We’ll run through some classic Minute to Win It challenges to drive home the point that we only become effective with some elements of the Christian life (like trusting and obeying God) with practice.

On Your Own

Things You’ll Need

Pretzel diving game

Bowl of mini pretzel twists or rings

Set of chopsticks

Timer

Dizzy mummy game

Roll of toilet paper for each of the kids

Bike helmet

Timer

Cup hands game

Pair of plastic 16-ounce “Solo” style cups for each of the kids

Dice, ten pair

Timer

Advance Prep

Pick up supplies for one of the games above or all three if you’d like. The games are quick, and if you can do more than one, it may help drive home the lesson's theme just a little bit better.

With the Kids

Running the Activity

Choose one or more of the games above and play them with your kids. Here’s how each one works.

Pretzel diving: With a chopstick between their teeth and their hands behind their back, each contestant has one minute to spear and line up as many of the mini pretzel twists from the bowl as possible on their chopstick. The one with the most pretzels on their chopstick wins!

Dizzy mummy: Each contestant clips on the bike helmet and holds the loose end of a toilet paper roll while you spindle the roll on your fingers. Then they spin around as fast as possible until they’ve emptied the roll completely. The mummy who uses up the entire roll in the shortest amount of time wins! Do be careful that they don’t get so dizzy they fall and get hurt, okay?

Cup hands: If you can have two of the kids go at the same time, that can be more fun. If not, just do this for time. Each contestant must wear a pair of cups on their hands and use these “cup hands” to stack dice on top of each other. The one with the tallest dice tower when the one-minute timer rings wins.

Teaching the Lesson

You’ve run the games and congratulated the winners. They may want to play again or get another chance to better their score. That’s a great idea—­but wait for all encore performances until after you’ve taught the lesson. If you don’t, the kids could lose interest in the activity, and getting them involved in the teaching time will be much harder. Assure them they can have another try once you’re done talking about things.

Let’s start with two questions.

How many of you have ever done one of these activities before?

If I gave you time to practice, do you think you could have done better?

Yes, practice likely would have made a big difference. That’s the way it is with just about anything in life. Practice will help you get better and better at whatever it is you’re doing. It’s that way with playing an instrument, playing sports, and just about any skill or craft you can imagine. Practice is important.

And the same is true about our Christianity. Certain things come easier with practice.

Do you think your faith would be stronger—­and there when you need it—­if you practiced trusting God more often with the little things?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5–6 NIV)

Do you think you might stress or worry less if you practiced giving your cares to Jesus more—­and practiced reminding yourself more often that he truly cares for you?

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:7 NIV)

Do you think you might be better at staying on the path God has for you if you regularly practice reading God’s Word?

Your word is a lamp for my feet,

a light on my path. (Ps. 119:105 NIV)

Do you think you might have an easier time believing this verse if you made a deliberate effort to practice regularly honoring Mom and Dad?

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—­which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Eph. 6:1–3 NIV)

What other aspects of the Christian life would likely come much easier if you practiced them?

The truth is, I can’t think of one area of our Christianity that wouldn’t be more effective if we practiced doing the right things more often than we probably do.

Summing It Up

As we practice living the way God instructs us to in the Bible, it will become more and more natural for us to do the right things. Isn’t this how we develop good habits?

And in many places, the Bible makes this one thing I’m about to say very clear. Ready? Here it is: It isn’t enough to simply know what God’s Word says. We must put it into practice.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word. (Ps. 119:9 NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—­not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—­they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22–25 NIV)

“They will be blessed in what they do.” That sounds like a really good thing, doesn’t it? How might life be better if we put God’s Word into practice?