Object Lesson - Ping Pong Christians

This lesson uses ping pong balls to remind us that as Christians we can be easily tossed around, unstable, blown off course if we lack faith. But through prayer and belief we can be strong enough to face and stand strong in any difficulties and circumstances we might face as Christians.

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Games using Ping Pong Balls

• Balance – Who can balance a ping pong ball on a book (through an obstacle course?) without the ball falling off?
• Bounce off – From a designated distance, bounce a ping pong ball at another ping pong ball to knock it off an open soda bottle. First to do so wins.
• Bridge Run – Be the first to roll three ping pong balls into three different glasses set at varying distances, using a tape measure as a bridge. When the game begins, grab the tape measure and extend it towards the nearest glass. Pick up a ping pong ball and try to roll it across the tape measure and into the glass. Once you’ve found success with the first glass, move on to the next one. In order to win this game, all three glasses must contain ping ping balls and the tape measure must be retracted. The trick is getting the right angle – if the angle is too steep the ball will roll too quickly and right across the glass.
• Double shot – Using 1 hand, toss 2 Ping balls at the same time so that they land in 2 separate glasses.
• Fan Propulsion – Using a paper plate, be the first to fan a ping pong ball across a goal line.
• Ping Pong Ball Catch – Holding a cup on top of your head, you try to be the first to catch a ping pong ball in the cup on top of your head as the ball is bounced off the floor and into the air. Harder than it seems.
• Ping Pong in a cup – players stand at 10 – 20 feet apart in a room with a tile or concrete floor. One player bounces the ball toward the other who must catch the ball in a cup before it stops bouncing. The ball can only be touched with the cup.
• Ping Pong Knock Out – everyone holds a plastic spoon in their mouth with a ping pong ball balanced on it. Using only blasts of air, each youth must blow the ping pong balls off the spoons of other youth. Last one with left with his or her ping pong ball on the spoon is the winner. (The difficult is sudden movements can drop the ball as quickly as a gust of air. And those gusts of air just might blow your own ping pong ball off the spoon) No physical contact is allowed.
• Ping-Pong Ball Flick – Place a ping pong ball on top of an open soda bottle. Youth must quickly walk past with their arm straight out and try to flick the ball off without touching the bottle. Its more difficult than it seems.
• Ropeway – Two team members hold a long loop of string taught with their hands and try to be the first to roll a ping pong ball to one end and back without dropping it.
• Shake a box – Place 6 to 10 ping pong balls in an empty tissue box. (If needed, enlarge the hole in the top of the tissue box so it is big enough but not too big for a ping pong ball to fit through. Fill the box with 6 to 10 ping pong balls and attach it to the back of a youth using a piece of string or duct tape so that the bottom of the box is against the person’s waist / backside. Youth must dance around to shake the balls out of the box. First to do so wins.
• Spoon & Ping Pong Ball Relay – A youth holds a spoon in his mouth and carries the ball through an obstacle course. Fast team to do so wins. (Variation – do it blindfolded with verbal instructions from your team)
• Spoon Transport – A ping pong ball is passed player to player on a spoon. If the ball falls, the team must start over again at the beginning. (Variation – spoons are held in the mouth)
• Straw Propulsion – Use a straw to blow a ping pong ball through an obstacle course on a table or the floor to a goal.
• String Transport – Be the first to transport a ping pong ball sitting on top of an open soda bottle to another soda bottle that is several feet away using only a loop of string. (Use 36 inches / 1 meter of string with the ends tied together to create a loop. With your fingers inside of each end of the loop of string you can stretch it out to a long oval that can hold the ping pong ball in balance.) You cannot touch it with your hands. You drop it then you must start over.
• Table Tennis Ball Goal Shoot – Set up goal markers on opposite sides of a table with team members alternating around it. Using only gusts of air, which team can shoot the ping pong ball into the most goals in a designated time limit.
• Tic Tac Toe – Arrange 9 paper cups in a 3×3 grid for each team. The first team to bounce ping pong balls into the cups to get 3 in a row wins.
• Wasted – Who can be the first to toss a ping pong ball against the wall so that it then bounces into a waste paper basket?
• William Tell – From a designated distance, use a rubber band to shoot the ping pong ball off of an open soda bottle. First to do so wins.
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TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

• What were some of the difficulties that you faced in these games?
• What were some of the strategies used to overcome the difficulties?
• What are some of the characteristics of a ping pong ball that had an effect on these games?

The difficulty with Ping Pong Balls is that they bounce back and forth easily – Ping – Pong – Ping – Pong and they are easily blown off course.

The Bible describes a man who has these same qualities in James 1:5-8

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

When you don’t have faith in God, you’ll be double minded. That means, like a ping-pong ball, you’ll bounce back and forth. You won’t be strong in your faith. You’ll be tossed about by doubts and difficulties.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

• What are some of the difficulties we face as Christians? In school? In our homes? In life? In general?
• What are some ways we can overcome the various difficulties?
• How is faith and prayer an answer to facing life’s difficulties?
• What are some of the doubts we face concerning God and prayer?
• How do doubts affect a person’s prayer life? Our actions?
• Are you easily influenced by circumstances and thing around you? Why or why not?
• Are you able to stand strong in life’s difficulties? Why or why Not?
• What solutions does this scripture give us?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• In what areas do you need God’s wisdom this week?
• In what areas do you need to be more consistent, more stable?
• How can faith and prayer help you in these things?

SCRIPTURE VERSES on Doubts / Lack of Faith

• Matthew 14:31 – Peter walks on water and doubts
• Mark 4:40 – Jesus calms the storm

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Object Lesson - All Wrapped Up? – Sin Easily Entangles

This idea centers around toilet paper. All you need to do is show a few rolls to youth and the giggles will start. But sin is no laughing matter. While at first it seems innocent and not a threat, it quickly binds us and hinders us, preventing us from doing and being all that God has planned for us.

What You Need

• Lots of toilet paper

Games using Toilet Paper

• Diaper Derby – Divide the youth into guys vs girls and give each group 1-2 rolls of toilet paper. Each group must then use all the toilet paper to create a mock diaper on someone on their team. First team to finish wins.
• Marble Run – Using the left over toilet paper tubes, teams must connect them together and let a marble roll through the entire length without dropping it. (You can add rolls from wrapping paper, paper towels, etc to make it even longer.
• Mummy Wrap – Create groups with three youth each in each group. Give each group two rolls of toilet paper. Two people wrap up (like a mummy) the third person in the group. The object of the game is to see who can wrap up their “mummy” the quickest with the entire rolls of toilet paper.
• Over and Under – Relay teams must pass the end of a toilet roll between the first person’s legs and then over the next person’s shoulder. When they get to the end of the line they reverse direction to the opposite end of the line again until the toilet paper gets to the front. If the toilet paper breaks they must start over again from the beginning.
• Roll drop – Be the first to hold an empty toilet paper tube six inches above a table and drop it so it lands upright and remains standing on one end. The secret: Hold the tube horizontally before you drop it.
• Stuffed – Each team receives the same number of rolls of toilet paper. At your signal, the teams must completely unroll the toilet paper and stuff it into the shirt of someone on their team. First team to completely unroll and stuff the toilet paper wins.
• Take What You Need – As youth arrive, offer a roll of toilet paper and ask each to take as much as they think they will need. If they ask, just say you are running a bit low on toilet paper and want to make sure everyone has what they need. Once everyone has arrive, sit everyone in a circle and ask them to share one fun fact about themselves for each sheet of toilet paper. Variation: Each youth must says one positive thing about themselves for each sheet of paper.
• Toilet Paper Blow – Teams of youth compete to see how long they can keep one square of toilet paper in the air by blowing it.
• Toilet Paper Dodge Ball – Take the core out of several rolls of toilet paper and then use them to play a game of dodgeball. If you get hit you must sit down and are out of the game. But if a roll of toilet paper happens to roll within reach, you can pick it up and join the game again.
• Toilet Paper Fight – The objective of this game is to have the least toilet paper on your side at the end of the game. Give each team several rolls of toilet paper, count down, and then let the toilet paper fly for 30-60 seconds. Part Two: First team to have their side entirely cleaned up wins.
• Toilet Paper Rollers – You need two broom sticks and 4-6 rolls of toilet paper. You will need 3-4 people to hold the poles. Pick two teams of 2-3 kids, usually boys against girls. Place rolls of toilet paper (ready to unroll) on broomsticks, (one per player) and on the command “go” they begin to unroll the toilet paper. First team to have all rolls completely empty wins.
• Toilet Paper Tag – Each youth sticks a length of toilet paper in a back pocket or the waste of their pants. It should hang down at least to the person’s knee. On go, players try to yank the toilet paper from each other’s waste. Last person to lose the toilet paper wins.
• Toilet Paper wrapper – Each team of youth (4-8 persons) is given two rolls of toilet paper and must stand in a circle next to each other and facing outwards (i.e. their backs are to each other). The person with the paper has to wrap the first roll around his or her waist a couple of times so that it stays in place. Then, without breaking the paper it must be passed to the next person on the right in the circle who does the same thing. If the toilet paper breaks, the youth must hold the broken ends against themselves and wrap the paper around his or her waste so that it covers this break and holds the wrapping in place, and then continue. There’s a good chance that at least one player will accidentally drop the roll of paper. It’s up to them how they decide to recover it, but they have to ensure that the wrapping of the whole team doesn’t break. The winning team is the first to hold up the two empty rolls with the paper wrapped around themselves.
• Toilet Tissue Measurements – Measure various items in the youth room using sheets of toilet paper (i.e. 6 1/2 squares). Make a list of items along with their measurements. Later, give the youth a list of the measurements along with a roll of toilet paper. The youth must then, in a given time, identify as many objects as possible by their measurements in sheets of toilet paper.
• Unrolled – Each player needs two assistants and a pole or broom. Place two rolls of toilet paper on each poll. Have the assistants hold each end of of the limbo pole. Using just their hands the players must unroll both rolls of toilet paper. The first player that is finished with both rolls wins!
• Unroll and Re-roll Race – Teams compete to unroll a roll of toilet paper and then re-roll it again. They must not break the roll of paper. If a roll does break, they must use masking tape to reattach it. Variation: They must use their nose to unroll and roll the toilet paper.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Take a roll of toilet paper and roll it around a person’s two outstretched fingers of one hand. Use the whole roll of toilet paper. Then ask them to separate their fingers and break the toilet paper roll. For most youth, if you have wrapped them good and tight, they will not be able to do so.

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

Explain that this is similar to what happens when we get tempted and sin. At first it seems very light and easy to break free from so we don’t think we’re in danger. But as we get wrapped up in it deeper over time it becomes increasingly more difficult to break free and becomes more and more of a hindrance. Other sins, like a piece of rope can bind us and hinder us almost immediately which prevents us from doing what God wants us to do. In either case, we are soon caught and can’t free ourselves.
Read Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

• What are some of the sins that easily entangle us?
• How can we break free from the various sins and temptations mentioned?

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.””

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• What are the temptations and sins that easily entangle you?
• How can you break free from them?
• How could God use you more effectively this week if you were less hindered by sin and temptation?

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE VERSES

James 1: 13-15 – “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

Object Lesson - Grasping at Straws or Doing the Impossible?

This week’s idea of the week centers around the drinking straw. The main lesson reminds youth that what sometimes what we see as impossible is not always as impossible as it seems.

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What You Need

• Lots of soda straws for games
• Depending on the games chosen, various games may require additional resources
• Apples or potatoes for the final object lesson

Games using Straws

• Candy Pass – This game can be played with drinking straws and any candy that has a hole in it that is big enough to slide onto a straw. (Lifesavers or Polo mints usually work fine.) Each team stand in a line and with straws in their mouths they must thread the candy onto the straw then successfully pass it from straw to straw until it reaches the end of the line. First team to do so wins. To make the game last longer, give them a whole roll of candies to pass. (You can also use washers, paperclips or rubber bands to pass) (Make it more interesting by blindfolding one person in the middle of each team) If the diameter of the straws is a problem, use coffee straws for this game.
• Jello Slurp – Give each team a bowl of Jello and using straws, the first team to slurp up the jello wins
• Peas and Straws – Give each team a cup containing twenty peas and an empty cup as well. Each team selects a champion to compete on their behalf. At a signal, all the players must compete to be the first to transfer the peas from one cup to the other using only the straw. They may not touch the cup or peas with anything except the straw. (Note: there is nothing in the rules to stop players from bending the straw in half and using it like a pair of tweezers.) (Note: You can also use skittles or M&Ms)
• Pick up Sticks – Using straws, play a classic game of pickup sticks. Divide the youth into two teams. Hold a fist full of straws upright and then remove your hand and let them drop into one big messy pile. Players from each team will take turns to carefully pull a straw from the pile without moving any other straws. If he or she is successful, the player keeps the straw and can go again. However, if any of the other straws move in the process of removing one the turn ends for that team. The team with the most straws at the end wins. You can find detailed directions here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pick-up_sticks
• Pingpong ball Soccer – Clear a table (a ping pong table works great) and place pencils at either end as the goals. Give everyone a drinking straw and then divide the youth into two teams. Players must position themselves around the table so that no two teammates are standing next to each other. Place the ping pong ball in the center of the table and then the teams try to blow jets of air through the straws to move the ball so that it hits one of the pencil goals to score. If the ball flies off the table, simply replace it back on the table at the place where it went out. No shoving, pushing, or use of hands is allowed. First team to make it to a designated number of points wins.
• Pipeline – Give all the youth straws and then divide them into teams of 8 to 20 persons. Each team designates a sipper at the far end. At signal they must join the straws together to create a pipeline and the sipper must drink all the coke from a cup. (It’s not as easy as it seems because air leaks from the connections between the straws)
• Plastic straw Javelin – Youth stand behind a line and flip or throw the straw as far as possible. Farthest toss wins. (Note: Straws may not be torn, folded, bent or changes in anyway not can anything be placed inside the straw.)
• Puzzler – Using a small jigsaw puzzle for each team (You can usually find some with less than 50 pieces), youth must put the puzzle together using only straws in their mouths. They may not touch the pieces with their hands. First to complete the puzzle wins. (Alternatively you can cut a photograph, postcard, or greeting card into pieces)
• Q-Tip War – Divide the room in half for two teams or if you want four teams divide it into quarters. A piece of strong or masking tape on the floor can be a simple divider. Give everyone a straw and each team a package of q-tips. Youth will use the straw to wildly shoot the q-tips like poisoned darts across the room until time is up. When the time is up, the team who has the least number of q-tips in their area wins. Q-tips may not be thrown and players cannot leave their area.
• Straw & Paper – Divide the youth into teams, with team members lines up single file, one behind the other, and give everyone on the team a plastic straw. The first player must place the straw in his or her mouth and use the straw to carry a piece of tissue to a finish line and then back to his or her team. No hands are allowed. If the tissue drops, they must get it back on the straw, by sucking in through the straw, before moving on. The first team to have everyone on the team complete the relay wins.
• Straw Chomp – Each team chooses a champion to represent them who will be given a straw. The first person to get the entire straw in his or her mouth without using hands wins. It’s harder than you think.
• Straws and Rubberband mixer – All the youth are given straws to hold in their mouth and half of them are given rubber bands to hang on the straws. The youth go around the room challenging each other to pass the rubber band using the straws. But if the rubber band is dropped, the straw has 1 cm (1/2 inch) cut off the end of the person who was supposed to pass the rubberband. The last person with the longest straw wins.
• Swapping ends – Each youth puts one end of a straw in their mouth then using only their tongue and lips (no hands) they must turn it around so that the opposite end of the straw is in their mouth. First person to do it wins. (Have a camera ready for this as there will be a lot of funny faces)
• Tallest Tower – Teams must create the tallest tower in a set time period using only the materials provided. You’ll want to have a lot of straws. For connectors use marshmallows.
• Two straws, one cup – Each team chooses a champion to drink from a cup through a straw. The first one to finish the drink wins, but there is a catch. They each receive two straws, one which is in the cup and one which is not. Both straws must be in their mouth when drinking.
• William Tell – Each team chooses one player to be the ‘King’ who will wear a paper cup on his head as a crown. Using the q-tips as poison darts, on your signal, other teams must shoot the crown off the opponent King’s head to win. (The king needs to keep still or he may just lose the crown himself.) Players cannot cross the divider lines, nor can they use their hands to protect the crown.

Final Challenge and Object Lesson

You’ll need a ripe potato or (ripe apple) for each team. You’ll want to try this yourself on a sample to make sure it is ok with the straws you have. If they are too flimsy it may not work. Also you don’t want one of the straws that bends. You want a straight plastic straw. Note: When you place your thumb over the end, the trapped air inside causes the straw to be more rigid.

Each group chooses a champion to represent them. Give each a straw and a potato. On your signal they must put the straw through the potato.

Let them try for a minute or two then ask the teams if they think this is an impossible challenge?

Then tell the teams how it can be done.

1. Hold the potato in one hand at waist level so that your hands are on the sides of the potato and not the top or bottom.
2. Hold the straw in your other hand so that your thumb is over the top end of the straw so and no air can escape.
3. Looking directly at the potato (not your hand), jab the straw into it and it will go completely through.

“We just made the ‘impossible’ possible.” A weak straw suddenly became strong enough to do something powerful.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

The same thing happens when we place our lives in God’s hands. Like the straw we may be weak, but when we are in God’s hands, he can use us to do impossible things.
Quote Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
This does really mean all things. I can’t swim across the Atlantic Ocean or swallow a car. Those are absurd. What it means is that God can use me to do anything he wants me to do. I can do all things that God wants me to do. If God wants me to do it, He will give me strength to do it.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

• What are some of the things God wants us to do?
• What are some of the things that prevent us from doing what God wants?
• How can we overcome our doubts and fears when God wants us to do something that is difficult or even seems impossible?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

You might want to allow each youth to put the straw through the potato as a demonstration and reminder that God can do impossible things through everyone.

• What is something that God wants you to do? Something he has laid on his your heart?

Whenever you are having a hard time with something God has asked you to do, I want you to remember putting a straw through a potato, and I want you to think about Philippians 4:13. ‘You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

SCRIPTURE VERSES

• Matthew 19:26 – But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
• Mark 9:23 – Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.
• Mark 10:27 – And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
• Luke 1:37 – For with God nothing shall be impossible.
• Luke 18:27 – And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
• Matthew 17:20 – And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
• Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
• Romans 8:31 – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
• Job 42:2 – I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
• Jeremiah 32:17 – Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

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Object Lesson - Marble Madness

Marbles have been around since ancient times. Whether made from glass, stone, or even clay, they have been used in games and as tokens. While not specifically mentioned in the Bible, our modern games of marbles most likely came from the ancient Romans. The oldest known marbles date back to about 3000 B.C. They can be found in many cultures around the world. Many of the games involve taking risks in order to win. In this idea of the week, we use glass marbles not only for games, but also as an object lesson on how we can see differently as Christians and to learn to take risks for God.

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What You Need
* Lots of marbles

A Few Games Using Marbles

• Barefoot Marble Race – The youth must remove their socks and shoes. Divide them into teams and place two marbles on the starting line in front of each team. On your signal, the first player must pick up a a marble with the toes of each foot and walk to a finish line. They the player can pick up the marbles and race back to the next player in line you repeats the process. First team to finish wins.
• Chopsticks and Marbles – Using a pair of chopsticks and a couple shallow bowls or saucers, each youth is given one minute to move marbles from bowl to the other using only the chopsticks. Only one hand can be used to hold the chopsticks. The youth to transfer the most marbles wins.
• Drop the Marble – Line two teams up facing each other. Each youth is given 5 marbles. One youth stands with his or her heels together and toes spread apart in a V shape while the other player stands about 5 feet away and tries to toss a marble so it stays between the feet of the other player. If he fails he loses the marble. If he is successful, the play with his feet in a V shape drops one of his marbles from waist height and tries to hit the marble between his feet. If he hits it, he takes the marble, but if not he loses the marble. They swap for the next round. Continue for a set period of time and then each team adds up their marbles. Team with the most marbles wins.
• Marble and Straws Relay – Divide the youth into teams and give every person on a team a plastic straw and a paper cup. Place a marble in the first team member’s cup. The youth must create a vacuum in the straw to pick up the marble and place it into the next persons cup. First team to get the marble into the last person’s cup wins. If the marble is dropped on the floor, the team must start completely over at the beginning.
• Marble Roll – Draw a circle using chalk (about 1 metre in diameter) at one end of the room and a line several meters away for everyone to stand behind. Indoors you can some masking tape. Give each team an equal number of marbles. Each team can play in turn, or if they all play at the same time you will need different coloured marbles for each team. Within a given time teams compete to see who can gets the most marbles in the circle. One person one each team is allowed to return any marbles that miss or get knocked out of the circle back to his or her team.
• Marble Search – Put some marbles and lots of ice into a roasting pan, tub or wading pool. Divide the youth into teams and have one person from each team must fish out a marble with their toes before the next person on the team can go. The first team to all fish out a marble wins. If it is cold outside, instead of ice, use warm oatmeal, warm pudding or even warm spaghetti noodles. Provide plenty towels for cleanup. Add a few golf balls just for fun. Variation: Team to fish out the most marbles with their toes in a given time limit wins. Variation: Assign each team a given colour of marbles and only those marbles of their given colour count.
• Marbles and Spoons – Divide into teams, have each team to line up single file, and have a cup with one or more marbles for each team. Give each player a spoon. The first player on each team picks up a marble with the spoon, spins around in place 3 times, then passes the marble to the next person on the team. Marbles can only be touched with the spoon. If a marble is dropped the team must start over again from the beginning. First team to get all the marbles down the line wins.
• No Know’s – Give everyone a set number of marbles and ask the group to mingle and talk to each other. Choose one or more icebreaker questions that they must ask each other. Whenever a youth says “no” or “know” that youth must give one of his marbles to the person he is talk to. The person who collects the most marbles during a given time period wins.
• Odds or Evens? – Every youth starts out with the same number of marbles. They pair off with someone then one player hides at least one marble in his hand. The other youth must guess if the number of marbles is odd or even. If he guesses correctly he can add the marbles to his collection. The role of the hider and guesser is then switched. After each youth in a pair guesses, those without any marbles remaining must sit down and the remaining youth pair up with someone new. Continue until one player has all the marbles or a set time limit is reached and then the person with the most marbles wins.
• Trade off – Using marbles of various colours, give each youth a marble of each colour. Ask the youth to mingle around the room ask each other to makes trades of one colour for another in order to get all their marbles to a single color. They can trade only one marble with each person in the room. First to finish wins.
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TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

DEBRIEF

• What were some of the strategies used in these games?
• In some of the games, you lost or gained marbles. How did you feel when you lost all your marbles? When you gained marbles?
• Were your decisions in these games based upon logic or by how you were feeling?
• How could you have gotten better results?
• Do you prefer to take risks or play it safe?
• Would your strategy change if you were using 1 dollar tokens? 5$? 10$
• What risks are you willing to take in regards to your future? your career? Your family? in relationships? in other areas of life?
• How do you balance the risks with the opportunities in life?
• Choose an area of your spiritual life where, to see any results, you are going to have to take a risk? What can you do to moderate the risks? What will the payoff be if you do this? How important is this result for you? Is it worth the risk? If so, are you willing to take the risks in order to see the potential results?

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

• Do you prefer to play it safe or take risks in your spiritual walk?
• Name some Bible characters that were risk takers? Why do you consider them risk takers?
• Do you think Peter was a risk taker or played it safe? Explain. (See Peter Walking on Water – Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:47-52, John 6:16-21)
• Did the disciples take a risk in following Christ? (See Matthew 4)

Sometimes what might at first look risky, when see through God’s perspective is really no risk at all. We have everything to gain. Give a clear marble to each student and ask them to look through it. The image of whatever they are looking at will be upside down. Our faith can cause us to turn the things of the world upside-down and the world can turn our faith upside-down too.

• What are some ways that Christ turns our world upside down?
• What are some events that cause people’s faith to be turned upside down?
• Describe a time when your faith was turned upside down?
• Many of Christ’s teachings were opposite of what people expected. What were some things that Christ taught that turned the world upside down for the early believers?
• How is looking through the marble similar to looking at things through spiritual eyes?
• What things affect the way we view life? Has your view on anything changed since you became a Christian? What things have changed?
• How does seeing things through God’s perspective change things so that what seemed like risks, no longer seem to be risky?

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

• What risks are worth the reward of knowing Jesus as Lord and living for him?
• “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” – C. T. Studd
• Missionary William Carey said, “Expect great things of God, and attempt great things for God.”
• Jim Eliot said “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
• Is Christianity a risk? Why or why not?
• How does seeing things through Christ’s eyes change the risks?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• Has God called you to do something out of the ordinary?
• To what has God called you?
• Choose an area of your spiritual life where, to see any results, you are going to have to take a risk? What will the payoff be if you do this? How important is this result for you? Is it worth the risk? If so, are you willing to take the risks in order to see the potential results in your relationship with God and others?

CLOSING

• Challenge the young people to carry a marble in their pockets or purses to remind them of one area of their spiritual lives where they need to learn to trust God and take risks to see Him work through them.

KEY SCRIPTURE VERSE
Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

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Object Lesson - Newspaper Madness - United in Christ

There are lots of games that can be played using only newspapers, but a few have been selected to illustrate the idea of unity and working together. In most of these games the players are designated as penguins and the newspaper is an iceberg.

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What You Need

• Lots of newspapers

 
A Few Newspaper Games

• Penguin Wacko – All the youth sit in a circle on chairs with one less chair than people in the group. Give a rolled up newspaper to one person in the middle of the circle who must call out a name. The person whose name is called must quickly call out another name before the person in the middle hits him or her with the rolled up newspaper. If someone gets hit with the newspaper they must take the place of the person in the center. Variation: no names are allowed to be repeated so that every name is called.
• Penguin Iceberg Race – Each youth is a penguin. Each team has two icebergs (sheets of newspaper) Each group of penguins must race to a destination by stepping on one sheet of newspaper, placing the next one down in front and hopping onto the next sheet of paper. The person then picks up the previous sheet of paper and places it in front. Once a player reaches the finish line, he picks up both sheets of paper and races back to the team and the next penguin repeats the process.
• Penguin Dance – 2 youth (Penguins) do a penguin dance with music on a sheet of newspaper (icebergs). When the music stops, the iceberg melts (The newspaper is folded in half). The music begins again and they dance again until the music stops. Each time the music stops, the the iceberg melts again (Is folded in half). The pair that dances on the iceberg the longest, without touching the floor wins.
• Iceberg Melt – Which team can fold a newspaper the smallest?
• Penguin Colony – How many penguins can stand on one iceberg (page of newspaper).
• Penguin Shuffle – Divide the youth into pairs, give each pair one sheet of newspaper, and get them to stand in two circles, one circle inside the other. While you play music, the inner circle walks like a penguin counter-clockwise and the outer one walks clockwise. When the music stops, each pair must find their partner, place the sheet of newspaper on the floor and stand on it. The last pair to stand on their iceberg is removed from the game. The process is repeated but now every time the music stops the newspaper must be first be folded in half so it gets smaller and smaller each round. The last pair of penguins in the game is the winner.

FINAL GAME AND DEBRIEF

• Ice Melt – Place sheets of newsprint on the floor with space between them. Explain that penguins love to go fishing in the ocean, but once in a while, when orca whales come near, they must hop on icebergs for safety. When the music is playing, the penguins need to swim in the ocean and look for fish to eat. But when the music stops it means an orca is near and the penguins have to hop on an iceberg for safety. But the icebergs are melting and every round one melts away. The goal is to work together to keep all the penguins alive. Repeat this process until only one sheet of newspaper remains for all the penguins to share.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

DEBRIEF

• Ask the youth what they did in order to save everyone.
• What were the strategies they used to make sure everyone survived?

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

In this game, everyone started out on their own, and over time they all joined together into one colony. In some ways this is like the journey we take as believers. We are all separated, both from God, and in some ways from others. But Christ’s sacrifice on the cross removed the distance between us and God. God brings us together into one family, one church, one body of Christ.
 
MAKE IT PRACTICAL

What do the following verse say about us coming together as one, about the unity God desires from us as Christians?

• Ephesians 4:1-6
• Romans 15:5-7
• Romans 12:4-5
• I Corinthians 8:6
• Ephesians 4:11-16
• Hebrews 2:6-11;17
• 1 Timothy 2:5
• I Corinthians 12:4-10
• Philippians 1:27
• Ephesians 4:2-6

1. What are some ways we need to grow together?
2. What are the benefits of unity?
3. What are the things that separate us and how can we overcome them?
4. How can we grow closer?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• How can you contribute to unity in the church? In the youth group?
• In what are do you find unity most difficult? Why?
• What is something you can personally do this week to being greater unity?

KEY SCRIPTURE VERSES

• 1 Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”
• Ephesians 4:1-6 – “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

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