Use object lessons to form a powerful connection with a spiritual truth.
Sue Skalicky
The baby food jar filled with water from a nearby creek sat on the coffee table in front of me as I discussed with my small group the importance of silence. I shook up the water in the jar while relating the busyness of our lives to the swirling sediment. The water, which had been clear, was now a muddy mess. As we contemplated the cost of not seeing clearly as well as the steps necessary to settle ...
Use a handful of change to evaluate what is important to you.
Sue Skalicky
Group Outreach
Four students delivered four very different speeches at our recent high school graduation. I can only remember one. It was short and it was powerful. The young graduate, Kari, shared advice her dad had imparted to her on a family road trip when she was about ten years old. He had shown her a silver dollar, a fifty-cent piece, a quarter, a dime, a nickel and a penny. He related the components ...
Help group members share about new beginnings that have been important in their lives.
Sue Skalicky
- The plane had reached its cruising altitude, and the stewardess was announcing our drink options when I was suddenly gripped with fear. I was flying to Iowa to present an all-day small group leadership conference by myself for the first time. I was plagued with the thought, "Who do I think I am?"
- I downloaded the 30-page syllabus and began reading.As I perused the curriculum for my first online ...
Lead your group in worship by focusing on the names and character of Jesus.
Tami Rudkin
Leader: Ask your group to speak about what comes to their minds when you mention a certain title. For example: You (leader) say, "Mom," and your group responds in popcorn style saying, "nurture, laughter, compassionate, disciplinarian, etc.
Once you have exhausted one title, move through the list. You will end with Jesus. After the group has shared, have several people help you read the following ...
Lead your group in worship through the story behind a beloved hymn.
Tami Rudkin
Leader:
Read the following and then if possible play the song Tis So Sweet and sing along (be sure everyone has the lyrics). If you can't sing along, read the lyrics.
After singing or reading ask your group to share ways that they are choosing to trust Jesus for something specifically or ways that they have had to choose to trust Him in the past.
After you sense everyone has shared take a minute to give praise to God by praying together. Have people, popcorn style, thank God for taking care of their specific and general needs.
Give your group a chance to find some of them and discuss.
by Sam O'Neal
Purpose: To demonstrate the varied power of words.
Activity: Pass out sections of a newspaper to everyone in your group. Ask each person to read through their section and pick out once sentence that uses words in a powerful way. The sentence could be encouraging, biting, sarcastic, or hopeful—it doesn't matter, as long as the words communicate powerfully.
This is a fun game with that makes a great bridge into meaningful discussion.
by Sam O'Neal
Purpose: To get people thinking about the importance of a foundation.
Activity: Before starting this activity, you'll need to gather a large supply of building materials. These could be actual blocks or Legos, or you could just use pillows and shoes and other items lying around the house. When the members of your group or class arrive, arrange them into separate teams of four to five people.
Learn how to break the vicious cycle of addiction by understanding the roots and facing the tough questions.
Sometimes we're well-aware that we're addicted. Whether we sneak around porn sites, play the horses and lose big, stare at graphic television images, or raid the fridge until we're sick, we hate our actions. We feel shame, repent, make promises to God, and feel cleansed. Then we blow it. Other times we're not sure that a bad habit qualifies as an "addition" – nobody else seems to struggle with ...
I often feel like I'm running in circles. With four daughters, I literally drive circles around our city - either dropping someone off, picking someone up, returning a video, or running to the grocery store. My odometer clicks away the miles as I pass the same familiar landmarks several times in a single day. I also live in several distinct circles. I have my circle of family members, my circle of ...
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