Friday Night Lock-In

We've talked from time to time about the youth being the future.   We wanted to have an event for the Youth Group at our church where they could come together and have a good time, but also help them to put some additional tools in their tool bags to help them become tomorrow's leaders, so we had a lock-in Friday night beginning at 7 pm and ending the next morning at 7 am for the Youth Group at our church.  The Youth Group along with a few friends gathered at the Fellowship Hall and first had an intense Nerf Gun battle. Unlike this battle, the battle of life is real.

Nerf Battle

They all ran around for a while and then we had some 'ice breaker' games in which we learned several things about each other that we didn't know.

Action Shot!

We had moved a television from the church into the Fellowship Hall and had a pile of DVD's to watch, but we never even turned on the TV.  We played all kind of fun games, and laughed and enjoyed each other's company.

Russ was the social chairman and had planned most of the games.  One game he planned that had entertainment as well as a spiritual component was a "Treasure" hunt.  In this game he had a Bible verse that he read from a card and asked the young people to listen for a clue (or key word) in the verse that would lead them to the next clue.  Then they would find another Bible verse card in that location with a clue that would lead them to the next.  And so on and so forth.

For example a verse about John the Baptist led them to the Baptistry in the church where they found the next clue.

Where is the next treasure?

And then to the next clue...  They used their brains to put the clues together and found all of the hidden treasure.

Reading (and listening) for the clue

They played Foos ball and a few other games while they waited for supper and snacks to be served.

Foosball

Tricia was in the kitchen in charge of making chili for Frito Pie and a rotel chili cheese dip.  Other ladies in the church brought other snacks and goodies for the young people.

Making Frito Pie

We had a big scavenger hunt that Russ put together that pitted the girls against the boys.  Here is Russ logging in the entries as they brought them.  The girls won it, but the guys gave it their best shot.

Logging in the scavenger hunt items

We had a mid night Bible Study in which we discussed the Book of Daniel and the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  If you recall the story, they were taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar and brought back to Babylon where their names were changed.  They were the best and the brightest in Judah.

In Babylon they were forced to become like those in the new country in which they resided.  They were told to eat their foods (they resisted) and then they were told to worship their gods (they resisted).  When they refused to bow down and worship the false gods, they were told that if they didn't worship the gods, they would be thrown into a furnace and killed.  Here is their response:

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  Daniel 3: 16-18

And this was the main point of the weekend.  We wanted to teach them to remain strong and steadfast in their faith just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had. When the culture demands that you worship their "gods," or participate in activities that go against your faith and morals, even if you are outnumbered, you need to stand strong and have faith that God will deliver you.  Most importantly, we shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was really powerful to know that the God who created the Universe loves and cares about us and is there to help us and stand with us throughout every 'furnace' that we may go through. He is our Deliverer!

We hardly slept at all Friday night.  Tricia and I did sleep for a brief little minute, albeit at different times as we napped in shifts to ensure that the Youth had adequate supervision.

Guess Who?

Tricia seems to be all smiles, despite the lack of sleep!

The Young People had a good time and so did we.

Our Youth - Our Future

We need to pray for our youth.  We need to pray that they will hold fast to the faith and avoid the temptation that surrounds them.  We need to pray that they will stand strong and be leaders to shine the Light amidst the Darkness.