Sky High PSI
It's Your Move
Road Work and Trek Groups
Get rid of the round tables. Make one long loop with long tables. Everyone sits side by side this week.
Gather in the gym. Welcome, & introductions
Ask for someone to make the announcements. (See if anyone knows what's going on?)
Which Way Are We Moving
Work Zone & High Way
Begin with a large group&ldots;
Ask:
What pressures do you face in school, at home and at church?
How do you deal with them?
Do you feel that some pressures are just beyond your control?
Say: Tonight we will try to look a little closer at the pressures in your life and hoe Christ would want you to handle them.
Break Into Journey Groups
Moving in
Work Zone
Gather in the Family Life Center. Arrange chairs in a circle with one less than youth. Explain that they're going to play a game called Boppity-Bop-Bop-Bop.
Say: This evening we're looking at forces that might steer you in the wrong direction. We'll see how the more you practice standing firm against non-Christian pressure, the better at resisting it you'll become.
How to play: A sponsor starts off by being It. Your goal is to trick the students into taking your place. Start by saying the phrase "Boppity-Bop-Bop-Bop", you'll choose whether to say the whole phrase or just stop at "Boppity." The youth you pick will either remain silent if you don't finish the phrase, or try to beat you finished by completing it with "Bop-Bop-Bop." If they do not finish the phrase first or tie then they are It. If you stop at "Boppity" and a youth utters anything then they are It! Play several rounds.
Ask: Did you noticed how people got better at the game the longer they played?
Moving in
High Way
Gather the group in the Youth Center.
Needed: Recipe handout
Say: We are really going to cook something up today. By a show of hands, who knows how to cook by following a recipe? We are going to look at some recipes for cupcakes tonight. You will need to gather in groups of six to eight with at least one person who knows how to cook from a recipe. Find the differences in the recipes and be ready to present you findings to the large group in two minutes.
Hand out the three recipes and begin.
One of the Recipes below will make "Dandy" cupcakes. The other two will not be quite right. All three will produce cupcakes. Try to predict the outcome of each recipe.
Cupcakes 101a
Ingredients
4 tbsp. butter 1 cup flour
½ cup sugar 1 egg
1/3 cup milk ½ tsp. vanilla
cupcake papers
Cupcakes 101b
Ingredients
4 tbsp. butter 1 cup flour
½ cup sugar 1tsp. baking powder
1 egg 1/3 cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla cupcake papers
Cupcakes 101c
Ingredients
4 tbsp. butter 1 cup flour
½ cup sugar 1tsp. salt
1 egg 1/3 cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla cupcake papers
Regroup
Ask:
What's the difference between the recipes? (After they identify that one is missing baking powder and one has added salt; then continue.)
What will be the differences these small ingredients make in the outcome of the cupcakes?
Can you think of any other example where what seems to be a small ingredient or part is vital for the whole thing to work? (Parts in an engine, a member of a sports team, the heart in the body, the rip cord on a parachute, etc.)
Say: This evening we're looking at forces that might steer you in the wrong direction. We'll look at how the small decisions you make when you're around others can have a big impact on your life and theirs.
Moving up
Work Zone
Needed: TV/VCR Chicken Run video
Ahead of time, cue the video to the scene in which the little hen tries to convince the coop to keep trying and is nearly to the point of giving up.
Watch the clip until you see her smack the fence and hear her say "Heaven help us"
Ask:
What hadn't the chickens tried to do to escape?
They hadn't tried not trying.
Why do you think that the other chickens weren't passionately trying to escape?
They were comfortable and escaping might mean they would have to work at it.
Ask students to share examples of times when they've heard the phrase "It's to hard or I'm to tired" and how they responded when they heard it; then continue:
The fences all around the coop were keeping the chickens from escaping, what was keeping them from thinking of ways to escape?
The fences in their heads.
When the chances of escaping were quoted as "One in a million" what was the response of our hero?
She said "So there's still a chance".
When everyone doesn't seem to care, what do you think the chances of one person standing up for Christian behavior are in school life?
Give an example of a way you can stand up for Christian behavior this week.
Moving up
High Way
Needed: Handouts
Explain: Very often, people think bigger is better. For example, it used to be that you could buy a small pop in a convenience store or fast food place; now you can only buy pop in big cups. McDonald's doesn't even sell small pop any more- the smallest size is a "regular." In God's eyes, however, size doesn't matter- not physical size of social status.
The Story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Dan 3:1 King Nebuchadnez'zar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Dan 3:2 Then King Nebuchadnez'zar sent to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnez'zar had set up.
Dan 3:3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, were assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnez'zar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnez'zar had set up.
Dan 3:4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
Dan 3:5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnez'zar has set up;
Dan 3:6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace."
Dan 3:7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image which King Nebuchadnez'zar had set up.
Dan 3:8 Therefore at that time certain Chalde'ans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews.
Dan 3:9 They said to King Nebuchadnez'zar, "O king, live for ever!
Dan 3:10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image;
Dan 3:11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego. These men, O king, pay no heed to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
Dan 3:13 Then Nebuchadnez'zar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego be brought. Then they brought these men before the king.
Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnez'zar said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up?
Dan 3:15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well and good; but if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?"
Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnez'zar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
Ask:
Would you rather read the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the Bible in Daniel 3:1-30 (use the hand out if needed) or have someone recall and just tell the story in his or her own words to the entire group? (Do one)
Say: What about small people? Compared to the king, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were pretty small and unimportant- yet their impact on the king was huge. To God, it's the condition of our hearts that matters, not the condition of our social life; which means that no matter how young or small - no matter how insignificant we seem- God can still work through our decisions, even the small ones. Do you have an example of small decisions we can make as Christians?
Say: Begin small, sometimes we can become discouraged when we have to start small with something that we desperately want to be great at. Can you give an example of a time when they had to start small and grew into something more? (Example: Not starting first chair your first year, beginning with a $1.00 week allowance, etc
Read Daniel 1:6-16 (use the hand out if needed)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's Test of Food
Dan 1:6 Among these were Daniel, Hanani'ah, Mish'a-el, and Azari'ah of the tribe of Judah.
Dan 1:7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshaz'zar, Hanani'ah he called Shadrach, Mish'a-el he called Meshach, and Azari'ah he called Abed'nego.
Dan 1:8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's rich food, or with the wine which he drank; therefore he asked the chief of the (food) to allow him not to defile himself.
Dan 1:9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the (food);
Dan 1:10 and the chief of the (food) said to Daniel, "I fear lest my lord the king, who appointed your food and your drink, should see that you were in poorer condition than the youths who are of your own age. So you would endanger my head with the king."
Dan 1:11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the (food) had appointed over Daniel, Hanani'ah, Mish'a-el, and Azari'ah;
Dan 1:12 "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Dan 1:13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's rich food be observed by you, and according to what you see deal with your servants."
Dan 1:14 So he hearkened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days.
Dan 1:15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's rich food.
Dan 1:16 So the steward took away their rich food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
Say: What about small actions? For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego it was the simpler action of refusing to eat the king's food that most certainly prepared them for the even bigger challenges to come. The same is true in your lives. It's those small actions that will determine who you are and what you do when the big pressures come. It's how you respond when your classmates are giving the substitute a hard time or what you say when friends are mocking the new kid's weird outfit. These small things prepare you for bigger challenges later on. Do you have any other examples of small actions?
Moving on
Work Zone
Needed: index cards and pens or pencils
Distribute index cards and pens or pencils and instruct the youth to draw in three minutes a picture of him or her doing something they are good at. If they can't draw it have them write it out one word or a description. Explain that it must be something they had to practice doing to become good at.
Ask:
Is the thing you're good at easy or hard to do?
Pick "hard" examples to deal with for the next questions.
Was it always hard?
How did you become good at it? (Practice)
Did you enjoy all the times that you had to practice?
How does someone become a better Christian? (Practice, Practice, Practice)
How can you practice being a Christian? (By disciplining ourselves to do the little things we don't want to do loving others reading the Bible, praying, serving the church.)
How does practice relate to non-Christian pressures? (The more you are in the habit of thinking things out for yourself the better you will be able to make Christian decisions.)
Moving on
High Way
Here's some info about a famous golfer, wait till the end to try and guess whom it is:
His first name is Eldrick.
His dad taught him every day about the game.
Shot a 48 for nine holes at the age of three.
Won his first Under-10 tournament at age four.
Youngest player ever to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship (at age 15) and won it two more times at 16 and 17.
At age 18 he was the youngest player ever to win the U.S. Amateur Championship and won it two more times at 19 and 20.
Youngest player ever to win The Masters (at 21) and set a Masters' record with a 12-stroke victory margin.
Set a P.G.A. record, winning six tournaments in a row in the 1999-2000 season.
What's his nickname? Tiger!
Ask:
How did Tiger Woods become such an outstanding golfer? (His talent and his parents decision first then his to practice.)
Do you think Tiger enjoyed all the days he went out to practice golf? (Even though he loved the sport, there were probably times when he had to push himself to practice.)
What will it take for you to become an excellent athlete, musician, salesperson or teacher? (Dedication, Practice, Discipline.)
How does practice relate to non-Christian pressures? (The more you are in the habit of thinking things out for yourself the better you will be able to make Christian decisions.)
Moving out
Work Zone & High Way
Needed: Situations handout, pens or penciles.
With 15min. left in the session, form well mixed groups of no more than 6 youth. Have each group write a statement about the non-Christian pressures they face in different situations. They should come up with one small but difficult pressure situations involving others in each of the four categories on the handout. Allow five minutes for the groups to work; then have them turn in the handouts.
Explain: We will use all of these in coming weeks for Chat Room.
Come Back Together in Fellowship Hall
Closing
Work Zone & High Way
The Leader Closes: Sit in a circle, use candle light and ask for any prayer concerns.
Remain Seated
Close with pressure by asking some tough questions. That you have heard through out the evening.
Write them below:
