Duct Tape Man, Banana Man, and Jesus.

Everyone getting into teams for the first game

Last night was our first traditional "club" of 2015! IT WAS A BLAST! For some of the kids it was their first time at club. We played a bunch of games, hung out, ate some incredible cookies that Sophia and her step-dad made (seriously, they were incredible), and then I got a chance to share about Jesus and how he came to give us life to the fullest. It was such a great night!

Mackenzie and Marlee are ready to celebrate the win!

The first game was a relay type race where kids teamed up and then got in lines. They held hands and watched as Kailey (one of our amazing leaders) flipped a coin. Every time the coin landed on heads, the first person in line would squeeze the next person in line's hand, and they would then pass it down. Once it got to the end of the line, the last person would race to a bucket filled with water and try to find the bar of soap. Teams got a point each time they got the soap first.

Trying to find the bar of soap

Tyler, Reese, Makayla, and Matthew 

Duct Tape Man!

As I was tallying up all the points on my phone, I pretended to break it. I had a broken phone that I switched out with mine and all the kids were convinced I broke my phone, there were gasps all around. But there was nothing to fear because Duct Tape Man came running onto the scene.

Matt Wright, came out as "Duct Tape Man" and we did a skit where he tried to fix my phone with duct tape. Of course it didn't work, and we introduced a game as a way to train to get better at fixing things with duct tape.

Musical duct tape!

The game was just like musical chairs but we used pieces of duct tape instead of chairs. Kids had to move around the room, dancing, until the music stopped. Then they had to try to find one of the pieces of tape that were placed randomly around the garage. It was an absolute blast, and it ended with an intense dance off between Dylan and Alexa.

Who knew rubber gloves could be so fun!

The next game was what we call an "up front" game. These games serve as a way to get kids' attention to move towards the front of the room. Everything we do at club is geared towards creating an environment where kids are welcomed as they are, made to feel safe and included while getting to act crazy, and then hearing the story of Jesus and why we believe that he has the secret for living the best life possible.

The game was a race to see who could blow up a rubber glove the fattest, using only their nose. Kids had to wear the glove on their heads while doing this. It was hilarious, and while Cameron took the early lead by a mile, Alexa came from behind and snatched the victory.

Raffle time with Banana Man!

After the gloves we had Andy come dressed in a Banana Man costume to do a raffle. We just raffled off a couple silly things and some candy, but it brought everyone down a couple notches and got everyone more focused towards the front… plus, who doesn't want to win a raffle?

I had the opportunity to talk about Jesus and the "good life." I started by asking the kids what they thought it took to live a good life. We got answers ranging from having lots of fun and friends to being famous and having lots of money.

I asked a kid to come up a blow up three balloons.

The first one represented life full of relationships. While relationships are a really good thing, it isn't enough to make a full life. Relationships end. People move away, people we love die, girlfriends and boyfriends break up, and sometimes the people we love the most end up hurting us. I popped the balloon and showed that once the balloon is popped and the relationships are over, if that is what we were looking to make us complete, we aren't left with much.

I did the same thing with two more balloons, the next one representing being good at sports or school. While, again, these aren't bad things, if they are what we are putting all our time into, and what we are looking to make our lives good, they are going to leave us looking for more. What happens if a kid isn't good enough to make the team, or they get injured in a way that makes them unable to play? What happens when a kid obsessed with makes straight A's gets a B? Again, if this is all where we are looking to get the good life from, we will be disappointed.

The last balloon was having fun and seeking out experiences. Its pretty easy to see that this will not lead to a lasting good life. While things may be super fun, fun is temporary, and, by nature, it always leads to wanting more. Having fun is important. It gives life flavor, but it can't be the center of life.

After I popped all three balloons I read a quote from Jesus found in the Bible in the book of John, chapter 10 verse 10. Jesus says, "The thief comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. I come to give life, and life to the fullest."

Jesus is the only way to have the truly good life. I'm not talking about becoming a super religious person who goes to church every chance they get, and stays at home on the weekends reading their Bible, only to leave the house in order to go on some mission trip. It might be surprising to hear, but the people Jesus had the biggest problem with were the religious people. The people he spent most of his time around where very normal people, and often the people that the religious people had shunned.

While much of what falls into the "religious" category is good, Jesus has so much more for us. He doesn't want us to be a carbon copy of the next "good Christian" down the road. He wants us to be the "us" that he created. He wants us to live the best life possible, and he knows what that looks like for each of us. Some of it will be similar, but each journey will be unique. A life with Jesus is not the easiest life, but I believe with every fiber in my being, it is the best life possible.

I can't wait for the next club! We will be having a bonfire at "hole in the fence" beach on March 15, from 6:30-8:30.

The reason why we do everything, to get a chance to share Jesus.