October / November Events!!

Let the Joyous News be spread...Activity Night has arrived.

Friday Night October 19th. 6:30 - 9:00pm. We will hold our very first "Activity Night"

Activity Night is a free for all Fun Night. Messy Games, Snacks, Video Games, Music and did I mention Messy Games?? Don't miss it.

Bring a 2-Liter drink and a favorite snack/chips to share, old clothes and a friend.

Other news;

Wednesday, Oct 31st (Halloween) We will not have JourneYouth Group.
Friday, November 16th - ACTIVITY NIGHT 6:30-9:00pm
Wednesday, November 21st - NO JOURNEYOUTH group! (Happy Thanksgiving)
Wednesday, December 19th - JOURNEYOUTH Christmas Party!!!
Wednesday, December 26th - NO JOURNEYOUTH group! (Merry Christmas)
Date to be announced; LOCK-IN!!!!!! (Volunteers Needed)

Touch the Mezuzah!

Last night we dedicated our Youth Room with a symbolic MEZUZAH.

To put it simply, it is a Jewish tradition of hanging a container with a scripture inside on your doorpost as you come and go - you touch it to remind yourself of the commandments of God.

for more info on what a mezuzah is, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezuzah

We simply posted a paper with this scripture on the inside and outside of the room;
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
You shall love the LORD your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your might.

The full scripture references are from
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. Here's part of it that gives some specific instructions;

11: 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

We then played a mixer game called "Find Someone Who..." A chaotic game where you had to find people in the group who could sign off your items (e.g. left handed, blue-eyed, been to Colorado, make an ugly face, sing happy birthday)

Then we brainstormed about how to redecorate the youth room and came up with a "wish list".

We then played another improv game called "Freeze!" where two people start acting out a situation, then someone yells "Freeze!", that person taps one person and takes their frozen position and changes the story into something completely different. An exercise in creative thinking and drama.

This sunday, sunDAY, SUNDAY!!! SEPTEMBER 30th. NOON. Meet us at the local soccer game at the field next to Subway to root on a few of our own, Brent, Matt and Tony. bring your own chair and soccer jersey.

UPDATE! the Manhattan Fire won the game 4-2. thanks to all who showed up to root on the team!

You have chosen...wisely.

Back by popular demand; the Egg game!

This is a variation of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Everyone starts as an egg waddling around and challenging another egg. The winner becomes a chicken! Two chickens busily flapping their arms then challenge each other, the winner becomes a prince or princess and begins to prance around. The loser turns back into a chicken. And so goes the mayhem until the princes become kings, the princesses become queens. At the end there remains a prince or princesss, a chicken and an egg.

The lessons we can learn from this game is that we can't remain as we are when we face the challenges in our lives, we either move forward or fall back. Also, the winner last week was the egg. The first shall be last, and the last shall...recieve a prize! The other lesson is that we learned definitively that the egg comes before the chicken. All this time...

This week we reviewed the ground rules;

1. Respect God (anytime God's name is used e.g. "oh, my god!", we will stop and pray together.)

2. Respect Others

3. Respect Yourself

4. Have Fun!

5. Don't interru.. I forget the rest.

We had a few new first time guests at Journey!!! Waaaay Cooool!

We had a short lesson about CHOICES that we make in life. Everyday we are faced with choices and they affect how the rest of our day and life goes. Someone mentioned that their Mom tells them on the way out the door to school to 'make good choices'. Way to go, Ma!!

We talked about the bible verse that explains there's a narrow gate and path that we should take that leads toward Jesus, and another path that most everyone takes that leads to destruction. And we talked about the story of the Rich Young Ruler. Jesus told him how to gain eternal life and invited him to "Follow Me". But he chose not to. Because he loved his stuff more than Jesus. To drive home the idea, the kids had to choose to sit on the hard chairs or the soft chairs and then their 'fate' was revealed...

And finally we watched a clip from "Indiana Jones; The Last Crusade" when someone 'chose poorly' and Indy 'chose wisely'.

We then went outside and played kickball and ultimate football.

then, as if that weren't enough, back inside for drinks, chips and "SPONTANEOUS MELODRAMAS". always a good time.

whew...

oh, almost forgot, we referenced the famous poem by Robert Frost, enjoy. see you all next week!
The Road Not Taken

A poem by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow woodAnd sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth Then took the other as just as fair And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet, knowing how way leads onto way I doubted if I should ever come back I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence Two roads diverged in a wood And I took the one less traveled by And that has made all the difference.

Matthew 7:13 (Contemporary English Version)
Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate.

Welcome to the Journey!

Welcome! Last night was our first official youth group gathering at the Manhattan United Methodist Church (MUMC). My wife Kate and I have decided to start a weekly program on Wednesday evenings (6-8pm) for any youth interested in attending. Our focus is Jr. High youth currently.

We introduced the name of the youth ministry as "Journey". We will be exploring the journey that the youth will be taking in the next few years of their lives, and how critically important it is that God be the center of their lives.

After some fun games, we watched a clip from the movie "Lord of the Rings; Fellowship..." to introduce that each of us are given a mission. We can't stay where we are. We must move to grow. And, there is an enemy that we must be aware of (like the dark riders in the movie).

A particularly profound quote from the movie was from Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit.
"It's a dangerous business, going out your door.
You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet
There's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

We are all stepping onto the road, no matter what age. We need to know where we're heading. Our heading should be toward Jesus. He has traveled this road and will lead us in the right paths.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)