Trust Opening Game: Feeding Frenzie (this is messy, best done outdoors) Materials eeded: Large plastic garbage bags (with a hole cut out at the end for their head), cheap swim goggles (enough for half the class), small jars of baby food and spoons (enough for half the class), a couple buckets of water, and rags. Tell the kids to get into pairs. Have one of the partners put on a plastic garbage bag (you will need to cut out holes for their head beforehand). Give the other partner a jar of baby food and a plastic spoon. Have the players lay on their backs, head-to-head. One player is to spoon the baby food over their head and into their partner s mouth. Most of the time they ll miss, so you may want the receiving partner to wear a pair of goggles (you can get them cheap at a dollar store). The partner doing the spooning is not allowed to turn or look back. This is a wonderful test of trusting your friend! Use the buckets of water and rags for clean up you ll need them! Monty Eastman
Intro: You have to really trust someone to let them feed you baby food upside down, don t you? Some of you may have lost your friend s trust after that game! What a mess! Trust is today s character trait. Who we put our trust in can make a big difference in our everyday lives. GET IT??? (Driving Point, Lesson, Let s See It and Wrap Up) Driving Point: We need to put our trust in God. Putting it in anyone or anything else can lead to disappointment. Lesson: 1) Who do you run to when you re in trouble? Get some responses from the kids. Give a personal example of when you ve been in trouble and needed to trust someone. 2) Sometimes people we trust can disappoint us. * Give personal example * Explain the disappointments in Joseph s life (Genesis 37, 39-45) - His brothers sold him into slavery out of jealousy - He was falsely accused by his boss s wife and put into jail - He helped someone while he was in jail, and they forgot about him
3) You can always trust God. * God s love never fails. Psalm 52:8 says, I trust in God s unfailing love. - Sometimes people fail us, but God s love is unfailing. That means He is always there for you. - It can be hard to understand that He is always there when you can t see Him, but that s the beauty of God s love. - The more you get to know Him, the more you will see Him working in your life. * God was faithful to Joseph - He ended up being the second in line in all of Egypt. - God brought his entire family back to live with him. - He showed forgiveness to his brothers, and God brought healing to their relationship. Let s See It: Call up a volunteer and have them stand with their back facing you, a few steps away. Ask them to simply fall backwards. If they are afraid, assure them that you ll catch them. Invite a few different students to come up and try. Ask them if they trusted you or if they were afraid you would drop them. Emphasize how we can always fall back on God because He s dependable. Wrap up: Some of you may have a hard time with the issue of trust. Maybe someone has hurt you, and now you re afraid to become close to anyone. God desires that you trust Him and have a close relationship with Him through his son Jesus. He can heal your broken heart and guide you into healthy relationships, but you need to trust Him. If you would like to have a closer relationship with Jesus and allow him to heal your hurts, we d like to pray with you today. (Have them close their eyes and raise their hands if they would like to pray). Lead them in a sinner s prayer (see Leading a Young Person to Christ ).
GOT IT??? Small Group Discussion (try to break the kids into groups of eight or less) Let s Talk About It! 1) What are things or people have you put your trust in? Why? 2) Have they ever let you down? 3) When your trust in someone has been broken, what steps can be taken to restore it? When do we need to be careful about restoring trust? 4) Why does God want us to put our trust in Him? 5) Do you think God will ever disappoint you? Why? 6) How can we trust God in our everyday lives? GOOD!!! Weekly Challenge Let s Do It! Try the faith drop at home with your family members. Share how you learned that you can always fall back on, (or trust in) God. Think of one area of your life that you need to trust God. Whenever you become anxious about it this week, remember that you can trust God and talk to Him about it. Ask Him to take away your fears and anxieties. Read Psalm 52.8.
Faithfulness Opening Game: Flour of Power Materials eeded: Knee high stockings and some flour. Put about 3/4 cup of flour in the toe of the stocking (all sheer works best) and tie the end. The stocking can be swung around and will leave a patch of flour on whatever it hits. Line everybody up on one side of a field with one person in the middle of the field armed with the stocking. At the whistle all must run to the other side without being hit by the stocking. Everyone hit is eliminated. For large groups use more than one person in the center. Greg Thomas
Intro: One of the marks of a true friend is not flour, of course, but faithfulness. Faithfulness is today s character trait. It s one that we long to see in our friendships, especially when we re going through difficult times. We ll learn how to be faithful to each other and how God is faithful to us. GET IT??? Driving Point, Lesson, Let s See It and Wrap Up) Driving Point: Sometimes relationships that we thought were going to last forever fall apart. But God is a true picture of faithfulness. He is always there. Lesson: 1) Relationships that are not built on a firm foundation often fall apart -show the music video from thousand foot crutch, Falls Apart or you can just read the lyrics: It falls apart, from the very start, it falls apart, seems like everything I touch falls apart, everything around me, falls apart, when I walk away from you. I wish I could but I don t always keep the promises I ve kept, I wish I could, but it can t, always give, whatever I have left, and now it s all so clear, doesn t anyone see what happening here? I know I should but I don t always say, what you want me to say, I know I could but I don t always act, like everything s ok, and now its all so clear, doesn t anyone see what s happening here? The words of that song talk about the frustration we can experience in keeping a relationship together. Probably most of us have experienced similar frustrations at some point. And, as the song points out, it can be very discouraging and painful to have relationships fall apart. Despite the pain, there is help and there is hope.
2) There is one friend who sticks closer than anyone else - Jesus. Jesus promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) He is the perfect example of a friend. When we are disappointed by others, we can always depend on Jesus to be there for us. He understands you better than any one else. 3) We can solve our problems with one another better if we lean on Jesus for guidance. Jesus said in the book of James if any of you needs wisdom he should ask God, who gives generously without finding fault. James 1:5 If you have a conflict with someone and need help, go to God in prayer. He will give you guidance. It also helps to talk to an adult that you trust. Avoid getting angry or saying things you may regret later. Step away from the conflict if you can and get proper guidance. God will be faithful in showing you what to do. Let s See It: Take an envelope and seal it with a kiss with some bright red or pink lipstick. Tell the students that Jesus marks us as His own when we receive His forgiveness. Just like the old saying: sealed with a kiss (hold up envelope), God has sealed you with His mark of love. His is faithful and will never leave you. This is comforting to know, especially when we are wounded by others. Wrap up: Some of you may have experienced disappointments in your relationships with friends, family, or each other. Remember what a friend you have in Jesus. He also has the wisdom you need to make your relationships stronger. When you have a conflict, look to him for guidance.
GOT IT??? Small Group Discussion (try to break the kids into groups of eight or less) Let s Talk About It! 1) What are some things that make relationships fall apart? 2) How often do you have a conflict with your friends or family? 3) Who is the most faithful friend you can ever have? 4) How can Jesus help you have stronger relationships? GOOD!!! Weekly Challenge Focus on one relationship in your life where you are disappointed in how its turned out. Ask the Lord for some guidance on the relationship and if there s anything you can do to make it stronger. Talk to your CIA leader or another adult that you trust who can pray with you about the situation. Let them know how that relationship develops.