Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry Teaching Tips    For more teaching tips go to http://www.teenlifeministries.com/thezone. You can pick up "Amazing Teaching" in the Zone as well.   Never teach a half-prepared lesson. It's not fair to the teens, God or yourself to go into a teaching situation unprepared. Some people are really good at pulling a thought out of their heads and making a great lesson out of it. However, most are not and should not try to be. That doesn't mean you are not a good teacher it simply means you have to prepare more. We've all seen really creative people come up with great lessons and great illustrations. However, they may not be the best presenters. We've seen those who are great presenters but are not very creative at coming up with lesson ideas. Bottom line, let's do the very best we can with the teaching gifts God has given us.   Verse on preparation: "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3   Ask God to give you the tools you need to become a great teacher. Ask Him for patience and the understanding of what you study.   What are you doing each day to prepare your next lesson? Do you wait until Saturday night to prepare? Read over your lesson for next Sunday on Monday. You will be surprised at how many ideas you will come up with during the week.   Bonus: Ask a person in their 70's or 80's to come in and talk to your teens. Encourage them to tell what they had to struggle with as a teen. Encourage your class to ask questions about the peer pressures they faced 40 or 50 years ago. Be creative and make this a great event.   Your Partners in Youth Ministry, Paul & Al   Sign up for The Zone!  http://tinyurl.com/223da4   For Members Only: We now have 70  discussion sheets for use in small group.   P.S. Pass this issue of the Youth Ministry MAXimizer along to 3 youth ministry friends.   P.S.S. For previous issues: http://tinyurl.com/3724k8     This Week's Updates for Zone Members Members: Login to your account for access to this week's updates.   New Lesson series on Prayer. Lesson 6... http://tinyurl.com/2z8btu   Tragedy in Our Youth Group (Oct 19, 2007 at 3:31 AM) - This morning between 3:30 and 4:00am the phones of our church members began ringing off the hooks. Not long after that, my phone rang and it was one of our high school coaches telling me that the mother of one of our sophomore boys was killed in a house fire. Let's Get Practical (Oct 17, 2007 at 4:00 AM) - Today's D2 is one that is so practical that you might think I don't even need to deal with this. Just hang with us, it may be practical and seem elementary but the areas we will cover are areas that are needed in all youth ministries. Quiet Time- "Stand" (Oct 12, 2007 at 1:01 PM) - During the season premier of "Survivor-China" each of the game contestants were taken to a Buddhist Temple to participate in a cultural ceremony to welcome them to China.  Before the ceremony they were assured that this was not a worship service and it wasn't intended to conflict with anyone's religious beliefs.  However, once inside the temple they were surrounded by statues of Buddha and parts of the ceremony required bowing down in front of this Chinese god as a way to show respect.  One of the contestants was an outspoken   Praise Preceding Deliverance (Oct 10, 2007 at 3:20 AM) - As I read through the Old Testament, sometimes I am stunned by the Israelites' lack of faith in trusting a God who delivered them time and time again. Resource Highlight   Not a Member of The Zone? Get the details here     Did you receive this email as a forward? Sign up for this free newsletter at:   http://tinyurl.com/2bojj9

Youth Ministry - Developing Friendships

Developing Friendships Youth Ministry Sudden Impact   Developing Friendships from the "Sudden Impact" section of The Youth Ministry Zone. These are copy and paste devotionals you can email to your teens or handout. For details go to http://www.teenlifeministries.com/thezone There are 49 Sudden Impact available.   When I was in the sixth grade I started a new school. I sat across the isle from a guy who was about twice my size. He was a little over six feet tall and had the biggest arms I had ever seen. He was intimidating just to look at. You would think that at any time he could chew you up and spit you out. As the weeks went by we became close friends. I soon learned that not only did he have a big body but he had an even larger heart. All the way through jr. and sr. high school we were the best of friends. If I was not at his house, he was at mine. One thing I soon learned about this friendship was that it was not just a surface type friendship. It was the kind of friendship that if I needed help at the spur of the moment, he was there. There were times when I wanted us to do something mischievous or get into something that I shouldn't and he would stop me. There were times when I would say something about someone and he would correct me. I soon learned that only a true friend would try to make me a better person. Proverbs 28:23 says, "Those who correct others will later be liked more than those who give false praise." 1. How do your friends help you in your walk with God? 2. How do you help your friends with their walk with God? 3. How do you determine whether a person is a good friend? 4. How do you choose your friends? Proverbs 13:20 "Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer." Proverbs 14:7 "Stay away from fools because they can't teach you anything." I Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be fooled: Bad friends will ruin good habits." John 14:18 "I will not leave you alone like orphans; I will come back for you." John 15:12-14 "This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you. The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you." Today pray that God will give you the strength and wisdom to choose the right friends. Pray that He will put people in your life that will help you get to heaven and also someone you can help get to heaven.   Your Partners in Youth Ministry, Paul & Al   Sign up for The Zone!  http://tinyurl.com/223da4   For Members Only: We now have 70  discussion sheets for use in small group.   P.S. Pass this issue of the Youth Ministry MAXimizer along to 3 youth ministry friends.   P.S.S. For previous issues: http://tinyurl.com/3724k8     This Week's Updates for Zone Members Members: Login to your account for access to this week's updates.   New Lesson series on Prayer. Lesson 4... http://tinyurl.com/2z8btu   Praise Preceding Deliverance (Oct 10, 2007 at 3:20 AM) - As I read through the Old Testament, sometimes I am stunned by the Israelites' lack of faith in trusting a God who delivered them time and time again. Rake and Run for Fun (Oct 5, 2007 at 3:24 AM) - This outreach idea is as old as the trees in your grandma's yard. However, some ideas are worth keeping around for a while. The leaves are beginning to fall and that could mean fun times for youth groups.   Growing up Without Selling Out : The Professionalization of Youth Ministry (Sep 28, 2007 at 2:33 PM) - My brother and his wife spend most of their waking hours thinking about drag racing. Their whole lives revolve around race cars: they build them, race them, rebuild them, and race them again. Identity (Sep 26, 2007 at 2:15 AM) - Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? Perhaps you've been told that you remind someone of their close friend- that you have an uncanny resemblance. Resource Highlight   Not a Member of The Zone? Get the details here     Did you receive this email as a forward? Sign up for this free newsletter at:   http://tinyurl.com/2bojj9