The Bible is a great resource for stories about Jesus and his words to the people around him. But have you ever wondered what Jesus might say to you today? In Conversations with Jesus, Revised and Expanded Edition, you will be able to read Jesus responses on topics like loneliness, relationships, and living for him in today s complicated world. This sixty-day devotional from Youth for Christ will not only give you insight into who Jesus is and what he wants to say, but could help you start a conversation with him that really matters."

"Great youth ministry doesn't happen by accident-and author John Losey knows it. In his book, Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook, Losey inspires us to use a combination of theory, action, and reflection so our students can learn in dynamic, new ways. A large portion of this gimmick-free resource is devoted to practical exercises and templates youth workers can tailor to their own groups. Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook belongs in the library of every serious youth worker." --Doug Fields, youth pastor for Saddleback Church: author of Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry (TM) and Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry Ever wish youth group fun and games could accomplish more than burning off students' high-octane energy? It can-if you have the right tools at your disposal. And your number-one tool is Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook. This innovative resource offers a ton of intentional activities with a purpose, specific program sequences, and adaptable templates for making games resonate with your students' minds and hearts. Plus, author John Losey unpacks why the right approaches to intentional activity will make the spiritual stuff stick-as well as how it can work for you. His suggestions and formats for everything from midweek meetings and small groups, full-day events, mission trips, retreats and camps, internships, games, and more will make a believer out of you. Whether you're a youth worker, camp counselor, small-group leader, or anyone charged with helping students connect with God, the Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook is your bridge to making active programming rewarding and faith building. "Have known John for more than 20 years, it's been a privilege to watch him in action. And I'm thrilled that through his Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook many will benefit from his practical wisdom and insight that's touched the hearts of kids and adults through the years in very significant, meaningful ways. You will be pleased with this book's easy-to-use format and these creative, hands-on activities." --Stan White, executive director, Alpine Camp and Conference Center, Blue Jay, California "Youth ministry must be about 'learning the sticks'-shaping a life forever. In John Losey's book you'll find well-articulated theory, practical activities, and understanding that will improve your role in 'life shaping.' " --Bob Kobielush, president, Christian Camping International/USA

If you ate up the previous two best-selling volumes of Drama, Skits, & Sketches, you're gonna really dig this next batch of 54 brand-new, youth group-tested thespian exercises! With the help of the scenarios in Drama, Skits, & Sketches 3, you can discuss important issues with pizzazz . . . present Bible stories with humor . . . and add serious significance to your lessons. Use them any way you'd like--whether as fun, informal, no-prep reader's theater or as guides for seriously polished performances!SCRIPTURE SKETCHES Designed to supplement your Bible teaching--and add flesh and bones to already powerful Bible stories--your students will love acting out scenarios such as "Community Kitchen," "Recipe for a Quiet Time," and "As the Cookie Crumbles: The Search for Fig-nificance." (And we've provided an index that lists scripts according to Bible reference--quite the handy tool as you prepare specific lessons!)CONTEMPORARY SKETCHES These 21st-century skits will hit your kids where they live, using terms, imagery, and situations they're intimately familiar with. Looking to beef up a topic for the evening--or even add some spice to announcements? Try on "Can O' Blame," "Backward Lip Sync Contest," and "American Master" for size.TV TAKEOFFS These humorous sketches based on television programs are great for lively discussion starters or as openers at camps and conferences.TIMES OF CRISIS Here are scripts that deal with tough issues and tough times. And while many discuss crisis in a lighthearted manner, their themes will grab your students' attention and prepare them for some excellent dialog.MONOLOGS Time for one kid in your group to shine! These scripts require little or no costumes or props, but they can be as powerful as an ensemble cast's three-act play!Plenty of skits and sketches here--serious, spiritual, educational, and humorous--to keep your group learning and having fun for months. Drama, Skits, & Sketches 3 is perfect for youth leaders, camp counselors, Sunday school teachers, and recreation directors!

The newest volume in the best-selling Ideas Library is Games 3--a collection of more than 400 fun, creative, youth-group-tested games. Indoor games, outdoor games, water games, balloon games, wide games, living room games, large and small group games, rowdy games, silly games, quiet games, hilarious games--brand new games to keep your group laughing, and building community. Perfect for youth workers and recreation directors.

Here are 62 brand-new, youth-group-tested scripts you can use to introduce a topic with flair . . . To retell a Bible story with humor . . . To apply your lessons with poignancy. And they're flexible, too -- have fun with them as informal, no-prep reader's theater, or rehearse them seriously for polished performances. - Scripture Sketches . . . Don't despair if your students can't tell the difference between Beelzebub and Barnabas -- the Bible will be brought to life for them as they act out scriptural episodes, stories, and passages. (And on page 6 is an index to all this book's scripts by Bible reference. Teaching the Prodigal Son? 1 Corinthians? Exodus? We've got a script for you!) - Contemporary Sketches . . . Off with the togas, on with the tank tops. Here are right-now, real-life scripts for everything from event announcements (that you can tailor to your own events) to dealing with emotional scars. Thanks to the topical index on page 7, you can zip right to the script that fits your meeting. - TV Takeoffs . . . In a TV world of talk shows and sitcoms, sketches based on TV shows always kick off lively discussions. Since all these scripts are also humorous, they're great as openers at camps and conferences, too. - Monologues . . . Does your youth group's dramatic talent reside in only one or two students? Or do you want to raise interest in starting a drama ministry? A monologue is your ticket -- one-person scripts that require little or no costumes or props, yet can be as powerful as a three-act play. - To the Tune of CCM (And More) . . . Take the music many of your students listen to, and use it for dramatic purposes! These scripts each use a song by a Christian artist (or a song whose lyrics encourage or challenge Christians).

Break the ice and warm up your group -- at meetings, parties, studies, or any other youth group event -- with one of these 230 crowd breakers and mixers! - Mixers . . . Make it fun for kids to get acquainted! Lots of creative ways for a group of strangers or classmates to circulate and learn a lot about each other in a little time. - Meeting-Opening Contests . . . All you need usually are two or three brave souls to jump feet first into a crazy competition while the group watches -- like Greasepuff (page 55) or Foot Signing (page 112). - Musical Crowd Breakers . . . Okay, so when your group sings, they remind you of water buffaloes with strep throat. At least they'll enjoy these engaging musical openers. All you usually need is a tape deck or CD player. Quizzes & Word Games . . . At last -- quizzes with absolutely no academic consequences, but loaded with crowd-breaking potential (and lots of laughs, too). If you're a youth worker or recreation director in a church, school, club, or camp -- Crowd Breakers & Mixers is your storehouse of proven, youth-group tested ideas.

Over 200 festive ideas for cranking up celebrations for every holiday imaginable! - Christmas . . . Here's your one-stop Christmas programming center. You'll find everything you need for the merriest Advent and Christmas season ever -- goofy games, crazy carols, outrageous outings, and silly skits to fill even the biggest Christmas stocking. And, of course, Christmassy meetings and lessons to help your kids focus on the real reason for the season. - Easter & Lent . . . Worship activities, reenactments, Bible lessons, meeting plans, and service projects, all designed to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Plus games, puzzles, craft projects, and scavenger hunt ideas -- all tied to an Easter theme. - Valentine's Day . . . Play a memorable February 14th with these icebreakers, games, songs, activities, and Bible lessons -- all about love, whether human or divine. - Thanksgiving . . . Wait until you see the potful of ideas that youth workers from Cape Cod to all points west have cooked up for you -- Thanksgiving craft projects, skits, outings, parties, service projects, and Bible lessons. Plus More . . . All kinds of party and meeting ideas for St. Patrick's Day, New Year's, Halloween, Super Bowl Sunday, April Fool's Day, Mother's and Father's Day celebrations, and graduation. Whether you're a youth worker or a recreation director in a church, school, club, or camp -- Holiday Ideas is your storehouse of proven, youth-group tested ideas.

More than 200 proven openers, questions, and activities that get students involved in your lessons! - A Primer on Leading Discussions . . . Starting a discussion, and keeping it going . . . The importance of confidentiality . . . Asking questions that get responses . . . And working with different personalities. - 35 Creative ways to start a discussion or lesson on any topic . . .Techniques general enough to fit just about any subject, but still quirky enough to attract adolescent attention. - Discussion & Lesson Starters, By Topic . . . What subject are you teaching this week? First, look up your subject -- apologetics, attitude, dating, disabilities, faith, family, the will of God . . . And more than 30 main topics, all arranged alphabetically. Then choose the opener that fits your purposes and your group. In fact, many of these openers are virtually complete lessons in themselves, with questions, activities, parables, object lessons -- all designed to draw opinions, thoughts, and feelings from your students. Whether you're a youth worker or recreation director in a church, school, club, or camp -- Discussion & Lesson Starters is your storehouse of proven, youth-group tested ideas.

Nearly 400 more wild, creative games for guaranteed fun! - Baseball and Kickball Games . . . The national pastime is hereby turned on its ear by more nutty variations than you can shake a Louisville Slugger at. Plus other diamond games, like kickball. - Swimming Pool and Lake Games . . . Whether your water is a pond, pool, or Puget Sound, we've got contests, activities -- even a spectator Water Carnival (see page 117). - Wide Games . . . Got a few acres and a few hours to organize, strategize -- and then use stealth and cunning to infiltrate enemy lines, smuggle contraband through customs, or detect (and dispatch) aliens? These adventure games are perfect for camps and retreats! - Golf Games . . . You don't need manicured courses, motorized carts, or polyester pants. What you do need are people willing to golf with marshmallows, rubber bands, hula hoops, and croquet mallets. - Frisbee Games . . . Portable, ubiquitous, and supremely cool, flying discs hold hours of entertainment for your group. In fact, why not plan an entire day of Frisbee games? Plus . . . A bevy of relay races, outdoor games especially for large and small groups, 30-some soccer and hockey games, alternative football games, and enough water games (including water balloon games) to give your group a sopping good summertime! Whether you're a youth worker or recreation director in a church, school, club, or camp -- Games 2 is brimming with notoriously wild, creative, and youth-group tested games!

Nearly 150 more riveting, attention-getting openers that will pull your kids into animated discussion! - A Primer on Leading Discussions . . . Starting a discussion, and keeping it going . . . The importance of confidentiality . . . Asking questions that get responses . . . And working with different personalities. - 35 Creative Ways to Start a Discussion or Lesson on Any Topic . . . Techniques general enough to fit just about any subject, but still quirky enough to attract adolescent attention. - Discussion & Lesson Starters, By Topic . . . What subject are you teaching this week? First, look up your subject -- advertising ethics, atheism, the Bible, church, death and dying, discipleship, evangelism, priorities, spiritual gifts, television . . . or 30 more topics, all arranged alphabetically. Then choose the opener that fits your purposes and your group. In fact, many of these are virtually complete lessons in themselves, with questions, activities, parables, object lessons -- all designed to draw opinions, thoughts, and feelings from your students. Whether you're a youth worker or recreation director in a church, school, club, or camp -- Discussion & Lesson Starters 2 is your storehouse of proven, youth-group tested ideas.

More than 400 creative events for community building, outreach, and fun! - Food Events . . . If there's one thing kids know and appreciate, it's food. Here's everything from elegant fetes to slobfests galore. - Games and Sports Events . . . You don't have to be a jock to have fun playing these sporting events. - Outings and Overnighters . . . If you're crazed enough to take a group of adolescents on the road -- whether across town or across the state -- here are plenty of trip ideas. - Races and Rallies . . . Your group have a need for speed? Whether it's cars, bikes, buses, or toilets -- if it can be raced, you'll find an idea for it here. - Special Events with a Purpose . . . More than fun. These events carry significant spiritual, moral, or community value. And more -- hunts and parties and theme events of all kinds! Whether you're a youth worker or recreation director in a church, school, club, or camp -- Special Events is your storehouse of proven, youth-group tested ideas.

Nearly 200 ideas for planning meaningful, memorable experiences for your kids! -Camps & Retreats . . . The drive up the mountain . . . The opening talk . . . The outdoor activities . . . The closing fireside -- here's a lodgeful of ideas for organizing successful camps and retreats. - Missions . . . Because even foreign mission work can start within our own borders, you'll find dozens of ideas for helping overseas missionaries right here at home. A used-Bible drive, a scavenger hunt for missionary supplies -- activities like these not only benefit missionaries, but also help your kids understand the personal, local aspects of mission work. - Service . . . Expose your students to others' needs! Inside you'll find ways to help children, the community at large, the elderly, the poor and homeless, shut-ins, and the sick and disabled Whether you're a youth worker or recreation director in a church, school, club, or camp -- Camps, Retreats, Missions, & Service Ideas is your storehouse of proven, youth-group tested ideas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of children and their families, who have faced innumerable challenges such as illness and death; school closures; social isolation; financial hardship; food insecurity; deleterious mental health effects; and difficulties accessing health care. In almost every outcome related to social, emotional, behavioral, educational, mental, physical, and economic health and well-being, families identifying as Black, Latino, and Native American, and those with low incomes, have disproportionately borne the brunt of the negative effects of the pandemic. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and families will be felt for years to come. While these long-term effects are unknown, they are likely to have particularly significant implications for children and families from racially and ethnically minoritized communities and with low incomes. Addressing the Long-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families identifies social, emotional, behavioral, educational, mental, physical, and economic effects of the COVID-10 pandemic and looks at strategies for addressing the challenges and obstacles that the pandemic introduced for children and families in marginalized communities. This report provides recommendations for programs, supports, and interventions to counteract the negative effects of the pandemic on child and family well-being and offers a path forward to recover from the harms of the pandemic, address inequities, and prepare for the future. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Societal and Developmental Contexts of the Pandemic 3 Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Effects 4 Effects and Potential Interventions in Education 5 Health Effects 6 Effects of Economic Policies 7 Recommendations Appendix: Committee Members

You have a story to tell. Maybe you didn't realize that. When you decided to follow Jesus, your story really started to develop. God has a story to tell. Since before you were born, God has been pursuing you. He sent his son for you---and your friends. Your friends have stories. Maybe their stories don't include Jesus---yet. That's where you and 3Story come in. Evangelism is an essential element of every youth group. But when traditional evangelism methods prove awkward, ineffective, or uncomfortable for students to embrace, it s almost impossible to equip your students to understand and share their faith. But 3Story is different. 3Story is a way of life that guides followers of Christ to BE good news while telling stories of THE Good News. Based squarely on relationships, 3Story focuses God s story, my story (the student), and their story (their friends). This curriculum course based on Youth for Christ s 3Story training presents an interactive learning experience that equips students to live and practice the 3Story lifestyle---a biblically based, culturally relevant form of discipleship-evangelism that emphasizes being real in personal interactions."

Sensitive issues of teen sexuality, coming out, homophobia, and relationships with family and friends are explored in a dozen articles authored by teens. Updated with new stories.

Quieres juegos agotadores al estilo corre-hasta-que-no-puedas-mas? Aqui los tienes. Quieres juegos pasivos para grupos tranquilos? Los encontraste Dentro de Juegos hay mas de 400 juegos que puedes realizar bajo techo o en exteriores y que tus jovenes disfrutaran muchisimo. * JUEGOS CON GLOBOS dos veces mas divertidos que las reuniones de la junta de oficiantes de la iglesia y la mitad de acalorados. Una forma economica de pasar un buen rato. * JUEGOS DE BALONCESTO Todos son trememdos canastazos * JUEGOS DE VOLEIBOL que grupo de jovenes no disfruta de un buen juego de voleibol? Se volveran locos con estas curiosas mutaciones del deporte. * JUEGOS BAJO TECHO PARA GRUPOS GRANDES reserva la noche en el salon de actividades o el gimnasio de tu iglesia y busca la pagina 33 para esta coleccion de juegos. * JUEGOS PARA ESPACIOS PEGUENOS excelentes para fiestas, reuniones informales o para cualquier momento en que tengas un salon lleno de jovenes que no estan heciendo mucho. Y mas.. Juegos bajo techo para grupos pequenos y docenas de variedades del tenis de mesa. Sea que te desempenes como encargado de la juventud o el director de recreacion en una iglesia, escuela, club o campamento, Juegos en tu almancen de ideas probadas y aprobadas por grupos de jovenes."