It's My Life Mom!  Mother Day   It's Your Move Work Zone & Highway At 5 min. till start "It's My Life" - BON JOVI. When the song's done, welcome & Introductions See if someone knows what's going on. Parent Meeting, Ribs, Sr Breakfast, Graduation Party, C-Van Schedule   Which Way Are We Moving Work Zone & Highway Begin with a large group Circle of Commitment Say: "It's my life, it's now or never. I ain't gonna live forever. I just want to live while I'm alive." Tonight we are going to talk about really living, about living as Christians. We are going to talk about commitment and how that applies to you as a Christian. What does it mean to commit to God publicly? What does it mean to commit to God privately? And, what does it mean to commit to one another? This is a "Replay" of a lesson we did a while ago with a little bit of a "mom" slant to it this time. Most of you probably have played on a sports team or played a team game where you had a part to play. If you did nothing while trying to play the game what would happen to your team? Now for the mom slant; if your mom did nothing to try and teach you anything what would happen? It's easy to see how this applies to your life, but what's God got to do with it? Well, if you think about it God is always playing on your team, like mom. He never gives up or gets distracted -a mom like trait. He's always there. You should always try to please God by playing on His team everyday as well, by leading a life that portrays you as a Christian. Do the things that will show others that you are living with faith. Let's start with a small group commitment. Do the four chair support trick (Get the pic) upfront. Say: Let's have a little fun with this. Everyone needs to get in a circle shoulder to shoulder. (Wait for everyone to get that way.) Now everyone turn to the left and take a step sideways towards the center of the circle.. Make sure you are directly behind the person in front of you. Now, on the count of three you are going to slowly bend your knees and gently sit on the lap behind you, (Give it a try or two, or eight.) Say: It's kinda hard to do this activity if some one just wants to clown around or they're afraid it's not going to work. But, if we all are committed to each other and hold our position while working together it is possible. Tonight, we are asking you to understand that it's your life, so only you can commit to God and one another. Break into Journey Groups   Moving In  Work Zone Pass "it" on  Needed: A note card with "it" boldly printed on it and a hole in the middle for each team, plastic drinking straws, one for each player How to play: Divide into two teams by having everyone line up by birthday then cut the line in half and spread the two teams out. Each player must put the straw in his or her mouth. On "Go", the first person puts the "it" on their straw. From now on, no one is allowed to use his or her hands. The first person must pass the "it" to the second person's straw that is in their mouth. Once the "it" is successfully passed, the second person must pass the "it" to the third person's straw. Continue until the last person has the "it" on his or her straw. The first team to pass the "it" to all their players wins! If the "it" falls off, the "it" goes to the person who is passing the "it" to the next person. They must try again to pass it without it falling off.   Moving In Highway The Basketball Tryouts  Needed: Handout Say: This is not necessarily a "bible story" but may seem familiar like a modern day version of one. This story teaches a basic Bible truth; living the way God wants you to, even when no one is looking. The message is to live the way God wants you to, because you want to, and because you know it is good for you, instead of doing it just because you were told to! It's your life, take control! This story is about doing what you are asked even while the person who asked you to do it is not around! (Read the story) Making the Team Once there were two guys trying out for the basketball team. The coach said: "In order to make this team, you have to be able to play basket ball. In order to play basketball, you have to do 3 things: 1. Eat healthy foods, so you have energy to play. 2. Exercise, so you make your muscles strong to run and jump. 3. Get lots of sleep, so you are not too tired to play. So the 2 guys went home that night, thinking about what the coach said. The next practice wasn't until next week. The first guy did what the coach said. He ate carrots, and apples, and drank orange juice. Every morning when he got up, he went jogging, did sit ups, & push-ups. He made sure that he went to bed by 10:00, so he wouldn't be too tired. The second guy thought, "the coach doesn't live with me, he can't see what I do everyday! I'll just do those things next week, at the practice." So instead of being good, and doing what the coach said, he ate chips, and cookies and drank pop. All day long, he sat on the couch watching TV. He stayed up until 5:00 in the morning, watching movies. One week later, it was time for the basketball tryouts. The coach said: Everyone run around the gym 5 times to warm up. The two guys started running. The first guy was running fast. The second guy started to run, but pretty soon, he got slower, and slower, and slower. Then the coach said: Everyone do a lay up, and see who can reach the rim. The first guy ran, and jumped for the hoop. He could jump really high. The second guy started to run, but when he tried to jump, he could only jump a little bit, because he was just a bit out of shape. The practice went on for a while, doing drills, and shooting at the hoop. After 1 hour, the first guy was starting to have a lot of fun. The second guy, was sweating so much, and was so tired, that he had to go sit on the bench. Soon the coach called the guys together to pick the team. He saw that the second guy seemed to be having some trouble. The coach asked, "What kinds of foods did you eat this week?" The second guy responded, "I ate well and I only had a few chips, cookies, and pop." "Did you get lots of exercise like I asked?" "Well, I did push ups" trailing of softly, "with my thumb on the remote control." "Did you get lots of sleep?" "I got at least 5 hours a night, that's about an hour more than usual." Say: It is important to do good things when people are watching and when they are not. God wants you to commit to live a certain way because it's good for you! It will help you stay out of a lot of trouble! ASK:    "What makes a person willing to follow - to commit - to someone else?    "Why does making and keeping a commitment in life require us to give up some of our freedom?    "How do we define discipleship?    "What is the cost of discipleship?    Moving On Work Zone The Basketball Tryouts  Needed: Handout Say: This is not necessarily a "bible story" but may seem familiar like a modern day version of one. This story teaches a basic Bible truth; living the way God wants you to, even when no one is looking. The message is to live the way God wants you to, because you want to, and because you know it is good for you, instead of doing it just because you were told to! It's your Life Take control. This story is about doing what you are asked, even while the person who asked you to do it is not around! (Read the story) Making the Team Once there were two guys trying out for the basketball team. The coach said: "In order to make this team, you have to be able to play basket ball. In order to play basketball, you have to do 3 things: 1. Eat healthy foods, so you have energy to play. 2. Exercise, so you make your muscles strong to run and jump. 3. Get lots of sleep, so you are not too tired to play. So the 2 guys went home that night, thinking about what the coach said. The next practice wasn't until next week. The first guy did what the coach said. He ate carrots, and apples, and drank orange juice. Every morning when he got up, he went jogging, did sit ups, & push-ups. He made sure that he went to bed by 10:00, so he wouldn't be too tired. The second guy thought, "the coach doesn't live with me, he can't see what I do everyday! I'll just do those things next week, at the practice." So instead of being good, and doing what the coach said, he ate chips, and cookies and drank pop. All day long, he sat on the couch watching TV. He stayed up until 5:00 in the morning, watching movies. One week later, it was time for the basketball tryouts. The coach said: Everyone run around the gym 5 times to warm up. The two guys started running. The first guy was running fast. The second guy started to run, but pretty soon, he got slower, and slower, and slower. Then the coach said: Everyone do a lay up, and see who can reach the rim. The first guy ran, and jumped for the hoop. He could jump really high. The second guy started to run, but when he tried to jump, he could only jump a little bit, because he was just a bit out of shape. The practice went on for a while, doing drills, and shooting at the hoop. After 1 hour, the first guy was starting to have a lot of fun. The second guy, was sweating so much, and was so tired, that he had to go sit on the bench. Soon the coach called the guys together to pick the team. He saw that the second guy seemed to be having some trouble. The coach asked, "What kinds of foods did you eat this week?" The second guy responded, "I ate well and I only had a few chips, cookies, and pop." "Did you get lots of exercise like I asked?" "Well, I did push ups" trailing of softly, "with my thumb on the remote control." "Did you get lots of sleep?" "I got at least 5 hours a night, that's about an hour more than usual." Say: It is important to do good things when people are watching and when they are not. God wants you to commit to live a certain way because it's good for you! It will help you stay out of a lot of trouble! ASK:    "What makes a person willing to follow - to commit - to someone else?    "Why does making and keeping a commitment in life require us to give up some of our freedom?    "How do we define discipleship?    "What is the cost of discipleship?    Moving On Highway Noah's Commitment Say: Who can tell the story of Noah's Ark? (Let some one give it a try) ASK:    "What are the main points of this story? Be sure to include these points which they are probably going to leave out:    Noah was 500 years old when he is first mentioned in the story.     He lived in a corrupt age and God wanted to destroy all people because he was disgusted in his creation.    In mist of all evil and darkness, Noah shined out in righteousness.    Noah was given a strange and seemingly impossible job.    The greatness of this task, 100 years of work and faith, is difficult for us to appreciate.    Noah remained faithful even when he was the laughing stock of town. People thought he had gone mad.    Noah couldn't see the reward but stayed committed and did what God commanded. ASK:     "How are these last points like the way your mother tries to teach you about life?    "If you were Noah back then, could you do what he did?     "Would you have given up or fallen to the peer pressure of everyone else? How about today?    "If God called you to something great yet seemed almost impossible, could you do it?    "What do you think one thing God is calling you to do today?   Moving Up Work Zone & Highway Commit - even when no one is watching Say: Live your life full of commitment to Christ and you will always be certain of a reward. Live your life as if your mom was watching and you'll probably be pretty close to a Christian lifestyle. The difficult part would seem to be a lack of immediate gratification. "What's in it for me?" "Why should I?" "It's my life, I'll take my chances." For some of you, if mom says, "you should" you'll most likely do the opposite. One thing that can help you out during difficult times as well as in everyday life is prayer. Prayer is important in your life because a lot of the time it happens when no one else is looking. Your prayers even though sometimes private defiantly show your commitment to God. God talks to us through his written Word, which the Holy Spirit takes and applies to us and enables us to understand. The way we can communicate back with God is through prayer, prayer about Him, ourselves, and other people. ASK:    "Does prayer actually change things? (Let them ponder)    "What does "Ask and ye shall receive" mean? Can I ask for whatever I please? What are the conditions to getting what I prayer for? (Open ended, discuss)    "Does God really speak to us, and if so, how does He communicate to us? (See if they were listening to what you said earlier, "God talks to us through his written Word". Maybe other ways?)    "Does it make a difference if I pray five minutes a day or fifty minutes or five hours, and does it make a difference if one person prays, or fifty, or five hundred? (No specific answer, lots of possibilities.)   Moving Out Work Zone & High Way Commit to Love Read: John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Say: Sooner or later, a friend because of confused priorities, or selfish interests may cause you pain. You may not think of how you handle pain in your friendships as having anything to do with God. But, if we are following Christ's teachings we must love each other no matter what the circumstances. Now, we understand that nobody is the perfect, ideal friend. That's one thing about being human. But everyone can work on strengthening friendships and committing to each other in the same way that we commit to our own Christianity; determined, unwavering and loyal. Friendship is a gift-to be received and to be given. To be maintained and worked on. Below are some situations that happen between friends. Which three would bother you the most? Your friend-    -Tells everyone your most embarrassing secret    -Makes a move on your girlfriend or boyfriend    -Gets into trouble-and blames you    -Asks you to help cheat at school    -Cusses you out for no reason    -Makes the team or club-and you don't    -Dumps you for a new set of friends    -Lies to you    -Steals from your locker    -Gets involved with drugs, but doesn't tell you    -Won't admit having borrowed something of yours    -Gets you in trouble with your mom or dad Discuss the results. ASK:    "What's the worst pain you've ever experienced? A broken arm or leg? A deep cut?    "Do you think that the pain of a heart broken by the betrayal of a friend is one of the worst wounds of all?    "Are you on the giving or the receiving side of your friendships?    "How committed to your friends would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 fingers (1 being "committed- What's that?" and 10 being "I'm like glue, man, I'm committed")?    "What can you do to improve your friendships and your loyalty?    "How can you deal with the cuts from a friend's betrayal?    "How can God help you to be better friends?   Come back together in The Family Life Center    Closing Work Zone & High Way The Leader Closes: Gather in a circle. Sum up the lesson Say: Christianity is more than a place or a series of activities. True Christianity should be a committed lifestyle. As you get older you may not always reflected this truth. You may not always be interested in spiritual things. As a result, your life will not be one that an impartial observer will be deeply impressed with. You may never be involved in any of the behaviors that we think of as bad, but neither may you be involved in spiritual activities that will be beneficial to you and your friends. In summary - Don't blow it. Do what mom wants you to do. As Christians you must take advantage of every opportunity that arises to show our faith. Live a life of commitment, forgiveness and faith. Make mom proud. It's your life - commit to God publicly, commit to God privately, commit to one another. Close in Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we want to be fully committed to you. Thank you for your unconditional love as we struggle with loving others unconditionally. Thank you for our mothers and their watchful eye and help us to honor them in all that we do. Grant us the strength to show others that we are committed Christians by our actions; bond us together as friends in the months to come. Bless us in your service. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Sing Sanctuary UMYF Benediction  NEEDED: Baseball Story, straws, "It" loop, "It's My Life" - BON JOVI and a way to play it.