Tag Archives: witness

Object Lessons

Popcorn Christians

3 Comments

Popcorn Christians
Popcorn is a seed that is hard and tasteless, until placed in the fire. And then the white goodness on the inside comes out for us to not only smell the aroma, but also to taste. It’s a powerful object lesson and metaphor for Christ working in us and drawing others to himself through as as Christians.

What You Need

  • Lots of popped Popcorn
  • Some unpopped popcorn
  • There are several games below that may require additional materials such as drinking straws, cups, blindfolds, and a spoon.

Preparation

Pop some popcorn, preferably in the room in which you have the meeting, so the smell of popcorn permeates the room before the youth arrive.

Popcorn Games

  • Popcorn Race: Using a drinking straw, the youth must blow a popped kernel of popcorn across a table. First to blow it from one end to the other wins.
  • Popcorn Catcher: You must stand on a chair and dropped popped kernels of popcorn into a cup. The person with the most kernels in the cup when time is up wins.
  • Popcorn Toss: Each youth tries to throw a piece of popcorn as far as possible. The farthest throw wins.
  • Popcorn Collector: Each youth is blindfolded, given a metal spoon, and placed in from of a large bowl of popcorn. They must also hold a bowl or cup on top of their head. In the time given they youth compete by using the spoon to scoop popcorn into the cups on their heads while everyone else watches. Many times, they will deliver empty spoons to their heads and many times they will miss the cup. When time is up, the youth with the most kernels of popcorn in the cup wins.
  • Popcorn on the fire: Play a game in which two teams simulate being popcorn in a pan. Explain that in the activity, everyone on a team sits on the floor and each is a piece of popcorn. The floor is a big pan on the fire. As the pan begins to heat, some kernels of corn begin to pop. A youth pops by jumping up, clapping their hands together, and saying “Pop”. Usually popcorn begins to gradually pop and builds up to become very active and loud and then eventually stops. The team that best demonstrates the making of popcorn gets a prize.

Enjoy some Popcorn

Finish off by sharing popcorn for all the youth to enjoy. First offer the un-popped kernels and then when the youth refuse, pass around the popped popcorn.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

DEBRIEF

  • Ask the youth to tell you everything they know about popcorn.
  • Ask the youth to tell you the way they have experienced popcorn in the meeting

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • How is a kernel of popcorn similar to a person’s heart?
  • What are some lessons and truths we can learn from a kernel of popcorn?
  • What are some of the things that heat up our situations and cause us to respond?

Touch Points

  • The seeds start as hard and tasteless, can’t be digested
  • When heated, some respond, but some do not.
  • At some point, a change occurs, and all the potential inside the kernel is released.
    • Some remain hard and tasteless and may even burn
    • Others, the sweet inside is exposed and can be enjoyed
    • We not only taste it, but there is also a pleasant aroma that attracts people
  • Everything comes from inside the kernel
  • Most people love the smell of popcorn. One small bag fills the room. with the smell. Another word for smell is aroma. God compares us to an aroma. We experience it from a distance. It attracts us. We want it. We want to taste it for ourselves. In the same way, We must live our lives in such a way that Christ in us, is noticed by others, and they want to experience Christ for themselves.
  • Human hearts can either be like a hard kernel or the soft, fluffy, fragrant popcorn.
  • God places us in the heat – circumstances so our hearts can open up (Visually express this by changing a clenched fist to an open hand)

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • How do circumstances change us? Why does God allow difficult circumstances? See James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:3-5
  • In what ways are Christians an aroma of Christ?
  • What are some actions, attitudes, mindsets, and other characteristics of Christians and their relationship with Christ that are attractive to the lost?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • Would you consider your heart hard and tightly closed up, or soft and open?
  • What are some of the circumstances God has used in your own life to bring about a pleasant change in your life?
  • If you were to do a self test on your life as a Christian, what would it reveal? Does your life express an aroma of Christ?
  • What can you personally do this week that will serve like a pleasant aroma to draw others to Christ and want to experience Christ for themselves?

Scriptures

  • Matthew 12:35 – “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
  • Luke 6:45 – “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
  • Matthew 15:11 – “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
  • Matthew 15:16-20 – “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
  • James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
  • Romans 5:3-5 – “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
  • Romans 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
  • 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 – “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?”

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Christian Pumpkins? – Games and an Object Lesson

Leave a comment

Christian PumpkinsPumpkins are closely associated with Halloween, Harvest, and Thanksgiving and are most likely native to the Americas. In this week’s lesson you’ll find a lot of game ideas using pumpkins, and also a reminder that God looks at the inside and not merely whats on the outside. He wants us to have a clean heart. Like a like shining from inside the pumpkin, he also wants us to shine out to the world.

PLEASE SHARE THIS IDEA ON FACEBOOK – CLICK HERE

Pumpkin Games

  • Capture the Pumpkin – For this Pumpkin-themed version of capture the flag, divide the teens into two teams, each with a territory, a jail and a pumpkin. The teens can choose to place the pumpkin anywhere on their territory, but it must be visible. While teams can assign people to guard the pumpkin, you must set a perimeter around it that they cannot enter to give the other team a chance to capture it. The goal is to steal the other team’s pumpkin and make it back to your own territory without getting tagged. If anyone is tagged on another team’s territory, they are sent to jail. Other team members can free them if they can manage to tag them and both make it safely back to their territory. If no one has captured a pumpkin within a certain time frame, determine a winner by the number of prisoners a team has. This game is best played in a large park with plenty of hiding places.
  • Card Ninja – Players must throw playing cards at a pumpkin trying to get one card to stick in the pumpkin before one minute is up.
  • Connect The Pumpkin – This game is especially good around Halloween but can be played any time. Purchase some pumpkins and cut them up into pieces (make sure the pieces are not too small). Next to the pieces of pumpkin place a set of wooden toothpicks. Once everyone is ready instruct the group to put the pumpkin together using the toothpicks. Give the group a set time limit and ask them to begin. The team with the pumpkin that has been best put together wins.
  • Elephant March – Knock over plastic bottles filled with sand using a small pumpkin hanging from panty hose worn around the head.
  • Pass the Pumpkin – This game is a variation on “hot potato”. Seat the youth on the floor in a circle. Give them a small pumpkin to pass around. Play music as they pass the pumpkin, and periodically stop the music. Whoever is holding the pumpkin is out. The game continues until one person is left with the pumpkin.
  • Pass the Pumpkin – Youth tuck a small pumpkin under their chin and shoulder, race to their teammate, and pass the pumpkin to them without using their hands. If the pumpkin is dropped, it can be put back into place using hands.
  • Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin – Using a Black Marker, Draw a face on a pumpkin but leave off the nose. In turn, blindfold each youth and give them a black cutout shape of a nose with double-side tape on the back. Youth must pin the nose on the pumpkin. Closest wins. (You might want to have the nose draw as well. The one who pins the nose most accurately over the drawing wins.)
  • Pumpkin Bocce Ball – Place the big pumpkin several feet away. Give each player a small pumpkin. Each player rolls (No tossing or throwing) their pumpkin and tries to be the closest to the big pumpkin. The player closest wins …
  • Pumpkin Carving Contest – Working as teams, youth create the winning carvings for categories such as funniest, spookiest and most beautiful pumpkin. If you have young kids without adult participation, hold a pumpkin painting contest instead.
  • Pumpkin Golf – Played just like miniature golf where you use putters to hit the golf ball into the pumpkins mouth rather than a cup. To create a pumpkin golf pumpkin, you’ll need to cut off the bottom of the pumpkin and then clean out the inside of the pumpkin and then add the mouth to the pumpkin. The pumpkin’s mouth will also serve as the entry point for the golf ball so the mouth must be at the bottom of the pumpkin. Then create the eyes and nose just as you would a normal pumpkin.
  • Pumpkin Penny Toss – Carve out a large pumpkin, making a wide opening at the top. Give the youths a limited number of pennies. Have them stand an appropriate distance from the pumpkin and try to toss the pennies in, one at a time. Whoever gets the most inside wins.
  • Pumpkin Relay – Teams race to be the first to pass the miniature pumpkins to the end of the line without using their hands. If the pumpkin is dropped they must start over again.
  • Pumpkin Ring Toss – Toss rings over pumpkins with stems.
  • Pumpkin Roll – You need two large pumpkins and two sturdy sticks (or brooms). The racers, line up on the starting line with the pumpkins turned on their sides. On the signal, the racers use the stick to roll the pumpkins to the finish line. Since pumpkins are uneven, they rarely roll straight.
  • Pumpkin Roll Icebreaker – With a permanent marker, write some icebreaker questions on a pumpkin until the surface is covered. These can be simple things like your “favorite fall vegetable?” or more personal things like “the scariest moment in your life?”. Then sit the youth on the floor in a circle. Youth roll the pumpkin to each other, but they rarely roll in a straight line. The person closest to the pumpkin must catch it. When caught, the question your thumb lands on is yours. Answer the question then roll it on to someone else, so they can take a turn.
  • Pumpkin Seed Count – Divide the class into teams of two to four and cut the top off of a pumpkin for each team. Tell the teams that the first team to scoop out and count 50 pumpkin seeds is the winner.
  • Pumpkin Stackers – Stack five pumpkins on top of each other without them falling in the quickest time.
  • Pumpkin Toss – Ask the first player to stand 3 to 4 feet away from a deep wicker basket and give him or her 10 to 20 mini pumpkins. See how many can be tossed into the basket in 30 seconds. In the event of a tie, let the finalists compete for the win by determining which one can make 10 baskets in the shortest time.
  • Pumpkin Transport – Tie five to eight long cord/string pieces (4-6 feet long) to a large ring. Place the ring on the ground with the cords coming out from it like rays of sunshine. Place a small pumpkin on top of the washer. The challenge is for the youth to pick up the ring and pumpkin by hanging onto the strings only without the pumpkin falling off.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • How can pumpkins represent us as Christians?

Just like us, pumpkins are different. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then he carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.

  • How do the following verses relate to Pumpkins and to our lives as Christians?
    • 1 Samuel 16:7 – “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart”
    • Matthew 23:25-28 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
    • Jeremiah 17:10 – “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward according to conduct and deeds.”
    • Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God.”
    • Matthew 5:14-16 – “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
    • John 8:12 – “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
    • 2 Corinthians 4:6 – “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
    • 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
    • 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 – “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • How is the way we clean out A pumpkin like the way Jesus cleans us out when we confess our sins?
  • What happens when we hide our light so others can’t see it?
  • What lessons can we learn from Pumpkins?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • What can you do to maintain a clean heart?
  • What can you do this week to have your light shine brighter for Christ?

PLEASE SHARE THIS IDEA ON FACEBOOK – CLICK HERE

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Creative Holiday Ideas
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 Fall Festival or Halloween Alternative event, but also most of the other common holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Object Lessons, Teaching Illustrations

Visions of Christ

Leave a comment

Refining our gifts, skills, talents and abilities, striving for excellence, is a very important and noble task, that gives Christ more to work with. But regardless of our level of ability, everything we have is to be used for His glory so that others see a vision of Christ when they look at us. This story and Object lesson reminds us that we must live a life that is so close to Christ, that like those in Antioch, we are called Christians – “little Christs”.

Object Lessons

Instead of displaying an object lesson for the youth to learn from, we will be providing a variety of objects for youth to use as object lessons. They will be creating the object lessons.

  1. Collect a variety of small items from your office or home. A pencil, a piece of paper, a sticky note, a stapler, a sugar packet, a thumb tack, an envelop, a letter opener, a coin, a key, a ring, a bottle cap, a ruler, a knife, a shoe lace, a breath mint, a piece of candy, a cup, a plate, a napkin, a nail file, a name card, a clothes pin, a screw, a nail, a paper clip, a magnet, a towel, a battery, a toothbrush, a comb, and just about anything else you can find. Use whatever you have available. Make sure you have enough items for the entire group to each have a different item with a few to spare.
  2. Ask the youth to each take one item that represents something about God. What truth about God or Christ does it bring to mind? What is something about God it could represent?
  3. Let the youth share what the item represents about God or what it reminds them of in relation to God.
  4. After all the youth have shared, tell the following story.

An Illustration

In the 18th century there was a German sculptor by the name of Johann Heinrich von Dannecker. Legend says that he could almost bring stone to life with his skills as a sculptor.

At the height of his career, he decided to do something very special with his gift. He dreamed of shaping a piece of lifeless stone into a statue of Christ that would come to life as a witness to his world.

He chiseled, scraped and polished the marble for almost 2 years. When he was convinced that his statue carried the likeness of his Lord, he wanted to test the statue on eyes that would not lie.

So he went out to the street, and brought in a young girl. He took her into his studio, and he set her down in front of the shrouded sculpture. Uncovering it, he asked her, “Do you know who this is?” “No, sir!” she replied. But he must be a very great man. And Dannecker knew that he’d failed. The statue was good enough for kings and nobles, but it wasn’t good enough to be a testimony of Christ.

He was discouraged. He was disheartened. He was depressed. But he knew that he had to try again. So he set his hand to the task. It took him six years this time, every day, painstakingly, shaping, carving and polishing. Finally, once again he felt he was done. And again, he brought in a child as his first critic.

He took off the shroud, and asked her gently, “Who is that?” Legend has it that tears came to her eyes as she recognised Jesus. It was enough. Dannecker had finished his task. He had created his masterpiece. He had given visible shape to his faith.

Later, to a friend, he told the secret of those last six years. It was as if, he said, Christ had joined him daily in his little room. He felt the nearness of his Lord. He sensed the glory of his Presence. All Dannecker had to do, really, was to transfer the vision of Christ that he received to the block of marble.

I am not sure if the story is true, but it is a powerful story with a profound message. And…

There’s more to the story.

Some years later, the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte saw Dannecker’s work. He was so impressed, he sent for the sculptor and offered him a commission. “Make me a statue of the goddess Venus.” It was considered an incredible honor to be chosen as the creator of such a work of art! Who could refuse? But you know what? Dannecker did! He refused the commission. He gave up that honor.

And you know why?

His responded to Napoleon: “A man who has seen Christ can never employ his gifts in carving out a pagan goddess!”

Take it to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

  • What are some of the gifts, talents, skills, and abilities that we have in our group?
  • How can these be used to teach others something about God? How can they be used to bring Glory to God?

Make it Personal

I think the true secret to making Christ come to life in my lifes, to be truly Christlike, is to spend lots of time in His presence and to project the very presence and nearness of Christ in my personal life.

Like Johann Heinrich von Dannecker many of us have failed at times, some of us decidedly more toward the disastrous rather than the masterful. But I truly believe that if we keep our hearts focused on Him, that like with Danneker, God can use our labours of love, our gifts, talents, skills, and abilities to touch the hearts of others all over the world and open doors to sharing the gospel.

Make it Practical

  1. List some of your talents, skills, abilities and gifts.
  2. How could these be used to bring Glory to God?
  3. What is something you can do this week to be more Christlike, to let others see a vision of Christ in you this week?
  4. If everything you did, was done for God’s benefit, was done to please Him, glorify Him, would your actions change? Would you do things differently?
    • Would you speak to people differently?
    • Would you treat others differently?
    • Would you do different things?
    • Would you do things differently?
    • If God were your employer, your teacher, your parent, your constant companion would anything change?

Scripture

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Peter 4:10-11

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive and inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24

In the The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-28), 3 servants were given 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent respectively. In those days talents referred to money. But today when someone speaks of talents, we think of the great scientists, artists, musicians, actors and athletes. From the story we learn that God has given us each different talents and abilities that he expects us to use for his benefit.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Evangelism Ideas, Game Ideas

Our Christian Testimony: Earth! Water! Air! Fire!

Leave a comment

Using the game of “Earth!” “Water!” “Air!” or “Fire!” youth will discuss how our actions affect our testimony for Christ.

Preparation

  1. Position the youth in a circle of chairs facing inward.
  2. Take a handkerchief and knot it at one end so it can be easily thrown back and forth between people.

What to do

  1. Give the handkerchief to one of the youth instructing him/ her to throw it into the lap of another youth else in the circle. As he/she throws it he/she must call out “Earth!” “Water!” “Air!” or “Fire!”
  2. If “Earth!”, “Water!” or “Air!” is called, the one into whose lap the handkerchief has been thrown must name some bird or animal that lives or moves about in that environment. For example, if “earth” is shouted then the one into whose lap the handkerchief falls might answer: “Worms!” It would be just as correct however for him to name any beast which lives upon the earth. The same animal cannot be used again.
  3. As soon as a handkerchief lands in someone’s lap the one who threw it begins to count rapidly to 10. If the animal is not given to for “Earth”, “water”, or “air”, then that person must answer a question before passing the handkerchief on to the next person.
  4. However, if the handkerchief is thrown, and the one who throws it calls out “fire!” then the one into whose lap it falls must remain perfectly silent. If he/ she does not remain silent he/she must answer one of the questions before passing the handkerchief on to another player.

Questions

The questions are related to the topic of “personal testimony.” The questions that youth must answer all involve whether the action, attitude, characteristic stated:

  • harms one’s testimony or
  • benefits one’s personal testimony or
  • has no effect on a person’s testimony.

A reason must be given for the answer. Then continue the game. You may do the questions in order or have youth pick a number between (1-66). Mark off numbers as they are used! Some of the choices involve things that happened to Paul. Others involve things to which a typical teen might be exposed.

  1. Dancing
  2. Cheating
  3. Responsible
  4. Integrity
  5. Trust
  6. Going to church
  7. Trials
  8. Being a follower of the Way
  9. Envy
  10. Belief in an afterlife
  11. Lust
  12. A clear conscience
  13. Going to a party
  14. Loving one’s enemies.
  15. Having fun!
  16. Having to appear in court
  17. Having a consistent devotional life
  18. Making good grades
  19. Having personal problems
  20. Wealth
  21. Drinking
  22. Being falsely accused of a crime
  23. Sharing your belief with someone else
  24. Athletic
  25. Serving others
  26. Speaking to a leader with great authority
  27. Taking responsibility for your actions
  28. Insisting on your rights
  29. Giving gifts to the poor
  30. Being ceremonially clean
  31. Listening to country music
  32. Listening to Rock music
  33. Theft
  34. Reading one’s Bible to the class
  35. Telling Jokes
  36. Pointing out the sins of others
  37. Hanging with the wrong crowd
  38. Obeying parents
  39. Going to an RA movie
  40. Smoking
  41. Being shy
  42. Being serious about life
  43. Being in Jail
  44. Losing your temper
  45. Listening to ONLY Christian music
  46. Praying daily
  47. Saying table grace
  48. Rudeness
  49. Anger
  50. Thinking about your sexuality
  51. Taking a stand for what you believe
  52. Showing your answers on a test to someone
  53. Being challenged to fight someone
  54. Sneaking out of the house to go to church
  55. Causing a public disturbance
  56. Telling the truth, even if it hurts someone
  57. Gossip
  58. Preaching
  59. Kissing someone in public
  60. Dating
  61. Good looks
  62. Memorizing your testimony
  63. Singing all the time
  64. The clothes you wear
  65. Your nationality
  66. Helping those in need

Take it to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

Paul present his testimony in Acts 24:10-21.  In fact, some of the statements in the list are references to parts of Paul’s testimony as presented in this passage.  Paul shares more insight on his motives, and his actions as related to being a testimony to the gospel of Christ in 1 Corinthians 9:1-23 and 1 Corinthians 10:23-33.  Two key principles are evident.

  • While all things are permissible, Paul holds himself to a stricter standard so that he might be better witness for the Gospel, that is testimony might reach more people.
  • Paul gives up some of his rights so that others might be saved.

Make it Practical

Discuss some of the issues regarding Christian freedom, God’s forgiveness, and our our actions, words and attitudes affect our testimony as Christians.

Make it Personal

In what ways might you personally be a better testimony for the Gospel for your family, friends, and those who know you?