5 Senses: Float Your Prayers

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Creating memories happens better when you engage in one or all five of our senses. An idea you can use…

Touch, Sight, Hearing 

Take the group to a river, creek, stream, etc.  Because of this need, this idea works great at a retreat or camp

Have every one find some leaves.  Encourage them to maybe even purposely pick leaves that are shaped like people and problems you want to pray about. 

Gather individually alongside the stream.  Individually pray looking at each leaf, drop it in the stream, and watch it float away. Know that God is hearing every one of these prayers as they float away from your presence and into His presence.

Salt Tray Prayers

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Taste, Seeing

Find a cookie sheet with sides.  Pour enough table salt to cover the bottom of the cookie sheet well.  Also have several coffee stirrers available. 

During the prayer time, allow each youth come to the "salt tray" and write or draw their prayers into the salt.  As you or the youth says "amen" have them smooth out the salt again.  

This does not seem like much but the salt provides a tactile experience which will connect.  

Tasting the Bible Land

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Taste

During the unit of our Faith Foundations teaching on the land that Jesus walked, I decided to provide the teens with several types of foods to taste that Jesus might have eaten. Each week I brought different foods for the teens to taste. From my research on the types of foods that Jesus may have eaten, I brought in hummus with Mediterranean flat bread, pistachio nuts, and fresh dates. We also explored the taste of baklava, which contains foods that He would have eaten: honey, walnuts and cinnamon. Cinnamon is mentioned in the Bible in the following verses:  Exodus 30:23, Proverbs 7:17 and Song of Solomon 4:14. Other foods that Jesus might have eaten include yogurt, lentils, dried figs, grapes, olives, olive oil and cucumbers. In Genesis 43:11 honey, pistachio nuts and almonds are included in a description by Joseph's father as being of the best products of the land! My hope is the next time one of the teens eats some grapes, walnuts or cinnamon, they will be reminded of their lesson and Who else may have eaten that very same type of food.

Rhythm Prayers

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Touch, Hearing

In Psalms, David used song and music to pray to God. Rhythm and tonal melodies are innate abilities within all of us, whether we think so or not.  Music abilities are part of our natural souls’ connection with God.  God created us with musical instincts to worship and pray to Him. David understood this very well.  

How will you encourage teens to tap into their natural music abilities to pray?  Prayer doesn't have to be traditional. Think about using new and different forms of prayer. Use drumming and tones. Have teens create rhythmic songs with drumming, and accompanying prayers. Simple objects you have sitting around can be used as drums for worship: various sized buckets, water bottles, tape measures, rulers, paper, sand paper, the bottoms of chairs, etc. Once your teens have written their prayers in small groups, have them share. Have everyone else join in on the prayer by drumming or humming along.  God will surely be delighted. 

Writing Personal Psalms

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Touch, Hearing

Psalms is a favorite book in the Bible, perhaps because it is the one book that so personally touches us throughout the many emotions a lifetime brings.  

This is a writing assignment that can personally touch the pain of your teens and teach them about this book of Psalms.  Give everyone a piece of paper and pen.  Teach on how each Psalm is basically made up of 5 parts:

The Candles in Your Life

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Touch, Seeing

In preparation you will need a large supply of birthday candles and an undecorated yet frosted sheet cake.  

Ask the group, who has been a light in your life? Who has shared with you a better understanding of God? Continue on by saying, "Today we will celebrate the candles in our lives."  Instruct the group that at the front there are boxes of birthday candles and a large undecorated frosted sheet cake. Invite everyone to think of at least one person who has been a light in their lives. To honor that person, light a candle and place that into the cake.  Give everyone a chance to light at least one candle.  If others want to do a second and third, give them that chance too if time allows.  

Draw everyone's attention to the cake.  Maybe even turn out the lights.   Take notice at how the cake glows. Make a clear point that you may feel like a little light in the big world but if we are all such lights for other people like the ones you thought of as you added a candle, we can be this bright together.

Spice Taste Test

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Taste

Before the meeting prepare the set up. Choose a wide variety of spices and places each of them in a small bowl without labels. Be sure you have the list of which spice is which spice.

During the meeting, have teens take turns identifying what each spice is. After they have tasted and identified, now ask them how that spice reminds them of God. Be ready for a wide-range of answers which will be a-okay. We serve a wide-ranging God.

Clothing Yourself with Compassion Prayer

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Touch, Seeing, Hearing

Colossians 3:12-14 teaches “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Using those verses create a creative prayer moment using several pieces of clothing.  This can be done by giving everyone the same pile of clothes to put on at the instructed time; or as prayer stations with three to five people at a time at each station; or in a large group with the leader leading the prayer and physically putting on the clothes while the participants use their imagination.  

After each piece of clothing there is a written prayer.  Feel free to add a personal touch to each of these prayers.

Candles in the World

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Touch Seeing

Supplies needed:  large birthday candles, undecorated frosted sheet cake

Open with these questions:  Ask who has been a light in your life?  Who has shared with you a better understanding of God?  Today we will celebrate the candles in our lives. 

Styrofoam Cup Family Structures

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Touch, Seeing

This simple activity is a great way for a small group leader get to know each teen’s family situations better. You will need approximately a dozen Styrofoam cups per person and markers.

Hand out one Styrofoam cup to every person for every person in his/her immediate family.  Hand out markers and have them draw faces and label each cup to identify each member of their family.  Encourage them to be creative.

Location Prayer Experience in the Church Building

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Touch, Seeing

Write out church-specific prayer requests on cards and hide them throughout your church building.  Create a set of cards for each group, maybe incorporating color, so each group (no more than 5) can know which card is theirs.  On each card, write out the actual prayer and a position for prayer.  Some ideas are:

•    Mission map - Pick out a missionary for each team and give them a specific request from that missionary.  Have the team place their hand on the map on the country as they pray.

An Object Lesson Using Pomegranates

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Taste, Touch

A pomegranate can become a great object lesson allowing students to fully engage their senses of taste and touch.  There are several possibilities for using pomegranates in lessons, but I have used them in the context of experiencing God versus just knowing about God.

One pomegranate is usually enough for 12 to 15 students.  Begin by showing the pomegranate and ask students who do not already know to guess what it looks like on the inside.  After a few responses, break it open and ask them how they think you’re supposed to eat it.  Break it into several pieces and pass it around telling them to pull the pulpy seeds out and enjoy.  Make sure to have plenty of napkins. 

Spot The Difference

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Seeing

Set up a tripod and take a picture of your office or the youth room or the worship center.  Move 20 things and take another picture.  When the group gathers, place the photos side-by-side on your projection system and challenge everyone to find the 20 things. 

5 Senses Crucifixion Experience

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The following are senses ideas to aid a Good Friday or other cross service:

Touch – a rough-hewn cross, crown of thorns, cloth soaked in sticky fake blood, large nails for each participant
Sound – soundtrack of a thunderstorm, nails being hammered into a board, silence, a single voice singing “Were You There?”
Seeing – a physical cross, red rose petals dropped along the floor for drops of blood, crown of thorns
Smell – a vinegar mix which includes red food coloring
Taste - communion

Cemetery Talk

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Touch, Seeing, Smell

There is something about taking the living amongst the dead. Each year we as a youth group meet at a local cemetery to talk about purpose and legacy. I read them the story of Ebenezer (not Scrooge) from 1 Samuel 7:7-13.

In that story Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer representing ‘thus far has the Lord helped us.’ For added effect, I read from a giant Bible that was dedicated to a teenager who died in our church from many years before.

After discussion and contemplation, I close with a eulogy and remind the teens that our purpose is for now, because we don’t know how long we have.

Rick Nier, Pastor of Youth and Education, Winona Lake Free Methodist Church, www.wlfmc.org

Prayer as Incense

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Smell, Touch

Supplies needed: hot pot or camp stove with saucepan, water, pancake syrup, salt, cinnamon, clove, basil, and other assorted fragrant spices. Before the start combine 1 cup water and ½ cup of syrup into the saucepan. 
   
Read Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:3-5 to the group.  Incense is a symbol that represents our prayers to God.  Heaven is filled with our prayers.  They rise to God like a pleasant aroma.

Masterpiece

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Seeing

I was in the process of planning a youth service about how the teens are all masterpieces of God’s handiwork.  I met a girl in the youth group who usually sits by herself and doesn’t talk much to anyone. 

I also noticed that she was an incredible artist so I approached her wondering if she could draw someone in the service while I was teaching. 

Anger Prayers

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Hearing, Touch, Seeing

Assign some of your teens to read a psalm that express anger and challenge to God, such as Psalm 88:12-18. 
 
After a moment of silence, invite all of the teens to find a spot on the graffiti-style on paper which has been posted on the walls. Invite them to write their own prayers of anger for the injustices in the world. Music may or may not be playing in the background. Sometimes music can enhance, sometimes music can distract. Your choice as you know your group.

Praying in Color

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Touch, Seeing

“Let us bow our heads in prayer…” For many of us, including the teens, you bow your head, shut your eyes and…and, think about how your ankle itches? Or do you start to think about a video game or simply doze off! Praying in color has blessed my prayer life and some of the teens have also grown to love this way to pray.   Sybil MacBeth wrote about this method in her book, Praying in Color. 

Literally Standing in the Gap

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Touch, Seeing

We’ve been “gifted” a large wooden cross on a stand.  During a “solemn assembly” that our church called, I came up with this prayer exercise using our cross.   

I placed the cross in the center of the room.  On the four walls of the room I hung posterboard.  Each wall was labeled: “Prayer for the World,” “Prayer for Friends,” “Prayer for Church Family,” “Prayer for Manassas.” 

At the appointed time, I gave everyone (this included parents) a marker and time to go to each posterboard and write down needs that pertained to that posterboard.