Last night at youth group we touched on the topic of evil in the world. It was a timely topic because of the recent bombing in Boston and it fit in well with the verse that our high school senior had picked out as well: James 1:2-8.
We began the evening with normal ice breakers and Joys and Concerns, followed by a few group games. We moved to the fellowship hall, stood in a circle and played "My name is ________ and I pass the ball like this..." It's a simple name game but given the variety of kids each week, it's a good reminder of all of our kids' names. Next we tried to play Go Tag... but it flopped badly! it's supposed to be a game of tag where everyone squats in a row, each person facing an opposite direction. As the runner is being chased, the tagger is supposed to be able to tap the shoulder of anyone in the line and take their spot, making a new tagger. But it just didn't work with our kids. We probably had too many students (our numbers were around 40) and the game didn't make sense. We'll try again if we have a smaller group.
Recognizing the flop, we quickly changed games. I told everyone to find a partner and elbow up. Then we played elbow tag and I pumped in some music. hilarious fun. lots of energy, it's a simple and intuitive game and totally redeemed my failed Go Tag.
When we returned to the youth room I introduced our senior, read a short Bible passage and let him speak. He was very good. He told the story of his life in kind of a mediocre faith until a mission trip to Arkansas helped him connect and make church his own. among my favorite quotes: "you don't always notice God unless your looking for him" and "I used to think that religion was all hell, fire and brimstone, but it's really all about you. If you want to connect with God, you can!"
Small groups wrestled with some questions about James 1 and about why bad things happen to us.
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