Memorial Day Party - After Party Notes

Hi Everyone,

We had a good time at the Youth Group Memorial Day Party last Sunday.  A huge, huge, HUGE THANK YOU to Walt and Val Cromwell for sacrificing their Memorial Day Sunday Evening to come spend with us at the Youth Group.  Also, another Thank You for the continued support from the Church by allowing us to hold the party at the Church building.

If you were not able to make it to the party, cheer up!  We are planning another one in about two months.  Here are my notes on the party.

The Good:

• Three rounds of Marshmallow War.  (It's a game that we played at the previous Youth Group Party.)
• Lots of rounds of Tiger Tail.  (Also a game.)
• One round of TP Toss.  (An activity that is just plain silly.)
• Successfully hooked up the Wii to the projection screen.  (Always a good time.)
• New people showed up.
• Lots of food
• No one got hurt.  

Areas of Improvement:

• Lots of food, but not enough drink variety.  I will have to get more drink variety for next time, especially since we are in the Summer season.  
• Next time, I will not bring any full length movies.  I might bring shorter-length features, but that's questionable.  I am thinking The Red Green Show, or some 1940's and 1950's slap stick stuff.
• Holding a party on Memorial Day Weekend was something I was wrestling with right from the get go.  I knew some families would be out of town, and therefore unable to attend.  Still, I wanted to do something for those of us who were not leaving the immediate area.  This one might be an area that cannot be improved...

Additional Thoughts:

• I did not teach a lesson.  It is my philosophy that parties are meant to be parties.  The Wednesday Night meetings are the lesson nights.  
• I am happy that new people come to the Youth Group Parties to hang out.  It is my hope that any new kids will make friends at the parties, and then be encouraged to come to the Wednesday Night meetings.  The Wednesday night meetings are almost as fun as the Youth Group Parties.  (Then again, I teach them, so I might be biased...)  

I am breaking routine, and I am coming to Youth Group tomorrow night.  I will be posting my Lesson Preview sometime soon.  (I am hoping to get it typed up during lunch, so it might be up real soon.)

-Michael

"Hey Jarvis, ever hear of Jonah?"

- Iron Man (aka Tony Stark) right before he flew into the mouth of a giant flying whale-serpent-thing in The Avengers

Wednesday Night Preview!

Hi All,

Here is a snippet of what I'm going to talk about tonight at Youth Group.  I am planning on this topic, unless the Lord places something else on my heart between now and then.

(Tonight's Preview)

I heard a comment on 90.5FM the other day.  I have been thinking on it.  The more I think on it, the more I think it's true.  The comment went something like this:

As long as human beings have any level of belief that the pleasures and ways of this world can satisfy them, humans will follow those beliefs, even when conventional wisdom says those actions will be detrimental and possibly self-destructing.  Only through trials and hardships are we reminded that the world does not care about us.  It is of little surprise then, that our Heavenly Father allows trials and hardships to enter into our lives.

That isn't a direct quote.  I don't remember who said it or when I heard it, but the thought has stayed with me.

(End Preview)

I pray that everyone who wishes to attend is able to make it, along with anyone that the Lord wishes to be there.  See you tonight!

-Michael

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."
James 4:8a

Upcoming Topics!

My how time flies!  The end of the school year is approaching. Summer is quickly coming upon us.  Warm weather is right around the corner.

To top off the list, there are a lot of things in the works for the Youth Group.  I have some guest speakers preparing to speak to the Youth group.  We are planning a few "Park Days" for the Youth group to meet in a local park instead of at the Church.  The Memorial Day Weekend Party is coming up in a little more than a week.  It's an exciting time.

I apologize for not updating the blog earlier this week.  I was in training at work all day, and my normal blogging time was turned into "Working Lunch" time.  But, anyway, I am back, and ready to continue.

The planned topic for the next Youth Group Meeting is "What Happens when You Accept Christ into Your Heart?"  I will be leading this topic, and I will be discussing what happened to my life when I fully accepted Christ into my heart.  This will be a story/adventure of how I became a Christian, and I'll discuss some of the pitfalls today's Youth can (prayerfully) avoid.

So, stay tuned to the blog, or better yet, come to Youth Group and hear about everything first hand.

-Michael

Two Updates in One Day!

Hi Everyone,

I changed up the Blog Template.  I was tired of the Flash Version (Or at least I think it was flash.)  Anyway, it wasn't showing up correctly on some mobile devices, so I changed it to a mobile device-friendly layout.  I also added a spot for you to enter your e-mail to get updates when the blog is updated.  I'm planning on doing an update sometime early next week, so check back soon.  

Have a good weekend everyone.  Don't forget, Mother's Day is this weekend.  If nothing else, call Mom and Grandma, and let them know you care.

Best regards,
- Michael

"Honk if you love Jesus.  Text while driving if you want to meet him."
- as seen on a Church Outdoor Bulletin Board

Youth Group Meeting Notes for 5/9/2012

Hi Everyone,

I just added May's Verse of the Month to the Verse of the Month section.  I also updated the Events section.  If anyone has an upcoming Church Event that you want announced on here, please let me know.  

Last night at Youth Group, we had a good discussion as we were in Genesis 1: 1-5 and John 1:1-5.  We were talking about creation, and how the first five verses of John 1: 1-5 is a brief summary of all of Genesis 1.  We discussed how in the beginning, God is.  The word "is" is important, because it is a present tense of the word.

Within our perspective, we have past, present, and future.  But God only have is.  The same God of Moses is now, just as he is then.  God is the great I Am.  (As a bit of grammar trivia, "I Am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language, using only four spaces and three letters.)

Then we got side tracked, and we found ourselves in Ephesians, Revelation, and Job.    

One of the things I asked the Youth to do before they left, was to write out a few questions that they have.  It was an intentionally open activity to get them thinking.  There were some silly questions, and some serious ones.  

- Why do people bully?

- Why are chalkboards black?

- Why did someone just walk into the room?

The Youth Group does have homework.  The Youth are encouraged to think of questions they want to ask the Youth Group Leaders.  I'm hoping this promotes open communication among us.

Best regards,

Michael

Youth Group Game: Tiger Tail

Hi Everyone,

Last week, we played a new game called "Tiger Tail".  The game, "Underground Church" was becoming a little reckless, so we needed a new game that would allow us to run around and be crazy.  After two weeks of development, Tiger Tail was born.  Here are the rules:

Name: Tiger Tail

People Needed: 6 or more, with 1 Youth Group Leader Leader/Adult

Equipment: 2 bandanas or strips of cloth; One large room with easy access to the light switch.

Duration: 5 – 6 minutes per game

Background Story:  There is a high bounty for Tiger Tails.  A group of Hunters have hired a Medic, and they are out on a Tiger Tail hunt.  The only things stopping the Hunters are the Game Warden, and the wits and speed of the Tiger. 

Set Up:  Designate one person to be the Tiger.  Have them stick one of the bandanas in their back pocket, so that it sticks out like a Tail.  Designate one person to be the Medic.  Tie their bandana around their bicep or forearm (arm).  The rest of the Youth are Hunters.  The Youth Group Leader/Adult is the Game Warden/Time Keeper.  

Start Up:  The Game Warden/Time Keeper turns the lights off and on every two minutes.  When the lights are off, that is Night Time.  When the lights are on, that is Day Time.  The game starts at Night Time.  The Hunters and Medic leave the room while the Tiger finds a place to hide.  When the Tiger is ready, the Hunters and Medic are brought back in, and the game begins. 

Hunter Rules:  Hunters can get the Tiger Tail at any time.  The Hunters win when a Hunter gets the Tiger Tale without the Game Warden seeing.  If the Tiger tags you at night, you need to wait for the Medic to revive you.  A tagged Hunter sits down immediately and cannot call for help.  A revived Hunter waits until the start of the next phase to come back into the game.  (Night to Day or Day to Night.) Hunters are allowed to screen the Game Warden to block his view.  Hunters do not need to worry about the Game Warden at Night.

Medic Rules:  Medics cannot get tagged by the Tiger.  Medics cannot get the Tiger Tail.  Medics must always walk.  (You’re carrying a lot of medical supplies.)  Medics revive tagged Hunters by tagging them.  Medics can revive Hunters at Night or Day.

Tiger Rules:  Tigers can lose their tails at any time.  The Tiger wins if he tags all Hunters in one night, or if he still has his tail at the end of the game.  The Tiger can only tag Hunters at Night.  The Tiger can touch the Hunters during the day, but the Hunter continues as normal.  The Tiger can try to use speed or ambush tactics to tag the Hunters during the Night.  The Tiger is not protected by the watchful eye of the Game Warden at Night.  

Game Warden Rules: The Game Warden can walk around or sit in one spot.  During the Day Time, if the Warden sees a Hunter get a Tiger Tail, the Hunter must return the Tiger Tail, and the game continues.  (The Tiger still has his tail.)  The Game Warden is not a factor at night.  The Game Warden can be screened by Hunters during the day.  The Game Warden cannot be tagged by the Tiger.

Additional Notes:
- The Game Warden/Time Keeper can give a ten second count down before switching from Day to Night and Night to Day.  (This makes for some really frantic last second chases.)
- Always have some sort of dim lighting in the room, so that the Youth aren't crashing into each other.
- If you have enough Youth, you could have multiple Tigers.  At that point, a second Game Warden becomes a "Medic" for the Tigers.
- While there is nothing stopping a Tiger from standing in front of a Game Warden during the day, the Hunters will constantly be trying to screen the Game Warden.  Plus, the Tiger needs to be careful when night time rolls around...