My Own Little World
It's Your Move
Work Zone and High Way
Set Up: Before the meal set up the LCD projector. After eating show the DV8 clips & slides to start the lesson (11 min).
Announcements: Trunk or Treat & late night next week, Filming Christmas special in 2 weeks at 8pm then the Chicken Noodle Lock-in in two weeks.
After the DV8 portion&ldots;
Money (5min)
If you are living in your own little world and focusing on only yourself, it's hard to see anything else. How can you see only your own needs and maintain or develop a giving nature? What can you do to keep yourself and others from getting caught up in wanting it all?
For the vast majority of you, money will be the most consistently troublesome issue in your life. Whether you have a lot or a little, most of you will struggle with money at some level or another throughout adulthood. Perhaps as much as any other topic, the concepts of stewardship need to be understood by teenagers well before they reach the grown-up years. They need to be learning to apply good stewardship principles to their lives now before all the bills start pouring in.
Of course, being a good steward involves much more than money. God calls us to be wise and responsible with our time, talents, possessions, relationships, jobs, and more. The basic principles of stewardship apply to everything God has given us. As you prepare for "post-childhood," it's critical that you're capable of making the most of everything God will entrust to you.
Break into Journey Groups
Moving In
Work Zone & High Way
Work Zone breaks into smaller groups
Give Freely (5 min)
Have the youth reflect on volunteering/or mission work.
ASK:
- What did you observe during your service?
- Were the people you helped thankful?
- The management and giving of one's money and other resources is generally known as stewardship. Did doing something for nothing affect how you feel about stewardship? Why or why not?
- Do you give freely of your money? of your other resources, such as time and friendship?
- What resources can you give more of?
Moving Up
Work Zone & High Way
Paper Sack Potential (15 min.)
Needed: paper, pens or pencils, paper sacks, other matching items such as empty paper towel or toiler paper tubes, straws, transparent tape, pencils, cotton balls, cotton swabs, gift bows, small toy cars, spoons, empty soda cans
Before the game, fill one paper sack for every four or five people, each with identical items.
Say: Form groups of four or five, and take one of these paper sacks. Each group chooses a secretary to write down all the ideas you come up with. Your group will be discussing the potential uses of common objects. You'll have only a few minutes to come up with as many uses as possible for the items in your sacks. The uses can be obvious (like drinking through a straw) or made-up (like using the straw as a funnel to keep drool off your chin). You may combine the items to create additional ideas, like using the straws as exhaust stacks for the little cars-the sky's the limit! The group with the most uses listed when time is up wins.
When time is up let each group share from it's list of potential uses.
ASK:
- How difficult was it to think of uses for your items? Why?
- What surprised you about some of the ideas people thought of?
- How is creating new uses for ordinary items like being a good steward with the resources God has given us?
- Why do we sometimes fail to use our resources to their full potential?
- How can we become better stewards of what God has given us?
Moving On
Work Zone & High Way
GIVE OR TAKE (10 min.)
Say: Teenagers sometimes totter on the fence between being childish takers and mature, generous givers. Right now is when you can develop an attitude toward giving that will affect you the rest of your lives. What would you do in each of the following situations?
- Your neighbor won't be home on Halloween. She doesn't want to disappoint any kids who come to her house to trick or treat, so she buys a few bags of candy and pours them in a box outside her house. Above the box she places a sign that says, "Please take one!" Will you take one? Or will you scoop out a whole bunch of candies?
- You know that a friend is going to get you a gift for Christmas. She (or he) isn't a super-close friend and you don't have any extra allowance to buy her (or him) a gift. What will you do? Do you think your friend is expecting a present in return? What if you were the friend? How would you respond then?
- It's your birthday and you know you're going to get a present. Your mom (or dad) comes home from work with a small birthday cake-but no gift. She (or he) says that money is tight and that you'll get a present after the next paycheck. How will you respond? How would you feel if you were your mom (or dad)?
- You've been babysitting your little brother a lot after school, before your parents get home from work. They haven't been paying you and you're starting to get mad. Then one night they give you a gift certificate to any store that you want. How do you feel now? Would you continue to baby sit your brother, knowing that you may not get rewarded again?
Moving Out
Work Zone
GAME - Double Bellied Tag (Remaining time)
Choose one or two player(s) to be the runner(s) and one or two player(s) to be the chaser(s). Chasers get a pool noodle nub (4 inches of pool noodle). All other players are to find an unhidden place in the gym and form a group of two. The players lay on their bellies side-by-side with lots of space between them and other Double Bellies. On go, the chaser(s) will try to tag the runner(s) with a noodle nub. The runner(s) will run and try to find a double belly to lie down next to. The player on the opposite side of that group will have to get up and start running from the chaser as a new runner. If the runner is tagged with a noodle nub the chaser drops the nub to switch roles.
Notes:
- Do not lay in an area where someone cannot come and lay readily next to either person in a Double Belly.
- Remain on your belly while you are a Double Belly
- A sponsor may come along an create more runners and chasers from time to time simply by selecting a Double Belly couple and assigning Runner or Chaser to either.
Moving Out
High Way
Giver (15 min)
Say: Complete the following statement in your own words?
"It's said that giving is better than receiving. If I had a choice, I'd rather-"
ASK:
- What is one gift that you'd like to give to someone if you could afford it?
- Who would you give it to and why?
- How easy would it be to afford a gift like this in your lifetime?
- In your opinion, which three of the following are the best ways to be a giver?
Do someone a favor.
Spend time playing with a sibling.
Pray for someone.
Lend a hand.
Tutor someone in school.
Buy something for someone.
Put money in the church offering.
Give money to a charity or other organization.
E-mail or text an encouragement to a friend or classmate.
Spend time with a lonely senior citizen.
Say something kind to someone.
Other-
Say: Being a giving person involves more than giving just material gifts. A giving person gives in all areas of life. Many of the things they give are priceless-such as encouraging friends, volunteering time that could be spent doing something else, and showing love to others.
ASK:
- Is it more easy or difficult to give material gifts or other gifts?
Say: The following quotes are about stewardship, share your ideas:
"A fool and his money are soon parted."-English proverb
"God gave me my money. I believe the power to make money is a gift from God. . . .It is my duty to make money and still more money and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience."-John D. Rockefeller
"Whatever you have, spend less."-Samuel Johnson
"Borrowers are nearly always ill-spenders, and it is with lent money that all evil is mainly done."-John Ruskin
Return to the gym for the closing
Closing
Work Zone & High Way
Gather in the closing circle.
Hand out business cards with the benediction on one side and the following on the other.
Pick someone who is not a close friend and anonymously be his or her secret supporter for a month. Secretly support and encourage whoever you choose by giving small gifts, a note, or even just prayer. How will it feel if you give and don't receive (or vice versa?). Why is it hard to give unconditionally?
Key Scriptures 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Proverbs 27:2, Matthew 6:19-33
Say: If you are living in your own little world and focusing on only yourself, it's hard to see anything else.
ASK:
- What are the benefits of being a giver?
- How are others affected by your generosity?
- How does giving change the person who gives?
- What happens when giving people give too much?
- What happens when the takers take too much?
Prayer
Generous God, thank you for the gifts you have given me - my life, my family, my friends - time, talents and material possessions. All that I have comes from you. Help me to remember this and rejoice in Your goodness.
Help me on my spiritual journey, so that I may constantly renew my relationship with You. Give me the strength and courage to help me as I make stewardship a way of life.
Amen.
Say the UMYF Benediction and turn out in to the world.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Shalom!
Gather for this lesson: DV8 stuff, 4 inches of pool noodles, paper, pens or pencils, paper sacks, other matching items such as empty paper towel or toiler paper tubes, straws, transparent tape, pencils, cotton balls, cotton swabs, gift bows, small toy cars, spoons, empty soda cans, UMYF Benediction business cards
