Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry
Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Cell phones give teenagers round-the-clock access to their friends and the world. They also provide teens with in-pocket, on-demand entertainment. Many kids say they can't live without them.

But how is 24-hour connectivity truly affecting our teens?

Sweet and Sour
Cell phone use by kids today is a lot like the chicken at my favorite Chinese restaurant: sweet and sour.

Yes, there's plenty of "sweet" that comes with owning and using a cell phone, for instance, teens hail the sense of connectivity and safety the devices provide them. On the more vain side of things, cell phones have also become THE way for teens to impress their friends. Finally, there's the hope that cell phones will help bridge gaps between parents and kids.

But there is also a lot of "sour" that stems from teens' misuse of cell phones. Educators have recently begun to realize the proclivity students have for using their mobile phones to cheat. No doubt, all of us have witnessed teenagers who are texting while driving... that is, if we look up from our own phones in traffic. And of course, there's the whole sexting phenomenon, too.

You'll quickly see how this game got its name. But before we tell you how to play it, we feel compelled to tell you that you should get permission to play this game, just so no one gets in trouble...or gets fired.

This one is simple to play as it's really just an indoor modification of volleyball. Here's what you do.

Take a regular volley ball net and set it up in a big room at your church. You can even use your sanctuary, if you get permission from the proper authorities. Now grab a couple of inflatable beach balls (NOT volleyballs) and inflate them. Finally, split the teams into two equal teams. You can have any number of players on a team, just make sure teams are "even" in ability.

Rules

1. Games go to 21, and the team must win by two.


2. Unlike volleyball, players can hit the ball as many times as needed to return the ball over the net.


3. Unlike volleyball, the beach ball can hit anything in the room and still be "in play" with one exception: the floor. If the ball bounces off a wall...

In the Minds of Our "Good" Kids...

Teen Interview Podcast Episode #27 (8/3/2009)

In this podcast, The Source invites you to get a perspective on life from the vantage point of a "church kid." Everything from music, to sexting, to discipleship, to internet pornography is covered in this podcast. Listen in as Jonathan and Andy are joined by five Christian teenagers who talk about life in raw terms.

Listen to it now for free on iTunes! (CLICK HERE) Or, if you don't have iTunes already... jump on Apple's web page for a free download, then click on our podcast page.

Episode Highlights:

• Hear teens talk about what it means to "follow Christ" these days
• Find out why Alec can't use iTunes
• Catch a glimpse of the biggest struggles teens face
• Listen to what these kids wish their parents would teach them
• Discover the topics teens need discussed in youth ministry settings

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