Think of all the things you’re afraid of. Most will never come true, except for maybe death. How do you handle the real fears? Not the clowns or the spiders (yet, for some, its very real) but real fears like never having close friends or being alone. These are real fear to us and they’re real to the teens we minister to.
How we handle our fear is measured by the risks we take. The more risks we take the more our fears are exposed as frauds.
We usually don’t take risks because we fear the outcome, we fear failure and we fear public opinion. We’re not that much different than teens are we? We still have these small fears, just in bigger bodies.
I want students to take risks because I want their fears to be shown as frauds and Satan a liar and defeated foe. If they can learn that now, how many more risks will they take when they get older?
What if our teens became fearless like Samuel
Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” I Samuel 14:6
And what if their fearlessness became contagious? Like how Samuel’s armor bearer responded.
“Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” I Samuel 14:7
Samuel had no idea of the outcome, but he knew God
- Could act on their behalf
- Nothing could hinder the Lord from saving
- Their big or small number did not limit God
And because he knew this, it was worth the effort, the risk, the act of faith.
Turns out Samuel was right.
Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre. I Samuel 14:13,14
The month of October is all about scary horror movies, Halloween, etc. We know those things aren’t real but the fears our teens face are real and are year round; that’s why I put together a resource that combines scary and scripture,
If you want to challenge your kids for the next 31 days to be fearless, to be bold, to say. “What if…” and “God could…” instead of “I can’t, because…” check out the resource.
Here are my 31 ideas for your youth ministry
Share video testimonies of someone in your youth ministry or church whose overcome a fear
Share a question of the day and the first to answer gets candy at the next youth meeting
Take a picture in a different kind of mask or minimal costume like a fake mustache and glasses
Horror movie trivia. Such as, How much money did the first Halloween movie make?
a) 25 millón
b) 33 millon
c) 47 million
d) 51 million
(answer c)
Ask kids what their favorite candy is and give away that candy to those who commented
Take pics of janky Halloween decorations in your neighborhood.
Have kids take pics of janky Halloween decoration in their neighborhood and pic the jankiest.
Offer a prize for best Halloween decorations in the kids neighborhood.
Fearless quotes from scripture (I have you coved for that one)
Celebrate a martyr a day in light of All Souls Day (I also write a series highlighting martyrs from scripture and history. You can check it out HERE.)
Recommend books on the subject of fear, taking off your masks, etc.
Find some awesome fall deserts to put up (and see if anyone is willing to make it)
Put up a pumpkin challenge: Ask for pic a pic of smallest pumpkin, biggest pumpkin, best decorated pumpkin, worst decorated pumpkin, etc and give a way a pumpkin spice coffee.
Take pics of you carving a pumpkins with the name of your youth ministry in it.
Ask kids to decorate a pumpkin with Christian symbolism (cross, etc.) to put on their porch and have them take pic of it. This could also be a contest.
Find pics of worst costumes to post.
Play the Haunted Box game with them.
Post fun facts about Halloween.
Would you rather scary versions: Would you rather be placed in a take with spiders or snakes?
Ask kids to post a pic of something they are afraid of such as spiders, snakes, etc.
Ask kids to post a pic of them in costume as a kid (or get their parents to send you one and post it and let everyone guess who it is.)
Best Halloween candy vote
Vote for the scariest monster (Chucky, Frankenstein, etc)
Pit two “monsters” against each other and let people vote who would win (aka Jason vs Freddy, Annabelle vs The Nun)
Finish the sentence pic Halloween is…, The one scary movie I would not want to be in would be…
If you take your kids out trick or treating go Facebook live for a while and let people follow along
Post a costume and ask students to tag someone who should where it on Halloween night or at your next youth meeting.
Do a fundraiser such as “I will smash x amount of pumpkins, live, for a $5 each and then give all the money away to a local charity.
Take past Halloween pics from your youth group, post them, and ask for captions.
Find incredibly dumb Halloween products and post them (heart to buy it comment to trash it)
Find incredibly awesome Halloween products and post them (heart to buy it comment to trash it)
Here’s a sample of the Fearless Instagram Quotes