SPEAK WISELY A Teenage Dilemma It's Your Move Road Work and Trek Groups Have Common Meal in the Family Life Center. Welcome, & introductions Make announcements Wrapping Paper Sales, Crop Walk, Soda Shop, Spooky Party   Which Way Are We Moving Work Zone & High Way Begin with a large group&ldots;  WHAT'S UP Everyone has an opinion. Some people-teenagers included-state their ideas on all kinds of things that they know nothing about. Godly wisdom, however, teaches people to seek understanding, --- insight,  --- and knowledge. It teaches people to listen more than people talk. Just because people have the ability to express their opinions doesn't mean they always need to. Tonight's lessons will help you see that while everyone has opinions, not everyone speaks wisely. Proverbs is one of my favorite wisdom books; the following are a few selected examples from the 18th chapter: (Lightly discuss) Pro 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. Pro 18:7 A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to himself. Pro 18:13 If one gives answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. Pro 18:15 An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. Pro 18:19 A brother helped is like a strong city, but quarreling is like the bars of a castle. Pro 18:24 There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.   Break into Journey Groups   Moving In Work Zone  Stay in the FLC Noodle Knowledge Needed: Hula Hoops and lots of ½ pool noodles. Set up: Place the hoops on the floor throughout a large area and place the noodles in the hoops. Have kids form at least 3 teams and ask each team to choose one person to be the "Guard of Knowledge". Tell the teams that the object is to get as many noodles (bitts of knowledge) into their hoops as possible within a time limit (5 or 10 minutes). Players attempt to steal noodles from other teams' hoops without getting tagged by the other teams' "Guard of Knowledge". The "Guards of Knowledge" must keep at least one toe touching the floor inside their team's hoop at all times without standing on the noodles. Tagged players must freeze and sit where they were tagged, first replacing any noodles in the hoops. Tagged players can be "unfrozen" by other players on their team. A player who successfully steals a noodle takes it to their team's hoop, where another team can steal it again. Players are not allowed to block or steal noodles from other players at any time. The team with the most noodles in its hoop at the end of play wins!   Moving In High Way Set up: On the whiteboard wall in the Youth Center, list the following issues: Effective studying techniques Communicating with the opposite sex Decision-making skills Budgeting and money management Choosing a career Driving a car Dating and marriage Maintaining a healthy diet. Say: These are all issues that you will most likely have to deal with sooner or later. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being "I know everything there is to know about this, so don't question me" and 1 being "I don't know squat, so don't ask me"), where would you rate your knowledge factor for each item listed? (Keep a tally) Then ask:     How would they rate the knowledge level of their parents?     How does a person learn about these things?     Are some people more knowledgeable than others?    Moving on Work Zone  What Do You Know? Divide into two groups, boys & girls - The small group gets the library Say: Sometimes you may feel like everyone is keep you from learning the important things you'll need to get ahead in life by making you learn a bunch of stuff that is pointless. The game we just played is like that. The "Guards of Knowledge" made it difficult for you to get what you wanted and when you did, it wasn't guaranteed that you would get to keep it. I'm going to read a list of issues that you will most likely have to deal with sooner or later. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being "I know everything there is to know about this, so don't question me" and 1 being "I don't know squat, so don't ask me"), where would you rate your knowledge factor for each item listed? (Keep a tally below)  Effective studying techniques Decision-making skills Budgeting and money management Choosing a career Driving a car Dating and marriage Maintaining a healthy diet.   Moving on High Way Cont. What do you think?  Say: Imagine that you've just inherited a slew of money. You want to invest it so that when you graduate high school, you'll have enough for a college education, a new car, and a house. Ask:     Who would you go to for advice on what to do with your money?     Why would you go to this person?     What makes this person knowledgeable?     Why did some of you choose different sources for advice?     Is the Internet a good source for advice? Why or Why not?     Have you ever heard a person speak as if he or she were an expert on a subject, when in reality the person knew little about it?     What were your thoughts about the person and what he or she was saying?     What are these people doing to their reputation by talking about things they don't know about? How do they look to others?     How does it make them-and those around them-feel?    Moving up Work Zone  Stay in small groups Four Corners Needed: Note cards numbered 1 to 4 and smaller slips of paper numbered 1 to 4 and a way to draw them randomly. How to Play: Designate four corners 1 to 4. Everyone must individually choose to stand in one of the four corners of the room. Draw a number and everyone in that corner must have a seat. Once those people have a seat people in the remaining 3 corners are given time to switch corners to any of the 4 corners. Then another number is drawn and those students sit down. Keep calling out corners and having them switch around until there is only one or a few people who are the winners. Have everyone come together again. Ask:     How many of you have a theory of how to win the game? Explain.     Have you ever heard a person speak as if he or she were an expert on a subject, when in reality the person knew little about it?      What are your thoughts about "experts"?     What are these people doing to their reputation by talking about things they don't know about? How do they look to others?     How does it make them-and those around them-feel?   Moving up High Way Say: Lets review and follow our Chat Room discussion rules for the next part of our discussion. The Rules: Be respectful of others Don't be mean Keep your hands to yourself Stay in your seat Understand there is a time and a place for everything Ask:      What five subjects or areas are you knowledgeable in?     What five subjects or areas are you knowledge deficient? Compare the strong and weak areas for each youth.     Did any of you list Bible knowledge as a strong area? Why or why not? Say: You will often hear others giving an opinion on things they know little or nothing about. This is particularly true when it comes to the Bible. You'll hear ideas and opinions about the Bible, Christ, God, heaven, hell, salvation or from people who think they know the magic formula. God wants people to speak wisely, to seek understanding and information rather than reacting blindly-he wants people to know what others are talking about. Think about what you know before giving an opinion, ask questions and share your understanding of topics -and challenge yourself to learn more about what you don't know.   Moving out Work Zone  Stay in small groups That's Your Opinion Say: I'd like everyone to stand as near to the middle of the room as possible.  Then Say:  If you think foreign cars are better than American cars go to the left, and if you think American cars are better than foreign cars go to the right. All those who think Ford builds better cars to go to the left side of the room, those who prefer Saturn to the middle, and those who consider Toyota to be the best to go to the right. Tell those who don't have a clue to sit down. Now try the same thing with different types of breakfast cereal, and then fast food restraints. Then Say: Many of you may have an opinion about most everything-and are quick to show it. With some things, like which breakfast is better, opinion really doesn't matter, but with other things, like cars, your opinion may be with merely an alliance or it may show your lack of knowledge on a topic.   Moving out High Way Four Couches Needed: Smaller slips of paper numbered 1 to 4 and a way to draw them randomly. How to Play: Designate four couches 1 to 4. Everyone must individually choose to sit or be touching one of the four couches. Draw a number and everyone on that couch must stand on the tile floor. Then the remaining 3 couches are given time to switch couches to any of the original 4 couches. Then another number is drawn and those youth stand up. Keep calling out couches and having them switch around until there is only one or a few people who are the winners. Have everyone come together again. Ask:     How many of you have a theory of how to win the game? Explain.     Have you ever heard a person speak as if he or she were an expert on a subject, when in reality the person knew little about it?      What are your thoughts about "experts"?     What are these people doing to their reputation by talking about things they don't know about? How do they look to others?     How does it make them-and those around them-feel?   Come back together in the FLC   Closing Work Zone & High Way The Leader Closes: Gather in a circle.  Sum up the lesson Pro 18:19 A brother helped is like a strong city, but quarreling is like the bars of a castle.   Sing Sanctuary UMYF Benediction