Christian Youth Camp - Listening to God

1. Christian Youth Camp - Listening to God www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

2. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com About Simulation GamesA simulation game is used to introduce youth to real life in “simulated” activities (much like an airline pilot gets to fly a simulator before the give him/her the real thing to mess up). A simulation game is a structured activity that approximates, but does not exactly reproduce, situations in every day life. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

3. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com They create a controlled environment in which issues can be realistically examined through personal experience. The key to simulation games is the “de-briefing” at the end, when the implications are discussed. At times the experience may be staged to look like a real event. At other times the youth are aware they are participating in a simulation. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

4. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com • Game DescriptionYou can use this simulation game to lead participants into a discussion about variety of issues: • How to better listen to God • Trusting other people • The effects of various influences in our lives • Learning how to discern the love of God in a world where people deceive you www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

5. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Game ObjectiveThe objective is for the blind folded person to walk from one side of the room to the other without touching one of the sheets of paper randomly scattered across the floor. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

6. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Game MaterialsA stack of letter-size paper…about 30-50 sheets. (cool colors if you have them). One blind fold. You can also write various issues youth may face on the pieces of paper. Some examples are: premarital sex, lying, drinking, smoking, dating a non-Christian, cheating, respecting parents, speeding, stealing, peer pressure, hatred, revenge, unwillingness to forgive, making fun of others, Speaking words of discouragement, ridicule, refusing to talk to someone, drugs, pornography, lewd jokes, gossip, lust, envy, greed, addictions, anorexia, bulimia, overeating, not doing your best, etc www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

7. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Game DurationIt will take 5-10 minutes per person to do the simulation. Debrief can be adjusted depending on your requirements. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

8. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Game Preparation Write one issue on each piece of paper (Optional) Randomly distribute the sheets of paper across the floor. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

9. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Game Play You might want to have more than one person play the game so that you can have more perspectives for the debrief. Have those awaiting their turn wait in another room with a leader so that they do not catch on to what is happening. Call them into the room one by one. Before the participant enters the room, choose one youth to be the voice of the Holy Spirit. The blind folded person can not know who this person is going to be. As variations, use people they trust in some of the scenarios, and people they don’t know well in others. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

10. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Blindfold the participant and tell them that their goal is to reach the other side of “life” without touching the sheets of paper. Line the rest of the group up along the two side walls of the room – They cannot come next to the blindfolded person, and cannot touch them. Neither can they move from their starting positions. Only the person playing the “Holy Spirit” can move along the walls. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

11. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com The rest of your group tries to get the blind-folded person to step on the squares of paper. They can only do this by providing verbal directions to try to influence the blindfolded participant. The challenge for the blindfolded person is to listen to the voices and try to discern who to follow and trust. Most of the time they will fail and listen to the wrong person. www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

12. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Optional ActivityIf you have written various issues on the sheets of paper, distribute them to the youth. You may want to have youth list the various influences that affect our decisions on these issues. What is God’s standard on this issue? What is the correct response when confronted with this issue? www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

13. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com • DebriefYou can focus on a variety of issues: • How to better listen to God: How do we recognize the voice of God in our lives? How do we know when it is God speaking, and not our own thoughts? How do we know we can trust the voice of God for guidance? What influences are strongest in your life? Why? How can we learn to better recognize God’s voice? www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

14. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com • Trusting other people: How do you know who to trust? Can those we trust mistakenly mislead us at times? Do we sometimes betray the trust of others accidentally or even intentionally? How can you be a positive influence in the lives of those around you? www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

15. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com • The effects of various influences in our lives: What are the greatest influences in your life? How much does peer pressure affect you? How can we influence our sensitivity to the influence of God’s Spirit in our lives? • Learning how to discern the love of God in a world where people deceive you.: Why does God allow us to go through trials and struggles? Does God tempt us? How can a loving God allow such evil in the world? www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

16. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Camp Curriculum - Whale of a Tale Bible Studies based on the book of Jonah Only. This youth camp curriculum was designed to teach the basic truths of obedience in addition to evangelism in the context of a Biblical character. The advantage of going through a book and looking at one man's story is that we see not only the teaching but the example. It becomes much more real! -> Tell me about “Whale of a Tale” www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/order5.html

17. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Creative Youth IdeasCamp Bible Study Series“Who Do You Say that I AM?” Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do others say that I am?" It was easy to answer because it required no conviction, no commitment, and no risk. But then he follows that question with another, "Who do YOU say that I am?" -> Tell me about “Who Do You Say that I AM?” www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/whodoyousay.html

18. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Creative Youth IdeasYouth Camp Bible Study Series“Fruit Of the Spirit” Live the Fruitful, Abundant Life Jesus Promised. Great for youth camps or weekly Youth Bible Study. There are 7 Primary Bible study Sessions in the series. -> Tell me about “Fruit Of the Spirit” www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/fruitofthespirit.html

19. www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com Camp Curriculum - The Great Adventure "The Great Adventure" is western themed Bible study series loosely based around the song of the same name by Steven Curtis Chapman. It was initially written for a large Texas Church to use for their Summer Youth Camp but has since then proven popular around the world. -> Tell me about “The Great Adventure” www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/order12.html