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 | Jonathan’s Resource Ezine |
Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry
Tuesday, July 8, 2004
| In This Issue |
- Swim party questions and ideas. Do I need a scripture reference?
- DRAWING THE BIG PICTURE. The story of Pixar artist Matthew Luhn. A believer working in Hollywood. By Frederica Mathewes-Green
| If you aren’t a subscriber of this EZINE and would like to subscribe – it’s free – just pop on www.TheSource4YM.com and sign up in the upper right hand corner. |
| Swim party questions and ideas. Do I need a scripture reference? |
July 8, 2003
Recently I received the following email:
Do you know of anything I can do with the movie Jaws? We are going to have a swim party, and I was going to show it but I need scriptural reference as well. Thanks, Chris.
Good question. How’s this:
Job 41:1 (KJV)
Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?Yes- I’m kidding. But the question I have for Chris is . . . "WHY?"
For those who have been Ezine subscribers for a while, you hear us talk a lot about "purpose" or "the why" behind every event or program. In other words, when you want to have a swim party, a pizza party, or even a Bible study . . . I’m going to ask you "WHY?"
With a Bible study the answer might be simple. "Well, the reason we have a Bible study is so students can grow in their faith!"
Sounds good to me. But what about a swim party? Why have a swim party? One good reason might be . . . to have fun! It ain’t a sin you know. And it’s a great thing when churches, Christian organizations and positive youth programs can provide good clean activities for students.
So that brings up a second question. At a swim event, do you need a scripture reference?
Let’s take a step back to our purpose again. If our purpose of the event was "evangelism," then, yes, share the Gospel at the event. I just trained a local basketball ministry whose purpose was evangelism. They had events where students could come out and play basketball, and during half time, they had someone share the Gospel.
But events can also have the purpose of "fellowship." Just good clean fun. Bring kids out and show em’ that this youth group is a cool place to hang out and have fun. Kids will want to come back, and maybe get plugged in to other things like Bible studies, small groups, or even service projects.
So, yes, it’s okay to have a swim event without reading scripture. I don’t think Jesus stopped the disciples before they went fishing and asked them for a scripture reference. I think they just fished, thanked the Lord for the weather, and had a good time together.
FOR A PEEK INTO OUR EZINE ARCHIVES WITH A SWIMMING POOL EVENT IDEA LIKE THIS ONE, CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE:
https://thesource4ym.com/archives/archivestore/2001/arc20010814.aspx
OR FOR MORE FUN EVENT IDEAS CHECK OUT OUR EVENT PAGE:
https://thesource4ym.com/events/
| DRAWING THE BIG PICTURE The story of Pixar artist Matthew Luhn A believer working in Hollywood By Frederica Mathewes-Green |
www.ChristianityToday.com
If you laughed at the Barbie tour guide in Toy Story 2, or marveled at toys sneaking across a freeway, Luhn is the guy to thank. He contributed to the first Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. as well, and you can currently see his ingenuity on display in Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo, the story of a young clownfish who is abducted and bound for an aquarium shop. Luhn gets credit for coming up with the film’s exciting ending. Plot puzzlers are his specialty, and he finds this work gratifying. “At least there’s one thing I can do that not a lot of people can do,” he says.
But ten years ago Luhn was sitting on a curb in Burbank wondering what the puzzle of his life was all about. He was 19 years old and already attracting professional attention; his homemade animation shorts had won him admission to the prestigious California Institute for the Arts, and brought him to the attention of Disney, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. After his freshman year, he was hired to work on The Simpsons, which doesn’t happen to many college kids.
But something was happening with his girlfriend. They had dated since high school, but recently she had become more serious about her Christian faith . . .
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE: http://www.christianitytoday.com/cr/2003/004/2.34.html
If you have any other youth ministry ideas you want to share, please email me at jon@thesource4ym.com
Jonathan speaks at schools, camps, and youth events all over the U.S. He also trains youth workers and student leaders at national conferences and seminars. Check out Jonathan’s speaker page and who’s recommending him!
Thanks for being an EZINE subscriber. Enjoy the free resource . . . and you know where to find even more free resources at www.TheSource4YM.com
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
God Bless,
Jonathan R. McKee
THE SOURCE
for Youth Ministry
www.TheSource4YM.com
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.