Youth SA
Narrative Youth Talks: On-line Database
Contents
IntroductionFull Text of Talks
Outlines of Talks
Talk Concepts
Talk Illustrations
Other resources for Talks
The use of narrative technique (i.e. telling stories) is so much part of Jewish and Christian heritage that is integral to how the Christian faith must be transmitted to the next generation.
The whole Bible is filled with God's story, told, primarily, in the form of a story. Much of the teaching of the Old Testament, and much of Jesus' own teaching was in the form of stories.
We need to recapture the ability to tell stories, that convey truth and are life-shaping and life-changing.
We also need to learn how to tell stories in such a way that involve the listener. This can be done through active learning. Many of the talks at this site incorporate active learning concepts.
I have begun the path of developing my abilities in this direction. Linked to this page, you can find examples of stories I have told, some which have been told by me, and some other stories and resources available on the Net.
When I have more time I hope to develop what I mean by active learning and narrative more fully. Watch this site for details.
If you would like to submit a talk, and outline, a talk concept or a resource, send the submission to
info@youth.co.za.
The Talks:
Complete Text of Talks:
| Title | Contributor | Description | Time | Doctrines | Scripture | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | He is no fool | Graeme Codrington | The story of Jim Eliot and Nate Saint - martyrs | 30 min | Faith | Heb. 11:6 |
 | What is God Doing? | Jonathan Stanton-Humphreys | Using Gary Larson's cartoons to talk about who God is. | 20 min | God | n/a |
| | Famous Last Words | Graeme Codrington | An evangelistic talk, using the famous last words of some famous people in history. Ends with Jesus' last words: "It is finished". Interactive and good for teenage or older age group. | 15 min | Jesus, Salvation | John 19:30 |
| Coming soon | Bart Learns to Pray | Graeme Codrington | Adapted from What Jesus Would Say, by Lee Strobel. Teaching young people to pray. | 15 min | Prayer | Luke 11:1-4 |
| A Candle in the Darkness | Kym-Marie Cleasby | An evangelistic talk, adapted from Hot Illustrations (Youth Specialties). Good for teenage and older audience. | 15 min | Salvation | Texts dealing with LIGHT and DARKNESS (e.g. Matthew 5, 1 John) | |
| Metamorphosis | John White | Taken from John White's, The Race. A talk aimed at those who don't think Christianity is intellectually honest. Young adults. | 20 min | Salvation | |
| Coming soon | The Parable of the Orange Trees | John White | Taken from John White's, The Race. A challenge to evangelism. Probably better for an older audience - Senior high and Young Adults. | 20 min | Mission and evangelism | |
| Marathon | Graeme Codrington | Paul's analogy of running the good race used to encourage single-minded discipleship. Good for young Christians and teenagers. | 25 min | Discipleship | Phil. 3:13-14 | |
| Served by the Best | Kevin B. Hash | Adapted from Max Lucado's "And the Angels were Silent" (1992, Walker and Company). Jesus as a servant. | 10 min | Discipleship, servanthood | Matthew 26:18-19 John 13:23 | |
| SUPERMAN AND THE CHRIST-EVENT | Mark Tittley | A unique way of highlighting Jesus' uniqueness. Good for teenagers and Young Adults. | 15 min | Jesus | assorted | |
| God as our Father | Mark Tittley | Looking at what it means that God is a father. Good for teenagers and Young Adults. | 15 min | God | assorted | |
| What's Influencing You? | Mark Tittley | The influences of the world, and how to live with them. Good for teenagers and Young Adults, and parents of teenagers. | 25 min | Discipleship | Ps. 119:9-11 | |
| | Making an Impact - Gideon | Mark Tittley | Gideon as an example of what God can do with someone who lets Him take control. All ages. | 20 min | Discipleship | Judges 6:1 - 16 |
| Encouragement | Kym-Marie Cleasby | How we use words. All ages. | 10 min | |||
| The Fifth Element | Graeme Codrington | Based on the movie. Love. Teens and Young Adults. | 10 min | Christ's death, love, God | ||
| Kissing | Graeme Codrington | Evangelistic - explaining to young people that they can't understand Christianity by looking at it from the outside. It must be experienced. | 10 min |
Outlines of Talks:
| Title | Contributor | Description | Time | Doctrines | Scripture | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Third Umpire | Graeme Codrington | An evangelistic message, using the metaphor of line calls in a sport (cricket, in particular, but can be adapted). Good for sports fans of all ages. | 10 min | Salvation, faith and works, assurance, perseverance | ||
| GOD'S FENCE | Mark Tittley | A talk on sexuality and God's plan for sex. Uses David and Joseph as examples. | 20-50 min | temptation, discipleship | assorted |
Talk Concepts (i.e. good ideas that need a lot more work):
| Title | Contributor | Description | Time | Doctrines | Scripture | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Matrix | Jonathan Stanton-Humphreys | Choosing well - includes clips from video | 30 min | Choice | |
| Treasure in Polystyrene Cups | Mark Tittley | Active learning A talk about how special we are to God. | 20-60 min | The Image of God | 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 | |
| My Story | Kym-Marie Cleasby | An example of how you can use your own life story to good effect. Not everyone will have a story like this, but some of you might. | 15 min | |||
| The Blood of an Overcomer | Kevin B. Hash | Adapted from Max Lucado's "And the Angels were Silent" (1992, Walker and Company), by Kevin B. Hash. The role of blood and sacrifice in Christian thought (pretty well done). | 10 min | Sacrifice, resurrection | Ephesians 1:7 | |
| BUILDING SANDCASTLES | Mark Tittley | Risking all for Christ. Building a good foundation. | 10 min | Sacrifice, discipleship | Matthew 7:24-27 | |
| Under the Wings | Graeme Codrington | God's protection, love and comfort. | 10 min | Protection and comfort | Psalm 91:4 | |
| Indiana Jones | Alan Jones | Choosing well - includes a video | 30 min | Choice |
Illustrations - good illustrations for use in youth talks:
| Title | Contributor | Description | Time | Doctrines | Scripture | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| coming soon |
Resources for Talks:
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready to Go Lessons | by Pastor Rob of No Compromise Youth | |
| What Would Jesus Say To ... | by Steve Treichler and Pat Kahnke | |
| Jesus for the NEXT Generation! | by Steve Treichler. HCC Fall 1997 New Message Series! Lots of great Gen X sermons | |
| Children's Sermons | by Jim Kerlin. An excellent resource of children's talks each between 5 and 7 minutes long. | |
| | http://www.hunmanby.demon.co.uk/path/talk/ | by Nigel Coates / Jonathan Worthington |
Return to Reaching the Generations for Jesus home page
If you would like to add your comments to these youth talks, or submit one of your own, send a submission to
info@youth.co.za.