The Irreducible Minimum.

A great book, I recommend by Stuart Hall and Andy Stanley called "The 7 checkpoints" talks about these principles that, if nothing else, your teens need to know to equip them for life after high school. These principles are foundational to developing a healthy Christian walk for any teen, or adult that matter. They are

• Authentic Faith
• Spiritual Disciplines
• Moral Boundaries
• Healthy Friendships
• Wise Choices
• Ultimate Authority
• Others First

     I'll be posting (among the usual games and what-not) 7 posts, highlighting each one of these principles. bottom line- These are hugely important and if you are wondering what to teach your teens for the rest of this year, Then, by all means, teach them what you want but at least make sure they get taught these concepts somewhere along the way. These specific posts are not necessarily about context but content. How these are taught in whatever creative ways you can think of is up to you, but these are about the content of those messages. What eternal truths are being instilled through your teaching? If you are scratching your head about what important truths your teens need, then these are a great launching point! Stay Tuned.

Game: String Assassin

pretty simple. but fun!
Take two or three of your folks. and give them cans of silly string. while having another group put on garbage bags. (cut holes for the arms and head first) then put them on opposite sides of the youth room, with one specific Bag Person associated to a specific Can Person, You should have 3 or so "one vs. one" setups (hopefully, with lots of innocent bystanders in the middle, watching) then they say "go!" the goal for the ones with the cans try to cover their corresponding bag person with silly string. the bag person just tries not to get sprayed.

There are two winners: the one who sprayed the most string onto there target Bag person: the other winner is the bag person with the least amount of string on them. A lot of the fun of this game isn't just the spraying that hits the right people. but the frantic off target shot of string that hit everyone watching as the ones wearing bags are running around. the only thing to remember is there will be some cleanup afterwards. and you have to be willing to speak to a group of teens in a room covered in strings. but you knew that you would have to do that ever now and then when you signed up for youth ministry anyway right? right.

But remember Mr. Youth Pastor, in some places possession of Silly String is prohibited because it is, of course a very dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. please consult your local ordinances and respond accordingly.

Meet Tim

Meet Tim.

Gets up on Wednesday morning. For him it’s pretty typical. half-awake,he fights with his sister for the bathroom mirror. Tries to clean the toothpaste off his favorite Tee. “Thanks sis”. Sees the time and runs out the door to catch the bus. 

Fail.

 Rides with mom to school. Late-ish. not good. especially since he knows He’s gonna get crap for not finishing his report entitled  "The life-cycle of the sea anenome." Tells mom to drives faster. “Why are you in such a hurry, son?”

 Nevermind.

School is fun. hides from bullies. and ex-girlfriend. hangs out at lunch. has to bum a buck off a kid for a soda. gotta remember to par him back.... somehow. A friend invites him to youth at church.       again.

  
Ugh.

 After school he still hasn’t told anyone that for not turning the paper his grade in that class is... low. at home he ignores the sound of arguing parents with the sounds of MTV. Sister comes in yelling at him about her missing ipod headphones. Doesn’t know what she is talking about. kicks her out of his room. Thinks “maybe I should go. There’s nothing else to do in this stupid town. I guess I’ll check it out. at least after that, Matt would leave me alone about going for  a while”

Jumps through all kinds of hoops and explanations, finally securing permission to leave the house. gets a ride.

6:50 he walks into church. 

What will his experience at your youth group be?

Art of storytelling.

     Never underestimate the power of a story to illustrate your point. People of every age are captivated by a good story. And the best part is stories stick in the memory really well, which is good for your teens. but also great for you.
example: tell someone about your last camping trip. chances are you won't need notes to share it right?
the same goes when you are on stage. even if sharing a story from the Bible instead just reading it, Share it!
     Jesus always had a good story. in fact almost anytime anyone asked him a question he would answer with, "so there was this guy travelling" or "Once there was this king who was settling his accounts" Jesus knew the art of storytelling well.
    It helps to actually make a conscious effort NOT to look at your notes in a "story sharing" portion of your message. Leverage the fact that you know the story to step away from the pulpit and engage, make some eye contact. and move around. I sometimes feel like a fool, because I move around so much when doing this and act out the story as I'm telling it. One time I was sharing on David and Goliath and I was all over the stage! but it turned out that it really connected and the teens remembered it, even ones that said they had heard it a billion times, really liked it. When I don't do this (like last Wednesday actually) I can tell that it's a lot harder to get connected to the teens and get them focused in.
so, find a story! look for one, tell a personal one, or just make up one (Jesus did that all the time).

That's the tip of the week: Tell a story

First things First.

I definitely don't claim to be any sort of experienced youth pastor with a wealth of knowledge to offer. However, as with many things, I have found many other youth pastor asking the same questions that I ask all the time. So, only seems prudent to post any answers that I may come across on my journey for the rest of the travellers in the world of youth ministry to find, hopefully saving us all valuable God-given time.

Ephesians 5:15

 
• Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,

 
• making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Let's go then!

Remember to Remember.

The first time I ever taught or preached to anyone was for a group of college students. one of the great things about that (though I didn't see it as an advantage then) was that I was fresh out of what they were in the middle of in their lives. I thought this was a handicap because I lacked that extra experience that comes from living longer, and true, that would have been helpful. But the most helpful thing about that was I clearly remembered everything about that phase of life. All of it, the questions, the insecurity, the feelings of time closing in, was all still fresh in my mind. This enabled me to, almost naturally address the needs of  the audience, addressing questions, hopes, and dreams that they were in the middle of experiencing.
    With youth, Though I've got a few more year ahead of life-lived insight which is helpful. relating to their needs is a little less natural than it was when I was talking to my peers, one 1 to 3 years younger than myself. That is why it is so important to remember what life was like at 16 years old when prepping to talk.

Always,  remember to remember.

     It helps to think back (as scary as it sounds) and ask: What was I doing my freshman year? Who was I hanging out with? why? How much did I study? why? How did I treat my parents?
If I knew this scripture or this lesson back then how would it have changed the way I dealt with My English teacher? What was her name again? How would it have changed where I sat at lunch? How would it have changed my time at home with the family?
Sometimes, we find that not much has changed. Some of those questions and insecurities are exactly the same ones that adults in the workforce feel. As SuperChick "High School could be a mini-me of the rest of society. There's always a prom queen. there will always be sororities" but also we rediscover questions we hadn't asked in years. Things that now don't seem like a big deal at all. Remember when they were a big deal! That's building common ground.