don't try this at home

You may or may not know this about me, but I spent several years in Student Ministry before doing what I do now. During that time I was a proponent of helping kids have fun on the journey of getting to know Jesus Christ better. In the spirit of such gurus as Mike Yaconelli and Wayne Rice, I found myself often looking for fresh concepts that pushed the envelope.

Maybe you're familiar with games like this, for they've often been talked about by The Oprah and other daytime deities. I once had a mom let me know that her son was not allowed to play "Chubby Bunny," for instance, because The Oprah said not to. In this case, The Oprah was right... the game involves stuffing a marshmallow into your mouth, saying "Chubby Bunny," and then repeating the process until you can do it no more.

(And by the way - I was calling her that long before Rush Limbaugh, back when she hosted AM Chicago when I was a kid... because that matters.)

Over the years I learned the perils of other "games," too. Another youth group favorite is "Sardines" - this is a reverse game of hide and seek where one person hides and the group searches. When found, the "finder" hides with the "hider" as does everyone else who stumbles across them. This leaves one lonely kid who can't find anyone and never wants to come back to hang out with the church again (not to mention groups of teenagers in the dark with their bodies touching each other - no problem there, eh?)

So it is with that in mind that I present you with the "secret stash." What follows are games I've thought of but chose not to do (for obvious reasons), as well as a few concepts I've heard in passing from others whose brains went too far in the planning stages.

• Soiled Toilet Brush Baseball
  


• Backslap The Senior Pastor (Until He Complains)
  
  
• Pass The Mousetrap
  


• Shave the Freshman's Mustache
  


• "Dump Pews Over" Relay
  


• Catch The Flaming Sock
  


• Spam Soccer
  


• How Sharp Is Your Ginsu?
  
  
• Quick Dry Cement Pedicure
  


• The Big Bad BBQ Grill Lick
  


• Corn Syrup Chug
  
  
• A Pool, A Piranha, and You
  
  
• Count The Straws In Your Nostrils
  
  
• Guess The Dog Breed Gnawing On Your Leg