Wednesday's Word of the Week - Do you trust Him?

The sky is dark. Sudden waves of water tilt up our sailing vessel until we see nothing but sky and then downward until we see nothing but blue. I learned this about sailing: there is nothing swell about a swell!

Eyes turned first to the thunderclouds, then to the captain. We looked to him. He was deliberate and decisive. He told some of us where to sit, others what to do, and all of us to hang on. And we did what he said. Why? We knew he knew best.

Such winds test our trust in the Captain. Does God know what he’s doing? Why did he allow the storm? The conditions worsen, and his instructions perplex. How do you respond? Can you say about God what I said about our captain?

I know God knows what’s best. I know I don’t. I know he cares. Do you trust him?

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10

From Max Lucado's book, Come Thirsty

Toolbox Tuesday - GB Level Badges

So what does your group do for the girls to earn their level badges? We find its not many girls cup of tea to learn this sort of stuff. I've heard many ideas for learning this information from doing a little bit each night, to doing a couple of full nights on this. From doing activities like word puzzles, to jigsaw puzzles and all sorts of memory techniques.

We do level badges every two years, typically, and just for a couple of nights. I have some worksheets I have created with different sorts of puzzles. They complete these over 1 and a half nights; then for approx. an hour on the second night we play ZONK! This is a game where small coloured squares of card are stuck to the wall; on the backs of which are points (1,2,3,4,5,10,20,50 etc). The girls are in teams of mixed levels, I ask them a question, the first team with their hand up get to answer the question. If they get it right someone comes up and starts to remove the cards from the wall and adds up the points on the back, the twist is that some of the cards say ZONK, if they get this they lose all the points the hold for that round. They can say stop at any point and any points they have can be kept. It can get quite frantic and the girls can get quite competitive and loud but heaps of fun - and we find the girls really learn a lot.

This year we have had girls doing levels 1-3. Click on the links below to download PDF's of the level badge worksheets I have created for this years use, feel free to use them if you wish.  Level 2 & 3 will just need the info for West Akld cut out and your own info applied.  If you would like the publisher files from me, just email.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Motivation Monday - The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.  I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting you heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.  I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, have been opened by life's betrayals, or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes, without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic or to remember the limitation of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.  I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, if you can bear accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy.  I want to know if you can see beauty even when its not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure; yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the moon...YES.

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.  I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are and how you came to be here.  I want to know if you can stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me what, or where, or with whom you studied.  I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.  I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in empty moments.

Oriahe Mountain Dreamer

Wednesday's Word of The Week - the Dove Evolution

Today I bring you a devotion that you can run with your youth.

Main Point of Discussion: Our perception of beauty has been completely distorted by the media and modern technology, which is why we need to go back to God’s definition of beauty from the Bible.

Introducing the Clip:
Today I want to show you a clip from You Tube called ‘Dove Evolution’. As you watch it, think about how you define beauty.

Let’s take a look.

Show the You Tube clip ‘Dove Evolution’

Transitional Statement:
This clip does an excellent job of showing the incredible distortion tactics that go in to making people ‘beautiful’ and setting up unattainable standards- especially for women.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

Discussion Questions:

AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we begin, name some actors/actresses you might consider ‘hot.’
AROUND THE CIRCLE: Do you think these people really look like the way they do on the big screen? Why or why not?
AROUND THE CIRCLE: Why do advertisers and Hollywood feel they can’t put up a real person as an example of beauty?
ASK A FEW: How would you define ‘beauty’?

Read the following passage:
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NLT)
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

ASK A FEW: What does the verse tell us “don’t be concerned” with? What are some examples of how kids at your school become “concerned” with stuff like this?
ASK A FEW: Do you ever become concerned with this stuff?
ASK A FEW: What does the verse say to instead “clothe ourselves with?” Describe someone that you know that has some of these “unfading” qualities?
ASK A FEW: Would anyone describe you as having any of these “unfading” qualities? Why or why not? Would you like to have some of these?
ASK A FEW: How does this passage relate to the Dove video?
ASK A FEW: What’s the downside to constantly being concerned about just outward beauty?
ASK A FEW: What does inner beauty look like?
AROUND THE CIRCLE: What positives come out of focusing on inner beauty?
ASK A FEW: How would focusing on inner beauty help us not get so hung up on outer beauty?
ASK A FEW: In the clip we saw the female version of focusing on outward beauty, what do you think the male version of this would look like?
ASK A FEW: What’s the connection between a distorted sense of beauty and low self-esteem?
AROUND THE CIRCLE: How does our distorted view of real beauty show up in negative behaviors? (i.e. pornography, anorexia, etc.)
AROUND THE CIRCLE: Name one way that you could focus on your inner beauty instead of your outer beauty this week.

Wrap Up:
Tonight we’ve been discussing the whole area of distorted vs. real beauty. Isn’t it amazing that Peter gave us a warning against focusing too much on external beauty almost 2000 years ago? What that tells us is that God is highly concerned that we don’t get caught in the ‘photoshop’ trap of judging our worth and value with how we measure up to what is really unattainable. Tonight I want to challenge you to think about how much time and emotional energy is put into trying to match society’s distorted definition of beauty, and how you can bring balance to your life by focusing on inner beauty. One great way to do this is to remember that because you have a relationship with Jesus, you have the power through Him to become more like Him every day- and that is the greatest inner beauty possible!

Close in Prayer – (give invitation)
Right now I want everyone to close their eyes and think about themselves and not those around you. If you are sitting here and you’re thinking, “I can’t try to be more like Jesus because I don’t know if I have a relationship with Him.”

If you’d like that relationship with God, tell Him. Ask Him to forgive your sins. If you’re willing to truly trust in Him, tell Him that you’re ready to turn away from the world’s obsession with outer beauty and focus on being like Christ..

There may also be Christians here who are really struggling with the things we’ve talked about. Tonight give your struggles to Christ, and let Him make you beautiful from the inside out.

For more ideas like this for youth ministry go to The Source for Youth Ministry

Toolbox Tuesday - Marshmellow Moments

Earlier this year I bought to you Marshmellow Moments, which comes from our Red Resource folder and was tested by the Blockhouse Bay and Pt. Chevalier companies.  If you're looking for more to do with this theme what about letting your girls get creative with marshmellows and create animals with them.  Try creating the ones in the below image.

Motivation Monday - Making a Difference

One day a man was walking along the beach.  He noticed that during the night many starfish had washed up on the shore.  Far off in the distance he saw a figure dancing.  As he drew closer he noticed that it was not someone dancing but a small child methodically picking up starfish and tossing them back into the sea.  The man, puzzled, asked, "Why are you throwing those starfish?".  "If I leave them the sun will dry them and they will die, so I'm throwing them back into the sea because I want them to live!" she replied.  He was impressed with the child's thoughtfulness, but said, "There are millions of them, how could you possibly expect to make a difference?".  The small child pondered the man's words for a moment then picked up a starfish and threw it into the sea.  "You might be right, " she said, smiling, "but I made a difference to that one!"

After being at GBNZ Conference at Hunua this weekend, the thought occurs to me that sometime we can be overwhelmed by the politics, the business, the management etc. that is involved with running an organisation, and we may ask ourselves "Why do I do this, what is the point, what difference am I making, is it just too hard?".  And that is where I remember this story; every girl we reach is worth every bit of our energy and time.  I once was one of those girls, and the leaders that I had while growing up helped make me the person I am today.  So for all girls out there I say to you, do not feel overwhelmed, you are doing a fabulous job and all girls NZ wide need awesome leaders and role models like yourselves.  In the words of Joanna (IFG) and Outward Bound, "Be your best self".

Wednesday's Word of the Week - Communication

Communication 

God doesn’t always expect you to agree with your folks. He knows they’ll make mistakes. But He does expect you to honour them with your obedience. And for those who do? He gives a fantastic promise. Check it out: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honour your father and mother’ – which is the first commandment with a promise – ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’” (Ephesians 6:1-3).

The 10 “T’s” of Talking
Think about what you might need to improve on and asked God’s help with this. See what you can remember for next week!

1. Think about what you’re going to say ahead of time. Plan points of what you’re suggesting and anticipate answers to any objections they may have. 
2. Target your goal and see if there are any points you can negotiate. 
3. Temper literally means “to moderate or control”. Make sure it is under control no matter what happens 
4. Timing is everything. Pick the best times to talk not when others are busy doing something. 
5. Thoughtfulness goes a long way in getting your arguments across. 
6. Two-way conversation is the name of the game. 
7. Telling is not yelling. Even if you’re getting frustrated, you can make sure it remains a conversation instead of a shouting match. 
8. Teamwork. Engaging each other as teammates shows you want to work together to get the issue resolved. For example, if it’s going out Saturday night, ask your parents to trust that you’ll be bright-eyed for what they want to do Sunday morning. 
9. Tone of voice and your inflection is vital for healthy discussion. If you sound demanding or disrespectful, get ready to tell your friends the plans are off! 
10. Thank God once the conversation is done, regardless of the outcome. Show your appreciation to your teammates for helping you to communicate well.

Toolbox Tuesday - World of Friends Europe - Amazing Race Week 3

Girls’ Brigade Europe Amazing Race

Week 3:

• Line up teams as from week previous
• Remind them of rules etc

Greece

• Olympics
• Round 1 – Hockey, each team given magazine stick and a balloon – up to chair and back
• Round 2 – Javelin Throw – each team given a straw, must throw and where it lands to stand and keep throwing until it reaches chair, then run back
• Round 3 – Reverse hurdles, each member of the team crawling, and to go under 2 chairs and then back again
• Round 4 – Gymnastics, each member to do forward rolls to chair and then star jumps back to team
• Team with most points goes on first then each other team 30 seconds later than last, give DEVOTIONS CLUE

Devotions

• Choose an animal, and acting and making sounds of that animal, find the cross.
• Follow instructions on work sheet
• Check answers to get SPAIN DETOUR clue

Spain

• As a tight group hug walk to Spain
• Detour
• Choose between craft fish or word fish
• Craft fish – Cut out template, decorate and add verse Matthew 4:19, “Come follow me”, Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men” – 1 per person
• Word fish – complete Spanish fruits wordfind – 1 per team
• Names on activities, get ENGLAND ROADBLOCK clue

England

• Roll to England
• Roadblock – one member of the team to complete
• One member of the team to Sing “I’m a little Tea Pot”, with actions, once complete direct them to table where craft set up.
• England – craft
• Each person to make handbag for tea party

PITSTOP

All girls to clean up and then be seated for English Tea Party.

For full resources, please email me for a copy.

Motivation Monday - Youth

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of will, a quality of the imagination, a vigour of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.  Youth means predominance of courage over timidity, of adventure over the love of ease.  This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty.  Nobody grows old merely by a number of years.  We grow old by deserting our ideals.  Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.  Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair - these bow the heart and turn the spirit back to dust.  You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hopes; as old as your despair.

Samuel Ullman

GB Prayer Wave - the end or just the beginning?

We have now reached the end of the GB Prayer Wave 2012... but let’s not stop praying! Hold your hands open in front of you and sit in silence for several moments, staring at them. Pray that your hands will be a physical representation of what you desire your heart to be. Ask God to help you remember and earnestly pray for your Sisters in Christ, even in lands far away. Be reminded that your efforts in prayer can make a difference and uplift someone in another country. Be the hands in the Prayer Wave that want to be like God’s hands, and make a difference in this world.