Monday, February 19, 2007

Get talking



Last night at our church's jr. high Pilgrim Fellowship meeting I was introduced to a great book entitled More Would You Rather?: 465 More Provocative Questions to Get Teenagers Talking. Some examples: Would you rather pet a porcupine or lick a cactus? Wear platform shoes or 6" stilettoes? Legalize marijuana or pornography? Get locked out of the house naked or trip and fall at your wedding? Spend a night in a bed full of itching powder or wear a poison-ivy suit for a week? Stuck in a mental institution surrounded by patients or in an elevator with a dozen therapists? Sniff an armpit or lick a foot? A bullet to the chest or a knife in the back? A quick, painful death or a long boring life?

This book not only got the kids talking but also the adults, and all of us laughing hysterically. It's the second in a series that was written for youth group leaders, but it could also be used at any adult gathering as well: dinner parties, work meetings, family reunions, outings with friends, you name it. There are also religious questions, which can also be used or omitted. And you may be inspired to write your own. Would you rather accompany a woman on a shopping spree that will cost you nothing or stay home and pay the bill? Would you rather spend a month as the opposite sex or a week having to wear their clothes on your body, living your life? Would you rather things continue as they are, everywhere, or would you rather risk your way of life so that the world might change?

What will it take to get us talking, really talking, at a level that has the power to move mountains? And what will it take to get us to listen?

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