Revised Timeline Activity Purpose of the Activity

1. Help the students get a birds-eye-view of their life by tracing their past and looking ahead of
their future. 2. Help the students realize that God is working in their lives even before they were born, and will continue to work until He finishes what He has began !sal" 1#$%1#-1&'. #. Help the" to see how God has blessed the" through their past e(periences good or bad'. ). Help the" see through lifes uncertainties with eyes of faith. *. Help the" realize how short life is and how "eaningless if lived selfishly apart fro" God. &. +ntroduce the" to a full life ,ohn 1-%1-' through a genuine relationship with ,esus. .his is the evangelistic part. /. Help the" see beyond our life on earth and think about eternal life ,ohn #%1&0 11%2*' Instructions

1. 1old your bond paper into four parts. 2. 2raw a straight line across the "iddle of your paper landscape', but cover only three-fourths
of it..

#. 3ark the left endpoint of the line with the year you were born. ). 3ark the right endpoint with the year you think you will die. +.e How long do you want to
live4 )-, *-, /-, $-'

*. 3ark so"ewhere on the line a point that represents today or this year. &. 5etween the point of your birth and today, indicate add the year' those significant events in
your life that have influenced your growth and develop"ent circu"stances, e(periences, proble"s, triu"phs, blessings, etc.'. !lace at least five. 6ou can write a brief title for the event or you can draw a sy"bol representing the event. 7rite your age beside the ite". /. 5eside the title or the drawing write 8G9 if you think the event was good and 859 if you think it is bad. 2uring the discussion, the facilitator will help the" see that even what they think is 8bad9 can be used by God for their good.' :. 5etween the "arks of today and the year you anticipate that you will die, indicate including the year' those significant events that you e(pect will happen as you slowly achieve your goals and drea"s in life. +.e. 6ear you will graduate in highschool, the course youll take in college, your first ;ob, death of your parents, your "arriage, pro"otions, birth of your children, etc.' !lace at least five. 6ou can write a brief title for the event or you can draw a sy"bol representing the event. 7rite your age beside the ite". $. 5eside the title or the drawing write 8G9 if you think the event was good and 859 if you think it is bad. 2uring the discussion, the facilitator will help the" see that even what they think is 8bad9 can be used by God for their good.' 1-. +f youre done, hold your ti"eline and wait for the discussion. Discussion

1. <sk 2 to # students to briefly share their ti"elines. 2. <sk your group to share what they felt while re"e"bering past events in their life. How
about while plotting the future events they e(pect to happen4

#. <sk the" to focus on the past events. =ow have the students pick what they feel is the "ost
significant blessing they received fro" God. <sk the" to e(plain their choice.

). =ow, ask the" to share what they think is the greatest proble" they e(perienced fro" their
list of 8bads.9 >et the students e(plain their choice. 6ou can use this later for e(plaining sin' *. ?hallenge the" to see what could have been so"ething good that theyve gained fro" the 8bad9 e(perience. @(plain that God uses even lifes proble"s to help us grow and learn. 6ou can use !sal" 1#$%1#-1& or si"ilar passages to e(hort your group. &. <sk the" to focus on the future events. <sk the" to choose a"ong the 8good9 the event they are "ost e(cited about. >et the" e(plain their answers. 5efore this, perfor" the color statistics activity' /. =ow, a"ong the 8bad9 ask the" to choose what they are "ost afraid about. >et the" e(plain their answers. :. <sk the" what they think can help the" overco"e their fear of the future4 <t this point, share to the students what 5iblical faith is trusting in God' and how it can help up overco"e our fear of the future. 7e can use 2 ?or *%/ or Hebrews 11%1 or si"ilar passages to e(plain our point. 7e can connect this later on with the challenge to trust in ,esus.' $. =ow, ask the" why they e(pected to die at the age they indicated. 7hat good do you e(pect to contribute before you die4 2o you think you will be re"e"bered long after your death4 7hy4 7hy not4 <t this point, help your students see how short life is, and that we only have one take at it !sal" 1-#%1*-1&'. .hus, the choices and decisions that we "ake even at a young age "atter. @(plain also that a full life is not "easured by how "uch you own or how fa"ous or powerful you have beco"e, because all these are useless in the grave. 6ou can briefly share >uke 12%1#-21. 1-. .hen, leave this Auestion, 87hat then is a full life4 7hen can we say that we have not wasted our life here on earth49 Bhare ,ohn 1-%$-1-. Here, ,esus clai"s that He alone can give that full life. <nd those who 8enter through hi"9 will have this full life. < full life, then, is a life with ,esusC9 8How can one enter through ,esus49 11. <t this point, instruct the" to focus on the last Auarter of their paper. >et the" draw a line starting fro" their death until the back of the paper. !ut an arrowhead at the end of this new line. <lso, ask the students to draw another line below their ti"eline parallel to the first line fro" 8today9 until the arrowhead. =ow, pick up the discussion fro" the Auestion you left hanging. 12. !ointing at the second line, e(plain to the" that fro" 8today9 until ones 8death9 we can 8enter through ,esus.9 7hen we enter through ,esus, we co"e out not ;ust with a full life but also an eternal life. 6esC @ternal life can begin here and now when we enter through ,esus and will continue for eternity. .his is how we enter through ,esus- ,ohn #%1& pick up the definition of faith fro" earlier and connect to this verse' 1#. ?onnect the dots% >ife is short but we have to "ake sure that the life we live is the full life. ,esus alone can give this full life. < full life is a life with ,esus. 7e receive this full life that e(tends to eternal life when we belive in ,esus trust' as the giver of life and our Bavior fro" death ,ohn 11%2*' 1). <sk the",92o you think your life now is a full life4 +s it a life with ,esus49 7ould you like to enter through ,esus4 .o trust Hi" as the Giver of the full life and eternal life4