Hanging out at Teen Night
From left: Amber, Valeria, Brittany, Bonnie, and MVS member Heidi at the House of Teens in San Antonio, Texas Vol. 2, No. 4 — July 2008 “Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! Salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage, and holiness. It tests us for all we are worth. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy and excellent life of a disciple of Jesus in the realities of life. And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence.” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest) Activity: Comfort with personal disclosure Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to help participants assess how they respond to the opportunity for taking a personal risk and making themselves vulnerable in front of others. When put on the spot, will they tend to play it safe or challenge themselves? It allows for a good reflection about how group pressure affects personal decisions. The group’s response and results from the risk activity can be an indication of how we might respond and benefit or suffer from stepping out of our comfort zones for the glory of God. How does this apply to daily interactions and life decisions? Modifications if needed: This activity can be modified as desired to appropriately fit the group. If you have a group that you really want to push to step out of their comfort zones, or a group that is more willing to participate in such activities, you may want to include, and even add to, the more challenging questions. If it is a group that may be turned off by too much discomfort, it may be beneficial to reduce the highest-risk questions and be aware of the way that the follow-up questions are addressed. Preparation: Follow this link to the list of questions. (insert link to questions here) There are three levels - high, medium and low. Cut apart the questions in strips and fold the pieces of paper. Place questions in three separate containers: one including all high-, one with all medium-, and one with all low-risk questions. Activity instructions: Sit in a circle as a group and describe the activity. Instruct everyone that they are completely free to choose the risk level they desire. After drawing a question, they must read it out loud to the group. On each turn the individual is free to exchange their question for another one, but they are then required to answer that second question. Before beginning, read a question or two from each level to help participants know what to expect. Begin by going around the circle taking turns at questions. Leaders are encouraged to participate as well. Go around the circle as many times as desired and as time permits. It is beneficial to debrief after each round if desired, and make note of the confidence level as the activity progresses. Activity sample questions Follow-up questions:
Looking to the Bible, verses to read and respond to: Matthew 7:13-14: (13) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (14) But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life. Philippians 2:3-5: (3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (4) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (5) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. 1 John 3:16-18: (16) This is how we know what love is: Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (17) If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (18) Dear children, let us not love with words and tongue, but with actions and in truth. Continued dialogue: How might following these instructions found in the Bible push us out of our comfort zones? Talk as a group about good personal challenges that glorify God, and bad risks that can harm us and others. How does peer-pressure affect both of these? What are actions we can take outside of our comfort zones to honor God in our daily lives? When making big decisions? God’s assurance: Whatever decision we make, if done to glorify God, will lead to something positive, even if it is not what we expected. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Jill Schmidt is a recruiter for Mennonite Mission Network’s Christian Service programs. Jill is from Kansas and graduated from Bethel College, North Newton, KS with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Following college Jill participated in Mennonite Voluntary Service in Americus, GA. Contact Jill at JillS@mennonitemission.net for more information about service opportunities. |
