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Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry Tuesday, December 9, 2003
Our New Web Site and Custom Game Search Area Are a Hit! Last week we launched our new web site, completely revamped with more than just new colors. Youth workers raved about our new features such as our ... CUSTOM GAME SEARCH: We didn't ax our old game layout, because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." We still have the same eight categories, but now you can even get more specific. In our custom search area, you can now narrow your search using up to seven different criteria:
Great responses so far! "Jonathan- Unbelievably cool game search tool. Our student leadership is going to love this. It will make their ministry easier and that makes mine easier. Over and out from never-never-Jr.- High-land! Thanks." -Todd- "Hey man, just wanted to drop a line or two to let you know that your website is really cool. I liked the one before, but the new one looks really tight! I also love the way you've categorized the games. Great job guys! Thanks Jonathan for all you do. Your ministry is very helpful to all of us out there. I don't know how often you hear that, but you have awesome ideas and give us fresh ideas constantly. Thanks a million!" -Joshua- "Jonathan- Your new website is AWESOME! Your new website is a HUGE improvement over your previous site, which was great!" -Brian- Also, check out our new print page feature, Jonathan's blog, and more. And there's even more coming around the corner, including a search engine for the whole site, new pages, new curriculum, and over 100 new teen lingo terms. So enjoy the new look and feel on our site! It's our ministry to you.
December 9, 2003 A Christmas Video Clip Idea - Reaching Out Like Cindy Lou! I must admit, I forgot how good this scene was in Ron Howard's "The Grinch," starring Jim Carrey. But the scene is a great clip to show for a discussion on reaching out to others this Christmas season. OVERVIEW: It's always good to start with a quick overview of the film. The Grinch is an outcast who was teased as a child during Christmas by several mean kids, especially one specific kid who grew up to be the mayor of Whoville. As a result, the Grinch hates Christmas, and over the years has let his opinion be known. The whole town now equally despises The Grinch to the extent that his name isn't even to be uttered during the holiday season. A young girl named Cindy Lou saw something in the Grinch that no one else could see. And she felt something that no one else felt for the Grinch - Compassion. In this scene Cindy plans to act on her compassion at the annual "Whobilation" festival where the town gets together annually to nominate the "Whoville Holiday Cheermeister." Start the clip at 33:28 (the beginning of chapter 7 for those who use the DVD). The scene starts with Cindy Lou telling her father about her plans to act on her compassion and "do something drastic." Cindy Lou: Dad, I've been thinking about the "Whobilation" and I may do something drastic. Mayor: And now the nominations for the whom-among-us who best typifies the qualities of whodom and whomonee ... the Whoville Holiday Cheermeister! Do I hear a nomination? Cindy Lou: I nominate the Grinch! Gasps are heard and the crowd looks horrified. Mayor: My, my. (to Cindy's dad) What an altruistic daughter you have their Lou. (To Cindy) Cindy, let me quote a verse from The Book of Who. (his side kick hands him the Whoville Bible, known as The Book of Who.) "The term Grinch he shall apply when Christmas spirit is in short supply." Does that sound like the holiday cheermister? Cindy: True mister Mayhoo- but the Book of Who says this too. "No matter how different a who may appear he will always be welcome with holiday cheer." The crowd watches the exchange between Cindy and the Mayor. The Mayor finally resorts to making up facts from The Book of Who to get his point across. Cindy objects. Cindy: You made that up. It doesn't say that. Mayor: It does. Cindy: What page? Finish the scene at 37 minutes even (or at the end of chapter 7 for those with the DVD - gotta love DVDs!) Discussion Questions:
A lot of people in the church have learned the Bible verse John 3:16. Does anyone know John 3:17? It basically says that Jesus came into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it. The world doesn't need another critic, another person pointing their finger at others ... the world needs people of compassion willing to act on their convictions and make a difference in someone's life. Your school is full of people who cut others down and make them feel alone and rejected. But how many people do you know that walk around building others up? Be a rebel. Don't be like everyone else. Build someone up. Are you ready to do something drastic? CLICK HERE FOR OUR MOVIE CLIP IDEAS PAGE.
December 9, 2003 Ever feel God prompting you to do something ... and you don't want to do it? How about when he prompts you to share your faith with someone and you pull a Moses? "What? Me? I'll mess it up!" Well, that happened to me today. It all started with my trip to Cincinnati, ironically, to teach a bunch of youth workers how to reach out to the unchurched. You'd think that after I taught a six hour seminar on the subject of evangelism and outreach that I'd be extra sensitive to God's leading, right? Well, I wasn't. I was pretty stinking tired. I was on California time in an east coast city, I had jet lag, I didn't sleep much the two nights prior, and I was tired from teaching my all day seminar. But God still had plans (different from mine). My wife Lori has a cousin who lives in Ohio. She came to visit Lori and I while we were in Cincinnati. After the seminar, we went out for ice cream, toured the city and eventually went to dinner (One of my favorite activities). She kept bringing up spiritual discussions, asking Lori and I questions about God, about Biblical accuracy, etc. We've talked about spiritual things before, but this time our conversation seemed to return to the subject more than normal. Lori's cousin is a great person. She volunteers at the children's hospital once a week, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, and attends church pretty loyally. But Lori and I never were sure where she was at with God. We figured she probably made a decision to follow him at sometime in her life. After all, look at all of her good works. At dinner I visited the bathroom, of all places. And while I was standing at the sink I had an incredible feeling come over me. Now, I'm not going to get all weird on you and tell you that I heard a voice or saw a face appear on the soap dispenser ... but I had an overwhelming feeling, a prompting, if you will, to share the Gospel with her. My first thought was, "Man, I'm never eating that appetizer again." But then I felt it again. So I quickly retorted to myself, "Yeah, right! She'll be offended. She knows this stuff. I better not say anything because she'll just feel condescended." But the feeling stayed. Furthermore, I thought to myself. "What if she gets killed on the way home tonight. Then you'll really feel guilty – and you'll never know." So I went back out to the dinner table and we all finished dinner. After dinner we talked for a long time and she asked even more questions. I tried to avoid the subject, because ... I really didn't want to share! Call me stupid- but I'm not scared of sharing the Gospel to 1500 jr. high kids at an event, but one-on-one Gospel presentations terrify me! They always have. Finally, after running out of excuses to myself, I gave in. I knew I had to share with her. She had just asked me another question about different religions and their beliefs, when I finally just told her, "I know you've probably heard this before, but can I share with you what this all comes down to?" She said "Yes, of course." So I grabbed my digital camera and a bottle of eye drops from my pocket, and illustrated our relationship with God. "These eye drops are you. This camera is God. God loves us so much and wants a relationship with us." Then I put my shoe in-between the two objects. "But there's a big stinky thing that gets in the middle of God and us – sin." I continued to share the Gospel plan with any object I could access. I talked about Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, conquering the big stinky shoe ... I mean "sin." And I talked about how we need to take the step of faith to believe in him. And that's when I asked her if I could ask her a personal question. She said yes. I told her that there were only three places she could be: 1. Without God- not wanting him 2. Wanting him, but not yet taking the step of faith to believe in him 3. Or having already put your trust in him, living in a relationship with him. Then I asked the personal question. "Which one are you." She said, "The middle one." I said, "Well what's holding you back." She shared how she had wanted to put her faith in Him a million times, but just never could really do it. She felt like she just "wasn't quite there." "Sometimes there is stuff in our life that we need to let go of," I cautiously interjected, "if we are truly to put our trust in him." She paused and looked at the stinky shoe, the eye drops and the digital camera. "Yeah, there is some stuff I need to get rid of." After talking for a few more minutes, I finally asked her, "Well what do you want to do about this?" I pointed to the big stinky shoe. She said, "I'm ready to get rid of it. I want to do this." The three of us prayed and our cousin prayed in her own words, "God, please forgive me for this sin in my life. Remove it. I want to stop doing it and I want to believe in you. I want to start following you now. I give you my life. Amen." A party started in heaven a nano-second later. And to think ... I almost missed it! Delivered free via e-mail to subscribers each week. We encourage you to distribute this newsletter freely and ask only that you not change its contents. HAVE YOU MISSED PAST "EZINE" ARTICLES? CLICK HERE FOR JONATHAN'S "EZINE" ARCHIVES And for more FREE resources and ideas ... go to THE SOURCE www.TheSource4YM.com Copyright ©2003 The Source for Youth Ministry All rights reserved. |
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