One of the biggest challenges right now is the Back to School blues. Summer is over and the reality of school has set back in again. Everyone's back to pursuing something. Popularity, grades, sports, maybe even aspiring to music careers on YouTube, everyone faces the pressure to perform. This game is great to blow off some steam and burn off a little energy in the youth group. As typical in any game of tag, it is a game of pursuit. This lends itself to a discussion of the things we pursue in life and what the Bible says we should pursue.
2. Description
One of the biggest challenges right
now is the “Back to School” blues.
Summer is over and the reality of
school has set back in again.
Everyone’s back to pursuing
something. Popularity, grades,
sports, maybe even aspiring to music
careers on YouTube, everyone faces
the pressure to perform.
This game is great to blow off some
steam and burn off a little energy in
the youth group. As typical in any
game of tag, it is a game of pursuit.
This lends itself to a discussion of the
things we pursue in life and what the
Bible says we should pursue.
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3. What to Do
1. Choose someone to be the
“cat” and another person to be
the “mouse” then ask the rest
of the youth to hold hands and
form a circle around the
“mouse”.
2. Have every two persons in the
circle to drop hands so that
they are in pairs. These partners
must continue holding hands
and cannot let go.
3. The cat can cut through the
circle in between pairs, but the
mouse must run around the
outside of the circle.
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4. 4. The objective is for the cat to tag
the mouse, but there is a small
twist that balances out the cat’s
ability to cut through the circle.
The mouse can grab any free
hand (or arm) of the partners
forming the circle. (The partners
will be holding hands or locking
arms, but the outside arm of
each person will be free.) If the
mouse grabs one of these
outside arms/ hands, the mouse
forms a new partner with the
person the mouse has attached
to, and the person who was not
grabbed now becomes the new
mouse.
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5. 5. If the cat manages to tag
the mouse, they reverse
roles and the cat becomes
the mouse and the mouse
becomes the cat.
6. This game can usually go on
for quite a while before the
youth become bored.
Usually I will set a time limit
and a forfeit for the person
who is the cat when the
time is up.
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6. Variations
• For Christmas you could have
the Grinch chasing the Puppy,
or Herod Chasing Baby Jesus.
• For Thanksgiving have the
Farmer Chasing the Turkey.
• For Easter you could have the
Pharisees Chasing the Disciples.
• For a lesson on King David, you
could have Saul chasing David.
• For a lesson on Moses, Have
Pharaoh Chasing Moses.
• There are a lot of places in the
Old Testament where People
are being pursued.
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7. Take It to the Next Level
Take it Spiritual
In life, we may sometimes be
pursued and other times we may
be doing the pursuing. What are
some things that we pursue in life?
Here are some of the things the
Bible says we should pursue.
• Love – 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NAS)
• Peace -1 Peter 3:11 (ASV NAS
RSV NIV); Psalms 34:14 (KJV
ASV NAS RSV NIV)
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9. As you look over the things the
Bible says to pursue, you’ll see
they fall into the same two areas
of the great commandment – To
love the Lord your God with all
your heart soul mind and
strength, and to Love your
neighbor as yourself – A right
relationship with God and a right
relationship with others.
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10. Take it Personal
• Which of these do people find
difficult to pursue?
• What stops people from
pursuing these things of God?
• When you think about your
relationship with God – faith,
endurance, righteousness, piety
and holiness, how do you think
you measure up?
• What are you currently
pursuing?
• How can you direct that pursuit
in a way that is honoring to
God?
• In what areas does your life –
thoughts, attitudes, actions –
need improvement?
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11. Closing
• What is one thing you can
pursue this week in your
relationship with God?
• What is one thing you can
pursue this week in your
relationship with others?
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12. Scripture References
“Pursue love, yet desire earnestly
spiritual gifts, but especially that you
may prophesy.”
1 Corinthians 14:1 (NASB)
“They must turn from evil and do
good; they must seek peace and
pursue it.”
1 Peter 3:11 (NIV)
“But you, man of God, flee from all
this, and pursue righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, endurance and
gentleness.”
1 Timothy 6:11 (NIV)
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13. “Flee the evil desires of youth,
and pursue righteousness, faith,
love and peace, along with those
who call on the Lord out of a pure
heart.”
2 Timothy 2:22
“Pursue peace with all men, and
the sanctification without which
no one will see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14 (NASB)
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14. “Not that I have already obtained
all this, or have already arrived at
my goal, but I press on to take hold
of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I
do not consider myself yet to have
taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I
press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
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15. “What then shall we say? That the
Gentiles, who did not pursue
righteousness, have obtained it, a
righteousness that is by faith; but
the people of Israel, who pursued
the law as the way of
righteousness, have not attained
their goal. Why not? Because they
pursued it not by faith but as if it
were by works. They stumbled
over the stumbling stone.”
Romans 9:30-32 (NIV)
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16. “So then we pursue the things
which make for peace and the
building up of one another.”
Romans 14:19 (NASB)
“Let us know, Let us pursue the
knowledge of the Lord. His going
forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain, Like
the latter and former rain to the
earth.”
Hosea 6:3 (NKJV)
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17. Bible Studies based on the book of Jonah
Only. This youth camp curriculum was
designed to teach the basic truths
of obedience in addition to evangelism in the
context of a Biblical character. The advantage
of going through a book and looking at one
man's story is that we see not only the
teaching but the example. It becomes much
more real!
Camp Curriculum - Whale of a Tale
-> Tell me about “Whale of a Tale”
www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/order5.html
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18. Creative Youth Ideas
Camp Bible Study Series
“Who Do You Say that I AM?”
www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/whodoyousay.html
-> Tell me about “Who Do You Say that I AM?”
Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do others
say that I am?" It was easy to answer
because it required no conviction, no
commitment, and no risk. But then he
follows that question with another, "Who
do YOU say that I am?"
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19. Live the Fruitful, Abundant Life
Jesus Promised. Great for youth camps or
weekly Youth Bible Study. There are 7
Primary Bible study Sessions in the series.
www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/fruitofthespirit.html
-> Tell me about “Fruit Of the Spirit”
Creative Youth Ideas
Youth Camp Bible Study Series
“Fruit Of the Spirit”
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20. "The Great Adventure" is western
themed Bible study series loosely based
around the song of the same name by
Steven Curtis Chapman. It was initially
written for a large Texas Church to use for
their Summer Youth Camp but has since
then proven popular around the world.
Camp Curriculum - The Great Adventure
www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/order12.html
-> Tell me about “The Great Adventure”
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