Archive for Youth
Moodify with the teens
Posted by: | CommentsThis last week we had one of the best times in our fusion group in a long time. I found a resource called moodify on the embody website. The resource is described as this:
MOODIFY is a portmanteau (a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings) combining the word mood with modify
In the series there are 7 small activities that challenge how you see the mood you are in. That your mood isn’t all who you are. That there are surface moods and deeper feelings. One makes you look at where the mood you are in comes from and asks the question what will be the consequence of the mood and is this all I am?
This led to conversations about who we are and who God made us to be and that moods don’t make us the people we are.
Here are the links to the different Moodify’s that we looked at in the order that made sense:
Moodify 1
Moodify 2
Moodify 5
Moodify 4
Moodify 7
There are 2 others that didn’t fit to the session but are equally as good.
The real encourager was how it had an effect days after. Just ask some of the older teens what they thought and perhaps give it a go yourself.
Westbrook Ho!
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s today that i am off to the Isle of wight with Colchester and Ramsey Crusaders youth groups. I have been asked to run the worship and teaching sessions for their young people. My understanding is that there will be around 45 -50 of them.
When i last was away with them for a weekend, close to 5 years ago now, i was a very differnt person. My time in RCC has given me a completly new skill set. Especially in the area of children’s worship and i’m really looking forward to bring that to the mix this weekend.
One thing that i am looking forward to is to see some of the young people that i met there 5 years ago and seeing how they have moved on.
If Westbrook has wireless then i am going to keep you up to date with all that i am doing. If not then i will be twittering my time there. If you also use twitter then follow me
St. Bartz 2008
Posted by: | CommentsWell it is a real shame to have to tell you but St. Bartz will not be going ahead this year. For various reasons we have not managed to get the required numbers for the trip. St Bartz requires a minimum of 12 young people and out of a possible 18 only 9 are available. A lot of this has to do with family holidays or as our teens are hitting the latter stages of their teen life, many have jobs.
But we are not going to let this get us down. NO! We are off for a day’s hike along the seawall from rochford out to Pagglesham. Then back to Liz and Geoff’s for a BBQ and sleep over. Then all to church together the next day.
It is a real shame that St. Bartz is not happening, however, we are making what does happen a positive time for those who are available.
Creative Prayer with the teens at St. Bartz 2007
Posted by: | CommentsAs i start to prepare our Youth retreat trip to St. Bartz this year I started to think back to last years experience which was such an amazing time. One of the highlights for me was during the middle evening when we provided space for the teens to pray. Now i don’t know about you but the experience of getting teens to sitting in a group and pray out loud has not been a good one. Which is why using creative ways works so well. This was the case last year when to their astonishment the young people prayed for well over 45 min. How did they do this, and stay in relative peace. We put on some very chilled music and made 4 different stations for them to approach in their own time:
Station 1:
At this station, thought of an aspect of God’s character that they want to praise him for – for example, loving, forgiving, just. As they prayed, they cut out letters from the headlines to create that word and stick it onto the sheet.
Station 2:
At this station, the young people wrote the things that they want to thank God for on strips of paper, and then make them into paper chains. Creating a chain of thanks.
Station 3:
We wrote Dear God… in large letters. Put post it notes and white board markers nearby. At this station, the young people thought of something they wanted to ask God. They then wrote a word (or even whole prayers) or drew a symbol to represent that thing
Station 4:
At this station, the young people had tie to sit and think about things that they need to confess to God, (this happened in a small prayer room off the main meeting room), writing them in chalks on the boards as they prayed. Then once they had prayed, they wiped the slate clean with the cloth as a way of receiving God’s forgiveness.
This material was taken from Energize, a fantastic resource.
I can only hope that i can provide something similar this year.
Creative Prayer – The Lords Prayer 4
Posted by: | CommentsThis is the last in the series of re writings of the Lord’s Prayer.
Lord,
You will always be my God, and I pray that every one will turn to you and then you will be happy, and whatever plan you have for us will work out.
Let the world become like heaven.
Give us the strength and everything we need each day.
Forgive me for what I have done wrong and I’ll try to forgive those who are nasty to me.
I ask you to push the devil away and not let him touch me, or put pictures in my head.
Creative Prayer – The Lords Prayer 3
Posted by: | CommentsAnd on we go… This is the third in our mini series of Re workings of the Lords Prayer.
Our Father in Heaven,
May Your name mean “perfect” and be the perfect example.
Let the earth be filtered to purity so that Your kingdom will once again be perfect.
Provide us with what is necessary so that we are not exposed to greed,
Only forgive us when we are prepared to forgive others.
Veer us from all sin and demons.
Amen.
Creative Prayer – The Lord’s Prayer 2
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing on in our short series of the Lords Prayer this is the version that Jess wrote. During the evening we looked at the Lord’s Prayer verse by verse and almost word by word, to try and understand it’s meaning. In no way are we pretending to have fully understand everything about it but these versions did help us to get to grips with how it can be relevant in our lives.
They became more personal prayers then just our own direct translation.
Dear God,
You will always be my father and I always glorify Your name; and to me Your name will always be holy.
May all the people in the world hear your word and follow your example, so heaven would be a place on earth.
Give us things and wisdom that we need to follow You,
Help us learn to forgive other peoples wrong doings,
Because then you forgive us and keep us away from the bad things that Satan tempts us with; to make our relationship crumble.
Creative Prayer – The Lord’s Prayer 1
Posted by: | CommentsA little while ago we looked at the Lord’s prayer with the teens. Their task was to take the prayer and rewrite it in their own words. This is the first of those from Sam:
Lord may Your name always be Holy
You live in Heaven where we will meet You in Your kingdom, where we’re meant to be.
Do what’s best for us,
let the good from Heaven be here on earth.
Give us our basic needs so we can survive and do Your will.
Forgive us what we forgive others,
And support us through our constant battle with Satan; don’t let him get his way!
It was a real blessing to have the Lords prayer come alive in their own words. More to follow soon…
Creative Prayer with the teens
Posted by: | CommentsHad amazing fun this morning praying with the teens. We had what probably turned out to be close to 40 mins worth of creative prayer. We started here with this load of material:
Then the results were like this:
Gods love for us.
Speaks for itself 
Gods Gifts
We had no idea what was going to be created or where we were going with it but this was a time of prayer that really had some meaning.
Hope to be found
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Hope to be found Originally uploaded by rochfordcc
Last night we had the younger teens group around looking at hope and hopelessness in the world. Going though the papers it was easy to find articles about hopelessness and not so easy to find things about hope.
Their conclusion was that hope doesn’t sell papers. Well nothing new here you may think. However, on closer inspection and with the Bible as guide and ‘The Count of Monte Christo’ film as reference point we found hope in many of the situations.
Isaiah 40:28–3128
Do you not know?Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORDwill renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.
In the film Edmund Dantes circumstances don’t change while he is in prison– he was still there long-term; but what does change was having a friend (a fellow prisoner) and a focus (escape). Our circumstances may not change but God is there with us. That hope gives us a focus and the strength to persevere. This is what we discovered this week.
