One of the privileges for
fathers and a rite of passage to every teenage boy is the first time that they
shave. I remember distinctly teaching my
two sons, Ben and, later, Jacob how to shave using a razor. (I had pictures of
both experiences that I wanted to post with this article but, evidently, they
confiscated them and destroyed them). It was a momentous day when they went to
choose their razor, blades, shaving cream, and after shave lotion.
I remember distinctly giving
careful instructions to Jacob as to how to lather up his face. He was like Picasso with the shaving
cream. He carefully massaged the cream
in circular motions as I had instructed.
He had applied it perfectly. Then
he took some on his fingertip and dabbed a little on each ear lobe.
I asked Jacob, “Why did you
that? You won’t be shaving your ears.”
He replied, “When I watch
you shave, you always put some on your ear lobes. So I did too.”
I went on to explain that I
only have it on my ear lobes because I apply the shaving cream in a rush and I
always seem to brush some on the ear lobes in my hurry, but there’s no good
reason for having on them.
This caused me to think
about how traditions come into being.
Someone, at sometime, began doing something that they watched somebody
else doing and they thought that was the way it was supposed to be done.
It’s like the story about a grandmother
who went to her granddaughter’s house for Christmas for the first time. Her granddaughter was very excited to show
her grandmother all the cooking skills she had observed from her own mom. The grandmother watched her granddaughter get
the massive ham out of the refrigerator and begin to prepare it for
cooking. Right before she put the ham in
the oven, the she watched her granddaughter cut the ends off the ham. She cried out, “What are you doing? That’s perfectly
good meat!”
The startled granddaughter
nearly drops the sharp knife but composed herself and answered, “Why, mom
showed me to do this with all my hams I cook.
She said you taught her to do that.
The grandmother started
chuckling and explained, “Sweetheart, the only reason I cut off the ends of my
hams was because that was the only way to get it in my tiny oven.”
You can say the same for
Bible study. For years, our approach for
Sunday mornings was to expect the class members to have read their personal
study guide the previous week. The personal study guide was really little more
than a layman’s commentary of the passage to be studied. Then on Sunday morning,
everyone was prepared to participate in the discussion and study of the lesson
for the day. There’s nothing wrong with
that approach …. but it is not the only way to approach this hour.
INTRODUCING THE DAILY DISCIPLESHIP GUIDE FOR EXPLORE THE BIBLE
This fall LifeWay Christian
Resources will introduce a second option a Bible study class that is using the
excellent Bible study curriculum called Explore the Bible. It is called the Daily Discipleship Guide (DDG).
The DDG will be different in
these three ways:
1. Aligns Daily Bible Study with Group Experience
Instead of studying beforehand,
participants attend the group, learn the content, and then they will build upon
what they learned using five daily, directed Bible studies in the week
following.
2. Guest Friendly
Everyone who comes to the group
starts on the same page. So guests, and even participants who've been absent
for a while, can feel like they're tracking right along with everyone else.
3. Great for Discipleship Groups
Using the new “Talk It Out”
section, groups that meet weekly in triads or quads for deeper discipleship
will love the opportunity to share how they plan to apply the biblical truths
that they discovered through their individual study. The “Talk It Out” section encourages
members to meet together later in the week and gives them questions to discuss
based on the previous study.
This second option for Bible
study will appear in your Fall curriculum ordering form that will be due
sometime in June. Please go to the
Explore the Bible website (http://www.lifeway.com/n/Explore-The-Bible/Daily-Discipleship-Guide)
and check into this new option to see if it would a fit for your adult classes.
THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….
FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP: “Seven Trends in Worship Service Times” by
Dr. Thom Rainer - http://www.lifeway.com/pastors/2017/05/01/seven-trends-worship-service-times/
FOR
CHURCH & COMMUNITY – DevoHub, providing daily devotional material directly to your smart phone or
tablet - http://devohub.com/
FOR LEADER
TRAINING: Sunday School Matters by Alan Taylor, 12 sessions to build, expand and
maintain a healthy Sunday School ministry - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/sunday-school-matters-leader-kit-P005792826
FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Insanely Busy by Bryan Lorrits, a 4 session study dealing with the tyranny of
the urgent, on www.smallgroup.com
FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Fault by Dr. James Merritt, a 5 session study on
healing relationships, via www.smallgroup.com
FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Disciples
Path: The Journey – all four volumes are now available! Relational, Intentional, Progressive, Comprehensive: http://buff.ly/2fWPk2b
FOR WOMEN’S
MINISTRY: Transformed Lives: Taking Your Women’s Ministry to the Next Level by Chris Adams - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/transformed-lives-revised-and-expanded-P005371579?intcmp=LWB-WM-transformedlives
FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: The Main Event - http://buff.ly/2jvnImd
FOR MEN’S
MINISTRY: Sleeping Giant by Kenny Luck, steps toward beginning a men’s ministry that transforms
men - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/sleeping-giant-leader-kit-P005469852
FOR MEN’S
MINISTRY: Unfolded by Dr. Eric Geiger - http://buff.ly/2hGyO9w
FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Disciples Path for students – a
new series for developing your student’s discipleship - http://www.lifeway.com/Disciples-Path/Youth/c/N-1z0znzeZ1z141ym?intcmp=DisciplesPath-MTX-Text-Students-20150625
FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: ETCH (Equipping The Church & Home)
Conference, October 16-18, Register Now: http://buff.ly/2nw9Wpc
FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: The LIFT Tour for
developing student leaders - http://www.slulead.com/lift-tour
FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Youth Pastor Summit
registration is now open - http://www.slulead.com/youth-pastor-summit
FOR STUDENT
MINISTRY: Student Pastor Network, connect with Student Pastors around the country
without leaving your office AND get $200 worth of 'stuff'. http://buff.ly/2lksLHS
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: 5
Principles for Inviting Children to Jesus in a Shifting Culture - http://buff.ly/2pa5TwB
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Ministering to
the Special Needs of Parents of Special Needs Children - http://buff.ly/2pTfvPk
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: ETCH (Equipping The Church & Home)
Conference, October 16-18, Register Now: http://buff.ly/2nw9Wpc
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry 101 Podcasts - http://buff.ly/2kPNDFV
FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry 101 magazine, sign
up for this free resource - http://www.lifeway.com/kidsministry/kids-ministry-101-magazine-signup/
