Spiritual Disciplines Youth Retreat or Bible Study Series

Use this collection of Bible studies as a template for your next youth retreat or as a weekly series to cover some of the common spiritual disciplines.

When I did it, I called the retreat "Monk Training" and provided an opportunity for students to practice each discipline immediately afterward. You can arrange the discussions and activities in any order that best fits your needs.

How to Bless Others…

Read Genesis 12:2-3 and 1^st Corinthians 10:24

God has blessed us, and one way we thank Him for that is by blessing others.

A blessing is anything you do to help or encourage someone else. It might be saying something encouraging to them. It might be doing something nice for them.

A blessing is something you do without being asked, simply out of the goodness of your heart and a desire to bless that other person.

This comes naturally to some people. To others, it doesn’t.

To focus yourself on being a blessing to others, try to meet this goal each week:

• Bless someone in your family
• Bless a friend
• Bless someone in your church
• Bless a stranger
• Bless someone who doesn’t like you (now that’s being Jesus!)

How to Worship God Physically…

Read 1^st Corinthians 6:12-13, 19-20

                                                                                                

Read Matthew 26:41

 

God cares about your body, not just your spirit, and wants both of them to be fit and healthy.

Just like Christians strive to make our spirits as holy and as perfect as possible, so we should strive to make our bodies the best that they can be.

This takes patience and perseverance. It is a long process, but with everything else, if you keep at it, you will progress. 

The keys are proper nutrition and regular exercise: 

1. Limit your intake of sugar, especially. It is your nutritional enemy.

2. Engage in some form of exercise for 20 minutes at least 5 days a week, preferably alternating between some form of strength training (to tone and build muscle) and some form of cardio endurance training (to burn fat and strengthen your heart and lungs).  

3. Exercise is any activity that raises your heart rate above its normal pace. Playing sports or engaging in any kind of physical recreation, such as dance, does count as exercise.

How to Pray…

Read Matthew 5:5-13

You don’t need to use big or pretty words.

You don’t need to pray for a long time.

Just pray respectfully to God. Remember that He is the King, and He loves us like a good Father.

Focus your prayer by going through these steps:

1. Ask God if He wants to communicate anything to you. Wait a few moments to receive His response. 

2. Think about who God is. What do you appreciate about Him? 

3. Thank God for some things He’s done for you, both recently and throughout your life. 

4. Take a moment to think about any sins you may have committed since your last prayer time. Confess them to God and ask Him to forgive you. 

5. Tell God about any concerns, needs, or worries you’re having, and ask Him for His help.

How to Fast…

Read Matthew 5:16-18

 

Jesus said “when you fast,” not “if you fast.” Fasting is a regular, expected part of the Christian life.

It teaches us to master our bodily desires and makes us mindful of God.

It also reminds us of those persons who go without food, or are hungry, on a daily basis.

Options for Fasting:

1. Skip a meal two or three days of the week. To be meaningful, this must be a meal that you would normally eat. If you regularly skip breakfast anyway, saying your skipping breakfast doesn’t count as fasting. 

2. Go without food for twenty-four hours once or twice a week. Early Christians did this on Wednesdays and Fridays so that they would all be doing it together, but you can choose which days to fast.

When you Fast:

1. Always stay hydrated. Drink ONLY water. Most other fluids contain calories or will make you more dehydrated than hydrated. 

2. Don’t complain about it. Other people aren’t supposed to know you’re fasting. It is a private, spiritual matter between you and God. 

3. If you feel faint, eat something small (preferably with a lot of protein like meat or nuts) and then, continue your fast.

How to Read the Bible…

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

1. Choose a book in the Bible you’d like to read. Some good ideas of where to start include Genesis, Psalms, Matthew, John, Acts, Romans. 

2. Read one section or chapter per day. 

3. Read the section once to get a general understanding of it. 

4. Read it again, but this time, focus on any people in the section (the writer, people in the story, people the book was written for if it’s a letter). Put yourself in each one of their shoes. What is each person thinking and feeling in the section? Why are they doing and saying what they do? 

5. Read it again, looking for any questions you might have about the section or anything that makes you curious. 

6. Read it one more time and then, summarize it in your own words. How would you tell the story to someone who didn’t know it? 

7. How would you summarize the point of the section in one sentence?

How to Worship in a Faith Community…

Read Psalm 149:1; 22:25

When we go to a church or a Bible Study or a youth group, our focus should be on God, not the other people.

The other people, however, help us to focus on and live for God. They teach us and encourage us in our faith, as we should do for them. God has put us with other people so that we can all help each other.

 

(Lead a time of worship appropriate to your tradition or practice.)

How to Engage in Theological Learning…

  Read Proverbs 1:5, 7

Theology means “studying about God.” It includes Bible reading, but you are usually investigating a certain subject, not just reading through a book of the Bible.

1. A great way to start is to listen for any questions you can think of regarding God, the Bible, your church’s beliefs, or Christianity in general. You can think of questions as you listen:

• in church
• Bible Study,
• youth group,
• in conversations you have or are listening to others have,
• in school,
• on the news,
• etc.

2. Make a note of what your questions are.

3. Then, do a little research to answer that question. You can:

• ask your parents or friends what they think about the topic,
• talk to your pastor or youth pastor,
• look up relevant passages in the Bible, and
• look the topic up on the internet.

Don’t take just one person’s opinion. Try to get varied opinions so that you can look at the issue from as many different angles as possible. When you do, the truth will present itself to you…

…and your research will probably lead you to your next question, too!

How to Take It Home…

Read Psalm 119:52

What was your favorite spiritual discipline from this weekend?

Why did you like it? How was it meaningful to you?

How will it help you in your spiritual life, and otherwise?

How do you plan to practice it? How often?