David Lynn
Zondervan, 2012, 112 pp., $16.99

Teens have a lot of people talking at them; High School Talksheets give teens an opportunity to share what is happening in and around them—a tool especially useful for teen guys. Lynn’s counseling nature is revealed clearly in this resource, so if you are more of a shepherding leader or if developing the softer side is a growth area for your ministry, this curriculum will resonate with you. The introductory tips are insightful and especially useful for newer youth workers or less experienced small group leaders. While the Old Testament stories used are awesome, Lynn tends to steer toward the historically safe Sunday School stories. It would be great to see future Talksheets that deal with some of the grittier OT stories.

Though Talksheets could be used on its own, it is better used as part of your broader toolbox of resources. For example, teens seem to catch adult agendas intuitively and reflect back what adults want to hear. Consequently, youth group leaders may want to reframe some of the discussion openers where the correct answer is clearly revealed at the start. Also, blindly using the “Read Out Loud” sections may communicate an agenda-driven lesson instead of a heart-propelled one. Instead, consider what Lynn writes, reflect on it; then share from your heart, knowledge and experience. Regardless, this is a great resource that needs to be a part of your toolbox. By guiding teens through a God-directed reflection of their experiences, we are practicing a tool of evaluation in a world of information overload. Additionally, God proclaims, but He also listens. Teens need more adults listening in their lives.
—Brad Howell, Fuller Seminary, Sacramento, Cali.; Twitter, Facebook

Lynn’s resource is a wonderful and easy guide to leading and facilitating a discussion with your high school students either in a Sunday School setting, small group or breakout session at a conference. The guides allow for multiple launching points for discussion in the Bible, as well as for application within their own context, which is wonderful to have in a resource. However, the only drawback is very little direction for outside resources when it comes to introducing the topic at hand; perhaps an appendix or website would be helpful in the future. All in all, this is a great resource for youth pastors to have for their leaders and volunteers as well as for themselves.
—Tim McDaniel, Worship Pastor, Southside Christian Church

Using stories from Genesis through Judges, the latest in David Lynn’s series of High School TalkSheets is designed to engage teens in honest discussion about faith and their life issues. Despite easy-to-follow instructions provided for the facilitator and reproducible handouts provided for the young people, the author is clear that preparation, the Holy Spirit’s guidance and good judgment are essential for effective discussion leaders. For those ministering among youth in more dire social contexts (e.g. situations of consistent violence, extreme poverty, etc), and in more multicultural contexts, a bit of creativity may be needed in order to expand the scope or depth of some of the given activities; but that is one of the beauties of talksheets—they provide an excellent starting point for stimulating and formative discussions while allowing for any needed innovation, adaptation or tweaks. This book would be a great addition to any youth leader’s library of resources.
—Dr. Kimberlee Johnson, Director of Urban Studies and Director of the Center for Urban Youth Development at Eastern University

We’ve all been there: crickets chirping is the only sound that can be heard in a room full of high school students while they either stare at the floor, unwilling to make eye contact, or are giving you the deer-in-the-headlights look because they are afraid that you will call on one of them. It seems as if the only time some high school students are quiet is when it is time to answer questions about the Bible. If you have this problem, I highly recommend High School Talksheets: Epic Old Testament Stories by David Lynn, because instead of you asking questions, your students are the ones leading the discussion. Lessons are centered around what the students think, feel and have questions about. Basically it is getting to know—and answer—the questions students most care about. This is a wonderful place to start a relational ministry. The discussions are geared for students ages 14 to 18 and have some tough questions that really will make them stop and think. Students are encouraged to encounter God and the world around them through discovering the truth of the Bible. Each lesson comes with a very basic set of instructions, but those easily are adapted based on your own group’s size, comprehension level or interests because Lynn gives multiple suggestions of different topics that each lesson could cover. As a youth leader, you can go in whatever direction is best for your group, which I absolutely love. It is so convenient to have on hand a curriculum I can customize in minutes. The only hesitation I have about recommending this book is that common describes these Old Testament stories instead of epic. Most of us have heard these stories multiple times. However, Lynn does a good job of bringing fresh perspectives to the stories we love, and the Holy Spirit has this uncanny ability to help us get more out of a story every time we hear it.
—Rachel Galarneau, B.S. from Warner University in Transformational Christian Ministry, Springfield, Ohio.

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