Tag Archives: Valentine’s Day

Creative Teaching Ideas, Game Ideas

Valentine’s Day – Candy Hearts

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Candy Conversation Hearts, commonly available near to Valentine’s Day, have been around for close to 150 years. In this youth idea, you’ll get several games to play using the candy hearts as well as ideas to use the messages written on the hearts to tell about God’s Love.

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What You Need

  • A lot of candy hearts

A Brief History

An american named Oliver Chase invented a candy machine that cut candy lozenges in 1847 and 3 years later a machine to pulverise sugar to make the candy. Then in 1866 his brother, Daniel Chase invented a machine to press food dye letters onto the hearts and other shapes to create short messages. They were first shared at weddings, birthday parties, and other celebrations, but over the years became synonymous with Valentine’s Day.

Games using Candy Conversation Hearts

  • Valentine’s Candy Hearts Toss: Place some saucers on top of cups to elevate them at different heights. You may also designate different saucers as having higher point values than others. The youth are given 5 heart candies, and from a designated distance, must toss the candy hearts onto the saucer. Highest score wins.
  • Candy Hearts Pick Up: The youth or who transfers the most hearts from the saucer to a bowl in one minute, using only chopsticks wins the game. Variation: Instead of chopsticks youth must create suction through a straw to transfer the hearts.
  • Conversational Hearts Story Game: Youth are given 10-12 candy hearts with various messages and must use them to create a story of God’s love for us. Variation: allow any story and award prizes for the most serious, the most mushy, the grossest, the funniest and the silliest stories.
  • Candy Hearts Icebreaker: Fill a bowl with Candy hearts and pass it around the group. Each youth takes as much or as little candy as they want. Make sure that no one eats their candy right away. For each candy heart they take, they have to share one fact about themselves. To make it a little more interesting, assign something specific for each color: favorite hobby, food, song, place to visit, most embarrassing moment, greatest fear, etc.
  • Heart Match: Separate several boxes of conversation hearts into pairs of identical words / colors. Give each youth one as he/she arrives. They must mingle and pair up with the person who has the same phrase, but cannot speak any of the words on the heart in the search to find their partner.
  • Candy Heart Charades: Play a game of charades using candy conversation hearts as the messages.
  • Valentine Heart Tower: Have a competition to see who can make the tallest tower of candy hearts, by stacking them one on top of the other. When the time runs out, the team with the tallest standing tower is awarded a prize.

Candy Heart Messages
Over the years, the hearts have contained a variety of creative and touching ways to say “I love you.” They rotate the saying from year to year as well as add new ones.

Some of the more well known ones are:
I Love You, Be Mine, Call Me, Cupid, Dream, Flirt, Friend 4Ever, Heart Throb, I Do, Love Me, Miss You, Soul Mate, Too Cool

They’ve also used:
All Mine, Amore, Angel, Ask Me, Awesome, Be Good, Be My Hero, Be My Icon, Be True, Cool, Cutie Pie, Dear, Dear One, Dig Me, Dream On, Email Me, Fax Me, First Kiss, For You, Get Real, Girl Power, Go Girl, Go Home, Got Love, Heart Of Gold, Hello, Love, Home Sick, Honey Bun, How Sweet, Hug Me, I Heart You, I Hope, I Will, I Wish, I’m Sure, I’m Yours, It’s Love, It’s True, Kiss Me, Let’s Kiss, LOL, Love, Love Ya, Love You, Lover Boy, Marry Me, Miss Me, Moon Beam, My Baby, My Girl, My Hero, My Love, My Man, My Pal, Neat, New Love, Nice Girl, Oh Boy, One I Love, Only You, Page Me, Real Love, Rising Star, Sexy Baby, Smile, So Fine, Sure Dear, Sure Love, Sweet Talk, Thank You, TLC, Too Hot, Too Sweet, True Love, Ura Star, Ura10, Venus, What Ever, Why Not, Yes Dear, You + Me?, You Bet, You Rule, You’re Tops

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Discussion

  • What 1 to 3 word message would you put on candy hearts if you had a chance?

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” – Jeremiah 31:33

  • BE MINE – God wants us to accept His love; God calls us to be His. James 1:18; Isaiah 43:1; John 3:16; John 10:27-30; Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; Romans 8:38-39; Romans 8:28
  • TRUE LOVE – God loves us with true love – unconditional love. Jeremiah 31:3; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Lamentations 3:22-25
  • LOVE ME – God wants us to love Him. Luke 10:27; 1 John 4:7-12
  • SWEET TALK – God’s Word is His love letter to us. Psalm 119:103
  • CALL ME – God wants us to communicate with Him. Jeremiah 33:3

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • What words are written on people’s hearts? How do words get written on our hearts?
  • What 1 to 3 word messages do you believe God would want to write on a person’s heart?
  • If a person had the words of God written on their hearts, how would it change them? How would it change their thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • If you were to describe your own heart in 1 to 3 words what words would characterise your heart?
  • What will the keywords will you choose to be on your heart this week as you reveal your heart to God? to others? In your family? In school?

OTHER SCRIPTURE VERSES

  • James 1:18 (NLT)  – “He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”
  • 2 Chronicles 17:4 (NIV) – “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
  • Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV) – “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
  • Jeremiah 31:33 (NIV) – “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
  • Proverbs 3:3 – “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

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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 Valentine’s Day activity 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.

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Game Ideas

Valentine’s Day – If you love me?

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This popular icebreaker game is a great discussion starter for Valentines Day and introducing the concept of God’s unmerited love for us.

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What You Need

  • You need a chair for each youth
  • You’ll need enough open space to arrange the chairs in a circle.

Preparation

  1. Place the chairs in a circle facing inward. There should be one chair for each youth you expect to play the game.
  2. Ask the youth to each sit in a chair.
  3. Once all the youth have taken a seat, remove any extra chairs and close up the circle so there are no gaps.
  4. Then randomly select one youth to stand in the center of the circle and remove his or her chair from the circle as well.

What to do

  1. All the youth should be sitting in chairs except one who is standing in the center of the circle of chairs.
  2. His or her objective is to take the seat of someone sitting in the circle and force them into the center.
  3. This is done by getting someone in the circle to smile. The youth in the center of the circle must go up to someone sitting opposite sex and saying the following exact words in whatever manner desired to get a smile: “Honey, if you love me would you please, please, smile.”
  4. The youth who is chosen must keep eye contact and say the exact words, “Honey, I love you, but I just can’t smile” without cracking even the slightest smile and keeping a straight face the entire time.
  5. If he/she smiles, then he/she gives up the chair to the person in the middle and now must stand in the middle for another round of the game.
  6. If the chosen youth fails to smile, whoever is in the center must choose a different person and try again. This continues until someone smiles and is forced to give up a seat.
  7. Continue for several rounds – long enough for it to be exciting and fun, but not too long or it will get boring.
  8. The youth will quickly discover who is an easy target and can’t keep a straight face. To make the person smile, they can make funny faces, speak in strange voices, and make gestures and move around. The only rule is they cannot touch the person they are trying to make smile.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

As people, we often place conditions on our love. “I will love you if” “If you love me you will” “I love you because..” We usually love people because of who they are or what they do. But God’s love for you completely transcends who you are and what you do. He, who knows you best, in all of your sinful actions, unclean thoughts, and hurtful words, loves you most.

But doesn’t scripture place conditions on God’s love?

  • John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
  • Exodus 20:5-6 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
  • John 16:27 “No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”
  • 1 John 4:15-16 “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”
  • If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. (1 John 4:15-16)

God loved us first. His love is freely given. It is not based on who you are or what you’ve done, but it is instead based on WHO HE IS and what HE HAS DONE. His love is unchanging as he is unchanging. It will not be taken away. But there is one condition. WE MUST ACCEPT IT OR RECEIVE IT!

AN ILLUSTRATION
Someone once explained it this way. Imagine yourself carrying a large box filled with everything you value most in life. It take both arms and all your strength just to carry it. And God walks in will another box filled with all his love, his blessing, his riches, the best of everything. It is offered to you completely free, unconditional, everything is yours for the taking. From God’s perspective it is given to you regardless of who your are or what you have done. It is an unconditional gift, unmerited favor, grace. But from your perspective there is a condition. You must first put down the box you are holding before you can receive the box God is offering. The condition is not on God’s side but on yours. Are you willing to receive it? To do so, you must give up what you are holding and hold on to what he has offered.

THE NATURE OF GOD’S LOVE

1. God loved you before you chose him.

  • Romans 5:6-8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
  • Ephesians 1:4-6 “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 Beloved.
  • Ephesians 2:4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.”
  • John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

2. God’s love is not based on who you are, but who he is. God loves you, not because you deserve it, but because he CHOSE to love you. There is nothing you can do, say, or be, to deserve God’s love.

  • Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”
  • 1 John 4:8-10 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
  • Romans 3:23-24 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified FREELY by his GRACE through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus.”
  • Ephesians 3:16-21 “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
  • 1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

3. God’s love for you is unchanging

  • Romans 11:29 “For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”
  • Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heighth nor depth,nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
  • Psalm 48:9 “Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.”
  • Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
  • Psalm 136:26 “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”
  • Lamentations 3:22 25 “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.”

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • Do you ever feel that God loves you and cares for you us more when you have pleased Him? Explain.
  • Do you feel that He loves you less when you sin? Explain.
  • Do you believe that your performance makes God love you more? Explain.
  • What encouragement do these verses on God’s love offer to those who feel God loves them less when they fail?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • Is there anything in your life that you are holding on to that prevents you from freely accepting God’s love and all that he offers to you? What’s holding you back?
  • Which of these verses is most meaningful to you and how can knowledge of the truths contained in that verse enable you to live a fuller, more abundant Christian life, embraced in the love of God?

KEY SCRIPTURE

Romans 5:6-8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

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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 Valentine’s Day activity 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

Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Valentine’s Day: Held Together

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It’s going to be Valentine’s Day in a couple days, when everyone gets all romantic. While chocolates, flowers and candlelight dinners have their place, it is also a great opportunity to discuss the topic of love. Love isn’t just for romantic relationships, but for our relationships in the family, among fellow Christians, and in our relationship with God. So this week we have a memory game which serves as an object lesson on the topic of love. God so loved the world that he sent his Son (John 3:16) God is love. They shall know that we are Christians by our love. Have a great weekend! Love God with all your heart. Love your neighbour as yourself. So here’s to Love!

Resources

  • A cookie sheet or tray
  • 20 to 25 small objects from the list below.
  • A cloth that will cover the tray
  • Paper and pencil for each player

Objects List

  1. Tape
  2. Glue
  3. Stapler
  4. A bolt
  5. Paper clip
  6. Clothes Pin
  7. Button
  8. Piece of rope or strong
  9. Shoelace
  10. Spiral from a notebook
  11. Skewer
  12. Rubber band
  13. Key ring
  14. Blue tack
  15. Bandage
  16. Padlock
  17. Watch band
  18. Zipper
  19. Velcro
  20. Screw
  21. Thumb Tack
  22. Hinge
  23. Nail
  24. Safety Pin
  25. Straight Pin
  26. Sewing Thread
  27. Snap
  28. Zip Tie or cable tie
  29. Wooden Dowel
  30. Refrigerator magnet

Preparation

Place all the objects on the tray and cover with a cloth to begin.

What to Do

  1. Have the youth sit in a circle where they can all see the tray.
  2. Remove the cloth for 60 seconds, then replace it.
  3. The youth then write down everything they remember seeing on the tray.
  4. The player who remembered the most items wins.

Take It to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

What do all the objects have in common?

All of the objects are used to hold various things together. We often use tape and glue with paper. Staplers and paper clips also hold pieces of paper together. Bolts come in various sizes and are often used to hold two pieces of metal together. A bandage holds the sides of a cut together to stop bleeding. Even a refrigerator magnet holds paper to the refrigerator.

There is something else that needs to be held together as well and that is people. We need to be close to people. If we are not, life becomes very sad and lonely. We need to be close to our family, to our friends, and to our fellow church people-plus many others. Love holds people together better than anything else: ! Love is the best tape, the best glue, the best staple, the best bolt that you can find to keep you close to people.

There are other things that we sometimes think keep us close to others but they don’t work as well as love. You may think that it’s because you live on the same street that you are friends with a certain person, but if that is all that makes you friends it will be over with the first time you have a serious fight. Sometimes we think we are close friends with someone because we like the same sport or the same games but this usually doesn’t last either. Even living in the same house with your family will not automatically make you close to them. In every case what we really need is love for that person. No matter what you like doing with someone close to you, just remember that to love that person is the most important thing of all. Love will be the tape, the glue, the staple, the bolt that holds us together in unity.

Make it Practical

How can you show love to others this week? For your parents, your valentine, your siblings, your friends. All love finds its source in God. God is love. How can you love more like God loves others this week?

Scripture References

Matthew 22
Luke 10

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
– John 13:34

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
– Colossians 1:17

 


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 Valentine’s Day activity 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

Game Ideas

Valentine’s Day Treasure Hunt

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Description
In this Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt, youth must find a series of valentine’s by following a set of clues. When they reach the final Valentine the youth will also find a very special Valentine Gift.

Resources
Buy a packet of inexpensive Valentines. These usually include a variety of simple valentines for youth and children to share with their school friends. If you want to have more than one hunt, you can different Valentine’s day cards in different themes or different colored envelopes and hide more than one set of cards. (i.e. great for more than one youth or teams of youth)

Preparation

  1. If you have more than one set of Valentine’s cards be sure the different themes are easily distinguishable from each other or indicate different teams with a different colored envelopes.
  2. Write a different love note on each valentine card (ten to 15 cards). You can also write one word per card and number them to form a single message of love.
  3. Hide the Valentine cards throughout the house or in other suitable places. As you hide each card, write a clue on the outside of the card to direct the youth to the next hidden card. These can be simple clues or riddles.
  4. Along with the last Valentine, include a small love gift like a box of chocolates, etc.

 

An important Rule
If you are hiding more than one set of Valentine’s day card, be sure to tell the youth that they may only touch their own cards. They may not take cards that belong to another team if they happen to find them.

What to do

  1. Divide everyone into two or more groups and give them a time limit with which to find the Valentine’s Day cards.
  2. Give the kids the clue to the first valentine and let them search until they have found all of them. Remember to tell them there is something special hidden with the last Valentine.
  3. The first group that returns with the all the cards AND the final gift within the limited time wins.

 


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 Valentine’s Day, as well as other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for various familiar holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Parents Ministry, Teaching Illustrations

The Red Rose

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A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents and a rose costs two dollars.”

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a rose.” He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.”

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s home.

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 Valentine’s Day, but also to plan events for other common holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various common holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Game Ideas

Valentines Wink’em

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Game Description
This is a classic Valentine’s Day game where the objective is for the girls to catch a guy or vice versa!

Materials
Chairs for everyone

What to do

  1. Seat all the guys in a circle.
  2. Leave one chair empty.
  3. A girl stands behind each chair (including the empty one) with her hands behind her back.
  4. The objective is for the girl standing behind the empty chair to get a guy into her chair. She does this by winking at one of the guys.
  5. The guy winked at tries to run and sit in the empty chair without being tagged by the girl behind his chair.
  6. If successful the guy takes his new seat and become her Valentine and the game continues with the girl who just lost her guy.
  7. At some point, you may switch and put the girls in the chairs and let the guys do the winking. (But make sure they are gentle when they tag the girls)


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 not only your next Valentine’s Day celebration, but also other commonly celebrated holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Game Ideas

Toothless Valentine

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Materials
Love songs to play while the youth are enjoying this game.

Game Objective
Don’t Laugh!

Game Play

  1. Everyone sits in a circle.
  2. From this point forward, you may not show your teeth.
  3. To speak, you must pull your lips inward around your teeth to hide them.
  4. A question is started, related to Valentine’s Day. For example, “Would you like a rose for Valentines day?”
  5. The person asked then replies “I don’t know I’ll have to ask my neighbor.” He then asks the neighbor the same question without showing his teeth.
  6. This keeps going around the circle.
  7. When someone’s teeth show due to laughter, he or she is out. Once it goes all the way around the circle, the next person gets to change the question. Smiling is permitted provided the teeth don’t show.
  8. The choice of questions can be a source of laughter so question choice is important.
  9. When asking or answering, contorting the facial muscles may be used to try to make the person next to you laugh.
  10. If a question is vulgar or suggestive, the person is removed from the game.

Variation
Add a few lines of Solomon and have youth repeat them all the way around the circle. Can you quote them without showing your teeth? When everyone has quoted it go around again with a different verse. Here are some classics from the 4th chapter of Song of Solomon.

verse 1
How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Mount Gilead.

verse 2
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.

verse 3
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.

verse 4
Your neck is like the tower of David,
built with elegance;
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of warriors.


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 not only your next Valentine’s Day, but also other common holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various holidays and celebrations, and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Creative Teaching Ideas

How Does Your Love Measure Up?

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Based on 1 Corinthians 13, How does you love measure up?

LOVE IS PATIENT: I am slow to become angry or irritated. I never yell or lose my temper.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS KIND: I am thoughtful and considerate and praise the good qualities in others. I freely give others my time and am always looking for ways to build others up.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE ENVIES NO ONE: I am not jealous when others get more attention than I do and I am not threatened if they accomplish more or have more talent or do better than I do. I don’t sit back and pout or complain or try to see faults in others when I go unnoticed or am not in the spotlight.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NEVER BOASTFUL: I don’t direct or try to control or hog the conversation to make sure others find out about my own accomplishments and abilities. I never stretch the facts so that I leave a better impression than what is actually true. I don’t talk about myself much, but prefer to get others to talk about themselves.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NEVER CONCEITED: I don’t have a elevated view of my own importance or have to be begged, pampered or honored to do my share of the load. I don’t twist the conversation around to the things I am interested in or draw attention to myself. I don’t look for things in which I am better than others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NEVER RUDE: I never cut others down or am rude, harsh or crude, sarcastic or cocky; but instead I am courteous, polite, and sensitive to the needs of others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NOT SELFISH: I’m not self-centered or self-seeking, making others fit into my mold, expecting others to behave a certain way for my interests; I’m not possessive of others or those I love or the things I have, insisting on my own rights. I’d willingly let others use anything I have.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE DOES NOT TAKE OFFENSE: I’m not touchy, cranky, easily irritable, defensive, brittle or supersensitive; I’m not easily hurt or irritated over things that don’t really matter, or offended because of the oversight of a friend or someone else.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE KEEPS NO SCORE OF WRONGS: I’m quick to forgive and forget the offenses of those who hurt me in any way, intentionally or unintentionally. I don’t have to retaliate or defend myself when criticized by anyone, even someone in authority over me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE DOES NOT GLOAT OVER OTHER MEN’S WRONGS: I’m not
secretly glad when others make a mistake or are proven wrong; I don’t have an “I told you so” attitude, or take pleasure in reminding others of their faults.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE DELIGHTS IN THE TRUTH: I am happy when truth wins out, even when it may show me up as untruthful in some situations or shed a less than positive light on me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE HAS NO LIMIT TO ITS FAITH: I am not quick to doubt others or God, not pessimistic, always encouraging others to achieve their best, believing they can do it. I do not worry or doubts God work things for my best interests.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE HAS NO LIMITS TO ITS HOPE: I do not get easily frustrated with life, with friends, and am always looking to what others can be instead of what I see.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE HAS NO LIMIT TO ITS ENDURANCE: I am not quick to give up, easily frustrated, quick to complain. I always give everything and every relationship my best, regardless of their response, always giving and not expecting anything in return.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Total Score: ____________ / 140


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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 not only your next Valentine’s Day, but also various other common holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do with youth for the various holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Teaching Illustrations

Story of Valentine’s Day

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The story of Valentine’s Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The emperor was Claudius II. The Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and he had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to serving Christ, and not even the threat of death could keep him from following the Savior. He was therefore arrested and imprisoned.

During the last weeks of Valentinus’ life a remarkable thing happened. Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might be brought to Valentinus for lessons. She had been blind since birth. Julia was a pretty, young girl with a quick mind.

Valentinus told stories of Rome’s history to her. He described the world of nature to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw the world through his eyes, trusted his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength.

“Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?” Julia asked one day.

“Yes my child, He hears each one,” he replied.

“Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you have told me about.”

“God does what is best for us if we put our trust in Him,” Valentinus said.

“Oh, Valentinus, I do believe in Him,” Julia said intensely. “I do.” She knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together praying when suddenly there was a brilliant light in the prison cell. Radiant, Julia shouted, “Valentinus, I can see! I can see!”

“Praise be to God” Valentinus exclaimed, and they knelt to thank God.

On the eve of his death Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia, urging her to stay close to God, and he signed it “From Your Valentine.”

His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D. near the gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory. He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome.

Source: Email circulating around the internet

 


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 Valentine’s Day Celebration or activity as well as a variety of other common holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for familiar holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection