Help for Young Life Leaders NOW

I’ve heard lots of great feedback from people who decided to use the book of John for club talks last semester. I’m glad it has been helpful!

My good friend Joey and AD in North Phoenix (such a good friend I’m sure he won’t mind the picture of him and his wonderful wife on this post) took what I started and added to it. It adds some good context for John’s gospel and adds some ideas for chapters I did not cover. He recently sent it to me and gave me permission to pass it along. Enjoy!

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I am part of a team that trains the student staff in our YL region and I was talking to them last week about the book of John. In our region we are focusing on the book of John this year. One of the unique features of the book of John is the “I Am” statements. As you may know, when Moses encountered the Lord in the burning bush and asked the Lord what to tell people as His name, the Lord replied “I Am Who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). So when we are reading through the book of John we find the author using this phrase “I am” as an important tool to communicate Jesus’ divinity and the Lord’s identity. As I was teaching this I gave our student staff some ideas about how to utilize these in club talks, campaigner talks, team devotionals, etc. Here are a couple of them:

1. I am… the bread of life (John 6:35)

Just like our need for food, Jesus is the food we need for life. I suggested using a loaf of bread as an illustration to talk about how we need food and what happens when we are hungry or don’t have food. A few of the Wyldlife leads said they thought this object lesson would work well with their kids. 

2. I am… the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5)

Throughout scripture we see a contrast of the “light” and the “dark”. It starts in Genesis and works its way all the way through. I recall my leader, Kathy Mason, doing a talk when I was in high school when she turned off the lights during her talk to illustrate what it is like in the dark. This would be a good time to talk about what it is like when you don’t know what to do, when you aren’t sure where to go for help, when you don’t have answers, when you feel alone, and more. Then, after it almost gets uncomfortable and people’s eyes are getting adjusted to the dark (which is another illustration you can use), turn on a flashlight and talk about Jesus being the “light” of the world. Jesus lights up dark places, shows us the world around us as it really is, shows us who God is, allows us to even see who we really are, etc. There is a lot you can do with this!

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YLHelp reader Dan from Quad Cities, Indiana sent me this great resource for club talks. It also includes questions and ideas for campaigners for the same topics. Here are the talks included in this resource:

1. Who Do You Say That I Am? Matthew 16:13-16
2. Jesus and H20. Matthew 14:22-33
3. Attempt to Stone Jesus. John 10:24-39
4. The Arrest of Jesus. John 18:1-11
5. Peter’s Denial of Jesus. John 18:15-18, 25-27, Romans 5:12-13
6. Jesus’ Death on the Cross and Resurrection. 1 Cor 15:1-11, Rom 6:23
7. Salt and Light. Matthew 5:13-16

Thank you Dan for sharing your insights and resources! The idea behind YLHelp is to share the best ideas so we can benefit from each other, like a gigantic all area leadership meeting from across the world. If you have some info you can share, send it in!

OK, I got lots of support and prayer for this conversation. Thank you so much!

Just so you know, when I have spoke at camps I look at the big picture and try to integrate a lot of the themes and keep to one primary analogy. I also start with the last talk and work backward, among other things. I learned a lot of this from Marty, Rick and Larry, some of my good friends.

This summer I am thinking of moving up the talk sequence one day so that I can add a little more about a part of the gospel I think we could talk about more, that is Jesus Christ in you and the call to follow him.

Here is the traditional 7 day camp speaking topics (in general) breakdown…

1. It gives one more day to process the cross.
2. It gives one more day to have one-on-ones that include the cross.
3. Many resurrection talks are mostly about the “response”, this gives the resurrection more emphasis.
4. I really want to give a picture of what it means to follow Jesus while we still have them at camp.

Here are the challenges in my mind:

1. It makes the first two person of Christ talks very important because sin is moved up a day.
2. Some leaders will not like changing the sequence just because it is different.
3. Others I’m sure too…

I have a lot more I can share. If this generates comments/conversation I’ll keep the posts coming.

PS God bless you in your camps and fundraising this summer! It is a battle for me too, we are all in this together! We leave for Woodleaf in 4 days!

Would you help me? I am actually very excited and prepared to speak at summer camp (don’t be worried if you are bringing kids when I’m speaking haha). I’ve spoken at summer camp before and lots of weekend camps. And the powers-that-be asked me again, so apparently I don’t suck. But I’d like to get some ideas and feedback from you all. In fact I’m thinking about trying a thing or two that would be a little different then what I’ve seen in YL. I’m willing to share those ideas on ylhelp but I need some confirmation that you will work with me. So, will you help me and, in addition, commit to praying for me while I’m at camp? If you are in, then leave a comment. If I get 10+ comments then I’ll start laying out my ideas. If not, then I’ll save my time for other things. No worries.

Sean

I’m speaking at a junior high summer camp in a several weeks. I want a theme to tie it all together. I’m thinking Transformers (i.e. Jesus can transform people). I loved them as a kid and I think junior high students like them quite a bit too (based off conversations with some of my junior high friends).

I have a 7 talk outline already drafted, but I would love some of your ideas before I post mine (and possibly limit your unlimited collective creative potential).

Any ideas for illustrations, Bible stories, ideas to communicate sin, cross, resurrection, accepting Christ, discipleship, etc.??

I had the privilege to be with all of the camp speakers this summer. As part of this time they compiled their best talk illustrations. Many of them are time-tested ones many are familiar with. There were dozens of these. There were five that really stood out to me and I want to share them with you in this series of posts. I am also trying them in my club so I know how they work. I’ve used two so far, I’ll be using more soon.

Blood Diamond – I am your father who loves you

This clip needs some setup. Blood Diamond is a movie that highlights the illegal trade of diamonds. In the midst of chaos, rebels abduct children and brainwash them to kill people. In this scene the son is supposed to shoot his father. Then the father says these words:

What are you doing?
I know they made you do bad things.
You are not a bad boy.
I am your father
Who loves you
You will come home with me and…
be my son again

I am not a crier, but this one gets me every time. The richness of those words minister to me. Our job is to translate this to our friends. This could be part of a sin message or a cross message or an appropriation message.

Next week I am doing a person of Christ message. I might do the woman caught in adultery (John 8). I’ll let you know how it goes.

I had the privilege to be with all of the camp speakers this summer. As part of this time they compiled their best talk illustrations. Many of them are time-tested ones many are familiar with. There were dozens of these. There were five that really stood out to me and I want to share them with you in this series of posts. I am also trying them in my club so I know how they work. I’ve used two so far, I’ll be using more soon.

TOM BRADY – “There’s got to be more than this…”

Watch this interview from 60 minutes. The last minute is the most useful.

I used a version of this video in my club talk a few weeks ago. Here was my main point…

You can do incredible things, but without Christ you will never be satisfied.

In my introduction I told a story of when I got my first birdie in golf. It was an incredible moment but there was no one around to witness it. It felt hollow, I wish someone was there to see it. It was so close yet so far from being an amazing thing.

Then I told them I wanted to describe a similar situation. I told them the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19. He went away sad because there was one thing missing in his life, giving up control.

Then I said I want to close by describing someone who is rich, young and rules in what he does every day. Then I listed his anecdotes without saying his name…

• Played in four Super Bowls, winning three of them
• Won two Super Bowl MVP awards (XXXVI and XXXVIII)
• Four Pro Bowls
• Holds the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a single regular season.
• Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, in 2005.
• He also helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two season
• In 2007, he became the first quarterback to lead a team to a 16-0 regular season.
• He was named “Sportsman of the Year” by The Sporting News for the second time in his career.
• He was also named the NFL MVP in 2007
• Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press
• Dating a Brazillian super model
• Makes over $8 million dollars per year

I asked them, do you know who this is? They knew, Tom Brady. Then I played the video.

I closed by saying, look it was true for the man that Jesus encountered 2000 years ago, it is true for Tom Brady today, you can do incredible things, but without Christ you will never be satisfied.