Leading 3 Life Connections

[See one of the GameLife 1-2-3 lessons at the end of this training guide as you read through these steps and principles for training children.]

>>Connect the Bible Truth to Your Mind<< 

Ask 3 Questions: Bible. Game. Life.

1. Game Question: How was the game experience like the Bible history?
   Children may need to be reminded of the game discovery.

1. Bible Question: What choice did someone make in the Bible history?
   Help children remember the choice and the result of that choice.
2. Life Question: What will happen in your life if you make the same choice?
   Help children understand they can expect the same result if they make the same choice.

Let’s Practice Obeying God’s Truth & Sharing God’s Truth

• How would someone your age obey or put into practice today’s truth?
• Where are you going to tell others and share with them what you learned about today’s truth?
• Practice right now. Have Players act out what obeying this truth would look like.
• (Be creative: Add other reinforcement activities like local crafts, or drawing, or snacks)

Principles: Asking Questions

• Children Grouping: If able, divide into small groups of boys sitting with boys and girls sitting with girls in circles, each circle group with a leader who can ask the life questions. This allows more children to answer questions and more young leaders to gain leadership experience. Try to have the same Coach oversee the same group of Players each week if possible.
• Experiential Education: If we only hear a truth, we remember little. If we hear and see a truth, we remember a little more. If we experience a truth, we remember it for life!
• Teachable Moment: Experiential-games create a teachable moment, what we like to call the “Aha!” moment. Children experience the truth in the game, then discover the truth in the Bible, and then the “Aha” happens during the life questions as students suddenly realize how the truth relates to their personal life.
• Leading Discovery Bible Teaching Times. Please no lectures. Ask questions allowing students to make personal discoveries from the Bible. Allow the children to have an “Aha Moment!”

Become a Question-Asking Expert

• Observation Questions: Concrete: who, what, where, when, why, how?
• Interpretation Questions: What do you think? Why would someone do that? What should he/she have done?
• Application Questions: How could someone your age apply this truth? If someone your age in this village obeyed the truth we discovered today, what would that obedience look like?

Accountability & Celebration: Share Your “Obey and Share” Stories

This should be a time of celebration and joy that everyone should look forward. Encourage those who share and have the rest of the children praise God for things God is doing, not praising the individual. Challenge all children to be ready to share next week.

• Model Accountability: Coaches briefly tell your “obey” and “share” stories.
• Ask: Did anyone share the Creation to Christ Hand Motions with anyone?

Ask: Can anyone remember and retell the Bible story we heard last week?

Ask: Raise your hand if you obeyed or put into practice the truth learned and share how.

>>Connect the Bible Truth to Your Heart<<

Memory Verse: Power Words

Explain the meaning of the words and the principle of the verse. Repeat the verse over and over until the children have memorized the verse. Children also need to know the Bible address “Galatians 2:20” so children will be able to find the verse in any Bible. As children are memorizing the verse help them understand the meaning of the verse by asking children to explain what the verse means. Helping children understand as needed.

Let’s All Ask God for Courage to Obey and Share the Truth

Remind the Players that to follow Jesus we must listen and obey when God speaks. Ask the Players to be quiet and listen for God speaking to your heart while they pray out loud.

Prayer of Commitment: The Coach then says, “Pray out loud and repeat with me:

Pray out loud, in small phrases allowing the children to pray out loud repeating the prayer, pause at times in the prayer allowing God to speak to everyone’s heart

>>Connect the Bible Truth to Your Spirit<<

Vision Casting: Inspiring a Movement

Pray that God will use your team to inspire a movement.   We want children to be inspired to Love God and Love their Neighbor. We do not want the children feeling “obligated” or that they “have to do this.” We want children to be excited and wanting to practice and wanting to train to become champions for eternity the same way someone in love with soccer would train for the World Cup!

Remember our Goal and our Prize is Eternity

What is the “Goal” of our training? (Becoming “Champions for Eternity”)

How do we become “Champions for Eternity?” Matthew 28:18-20

• Yield to Jesus. Loving God by saying “Not my way first, God’s way always”
• Discover our Purpose. Loving Others by “Treating others with kindness”
• Exercise our Gifts. Becoming a Champion for Eternity by “Obeying and Sharing God’s word”

Inspire your Players to want to obey. Remind them God has a calling and a purpose for every life. Ask the question: “What’s Your 77?” Then remind them if you want to be a “Great _______” (use different examples each time. “Parent” or “Athlete” or “Teacher”) for God’s glory, then it is important you obey and share God’s truth.

As needed remind your players God has a plan and a purpose for each of their lives – Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

To help each child discover their calling, their purpose, and their gifts we ask a fun question: “What’s your 77?” This question helps children begin to ask God how and where God desires for them to be Salt and Light for Jesus. 

How will you serve God?  There are 7 Areas of Service: 

1. Church
2. Family
3. Education
4. Public Communication
5. Public Service
6. Business
7. Arts & Athletics

Where will you serve God?  There are 7 Regions of the World: 

1. Asia
2. Africa
3. Europe
4. Latin America
5. North America
6. Pacifica
7. All Nations and to the ends of the world

Putting the two 7s together creates the 77. Example: If one served Jesus as a Mom in a family (2) in the area of Asia (1) her “77 Code” would be 21.

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Worship: Dynamic Worship with Strong & Powerful Hand Motions

Allow children to pick and sing their favorite songs that genuinely honor God.

Worship often becomes the children’s favorite part of the entire GameLife Training Session.

Develop strong and powerful worship motions to go along with the worship songs. 

Creation to Christ Hand Motions: Children’s “After” Call

Expressing Our Faith in Christ & Celebrating Our Life in Christ. Here is a great closing celebration! After you share Christ with your Players gather the Players into a tight small circle and have them stretch one hand into the middle and explain that together we are going to express our faith in Christ and Celebrate our Life in Christ! We are going to say “Jesus is my Savior” and we are going to do this in a very special way. With all our hands in the middle we are going to take our hands down almost to the ground while we say loudly yet slowly “J – e – s – u – s —– i – s  then boys and girls we are going to slowly raise our hands together shouting loud enough to make the mountains shake “M – y —– S – a – v – I – o – r !!!” This is a fun celebration that you or your Players will not soon forget. (Saying in their native language).