While searching for inspiration for our weekly youth gatherings, I found this book. Inside you’ll find 18 lessons on themes like dating, employment, gifts, risk and weakness. This book is written to be used in a coffee shop ministry with youth. You could take the book to the coffee shop, open it up, and lead a discussion with little to no preparation. I’m using the book a bit differently. For three weeks in April, we are focusing on the themes of Doubt, Friendship, and Servant. I’m using the book as a guide and jumping off place.
And for Doubt, it was very helpful. We began by playing a game of I Believe It/I Doubt It. I updated the questions found in the book. Here’s an example, according to the CDC 20 Americans are killed each year by cattle. Although it sounds strange, it is true. I had hoped to play a game of I Doubt It (the card game I knew as BS growing up), but we didn’t have enough time. I altered the Table Notes activity by having them draw a picture of themselves and then write or draw their doubts around themselves. While this was happening, I played Nickel Creek’s song, Doubting Thomas. Then we shared some of our doubts with the group. Next we turned to Scripture and read the story of Thomas (John 20:24-29) and to remind us that others doubted too we read Matthew 28:16-17. We ended our time together with a prayer thanking God for accepting our doubts and love us still.
This book is an affordable way to introduce some different topics into your youth ministry. It is part of a whole series of affordable books by this author. It works well as it is written or can be added and changed to meet the needs of your youth. I’m looking forward to using it over the next few weeks to explore more topics. I recommend this book for any youth ministry that needs some new ideas or wants to try something a little different.