AN OVERVIEW
I. OVERVIEW
The Discovery Camp is a three day, two night camp intended for members who have gone through the Youth Camp and have been in YFC for one year. Ideally, each batch of Youth Camp participants will go through this together a year after their camp. You may also put two batches of Youth Camps together.This camp serves as a refresher for the members and will bring them to a deeper level of commitment to God, to YFC and to their households.
In their Youth Camp, they learned about how giving their life to God is the only way to be happy in this life. In this camp, they will discover very basic, very real and very crucial issues in their lives.
The youth live in a social environment where there are conflicting values. They can be easily confused and misled. It is important to help them gain understanding about these crucial issues in a manner that appeals to them and will make them more open and accepting.
These four issues are:
SELF
Many young people go through life insecure and afraid. They do not realize their value as a person and so look to vices and other destructive measures to feel special.
PEER INFLUENCE
Friends have a big influence on what the youth do and how they think. Many friendships cause pain and suffering because they lead each other to harm. As such, many lives have been lost to gangs and fraternities. Many teenage pregnancies and abortions stem from peer pressure.
FAMILY LIFE
The family is usually the main source of hurt and brokeness for young people. This leads to rebellion, isolation and therefore, disunity in the family. More and more young people would rather stay out that spend time at home with their families.
LOVE INTEREST
Romantic relationships lead so many young people to misery. Misguided choices and confused ideals result in pain and depression.
II. THE TEAM
This Discovery Camp is conducted by a group of young people who have shared the same experiences and are able to relate with the participants and speak their language.The team is composed of:
The team leader
The assistant team leader
4 speakers
Discussion facilitators
III. SCHEDULE
Young people are most enthusiastic at night. This is the time when they go out for parties and hang out. From experience with this type of camp it is at this time that they are most teachable.DAY 1
PM
6:00 – 7:00 Registration
7:00 – 8:00 Dinner
8:00 – 8:15 Gathering
8:15 – 8:45 Games
8:45 – 9:00 Worship
9:00 – 9:15 Orientation
9:15 – 10:00 Talk 1: “Through the Father’s Eyes”
Reflection
Sharing
10:00 – 10:45 Talk 2: “Friends For Life”
Reflection
Sharing
10:45 onwards Sharing by households
DAY 2
AM
Since the first night may have ended really late, the morning should have a free schedule. Participants have the option to eat breakfast, take a bath or sleep in as long as they are ready and in the session hall for the first activity.
10:00 – 10:15 Gathering
10:15 – 10:45 Games
10:45 – 11:00 Worship
11:00 – 12:00 Talk 3: “Perfect Moments”
Reflection
Sharing
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 Exhortation: “Talents Talk”
1:30 – 6:30 Workshops
6:30 – 7:00 Break/Wash up/Set up
7:00 – 8:30 Dinner
8:30 – 9:30 Show and Honoring
9:30 – 11:00 Disco
11:00 – 12:00 Talk 4: “When I Fall In Love”
Reflection
Sharing
12:00 onwards Sharing by households
DAY 3
AM
Free schedule again
PM
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 Gathering
1:30 – 1:45 Worship
1:45 – 2:30 Talk 5:”Free to Choose”
Reflection
Sharing
2:30 – 3:00 Prayer by households
3:00 – 4:00 Mass
4:00 Go home
IV. DYNAMICS
1. Choose a venue that allows you to make a considerable amount of noise. The second night will be a party. There may even be a band playing.2. The team should come together before the Discovery Camp starts to:
- Pray
- Discuss responsibilities and assignments.
- Discern the appropriate speakers and sharers. It is important to have speakers and sharers that the participants can relate to.
- Get credible resource persons to give workshops on dance, music, fashion and visual arts.
- Prepare opening creative numbers like a dance or a song to introduce each session.
- Prepare the reflection songs.
- Group the participants into households and assign them to workshops.
- Put together a registration team. Make id tags that are attractive and colorful. Prepare different id designs for each household so that it will be easy to see from the id what household each participant belongs to. Do the same with the workshops. For example, a red tag would refer to one particular household while a yellow strip on the id would mean that the participant is part of the music workshop.
- Prepare games and ice breakers and assign a Game Master ready at any time should you need to hype up or wake up the group.
3. During registration, the team should go around to welcome the participants.
ORIENTATION TALK
GOALS: To give the participants an idea of what to expect from the weekend.To make the participants feel comfortable and at ease enough to enjoy and open up.
DYNAMICS:
1. The Orientation should be given by the team leader. Make the atmosphere light and fun. Give jokes and tell stories.
2. After dinner, gather the participants playing one to two songs
3. Have the game master lead the group into a game.
4. The team leader leads the opening worship
5. Welcome the participants and introduce the team.
REASON FOR THE DISCOVERY CAMP
You have experienced God and grown to love Him more in your Youth Camp a year ago. In this camp, you will discover areas in your life that may still be keeping you from being happy. The Lord wants to make our joy complete. You may be enjoying YFC and be very active or you may have lost touch with the group in the past year, but all the same, the Lord is calling you to complete joy.
In this camp, we will talk about certain crucial areas in our lives that can make or break us as a person. These are our self, our friends, our family and our love life. God wants to reach into all these areas of our life and make us whole. He is not a God that is stuck in church waiting for us to worship Him. He is a God that reaches out to us where we are in our life and seeks to make our joy complete!
V. EXPECTATIONS
A. Expect to have fun and enjoy.B. Expect to grow in relationship with your brothers and sisters in your household and in the other households.
C. Expect to hear God’s word and listen to what He is telling you and what He is leading you to discover about yourself and the life that He has given you.
VI. ATTITUDES
Open up! No one here will judge you or make fun of you. Rest assured that you are among friends, brothers and sisters even.Allow your brothers and sisters to love you. Share your experiences. You’ll never know. Someone might need to hear your sharing and be blessed by your experience.
Make the most out of this time to recharge and refuel. You will be at the forefront of the battle for the souls of the people in your area, your schools, your friends and your family. There will be a lot of work to do. This is the time to soak up God’s leading for you. So, listen up!
THROUGH THE FATHER’S EYES
THE FIRST TALK OF THE DISCOVERY CAMP
GOAL: To help the participants see beyond the judgements the world makes about them and instead see how special they are as children of God
DYNAMICS:
1. Prepare one or two sharers. The team leader and the speaker should brief the sharers about the objectives of the talk to make sure that the goals of the talk will be achieved and clarified through their sharing.
2. After the sharing, the speaker or the team leader will lead the group into a reflection. The song “True Colors” by Cindy Lauper may be sung as the reflection song. (A copy of the song with chords is attached to this outline)
3. Have papers and pens ready for the reflection. After the reflection song, give them the guide question and ask them to write their answers. Give them 3 minutes for this – An additional song may be sung during this time.
4. Lead the group into a closing prayer.
I. EYES WIDE SHUT
Many of us young people are confused about who we are because of the many different things the world says about us.- When people think we are second class or less of a person because of the color of our skin or the way we look or the salary of our parents.
- When people expect us to act or live by a certain standard because of the reputation of our parents.
- When people say that we are soft or gay, like a woman in a man’s body
The world measures our value as a person by the way we look, the way we speak, what we have or what we can do and not by who we are.
Because of this, many young people are confused and unhappy -- even those who are already in YFC. It is important for us to realize and accept who we really are if we want to live the life God wants for us.
Just like we learned in our Youth Camp, “Yes, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope.” (Jer. 29:11)
II. SEEING
We need to understand and accept our nature. We need to see what we are meant to be.- A. SEX
Gender issues cause much of the confusion and therefore unhappiness among many young people today. - 1. MEN
It is a man’s nature to be protector, provider and pastor. God even created men to be physically bigger and stronger for this purpose.
Look around and you’ll see that the most miserable men are those who - are abusers instead of protectors
- those who are lazy instead of providers
- and those who are a bad influence because they can’t stand up for righteousness and are not respected or trusted – instead of pastors that lead people to do what’s right.
- 2. WOMEN
Women are precious. They should be sought after and cherished. It is her nature to want to be cared for and pursued. - Many women are miserable because they cheapen themselves.
- - Those who run after guys and those who are easy to get do not feel they are precious enough to be pursued or fought for. So, they cheapen themselves and sell themselves short.
- There are many others who do not realize their value as women and life-givers.
- Many women are unhappy because they are too bossy and demanding. They try too hard to be like men but all they will ever be is a second class man.
- They fail to see the privilege in bearing children, in bringing life to another human being. That all the pain in menstruating and childbirth is worth it.
- 3. HOMOSEXUALS
No matter what you do, no matter how much you change your voice or the way you walk, even if you have a sex change, you will always be a woman. You will always be a man. Your genitals don’t make you who you are. - It must be so depressing to think that you are a mistake, that you should have been a woman instead of a man or the other way around.
- How sad it must be to live your life believing that you were not created on purpose, that you are some accident,
- This is why it is so difficult for people who are confused about their gender to be really happy. It’s OK to accept that you are a little bit soft as a man or a little bit more masculine then other women, but it must never be mistaken that inspite of this you are no less a man or a woman.
- There is a reason why you are the way you are. You were created with all intention and purpose. You were planned and loved into existence. Don’t waste your whole life trying to be someone or something that you are not and will never be. Especially when who and what you are is perfectly okay.
- B. AGE
- We are at a transient age where everything about us is changing. Growing up takes a lot of change in our bodies as well as in the way we think and feel.
- - Do not be depressed about how you look. You may be to short or too tall. You are a work in process.
- - Don’t be pressured to have a boyfriend or girlfriend because you are changing and your tastes will change.
- - Do not feel frustrated when you don’t know exactly what you want.
- Live out your life. Your youth should be fun and enjoyed! Don’t sacrifice this time to insecurity and pressures. Discover yourself.
III. FREE TO BE
At your worst self you are loved. When you wake up in the morning, and your breath stinks or when your face breaks out full of pimples. Whether you are cranky or mean or a screaming jerk, you are loved.You are loved eternally by a God who never changes His mind. You can never out-sin His mercy, never fall too far out of His grace.
When you realize this and believe in it with all confidence, you are free! This unconditionally accepting love makes you free to be the best, to be excellent.
- You are free to be the best son or daughter you can be. Whether you are an only child or the fifth of 8 kids, whether you are the favorite or the least noticed in your family, you can still be the best son or daughter.
- You may be at the top of your class or just average. You may be great in arts or the worst in math. Whatever it is, you can be the best student YOU can be without being guilty or insecure. You have your own talents and have confidence in them not because you are really good but because you are so sure of the God that gave them to you.
- You can be the best boyfriend or girlfriend that you can be because you don’t have to pretend and put on an image or a mask. You know that you can love and that you’re worth loving because the God of all creation loves you.
- You can be the best person --- honest, responsible --- You watch out for other people more than you watch out for yourself because you are confident that the all powerful God watches over YOU.
You can be the best child of God!
IV. THE FATHER’S EYES
Many people get into drugs, party all night, every night. Some become obsessed with being perfect or pleasing others. People try so hard to hide their imperfections, pretend and put up an image to be accepted. All are just trying to find ways to make themselves worthy of love. Funny thing is, they are already loved!
All we have to do is not to listen to what the world says we are but to see with the Father’s eyes.
In the Father’s eyes we are not perfect but we are loved perfectly.
REFLECTION
The song True Colors by Cindy Lauper may be sung. Then the following guide question will be given:
Write down 3 things that make you forget how special you are in God’s eyes. (e.g. I keep failing in school, I’m the black sheep in the family, etc.)
FRIENDS FOR LIFE
SECOND TALK OF THE DISCOVERY CAMP
GOALS: To show the participants that real friendship brings out the best in people.
To encourage them to build real friendships with those already in YFC and those who are not.
DYNAMICS:
1. Prepare one or two sharers. The team leader and the speaker should brief the sharers about the objectives of the talk to make sure that the goals of the talk will be achieved and clarified through their sharing.
2. After the sharing, the speaker or the team leader will lead the group into a reflection. A song on friendship like “Count On Me” or “Lean On Me” may be sung as a reflection song.
3. Have papers and pens ready for the reflection. After the song is sung, give them the guide question and ask them to write their answers. Give them 3 minutes for this – An additional song may be sung during this time.
4. Lead the group into a closing prayer and ask them to divide into households for sharing / processing to discuss the answers to the guide questions for the first and second talks.
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
The second area in our life that often makes or breaks us are the friends that we hang out with.
Friendship is essential in a person’s life. No one can go through life without friends. We seek people that we genuinely like to hang around with, to tell our secrets to, to comfort us when we are down. Our friends give us our sense of identity, self esteem and sense of security. They influence our values, attitudes and life styles.
Friendship wields so much power in any person’s life. Our friends shape our lives. As the saying goes, “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.”
Friendship has power over our happiness. Many people have wasted time, talents and treasure because they were caught up in the wrong crowd.
FRIENDSHIPS THAT DESTROY
A. When they cause us to sin or do things that are not right
1. Cheat, cut classes, neglect our studies to have fun with our friends
2. To read or watch pornography or engage in pre marital sex
3. To be mean or nasty or when they bring out negative traits
4. We bully people to show our friends how tough we are.
B. When they make us conform to the wrong set of values and lifestyle.
1. Buying expensive things, wearing expensive clothes so we match our rich friends even if our parents cannot afford it.
2. Having an early relationship so we will not be made fun of and teased. Having a girlfriend so our friends will think we’re cool and macho.
C. When friends have more influence on us than our parents and they make fun of the values that are taught to us at home.
1. Being ashamed to be in the same social gathering with our parents because of what our friends will say.
2. Even good teenagers who have good parents who really care for them (but because they do, they are sometimes perceived to be strict) are being influenced to rebel against their parents by friends who are broken, who lack attention at home who are just looking for people to indulge their hurts with.
D. Friends who may be a bad influence on us are not necessarily bad people.
1. Friends who are smart and have strong personalities but are genuinely broken (those with big problems), can influence us to do bad things even if we don’t have the same problems they have.
2. Even good people who are broken can influence us wrongly.
3. We can even be influenced to magnify our small problems or pay attention to the faults of people who love us. How stupid can we get if we allow people to steal our joy and make us go against the people who love us despite their shortcomings.
4. As YFC members we must learn to influence these kinds of friends to do what’s right instead of being influenced by them.
FRIENDSHIPS THAT GIVE LIFE
FRIENDS FOR LIFE!
In YFC, we are grouped into households so that we can experience the kind of friendship that brings life. After one year of growing in our relationship with the Lord and especially after this Discovery Camp, we hope that you will find that kind of friendship.
After this camp, you will be grouped into the second stage of relationship with your brothers and sisters in YFC. Here in your household, we want to know more how to serve and love each other. We will ask God to teach us to outdo each other in love, in so doing build friendships that will last for a lifetime.
TRUE FRIENDSHIP
True friendship is not exclusive.
- In this household, you strive to make everyone your best friend. You are genuinely warm and friendly to all even if you are closer to some in particular.
- Do not give special attention just to the person you are interested in. Do not make the relationship exclusive so the others feel left out.
True friendship is not possessive or jealous
- You should not be demanding time and attention. There should be genuine confidence in one another and you should in fact welcome the idea that they have other friends.
True friendship builds up the other in love
- No negative humor which puts down the other person
- You should be encouraging and upbuilding in speech and action. Do not talk about your friends behind their back or gossip about them
- Manifest intense loyalty. Defend the honor and reputation of your brothers and sisters at all times
True friendship seeks the good in one another.
- Encourage each other in your studies
- Encourage friends to mend relationships in their family
- Encourage your friends to express and develop their talents and skills
CONCLUSION
Friendship is a gift from God. It is a source of joy. Real friendship is life-giving and up-building. One cannot go through life without friends. Good friends motivate us to be the best that we can ever be. In our group, we can look forward to having the best friends for life because the source of our friendship is God Himself who is our Best Friend!
REFLECTION
List down 3 friends who bring you life.
List down 3 friends who you should influence.
PERFECT MOMENTS
THIRD TALK OF THE DISCOVERY CAMP
GOALS: To help YFC members realize that their parents are God’s blessing to them and that they should seek to understand them.
To encourage YFC members to make definite and deliberate steps to build stronger family relationships.
DYNAMICS:
1. Prepare one or two sharers. The team leader and the speaker should brief the sharers about the objectives of the talk to make sure that the goals of the talk will be achieved and clarified through their sharing.
2. After the sharing, the speaker or the team leader will lead the group into a reflection. The song “Refiner’s Fire” may be sung as a reflection song. (A copy of the song with chords is attached to this outline)
3. The team leader or the speaker should pray over the group for healing and strength. You can use the prayer for healing of family relationships at the end of this outline. Make the participants repeat the prayer line by line. It is important for them to hear themselves praying out loud. They will feel more accountable.
4. Play two or three fast songs for a mini praisefest to end the session. (e.g You Have Broken the Chains)
5. Bless the food for lunch.
I. THE PLAN
In the beginning when God created human beings, He made them to be like Himself. He created them male and female, blessed them and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth.”
This was the beginning of family. The family was so important to God that when He sent His only son to redeem us, Jesus Christ was born of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit and was raised as the son of Joseph.
In essence, God takes care of us through our parents. Our parents nurture us, love us, feed us, teach us, and take care of our needs according to their capabilities. Parents who know God introduce us to God’s teachings and ways.
Our parents support us through our growing up years and play a major role in forming our character. As we grow to be more mature and responsible, we are able to take care of ourselves. As we finish our education and become more independent, we are prepared to start and support our own family. And the cycle continues.
God commands us to respect our father and mother. This is the ideal relationship of parents and children according to the plan of God.
II. THE PRESENT SITUATION
Parents and children spend less time together to communicate and build a loving relationship with one another.
- Both parents have full-time jobs to meet the financial demands of the family
- There are many distractions at home which compete with time for personal interaction among family members, such as TV and computers (give more examples).
Values which we normally learn from our families are being replaced by values dictated by external factors:
- Advertisements which foster materialism
- peer pressure due to the desire for acceptance
- Television which approve of casual sex, early relationships and vices as sources of pleasure
Misunderstanding and miscommunication between parents and children due to fears brought about by an increasingly dangerous environment.
- Parents are sometimes too strict and children rebel against them.
- Children lie to keep their activities from their parents and when the parents find out, it creates another cycle of misunderstanding.
- Anger expressed by both parties aggravates the situation and block communication between them.
Parents’ demanding and pressuring their children
- Pressure for personal excellence and perfection fosters an atmosphere of competition among siblings. This causes resentments among them especially when they perceive biases or favoritism on the part of the parents.
There is an increasing number of broken families
- that produce broken and hurting people who are afraid to love and receive love and to trust people.
III. THE EFFECTS
A. Rebellion and disobedience
- When you rebel you go farther away from your parents and deprive yourself of an important source of wisdom to guide you in your growing up years.
B. Refusing to communicate with your parents
- Lack of communication causes loneliness, anxiety, and confusion. It drives you to look for friends who may sympathize with you because they have the same problems and just contribute to the problem by affirming your feelings rather than help you seek a solution.
C. You may seek out a girlfriend/boyfriend
- You may think that they can take you out of your family and provide you with a person whom you can love and will love you back. Unfortunately, these are temporary measures that may compound your problems because you are not emotionally ready to enter into a relationship with another person. Your emotional vulnerability makes you prone to pre-marital sex and early and unwanted pregnancy for young women.
D. You may take it out on your younger siblings
- This will cause constant quarrelling and bickering with them. This further isolates you, making you lonely and afraid.
E. You may run away from your problems
- You may seek to forget your problems or want to prove to others that you are in control by engaging in self-destructive activities (drugs, alcohol, pre-marital sex, vandalism and violent acts).
Remember, when you engage in harmful activities out of rebellion and disobedience, you not only hurt your parents, YOU ALSO HURT YOURSELF and you suffer the consequences of your own actions, compromising your happiness and your future.
IV. CLAIMING VICTORY
A. Accept your parents and make a decision to love them unconditionally.
- Remember that your parents love you and they do many things out of concern rather than spite.
B. Parents are not perfect so do not expect a perfect relationship.
- Some parents have been broken during their childhood and may be experiencing brokeness in the present relationship. Acknowledge their shortcomings but make a decision not to be like them.
C. Be open in your communication with your parents.
- Strive to make them understand your confusion and loneliness and fear. Be honest and do not keep secrets from them. Trust them because your parents only want the best for you.
D. Acknowledge your faults when you make a mistake.
- There is no need to be defensive. It doesn’t matter who is right and wrong. What is important is the realization that you caused someone else to be hurt and that you are sorry.
E. Forgive your parents for the hurts they have caused you.
- Avoid the temptation of always feeling like the victim. Often, young people tend to magnify even the small comments parents make. React appropriately to a situation and do not carry the burden. Do not pile up resentments for past hurts.
F. Make a decision to be a loving presence in your family
- Decide to love especially your brothers and sisters. Persevere and be consistent in your decision to love and accept them unconditionally especially during trying times in your relationship.
G. Decide to be happy.
- As you go through life, there will always be difficult times. Remember that all problems have solutions. You only have to work at it. You can choose to be miserable everyday, or you can choose to learn from the situation and remain optimistic that you will eventually resolve your differences.
H. Strengthen your commitment to God.
- Pray for the family, that the Lord may guide all the members in the ways of building up the relationships. Make God your source of strength.
V. CONCLUSION
God is enough. If we seek our wholeness in Him, He will give us the grace to improve our relationship with our parents, brothers and sisters.
God has a beautiful plan for our families. Our family is the building block for our future families. Unless we are able to build loving relationships with our parents, it will be difficult for us to build lasting relationships with other people.
No one is perfect. There are no perfect relationships. Our relationship with our families won’t always be perfect. However, there are perfect moments with them. Moments when you felt your family’s love. Moments when you are definite that these people love you.
(Share your perfect moment with your family)
Many times, we forget these moments because of the differences we have with our family. When we’re hurt or disappointed. When they do not fill our expectations. We tend to remember more the hurt that the love.
Hold on to these perfect moments. They can bind you to your family despite your differences. They will remind you that you love your family and that they love you too even when times are hard.
Strive to build perfect moments with your family. Know that after the darkness, God will bring us to the light.
PRAYER FOR HEALING OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Lord God,/ you are our Father in heaven./ You gave us our parents to take care of us/ and to love us here on earth./ Bless our family relationships./ Send your Holy Spirit/ to inspire us and to guide us as we grow in wisdom and understanding./ Open our hearts and minds/ that we may see you in our parents./ That we may remember that you gave us life through them./ Help us to love unconditionally./
Heal our brokeness and make us whole again./ Give us the grace to forgive each other for the hurts that we have caused./ Forgive us for our sins/ especially for the times when we have been rebellious and disobedient./ Help us to grow in trust and confidence in your great plan for us/ and fix our eyes on Jesus especially during difficult times./
This we ask through the mighty name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
VI. REFLECTION
Share a perfect moment with your family.
What is keeping your family from having more of these perfect moments?
How can you build more perfect moments with your family?
TALENTS TALK
THE EXHORTATION BEFORE THE CREATIVE WORKSHOPS
GOALS: To exhort the participants to develop and use their talents to serve God and His people.
DYNAMICS:
1. After lunch, the team leader / chosen speaker will gather the participants and give this short 30-minute exhortation.
2. After the talk, there will be a short prayer to offer the talents of all those present to the Lord.
3. After the prayer, the group will be asked to look at their id’s to see what workshop they will be a part of.
4. They will divide into these workshops and prepare a number for the night’s show and honoring for the parents. Introduce the heads/facilitators of each workshop. Tell them that they only have 5 hours for this.
5. The workshops will be:
- Dance
- Music
- Fashion
- Visual Arts
6. There should be a script and a director to make sure that all the numbers are connected and go well together. A sample script is attached to this outline.
I. INTRODUCTION
This pep talk, although very short, is very important. Like all our other topics, our talents can make or break us. Beauty, talent in singing, sports, etc… So many have become miserable because of their talents. This is so because they did not understand the purpose of their talents.
II. THE PURPOSE OF OUR TALENTS
Things we need to realize about our talents:
A. All of us have talents
- Whether in the performing arts or in academics or in dealing with people, all of us have talents that we can share. Each one of us were created to make a contribution.
B. Our talents were given
- You did not do anything to be beautiful. You may have developed your talent but there was something there to begin with.
- Your talent can disappear as easily as you received it. One accident or illness can take away your talent as fast and as easily as God gave it.
C. Our talents were given for a purpose
- We know this because our talents have a life span. You will not always be pretty, or quick or strong.
- If we hang on to our talent only for its sake, it will only depress us because we know it will someday end. This will eventually make us insecure. This is what leads many talented people into drugs, alcoholism, need for sexual promiscuity.
D. Our talents were given to bless others
- When we realize this, instead of being depressed, we make the most of the short time we will have our talent and seek to bless and inspire others because of this.
- We know this because the people who have given the most are the happiest.
- Our reward is that even when our talent fades it lives on in the people we’ve inspired. (story)
III. CONCLUSION
This afternoon, we will try to use our talents in ways that make other people happy --- not just ourselves. Ironically though, because of this, we will find that we become even happier.
After the talk, lead the group into a prayer of offering back to the Lord all the talents and skills that He has given us.
The song, “Lord, I Offer” by will be sung as a prayer.
WHEN I FALL IN LOVE
THE FOURTH TALK OF THE DISCOVERY CAMP
GOALS: To help YFC members realize that true love should be life-giving and should make them better persons.
To teach YFC members to seek God’s will in this very sensitive area of their life.
DYNAMICS:
1. After the party/disco, have the music ministry play a gathering song and start the session with an opening prayer.
2. Since it is late in the evening, have someone sing a love song before the talk to get everyone’s attention and interest.
3. It may be good to have a more mature speaker for this topic. Someone who can be a good witness. In fact the best speakers for this talk are married couples who still can relate well to youth. Married couples who can speak to youth without sounding like a sermon.
4. Prepare two or three sharers to speak after the talk. Try to get sharers who have experienced the wrong kind of love. Preferably brothers. Then have some brothers or sisters share on the right kind of love.
5. Gather 4 to 5 brothers who will commit to purity and promise to give to God their love life. Give them 2 minutes each.
6. Have all the brothers come up front to promise to care for the sisters and serenade them with roses.
7. End the session with a prayer and then ask them to divide into their households for discussion and sharing/ processing.
I. INTRODUCTION
Falling in love is one of the most exciting and overwhelming experiences in a person’s life. True love has the power to transform us into a loving and lovable person. It can bring out the best in us and move is to do great and wonderful things. It can lead us to a lifetime of happiness if we realize early enough that love is a gift from God who is the source and object of love.
For those who do not know the essence of love, it can also be ugly and tragic. What starts out as a beautiful relationship can end up with lovers hating and hurting each other. Good people, smart people, beautiful people are not spared the danger of love. They can get genuinely hurt and be scarred for life if they do not know how to love.
II. THE TRAGEDY OF LOVE
Love can be tragic if it is not right. It can destroy you, and it can destroy the people that you love and those who love you.
This early, be wise to the ways of love as a way of preventing yourself from making serious and tragic mistakes.
III. WRONG NOTIONS ABOUT LOVE:
A. Love is living happily ever after
1. Love is not a bed of roses
- Do not run off with a man after he kisses you for the first time like what Snow White did.
- Do not go with Prince Charming simply because the shoe fits like in the case of Cinderella. Love is never convenient.
Get real. You do not know the part where they get beaten up or abandoned by their Prince Charming after the book said “and they lived happily ever after”.
B. I’m waiting for “true love” attitude
Love is something you build, not find. It is precisely in the difficulties you will face in the relationship that you will be able to love each other. When you choose to care and put the welfare of the other before your own, you grow in love and commitment.
C. Can Live on Love Alone Attitude
Romance is exciting and one should never be deprived of the joy of falling in love. But romance is just the icing on the cake. It is not enough to sustain the relationship.
IV. THE JOY OF LOVING
A. The Nature of Love
1. Love is so precious, let us not cheapen it.
a. When you keep changing boyfriends/ girlfriends
- When you say “I love you” it means you will love the person through the worst of times. If you’re not ready to love someone this much then don’t go into that relationship because it definitely won’t last.
b. The men cheapen the women when they cannot court them in their homes and meet their parents.
- Courtship is the time for the men to prove their love for the woman. If they cannot even go to her house and go through all the trouble what kind of love is that? Right at the start its obvious that the man cares more for himself and his comfort than the woman.
- Show the people that love her the most how much you love her.
c. When women give in easily to the men.
- Women, value yourself enough to wait until you are convinced that he really loves you and that you really love him.
2. Love is precious, do not make it ugly.
a. A sinful relationship makes it ugly.
- Premarital sex brings with it the burden of guilt.
- Do not rush into sex. It will come as a beautiful gift in marriage. Then you can do it everyday if you like, even 5 times a day.
b. A dishonest relationship makes it ugly.
- You will not be at peace in a relationship wherein you have to hide and sneak around.
3. Love is precious, do not rush into it.
a. Having crushes and being attracted to the opposite sex are normal.
- But, you should pray and think hard before you get into a relationship. Love is an unconditional commitment that a person in his early teens may be unprepared to make.
b. For love to be right and life giving, one needs to be prepared for its long-term consequences. Do not rush it.
B. PRACTICAL PREPARATIONS
1. Widen your circle of friends to broaden your field of choice.
2. Be the best that you can be in all important areas of your life:
a. As a person, be beautiful inside and outside.
b. As a student, give your best in your studies
c. As a Christian, be a good witness in your life and service.
3. Choose the right person for the right reasons.
a. Physical attraction is important but it is not the sole basis for a lasting relationship.
b. Look for qualities that last in the person that you will choose.
4. Consecrate your intention and your relationship to God.
- A relationship that is right with God from the beginning can be beautiful and life giving.
- The body is not a pleasure machine. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to cloak ourselves in dignity and honor as sons and daughters of God.
- If we truly love a person, we lead him/her to God and not cause him/her to sin.
V. LOVE IS A GIFT FROM GOD
Love is good. Love is beautiful. Let us learn to love deeply, honestly and sincerely because love is from God who is the source of pure and true love. (The speaker can also choose to end with a reading from 1 Cor.13)
FREE TO CHOOSE
THE FIFTH TALK OF THE DISCOVERY CAMP
GOAL: To help the participants realize that as children of God, they can decide to be happy.
DYNAMICS:
1. Have a reflection song after the talk. You can sing songs like “Here I Am”, “God Alone”, “Make My Heart Your Dwelling Place”
2. After the reflection, ask for volunteer sharers to share about what they learned from the Camp in front of the whole group.
3. After the sharings, ask the group to divide into their households and pray for each other by households.
4. Prepare for the mass.
I. THE LAST INGREDIENT
Through this camp, you discovered why some are still unhappy even if they are already in YFC. It is our hope that you saw how the crucial areas in our life --- our self, our friends, our family and our love life --- can make or break us as persons.
People go through life blaming their parents, their situation and even God for their unhappiness. Some even die angry and frustrated, never seeing how much the Lord gave to give them life that they never lived.
God has given us all the ingredients to a happy life. Friends, family, the chance to fall in love and make love stories and fairy tales come alive, the only thing lacking from this recipe is our choice.
II. THE CHOICE
When God made man and woman, He gave them the right to choose. Adam and Eve made theirs and experienced pain.
Likewise, we are given a choice. The Lord invites us to have life to the full. But, we have to choose it. The choice has always been there for us to make and the offer stands forever.
We were made to be with Jesus. He created us out of love and in His love. We will never rest, no matter where we go or what we do, we will always be searching, we will always be empty until we choose to live in His love.
List the choices you have to make in becoming the man/woman that God created you to be.
Examples:
1) Keep yourself pure.
2) Don’t cheapen yourself.
3) Choose to love your parents, even if they are not perfect.
4) Get into a relationship in the right way and at the right time.
5) End unrighteous relationships.
6) Use your talents to bless others instead of being conceited.
III. CONCLUSION
Unless we are sure that we are loved by a great God that cannot stand seeing us unhappy, a God that will move heaven in earth for us, we can never have the courage to make these choices.
It is in our hands. We can choose to either see with the Father’s eyes and believe just how special we are and be free, or we can listen to the world and be captive to its lies, deception and illusions.
The Lord died to set us free. Do not let that sacrifice go to waste. The chains have been broken and the gates are unlocked. All you have to do is to take the chains off, open the gates and step out. Just do it.
VI. REFLECTION
After the reflection, have the participants and service team go to their respective households and pray together. Exhort them that these are the people that will support and pray for and with them as they make the choice.
Ask the Lord for the strength to live up to their decisions made during the Discovery Camp and to affirm their commitment to support each other in the Household.
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