it. Using only gusts of air, which team can shoot the ping pong ball into the most goals in a designated time limit.
  • Tic Tac Toe – Arrange 9 paper cups in a 3×3 grid for each team. The first team to bounce ping pong balls into the cups to get 3 in a row wins.
  • Wasted – Who can be the first to toss a ping pong ball against the wall so that it then bounces into a waste paper basket?
  • William Tell – From a designated distance, use a rubber band to shoot the ping pong ball off of an open soda bottle. First to do so wins.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • What were some of the difficulties that you faced in these games?
  • What were some of the strategies used to overcome the difficulties?
  • What are some of the characteristics of a ping pong ball that had an effect on these games?

The difficulty with Ping Pong Balls is that they bounce back and forth easily – Ping – Pong – Ping – Pong and they are easily blown off course.

The Bible describes a man who has these same qualities in James 1:5-8

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

When you don’t have faith in God, you’ll be double minded. That means, like a ping-pong ball, you’ll bounce back and forth. You won’t be strong in your faith. You’ll be tossed about by doubts and difficulties.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • What are some of the difficulties we face as Christians? In school? In our homes? In life? In general?
  • What are some ways we can overcome the various difficulties?
  • How is faith and prayer an answer to facing life’s difficulties?
  • What are some of the doubts we face concerning God and prayer?
  • How do doubts affect a person’s prayer life? Our actions?
  • Are you easily influenced by circumstances and thing around you? Why or why not?
  • Are you able to stand strong in life’s difficulties? Why or why Not?
  • What solutions does this scripture give us?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • In what areas do you need God’s wisdom this week?
  • In what areas do you need to be more consistent, more stable?
  • How can faith and prayer help you in these things?

SCRIPTURE VERSES on Doubts / Lack of Faith

  • Matthew 14:31 – Peter walks on water and doubts
  • Mark 4:40 – Jesus calms the storm

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Creative Teaching Ideas

Fright Night

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How do we deal with fear? If you think about it, the Bible has quite a few scary stories suitable for any fright night. In this one, God takes Ezekiel to a valley filled with hundreds, maybe even thousands of dry human bones, they grow flesh and skin and then come back to life as a vast army. Zombie Apocalypse or an all powerful God who has power over life and death?

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What You Need

No supplies are needed for this lesson, but if you want to decorate the meeting room with a lot of skeletons which are easy to find during the Halloween Season. Scatter them about the room and also bone shaped pieces of paper covering the floor.

Discussion Starters

  • Divide the groups into teams and ask them to make a list of everything that comes to mind when you think about Halloween?
  • Most of the things on the list are probably things that are scary or that are related to death.
  • What are some things you are afraid of?
  • What are some of the things that frighten you?

What to do

Turn off the lights and read this scary Bible story.

Read Ezekiel 37:1-10

If you think about it, the Bible has quite a few scary stories suitable for any fright night. In this one, God takes Ezekiel to a valley filled with hundreds, maybe even thousands of dry human bones. God tells Ezekiel to command the bones and the and suddenly the bones begin to move. The legs, arms, ribs, come together. They form skeletons. They grow new tendons and skin. And army of dead men rises up. Then God tells him to speak again and those bones, now covered in flesh, come back to life. Imagine how you would feel to simple stand in a valley filled with dry bones. How would you feel? Then to see them begin to grow flesh back on the bones, yet still be dead. Then come to life?

If we admit it, most of us would be pretty afraid.

COMMON FEARS

  • What are some other things that people are afraid of all year long?

There are hundreds of things that people are afraid of and there are even names for many of these fears. They are called phobias.

GAME #1

One fun idea is to have teams of youth write what they think the definition is. Then each team votes on the definitions. The team whose definition gets the most votes wins 1 point. Any team with the correct definition wins 2 points. Any team that votes on the correct definition gets 1 point.

Top 10 Fears

  1. Arachnophobia – The fear of spiders.
  2. Ophidiophobia – The fear of snakes.
  3. Acrophobia – The fear of heights.
  4. Agoraphobia – The fear of public places
  5. Cynophobia – The fear of dogs.
  6. Astraphobia – The fear of thunder and lightening.
  7. Trypanophobia – The fear of injections.
  8. Social Phobias – The fear of social situations.
  9. Pteromerhanophobia – The fear of flying.
  10. Mysophobia – The fear of germs or dirt.

Here’s some others from the hundreds of fears

  • Demophobia – The fear of crowds.
  • Musophobia – The Fear of mice.
  • Arachibutyrobphobia – The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
  • Gephyrophobia – The fear of crossing a bridge.
  • Belonephobia – The fear of needles.
  • Claustrophobia – The fear of confinement in closed places.
  • Lyssophobia – The fear of insanity.
  • Hydrophobia – The fear of water.
  • Climacophobia – The fear of stairs, elevators, or escalators.
  • Ailurophobia – The fear of cats.
  • Hypengyophobia – The fear of responsibility.
  • Thalassophobia – The fear of the sea or ocean.
  • Panphobia – The fear of everything.

Game #2

Point to one side of the room as you call out each situation. Youth must go to the side which is MORE frightening to them.

  • A room full of spiders – or full of snakes
  • Stand on the edge of a cliff – or crawl through a dark narrow cave
  • Flying in a plane – or Crossing a bridge
  • Dogs – or Cats
  • Swimming in the Ocean – or taking the Elevator / escalator
  • Getting an injection – or going to the dentist
  • A white mouse – or blue cheese
  • Speaking in Public – or People speaking behind your back
  • Thunder and Lightning – or a completely dark night
  • Germs – or hospitals
  • Brussel Sprouts – Liver and onions
  • In a room with a wasp buzzing around – or eat a chocolate-covered ant.
  • Roller skate – or ice skate
  • Walk through a cemetery in the middle of the night – or ask someone for a date for the first time.
  • Take a difficult test – Witness to someone at school

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

  • Tell us about a time when you were the most afraid you have ever been?
  • What happened? What was the end of the story?

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

But what does the Bible Say about Fear?

I’ve been told there are 365 “Fear Nots” in the Bible – one for each day of the year. Regardless of how many there are, it is obviously something that is common to all of us. That’s why God mentions it so often.

Here are some Bible verses about fear. What lessons can we learn from them?

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10

“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:13

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.'”
Romans 8:15

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?'”
Hebrews 13:5-6

“The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1

“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Psalm 118:6

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
Psalm 56:3-4

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:4

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28

What do you do when your fears seem to be stronger than your faith?
Have you ever allowed fear to stop you from doing something?
Are there any areas in your life that are being limited because of fear?

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears”
Psalm 34:4

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

“Be still and know that I am God”
Psalm 46:10

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
Psalms 56:3

“Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes’
Psalm 112:1, 7-8

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • What understandings about fear do you get from these verses?
  • How can you deal with fear based on what you have learned?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • Have you ever been afraid to do something that God would want you do? Explain.
  • How can you live life more courageously for God, know what you have learned about fear?
  • How can you put these verses into practice?

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Creative Teaching Ideas

The Fear of Failure

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One of the key issues that everyone faces in life is the “fear of failure”. We all face this fear when we are forced to step out from what is familiar to us and try something new. This creative Bible Study lesson for youth begins with a taste test and then looks at the very real example of Moses when God called him to serve him in Egypt.

What you need

  • Blindfolds for each youth
  • Various unusual foods cut into small pieces and placed in separate bowls (You’ll want unusual textures and flavors)

Here are some you might consider:

90% chocolate, anchovies, any herb or spice, avocado, beef jerky, black liquorice, bitter gourd, black olive, brussel sprouts, candied ginger, candy sprinkles, carrot, celery, century egg, dried fruits, graham cracker, green olive, green olives, green pepper, herring, jelly, jelly beans, jicama, kiwi, kohlrabi, lima beans, m&m’s, mango, maraschino cherries, marshmallows, melba toast, pear, peeled grapes, peppercorns, pickles, pig skin, pineapple, pomegranate, popcorn, raw potato, prawn crackers, prunes, radish, raisins, raw onion, reese’s peanut butter cup, rhubarb, rice cakes, skittles, sliced ginger, sauerkraut, sweet potato, tomato, vanilla wafers, vegemite, wasabe snacks, water chestnut

What to do

  1. Seat the youth, blindfolded, in a circle of chairs.
  2. Explain that you are going to pass around various bowls of food and youth are to take a small piece of food from the bowl, eat it and then pass the bowl on to the next person.
  3. The youth are not allowed to say anything that might reveal the contents to others.
  4. After everyone has had a chance to taste all the foods, display and identify the various foods that were in the bowls.

Debrief

  • How did you feel doing this taste test?
  • What were some of the thoughts that went through your head?
  • What fears and worries did you have? What were some of the risks?
  • How many of you tasted something good? How many of you tried something that tasted bad to you?
  • How do you feel when someone forces you to try something new?

Take it to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

  • Read Exodus 3:7-4:6
  • Why did moses make so many excuses?
  • What were the fears that Moses had?
  • At the root of these things was the “Fear of failure.” How did God help Moses over come each of his fears?
  • Do we still have these same fears today when asked to try something new?

Make it Practical

  • What excuses do you make when asked to try something that is new to you?
  • What are some of your fears today?
  • What are some of the things you are afraid of trying? Doing?
  • Someone has said that “courage is the absence of fear, but doing the very thing you fear.” What does that mean for you?
  • How can God’s responses to Moses help us in facing our own fears?

Make it Personal
Someone said it this way, I would rather attempt to do something great for God and fail, than to plan to do nothing and succeed.

  • What is God asking you to do today that you are afraid of doing?
  • Stepping out in faith, what are some God honoring risks you can take this week?
  • What is something you need to trust God for in your life this week?
  • What is something you have been putting off in fear that God has called you to do?
  • Pray for God to replace the fear with faith and help you to take action this week? “God, I’m going to trust You in this area!”

SUMMARY
We face a lot of different fears in life. One of the most common fears is this fear of failure. No one wants to fail. We don’t want to fail our family, our friends, ourselves, and God. God almost always ask us to do things that are beyond our comfort zone, that force us to trust Him. Like Moses, one of the first things people do when they fear failure is to make excuses to why they can not do something. But God is with us. He will teach us. He has made us who we are. He is our strength. And he will take us through to the end. You can’t play it safe and please God. If you are controlled by your fears, you will miss many of God’s blessings in your life.

Additional Scripture

Psalm 27:1, 3, 5 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”

Psalm 91:2-4 “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust!’ For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Psalm 119:103-104 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”

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