Deep Talk Blocks

Part of Whole Church Religious Education

3 Jenga bocks with the words "embody, challenge, lead" written on them next to a colorful candle holder and on top of bits of blue and green cloth.

Take a box of plain Jenga® blocks and a variety of colorful sharpies into a small group discussion, board retreat, worship activity, or RE classroom as the foundation of a deep talk activity (see below).

You may want to have pre-made some blocks — for example, with the Fluent in Faith terms and the UU Shared Values.

Use the samples shown or encourage your group to come up with their own list!

Wooden blocks with words: opportunity, inspire, body, loss, respond, unity, resilient, respect, clarity, self, perfection, hurt, principle, despair, instinct, fragility, pain, generosity, play, prayer, unloved, injustice, feel, hands, blessing, limits, push, forget, good, hope, honor, freedom, build, center, empower, wisdom, spiritual, silence, wholeness, boundary, struggle, ignore, risk, serve, spirit, change, free, divide, vulnerable, resist, confusion, community, healing, hurt, source, faith, duty, etc.

Sample words to inspire deep talk with your group. One way to use the blocks is to have “counter” or opposite words on each side; this approach is shown here.