In our recent series of Growing Young Disciples training days, we looked at teaching the gospel message faithfully and effectively to a range of age groups. It’s easy when working on this with leaders of young children to focus on storytelling techniques, so one comment from Tim Thornborough (the boss!) particularly stuck in my mind:
“You’ll never teach a Bible story well if you haven’t first been moved by it yourself.”
This is the danger of storytelling techniques, and also the pairs of glasses we’ve tried on so far - we can focus on how we dig into the passage, forgetting that it’s meant to be digging into us.... continue reading
I was reading the book of Jonah the other day (not as part of a reading plan, I'd been watching a TV programme on oceans and it started a train of thought in my mind... ). And, as I did so, it struck me afresh just what a grump Jonah was. He was clearly chosen by God and he was used significantly by God but he had a profound ability to be really miserable, stubborn and plain awkward along the way. He was:
1. Grumpy about God's call to mission
He didn't want to go. It's as simple as that. God called him to proclaim a message of judgement to the Ninevites and Jonah responded by legging it. It's not that Jonah minded the travelling (he was only too keen to get to Tarshish, in the opposite direction); it's not that he minded a spot of financial sacrifice (he didn't hesitate to pay the fare for his "let's run away from God" trip) - but he was desperate not to go to Nineveh and tell the people there that God doesn't treat rebellion lightly. Hand-picked by God to be the bearer of a divine message, he said "no way!"... continue reading
I’ve admitted before that I’m something of a sci-fi geek, which may be why we made our own time machine to use at our annual holiday club. Children and leaders were “Time Travellers”, entering the time machine to visit whichever Bible events we were exploring that year. (I also made the head of a giant fish once, so that everyone arriving at our Jonah holiday club had to walk through the jaws when they arrived - same idea as the time machine, but a bit more limited in which events we could explore!)
Children love the idea of time travel, but its value doesn’t end there. When we read the Bible in 2014, almost every event (bar the odd bit of prophecy) happened at least 2000 years ago. So that’s where the time-travel specs come in*.... continue reading
1. If you could ask God one question ebook - just £1.99
Get the ebook version of If you could ask God one question for just £1.99.
2. Andrew Sach: Emotional Preaching
A new video from Preaching Matters.
3. 50 Strategies for Better Preaching
Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition looks at these 50 strategies for better preaching and writing.
4. 5 ways to support our young people this exam season
A helpful post on helping our young people through exams.
5. And finally...
Our video of the week, ‘The World We All Want first episode completely free!:
Found something that you think should make it on to the On to a Good Thing round-up? Send it to: ontoagoodthing@thegoodbook.co.uk
It is regularly my privilege to train leaders and helpers in children’s work, and it’s often my experience that they lack confidence in teaching the Bible. In fact, many struggle to think of themselves as Bible teachers at all, telling me they “just” tell Bible stories and help the children have fun.
So I always try to encourage them that every one of them can dig into the Bible a bit more for themselves, and that it’s not hard to do. That’s what my pairs of glasses are about. But I always start with this simple rule of thumb:
It truly is that simple.... continue reading
OK, putting on your question-mark specs doesn’t cover the whole concept of biblical exegesis (“drawing the meaning from” a text) - that can take years - but it’s a good place to start.
We all ask questions as a normal part of talking to someone or discovering information, so it’s an easy way to start digging into a Bible passage. There aren’t any “wrong” questions to ask, but here are a few that might help - and they can be very simple indeed.
How do you read the Bible? Do you set aside some time each day? Find somewhere you can be quiet and think? Make sure the text is big enough to read clearly? (Vital in my case - and the great joy of e-readers!)
Whether you’re short-sighted like me, or have 20/20 vision, I think it helps to wear glasses to read the Bible. Five pairs of spectacles (if you can imagine those all perched on your nose):
All these help me to “correctly handle the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2 v 15) - and I hope they will help you too. That’s what this short series of blogs is all about.
So...are you ready to put your specs on?
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
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It's upon us again. That time when school, college and uni students are buried under a pile of revision and struggling with the stress of exams. Some are aiming for As, others hoping to scrape a pass. Some are burdened, others couldn't care less (indeed, we might wish they cared more!)
So how can we support them as they navigate the difficult weeks of revision and writing?
1. Pray
It's obvious, I know, but I forget all too often. Let's pray that they will concentrate well, write well and keep perspective well ... remembering both that it's great to give of their best this season but also that exam results have no bearing on their eternal destiny only their temporary career prospects.... continue reading
