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By Dr. Noel Forlini Burt. What are the words that resonate most with you in this season of your ministry? Do the words tired, worn out, or burned out on religion describe the state of your soul? Has serving the Kingdom become something you dread rather than delighted in? The longer we give ourselves to ministry, the more we understand that the words from Jesus found in Matthew 11:28-30 are not aspirational. For us to be sustained in ministry, they must become our lived reality. Amid busy ministry seasons, Jesus invites us to take a real rest. Jesus invites us into the overflowing, ever-deepening, unforced rhythms of grace. You’ve been teaching other people about this life for a long time. It’s time you remembered it for yourself. 

By Dr. Noel Forlini Burt. The Church has often assumed the book of Ruth to be a rural little love story, an Ancient Near Eastern version of a Hallmark movie. A young, grieving widow travels to a foreign country and marries a wealthy, handsome landowner. The story ends with them holding a baby, living happily ever after. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the book of Ruth teases out ancient Israelite tensions about foreignness and prejudice. It deals with the themes of scarcity and lack, barrenness and bereavement, overflowing generosity, and especially, questions about who God is in the midst of suffering. While we are much removed from its ancient customs, the book of Ruth has much to teach us thematically and theologically about life with God and with neighbor.

Written by Kerry Ray. Do you ever wonder why it feels so difficult for you to gain any real traction with the students you are leading? It's probably not breaking news to learn that teenagers are busier and more distracted than ever. By most estimates, a "regular attendee" is defined as a student who shows up around 1.7 times each month. On top of that, recent studies suggest that teenagers are dropping out of the church in record numbers, with 80% saying they're doing so simply because they've lost interest or stopped seeing the church as necessary to their life. So what are you doing to address this when it comes to your students and your ministry context? Do you recognize and account for the differences between Generation Z and Alpha in your approach to ministering to them? Have you examined, tweaked, or started to strategize new ways to meet this generation of students where there are rather than where you want them to be? In this 7-session module, we'll ask some thought-provoking questions and identify some practical steps every youth worker or small group leader can take to address these issues, cut through the noise, re-evaluate our approach, and effectively meet students where they are versus where we want them to be.

Grab your ship and jump into a game that’s light years ahead of hyperspeed as you unscramble famous Star Wars characters from a galaxy far, far away! Use this game as a fun icebreaker as your students face off to see who can decipher the names faster. First, it’s the name scrambled on its own, and then a clue follows. Play in teams or one on one!

We often turn to our favorite singers when we feel mixed up, but what happens when they’re mixed up? Unscramble their names using this game as a fun icebreaker. First, it’s the name scrambled on its own, and then a clue follows. Play in teams or one on one!

Put your group’s knowledge of sports, teams and mascots to the test! Each category will challenge players to name as many teams or players possible in that category, earning one point for each. Rotate players in per category, or do it as an all-play!

Put your group’s knowledge of sports, teams and mascots to the test! Each category will challenge players to name as many teams or players possible in that category, earning one point for each. Rotate players in per category, or do it as an all-play!

Put your group’s knowledge of sports, teams and mascots to the test! Each category will challenge players to name as many teams or players possible in that category, earning one point for each. Rotate players in per category, or do it as an all-play!

Some school mascots are strange! See if your group can tell which ones are real and which ones are made up. Play as a large group, as a face-off or simply as an icebreaker.

If you’re ready to become more confident, competent and consistent in sharing your faith, then Live Sent book is for you. You’ll receive simple, step-by-step guidance that will equip you to share Jesus effectively in everyday life.

Written by Heather Quiroz. Teaching students the Bible can feel overwhelming. So much history exists between its pages. Many of the customs that were common during the time in which the Bible was written are extremely unfamiliar to us today. Therefore, the Bible can feel a little bit more like a crossword puzzle than a road map to easily follow. After all, the Jewish people had a distinct identity and way of life. They were steeped in a rich cultural heritage that influenced how they wrote and why they communicated in the manner in which they did. As intimidating as all of this might feel, removing ourselves from the Jewish roots from which our Messiah was produced can have drastic consequences for our understanding of Scripture. Therefore, having a deeper appreciation for the group of people who produced our Messiah has the ability to radically bless our faith and the faith of the teenagers we minister to. Therefore, understanding books that are outside the Biblical canon yet played a very influential role in the history and development of the Jewish nation can have something valuable to teach us. This, in turn, helps us become better teachers of the Bible when we have a better understanding of the cultural milieu that influenced the historical backdrop of the Jewish people.

Written by Josh Haight. Everyone loves a good retreat, right? I know I do. But if you’ve never planned one, there are more than a few things we could easily forget to think about. Though our programming or messages may be the primary focus, neglecting these other things may create more headaches than you care to navigate. In this eight-lesson module, we will look at all the things that go into planning a great retreat: vision, identifying your target audience, programming, recruiting a team, communication, logistics, follow-up, and problem-solving.

You've seen them, but can you name them? See how many of these famous paintings you can correctly identify from the choices given.

Do you know in which decade the first McDonald's restaurant opened? See if you can guess the correct decade these fast food chains first opened from the choices given.

Some school mascots are strange! See if your group can tell which ones are real and which ones are made up. Play as a large group, as a face-off or simply as an icebreaker.

Some school mascots are strange! See if your group can tell which ones are real and which ones are made up. Play as a large group, as a face-off or simply as an icebreaker.

Ministry comes with many weighty responsibilities. Ministry leaders are called to teach, serve, and lead. But in leading those under their care, there comes a moment when they recognize the future leaders under their leadership. With this recognition comes an all too familiar question: What comes next?

In Calling Out the Called, Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt answer this question by giving direction, encouragement, and a charge for ministry leaders to recognize the future leaders in their midst and do what needs to be done for the future of ministry: the calling out of the called.

How about another round of deciding between the worst of the worst? Get your students talking or moving by either having them walk from one side of the room to the other, or by inviting up a student to represent each side of the argument. You can even do both, having the two students present their cases and then having other students respond by moving or raising their hands to vote!

Ready to get your group moving and squirming over what’s worse? Prompt with these fun questions and have them either walk from one side of the room to the other, or invite a student up to represent each side of the argument. You can even do both, having the two students present their cases and then having other students respond by moving or raising their hands to vote!

When a letter is displayed, be the first to give a word starting with that letter. If you are first you get a point. If you both say the same word, be the first to get another word out for the win.

When a letter is displayed, be the first to give a word starting with that letter. If you are first you get a point. If you both say the same word, be the first to get another word out for the win.

It's a simple Halloween true or false game. Let's go!

An anagram is a word formed by rearranging the letters of another word. With that, let’s see how well you can figure out what animals these anagrams are formed from.

Be the first to text the following phrase (with no mistakes) to the number your leader gives you.