Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry
Monday, September 21, 2009

Academic integrity is quickly becoming a rarity among students, Christian or not. This brand new SPIRITUAL GROWTH AGENDA uses the latest stats and figures on cheating to help you dialogue with your students about it. This resource is loaded with cool ideas: a pop quiz opener, small group questions, a wrap up, and more.

Main Point: Remaining "academically pure" is a great way to show that we are true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Discussion Starter: Pop Quiz: Cheating or Not Cheating?
Situation 1. A student is in the middle of a history test and doesn't know the answer to a question, so he pulls out his web-enabled cell phone to search the internet for the answer. Cheating or not cheating?

Two weeks ago I told you to set your TIVOs to record the MTV Video Music Awards, referring to the show as one of the top three "portholes into youth culture" you'll see any given year. Last week I wrote my annual recap of the show, calling it the "biggest pop culture phenomenon of the year."

Some of you might be wondering why I would cite this show and this channel (MTV) as such a vivid reflection of our culture...

God is so easy to place on the back burner. Most teenagers don't think of God until life becomes desperate. Use this fantastic OUTREACH AGENDA to get your kids thinking about their relationship with God BEFORE tragedy strikes.

Main Point: To help students prioritize their lives to please God.

The Activity
When the program starts, seat the students on "the plane." If you can, have a funny, charismatic leader play the role of the flight attendant going through the safety instructions. Have them go "over the top" a bit, saying things like, "If this plane turns into a fireball in the sky, well, THEN you'll be glad you paid attention to the location of the flotation devices!!!" Afterwards, he or she can begin to pass out the peanuts and sodas if you opted for them.

For even more comedic value, you might have the captain interrupt the flight attendant and say, "This is your captain. Welcome to Flight 284J81K13niner. The ground crew just notified us of a problem with the wing. It fell off. As soon as....

Forgiveness is tough when it's a friend who has sinned against us. The ante really goes up when it's a stranger, or worse, an enemy. Use this MOVIE CLIP DISCUSSION to talk about the great need for us to forgive everyone who sins, even our enemies and those who intentionally despise us.

Main Point: Even though forgiving and loving an enemy is extremely difficult, it's commanded by Christ.

The Video Clip: Why are you doing this?
Jean Valjean has just been released from prison and is on parole in need of food and a place to sleep. He has nothing to his name other than the clothes on his back. He meets a bishop that takes him in and offers him food and shelter, but instead of being grateful, Valjean actually steals from them and physically attacks the bishop. But that's not the most interesting part of this clip. The most intriguing part is....

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