We reviewed Freedom Ride: 12 Lessons of Faith for Today’s Teens AND “Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints from Christianity Cove.

We looked at the “tween” lessons first to see if Liz liked those.

In “Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints, the 12 lessons {last lesson is review} are divided into

1. Lesson Capsule
2. Class Activity
3. Discussion
4. Small Group Activity
5. Take Home Sheet or Other Info (occasional)
6. Class Conclusion

While it is mostly designed for a church class or group, I read the text with my daughter and we discussed the issues. We did not complete many of the hands-on group activities because they were difficult to adapt for two people. She didn’t care for any of the slang and some of the syntax was difficult to understand. She would prefer straightforward, plain language. She’s a reader and linguist and does not fit the model of an adolescent. We make no excuses for this Western phenomenon of “teenager.”

Liz did not like this tween program. Most of the lessons ended in laughter because she thought the behavior examples were so ridiculous. {Except we extended lessons 2 and 3 with some great discussion about hearing God. And we liked the part about and “Finding your Purpose.” And chapter 11, about forgiveness, had a good lesson base.}

I think that’s great that she giggled through most of it and found it silly.

The gossip lesson was great for us because my daughter isn’t really exposed to much of this and needs to be taught why it’s wrong and what the consequences can be. In case she encounters it in future, because she will, and I want her to be prepared.

Gossip plays into three weaknesses that cause us to find it almost irresistible:

1. It appeals to our need for friends.
2. Gossiping about others appeals to our insecurities.
3. You’re at a point where you’ve stopped simply accepting the behavior of others. You are coming into an age where you want to know why people do things.

It’s difficult even for adults to trust in God for His approval and not fall into the trap of seeking the approval of men and doing whatever it takes to receive a self-esteem boost.

While a few situations in the text were surely a bit exaggerated to get a point across, I realize that many kids attend school and experience social events my daughter does not. Because of being sheltered from school issues, she can’t fathom the social pressures that many of her peers face.

I learned a great deal about my daughter while skimming the lessons together.

• She’s able to pick out typos like a hawk.
• She understands many social situations even though she’s never been exposed to them. She’s a voracious reader.
• She is absolute. Black and white. No shades of grey. Right and wrong and no in-betweens. {While this is exceptional in most moral arguments, many social situations require weighing in on the least evil. Discernment can only come from God and experience.}
• She isn’t concerned about conformity – good or bad. She has her eyes on Jesus. I will probably never have to worry about Liz’s dressing inappropriately. She’s extremely modest in her tastes. I’m ok with that. She has absolutely no interest in boys. And she is completely against drinking and drug use. That whole black and white thing. I am very ok with that. We just need to work on her naïveté and make sure she knows appropriate responses to social situations.
• She has a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor. Like her mama.

I think “Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints is an excellent resource for a worldly group who needs moral guidance. It’s designed for class groups.

Elizabeth is 12, but she graduated from the tween program at our church over a year ago because of her knowledge base. There is no current youth program. Liz is in limbo, not being mature enough for adult classes, but being too gifted for the children’s programs. These Bible studies filled in some gaps that Liz needed, but most of it was review or unnecessary information.

One comment that irritated me was mentioned in an activity to use a cork board because “students are too filled up on chalkboards and white boards from school.” I just think it’s an assuming comment. Just a pet peeve of mine that all church activities for kids have to be fun, fun, fun and not like school at all. {The lesson called for tacks, and, of course, one wouldn’t use tacks on a chalkboard or white board. Perhaps they could have just left the explanation as straightforward.}

Now, Freedom Ride: 12 Lessons of Faith for Today’s Teens for teens was more Liz’s style. Many situations were inapplicable – she doesn’t have social media accounts, for instance. But she loved the Bible based lessons more than the primarily social situations of “Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints. She felt the lessons in Freedom Ride weren’t as simplistic as those in Tween Prep. She liked the more straightforward Bible lessons.

The 12 lessons are divided into 3 sections:

1. How to Get Started: Building a Sincere & Awesome Relationship with God
2. How to Behave: Keeping it Real All Week (especially Friday & Saturday night)
3. How to Grow: Getting Beyond the Self Esteem Wars

The lessons consist of these components:

• Preparation
• Lesson Capsule
• Materials
• Lesson
• Activity
• Small Group Discussion
• Help All Week

Liz preferred these activities and they were easier to do with our family. Even the littles understood the lessons behind them. Liz enjoyed teaching them to her dad.

Anything with tongue twisters is fun! They’re hard to say, but after practicing a few times, they get easier. Just like when we pray or witness to people.

Takeaway:

“When talking to God, it can start out feeling like we’re stumbling all over and sounding awkward. If we practice, it starts to feel normal…and good.”

We especially love the idea of a Toothbrush Prayer.

“Everyone brushes their teeth before going out:
Lord…Be like my jacket and zip around me. Let temptations bounce off of You and rise up to heaven, where you can pop them like bubbles. Help me to keep staying me….in You!
Think of events coming up this week where you might say the Toothbrush Prayer before going to them.”

The kazoo activity was an important lesson in having us eliminate distractions so we can better hear God’s will. The noise from the kazoo drowned out our verse recitations so others couldn’t hear. Just like TV and other “idols” drown out God’s voice.

I liked the lessons on prayer. We had great lessons on The Lord’s Prayer and why it’s just a model for us to pray our own prayers. These lessons also helped spark a conversation about “proper” prayer for self needs and intercessory prayer – and being in God’s will. Also, we talked about the difficulty of waiting on God to answer prayer and when we don’t like His answers. Hard lessons for a little girl. I hope we can re-start our mom-daughter journal and pray together more.

I very much liked the compassion challenge and we had a family discussion about putting ourselves I someone else’s shoes. The love cards and love journal in the last lesson are now part of our regular Bible lessons.

While some of the examples were inapplicable to our family, the lessons were solid and provided Bible verses to back them up. {some of the Bible verses were misprinted, I think, though since they didn’t seem to apply the lesson or were transposed.}

The lessons in “Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints and Freedom Ride: 12 Lessons of Faith for Today’s Teens are fun and engaging and I can see how they would be attractive for youth groups.

“Tween a Rock and a Hard Place” Lesson Blueprints is a $29 download.

Freedom Ride: 12 Lessons of Faith for Today’s Teens is a $29 download.