One of the greatest dilemmas any Youth Minister faces is what to do during a long bus ride. “I Spy” gets old real quick, sing-a-longs died when the Brady Bunch was canceled, and a game of License Plate Bingo is just not as exciting as it sounds. With options dwindling, there’s always one choice that works 60% of the time every time: movies. And, as any good Youth Minister knows, if you want to fire up your teens before they even set foot on the retreat site, one movie trumps all: Rudy.
Now some may disagree with me, and that’s ok, but if you’ve been in ministry long enough, you have to admit it. Whether you’ve shown it once or rented it so many times that Blockbuster gave you your own copy, you’ve shown Rudy to your teens.
Honestly, I probably showed it 157 times on bus rides, myself. (Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration.) For me, there’s just something about that “five-foot nothing, a hundred and nothing” little ball of fire that all teens have to see. Maybe it’s the David vs. Goliath spin I can put on it. Maybe it’s because the soundtrack makes me feel like I can run a marathon, swim to Alcatraz, and climb Everest all in one day. Or maybe it’s because after doubting him for an entire movie, Rudy’s brother gives him the one thing that any guy would love to get from his brother: the point.
No matter why we love it, Rudy just leaves us with a good feeling, and (Spoiler Alert: in case you’ve been living in the Galapagos Islands swimming with the sea turtles since 1993) when he sacks the Quarterback at the end, it’s like our way of telling the teens, “You too can ‘sack’ the enemy this weekend.” (I just love the way Youth Ministers can spin anything.)
But, when it’s all said and done, there’s only question I’m left with: between Rudy, The Goonies, and The Lord of the Rings, has Sean Astin become some kind of Youth Ministry superhero?
Question: What movies do you like to show on long bus trips? (Share below)
Mine is The Matrix…it gets pulled out at least once a year
Whoa! Matrix is a great one, Kristin. Good call!
One of the new ones for me to show is Remember the Titans or for something a bit more light hearted but still fun, The Sandlot.
I love good sports movies. Those are great ones. Remember the Titans is one of my all-time favs. Another good one is Miracle. Great movie that gets me every time.
Swordsplay, Princesses, Pirates, Giants, Rodents, quicksand….Its gotta be the Princess Bride!
Princess Bride is a favorite…my teens and priest can quote the movie! And there is just so much you can spin into youth ministry. Another one that is awesome is The Might Macs. Lord of the Rings for super long trips works well too!
Ariel! Thanks for mentioning Lord of the Rings. Don’t you think it’s about time Sean Astin became a Youth Minister somewhere?
Why yes I could easily see him doing that. And I mean you can totally talk about Christ as priest, prophet and king plus the effects of sin on the body and soul.
Seeing as I am located rather close to Immaculata University, This summer as we travel the 7hrs to Franciscan University for the Youth Conference, we will be watching the Mighty Macs. Although, I do enjoy showing The Sandlot and The Muppet Movie has gone over really well. The new one can be twisted to talk about living your life as your true identity and the teens and I love singing “Am I a Muppet or a Man”
That’s great! Haven’t seen the Mighty Macs yet. I’ll have to check it out at some point. Sandlot is another great one. Reminds me of my childhood…
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”, “Penelope”, “The Blind Side”, Letters to God, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Radio and of course Rudy. We know every word of ” Finding Nemo”. We will be driving to Camp Covecrest next month with several of these for each way of our 10 hr drive.
Judy, I’ve seen many of those. Great suggestions! Hope you and your teens have a very blessed time at camp.
I’ve actually never shown “Rudy” to a group. Hmmm… I think I’ll have to fix that. For me the standby is the greatest camp movie ever made: “Heavyweights.” I feel it is a must for any group on their way to camp! LOL!
Oh wow! Heavyweights! I wish I had thought of that one. Great suggestion.
I was shocked when my teens suggested “The Sound of Music” on the way back from the March for Life last January, but it was a blast. Especially when half the bus who had seen it told the other half it was over when Maria leaves for the first time. I couldn’t believe that kids who were “too cool” to wear jackets in freezing weather were downright giddy singing along to the Sound of Music. My middle schoolers also loved “The Trouble with Angels” and “The Miracle of Fatima” (the old ones! And I swear they’re not home schooled! I think they think the old-time effects are some new form of instagram).
Haha! I love it! Thank you instagram!
OH The Trouble with Angels is amazing!!!!! Many good ideas for when I enter the convent…
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