Devotional Helps

High-Low is one of the best ways to get young people talking about things that matter to them. It offers a good view into what motivates and inspires kids as well as what they don’t like. Any one of us can lead a good high low devotion with very little prior experience if we keep a few things in mind.

Devotions are a time to celebrate the moments in the day when we have been aware of God’s presence and to listen to, and support others in the moments when they have felt God’s absence. This is the practice of community.

The beauty of High-Low is that it involves everyone, even the most reticent. Any of us can talk about the best moment of the day, and the worst!

Here’s an example:

Your delegation gathers as a group in a circle or cluster. The leader or a camper might start with a simple prayer for God’s spirit to be present in the sharing. If someone has a song they would like to offer this would be a great time for it. You could also sing as a group if you like. Tailor it to the strengths/needs of your group.

Leader: “We’re going to play High-Low tonight for our devotions. What was your high today?” (Start with the person directly to your left or right and go around the room until each person has shared. You then share just like the youth.) As each person shares there may be an opening for you to ask a simple question like, “how did you feel when…” or anything else that is authentic. Keep it simple and real.

When everyone has shared their high of the day, move on to the low. Follow the same form as before, leader going last. (You can reverse the order if you prefer)

When you have finished this you have several options for relating what has been shared to the theme of the day. Here are some suggestions:

Option #1 Noticing where God was present/absent (Ignatian Awareness Exercise)

…Where was God present today? -or-
…Where did you notice God today? -or-
… When were you most aware of God today? -or-
… Where was God absent today? -or-
…When did you notice God’s absence today?-or-
…When were you least aware of God’s presence today? -or-
…Where did you notice Love today? (Use the appropriate theme for the day, -or-
… How were you loving today? (with yourself, with family, etc) -or-
…Where did you notice an absence of love today? And so on….

Be creative in your questions. You don’t need more than one or two.

Option #2: Connecting with Daily Topics. Ask what challenge their SPEC Today class choose for the rest of the day. Was it hard? What did you gain from participating?

After this round of sharing you can close with another simple prayer either by a camper or staff.

That’s it!

We encourage you to use this each night of camp for continuity and because the sharing will deepen as the week progresses.

The thing to remember is to be authentic and keep it applicable to real life. God is present in the informal as well as the formal. You never know where God is going to show up! That’s what makes this so cool!

Relax. Have fun. Listen deeply.