To: Stephen Howlett
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #10
Time: 3 hours (prep. 1/2 hour, SS 1 hour, service 1 1/2 hours)
Preparation: Preparation for this lesson was simple. I read over the passage after praying and examined the questions given for this lesson. The passage was Luke 22:7-34, which deals with the Last Supper. Then I decided on ways to help get the group involved. I prepared to use a chalkboard again as well as bread and grape juice.
Class: To open class, I asked Caleb to pray for us. Once Caleb was done praying, I had Shandalyn read the passage, Luke 22:7-34. I asked them if any of them had every done any kind of servant work. I got a variety of answers, including Katrina relief from Shandalyn and Rebecca, Orphan Grain Train work from Chelsea and a missions trip to Haiti from Caleb. Then I asked how it felt to help these people and in what ways they helped. Most of the answers were of physical needs, such as gutting homes, cleaning things and doing gardening. The group unanimously agreed that they came back completely blown away by the trip. I had Adam make a list of these things on the chalkboard so we could see our answers. Then we got into the text. We looked at the idea of the Last Supper being Jesus' final meal and instituting a way for us to remember his sacrifice. So I passed around a loaf of bread and a jug of grape juice for everyone. The rest of the study people had food and drink similar to the Last Supper to enjoy. We discussed how Jesus might have felt during the Last Supper and what it might have felt like to be betrayed. The key in it all was that he knew what he was supposed to do and he did it. I asked them how Jesus was being a servant to us. Adam answered by saying that he died on the cross just like God had planned. It was the answer I was looking for. Jesus was the ultimate servant in that he gave his life for us at the command of his father. So I asked them how they can realistically mimic this. Clearly, I did not expect them to go die for someone. They gave a variety of answers. Chelsea suggested doing volunteer work. Rebecca suggested spending time at food shelters serving meals. Shandalyn suggested giving up many of our unneeded possessions to those less fortunate. They got the point though, that Jesus was a servant and showed us how to be a good servant. So I challenged them to go out and be a servant for someone during the week. I told them to go do at least one random nice thing for someone that they did not have to. Then I closed us in prayer.
Questions:
1. Was it a good idea to have them eat and drink during the lesson, even though it could distract them?
2. Should I have probed for more in depth, life changing ways to imitate the servanthood of Jesus?
3. How do I go about keeping the group as focused and willing to learn as I did today?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Practicum Report #9 Formal Report #2
Kevin Aaron
Teaching Report 2
Time Spent: 3 hours (1 prep, 1 SS, 1 Worship)
A. The Lesson
I was asked if I would be willing to allow a few extra youth from a different class join my class for last Sunday’s lesson. Eager to work with as many people as possible, I quickly agreed and set to work on my lesson plan. Since Thanksgiving was coming up soon, I figured it would be a good idea to do something on Thanksgiving. So my lesson dealt with giving thanks. The basic idea of it is that I need to show love for God and my neighbors through spiritual and physical acts of giving thanks for my blessings. I started the lesson off with a balloon. I asked for an artist to help me. No one volunteered at first, but after a little coaxing, I got Rachel to help me out. So I gave her the balloon and a black marker. I told her to draw me on that balloon. I expected her to take a few seconds drawing a quick sketch. I did not expect a long, intricate drawing of my face, but that is exactly what I got. It may not have been very accurate (I had a comb over) but everyone thought it was pretty funny. So I began discussing things in life that cause stress. I asked the group what kind of things caused stress in their life. I got a variety of answers including school, friendships and sports. Adam cited having to get up early for classes as a source of stress on his body. So I began to blow the balloon up a little bit as they told me different stressed. Then I added my part of the story. I talked about how stress builds up and how sometimes I feel like I can do things my way and I forget about God because of the stress and my pride. I discussed how I fail to give thanks and how I allow things to continue to build up until I burst. I expected the balloon to blow up big and then I would pop it, but conveniently, it popped on its own a little earlier than expected. A few people, including Caleb and my dad, jumped a bit at the pop. They all saw it coming, yet still jumped. And so I asked them why this was and what could be done. None of them hit what I was hoping they would. They all discussed the build up of stress as the cause and finding ways to alleviate stress as the solution. What I discussed with them then was that I failed to follow what Jesus called the two greatest commandments: loving God and loving my neighbors. By neglecting God, I did not show love to him. By letting stress build up and letting it affect my relationships and then exploding, I failed to show love to my neighbors. I talked to them about how not having and show that love invites fear and then stress and problems. I mentioned 1 John 4:18 to them, which discusses the idea of how perfect love drives out fear. I told them I thought the reason I had these problems was my lack of showing love. Then I read to them Hosea 6:4, “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.” My point here was that in no way was I showing love. Just like the Israelites, my love came and went as quickly as the morning dew. I failed to show love and as such, fear and problems came into my life. So then my question to them was how to fix this. How do I go about changing this and showing love? I got answers from Caleb and Anne pertaining to simply telling people that I love them. Some said I could give loved ones gifts. Then I suggested that the best way I could show love for God and my neighbors was to give thanks. By giving thanks, both spiritually and physically I can show love. By worshipping God and thanking him in my prayers, I can show love for him. By serving others and doing other physical acts for people, I can show my love for both God and my neighbors. I then quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I wrapped up the study by telling them that we can alleviate a lot of problems in life and build a relationship with God by praising him and giving thanks in many different ways for all the blessings we have.
B. Response:
I had extra youth present this week as well as a few adults present for this Bible study. This added to the group. They all were much more awake and lively. Some of this may have been the fact that there were new people around. Some of it may have stemmed from the fact that there were extra adults present. They all seemed to enjoy the use of the balloon. It did scare them a bit though when it popped, even though most of them saw it coming and expected it to happen. They were much more talkative and gave me some answers. While they did not go where I hoped they would with their responses, it was a start and encouraging to see them talk.
C. Supervising Teacher’s Evaluation
My dad, an elder at the church, and Peggy, in charge of the class I was teaching that week, were both on hand for this Bible study. Both told me it was a good study and enjoyed it. Peggy felt like I did a good job and got the point across to the youth well. She did say that it would have been nice to see a little more involvement physically other than drawing on the balloon and then simply talking the rest of the way. My dad had the follow comments for me:
The good points:
• Excellent use of visual aids with the balloon illustration
• Getting the youth involved by making a drawing on the balloon was good
• Good use of Scriptural references
• Point of message was well thought out and the youth were able to take home a point to remember
• The youth definitely were paying attention and buying what you were sellling
The less exciting points:
• Too much motion on your part, movement is alright but not necessarily an aerobic exercise video
• A few too many "you knows" and "OKs" in your delivery
D. Things I did well
1. I got the group involved with the balloon
2. I was active
3. I used multiple sources of scripture to support my lesson
4. I had a good solid point to finish up on
E. Things I need to improve
1. I need to move around a little less
2. I need to not use as many “you knows” and “OKs”
3. I need to get the group more involved in activities during the lesson
4. I need to have more than one major point throughout the study for them to take
F. Questions
1. Was my topic a good choice given the season, or should I have stayed the course with the series we had been doing?
2. Should I have added some form of group work in to the lesson to get them all involved?
3. Since it worked so well having two classes combine, should I suggest combining the two classes for future studies?
Teaching Report 2
Time Spent: 3 hours (1 prep, 1 SS, 1 Worship)
A. The Lesson
I was asked if I would be willing to allow a few extra youth from a different class join my class for last Sunday’s lesson. Eager to work with as many people as possible, I quickly agreed and set to work on my lesson plan. Since Thanksgiving was coming up soon, I figured it would be a good idea to do something on Thanksgiving. So my lesson dealt with giving thanks. The basic idea of it is that I need to show love for God and my neighbors through spiritual and physical acts of giving thanks for my blessings. I started the lesson off with a balloon. I asked for an artist to help me. No one volunteered at first, but after a little coaxing, I got Rachel to help me out. So I gave her the balloon and a black marker. I told her to draw me on that balloon. I expected her to take a few seconds drawing a quick sketch. I did not expect a long, intricate drawing of my face, but that is exactly what I got. It may not have been very accurate (I had a comb over) but everyone thought it was pretty funny. So I began discussing things in life that cause stress. I asked the group what kind of things caused stress in their life. I got a variety of answers including school, friendships and sports. Adam cited having to get up early for classes as a source of stress on his body. So I began to blow the balloon up a little bit as they told me different stressed. Then I added my part of the story. I talked about how stress builds up and how sometimes I feel like I can do things my way and I forget about God because of the stress and my pride. I discussed how I fail to give thanks and how I allow things to continue to build up until I burst. I expected the balloon to blow up big and then I would pop it, but conveniently, it popped on its own a little earlier than expected. A few people, including Caleb and my dad, jumped a bit at the pop. They all saw it coming, yet still jumped. And so I asked them why this was and what could be done. None of them hit what I was hoping they would. They all discussed the build up of stress as the cause and finding ways to alleviate stress as the solution. What I discussed with them then was that I failed to follow what Jesus called the two greatest commandments: loving God and loving my neighbors. By neglecting God, I did not show love to him. By letting stress build up and letting it affect my relationships and then exploding, I failed to show love to my neighbors. I talked to them about how not having and show that love invites fear and then stress and problems. I mentioned 1 John 4:18 to them, which discusses the idea of how perfect love drives out fear. I told them I thought the reason I had these problems was my lack of showing love. Then I read to them Hosea 6:4, “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.” My point here was that in no way was I showing love. Just like the Israelites, my love came and went as quickly as the morning dew. I failed to show love and as such, fear and problems came into my life. So then my question to them was how to fix this. How do I go about changing this and showing love? I got answers from Caleb and Anne pertaining to simply telling people that I love them. Some said I could give loved ones gifts. Then I suggested that the best way I could show love for God and my neighbors was to give thanks. By giving thanks, both spiritually and physically I can show love. By worshipping God and thanking him in my prayers, I can show love for him. By serving others and doing other physical acts for people, I can show my love for both God and my neighbors. I then quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I wrapped up the study by telling them that we can alleviate a lot of problems in life and build a relationship with God by praising him and giving thanks in many different ways for all the blessings we have.
B. Response:
I had extra youth present this week as well as a few adults present for this Bible study. This added to the group. They all were much more awake and lively. Some of this may have been the fact that there were new people around. Some of it may have stemmed from the fact that there were extra adults present. They all seemed to enjoy the use of the balloon. It did scare them a bit though when it popped, even though most of them saw it coming and expected it to happen. They were much more talkative and gave me some answers. While they did not go where I hoped they would with their responses, it was a start and encouraging to see them talk.
C. Supervising Teacher’s Evaluation
My dad, an elder at the church, and Peggy, in charge of the class I was teaching that week, were both on hand for this Bible study. Both told me it was a good study and enjoyed it. Peggy felt like I did a good job and got the point across to the youth well. She did say that it would have been nice to see a little more involvement physically other than drawing on the balloon and then simply talking the rest of the way. My dad had the follow comments for me:
The good points:
• Excellent use of visual aids with the balloon illustration
• Getting the youth involved by making a drawing on the balloon was good
• Good use of Scriptural references
• Point of message was well thought out and the youth were able to take home a point to remember
• The youth definitely were paying attention and buying what you were sellling
The less exciting points:
• Too much motion on your part, movement is alright but not necessarily an aerobic exercise video
• A few too many "you knows" and "OKs" in your delivery
D. Things I did well
1. I got the group involved with the balloon
2. I was active
3. I used multiple sources of scripture to support my lesson
4. I had a good solid point to finish up on
E. Things I need to improve
1. I need to move around a little less
2. I need to not use as many “you knows” and “OKs”
3. I need to get the group more involved in activities during the lesson
4. I need to have more than one major point throughout the study for them to take
F. Questions
1. Was my topic a good choice given the season, or should I have stayed the course with the series we had been doing?
2. Should I have added some form of group work in to the lesson to get them all involved?
3. Since it worked so well having two classes combine, should I suggest combining the two classes for future studies?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Practicum Report #8
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #8
Time: 3 hours (1 Prep, 1 SS, 1 Service)
Preparation: The lesson for this coming week was the next step in our series and came from Mark 1:29-39. I read the passage over a few times over again and studied the questions. Then I began thinking about creative ways to lead the study differently from in the past. I could not come up with anything wild and crazy so I settled on relying on the chalkboard and forcing group discussion.
Study: As I try to do with my studies, I opened with a prayer for the group. Then I had Caleb read the passage aloud a couple times. As usual I had to keep Adam awake. I quickly began asking questions following the reading. I got the group discussing stress in their lives and how Jesus must have felt having to deal with the demands of the large crowd. Dan, the newcomer of the group this week, offered that he often dealt with stress by spending time alone and that Jesus was simply trying to do the same. The group quickly agreed with Dan hoping to take pressure off them from having to answer questions. I continued to press for discussion by asking how they deal with stress and if there are better ways they think they could go about dealing with stress. Adam spoke about how he usually just takes naps since he sleeps so often as it is. Chelsea said she usually talks to her boyfriend Steven about her stress, unless of course it deals with him. Then she usually just vents to a friend. Then I used the chalkboard. Hopefully I could get the group loosened up by making lists on the board and having fun with it. They began spewing out ways to deal with stress and the things in life that stress them out. Many of the answers were meant to be goofy, but it got the group talking. That was a victory in and of itself. The group came to the consensus that the point of the passage was that we need to take time out of busy lives to be alone with God. That time can recharge us and help us get through all the stress in our lives. After this, we took prayer requests and prayed to close out the study.
Questions:
1 Is it a good idea to let the group get goofy and silly even though it helps get conversation going?
2 Would incentives like donuts and juice help attendance and keeping everyone awake and involved?
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #8
Time: 3 hours (1 Prep, 1 SS, 1 Service)
Preparation: The lesson for this coming week was the next step in our series and came from Mark 1:29-39. I read the passage over a few times over again and studied the questions. Then I began thinking about creative ways to lead the study differently from in the past. I could not come up with anything wild and crazy so I settled on relying on the chalkboard and forcing group discussion.
Study: As I try to do with my studies, I opened with a prayer for the group. Then I had Caleb read the passage aloud a couple times. As usual I had to keep Adam awake. I quickly began asking questions following the reading. I got the group discussing stress in their lives and how Jesus must have felt having to deal with the demands of the large crowd. Dan, the newcomer of the group this week, offered that he often dealt with stress by spending time alone and that Jesus was simply trying to do the same. The group quickly agreed with Dan hoping to take pressure off them from having to answer questions. I continued to press for discussion by asking how they deal with stress and if there are better ways they think they could go about dealing with stress. Adam spoke about how he usually just takes naps since he sleeps so often as it is. Chelsea said she usually talks to her boyfriend Steven about her stress, unless of course it deals with him. Then she usually just vents to a friend. Then I used the chalkboard. Hopefully I could get the group loosened up by making lists on the board and having fun with it. They began spewing out ways to deal with stress and the things in life that stress them out. Many of the answers were meant to be goofy, but it got the group talking. That was a victory in and of itself. The group came to the consensus that the point of the passage was that we need to take time out of busy lives to be alone with God. That time can recharge us and help us get through all the stress in our lives. After this, we took prayer requests and prayed to close out the study.
Questions:
1 Is it a good idea to let the group get goofy and silly even though it helps get conversation going?
2 Would incentives like donuts and juice help attendance and keeping everyone awake and involved?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Practicum Blog 5
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Caleb Hall
Subject: Practicum Report 5
Time: 4 Hours (SS-1.5 hour, Service-1.5 hour Preparation-1 hour)
Preparation: For the preparation for this week’s lesson Kevin and I had a quick talk to see if we really wanted to continue on the track that we have set for our Bible study. After we talked about it a little while we quickly decided to continue with the study that we originally picked out. After we decided to keep with the topic that we originally chose I then had to prepare the lesson. The Serendipity Bible that we have suggested to use Luke 16:19-31. This was a relatively easy lesson to plan for, because this passage is pretty self explanatory. I then had to look at the questions that the Serendipity Bible gave me so that I could pick out the ones that I wanted to actually use. I ended up using most of the questions that the Bible had in it.
Lesson: This passage again was Luke 16:19-31, and it was about the rich man that had the banquet that none of his friends that he invited came to. To start the lesson I had Charlie read the verse in Luke so that there would be some class involvement in the lesson. This topic was about the rich man who had a banquet, and invited a lot of his friends to come to this banquet. When the day of the banquet arrived none of his friends showed up, and they all had a different excuse for not being there. After this the rich man had his servants go out and get anyone that he can find to come to the banquet. After the passage was read we then discussed what exactly this meant to use as Christians. After posing this question I quickly realized that our group again was not very awake or participant. When I realized this I quickly asked Kevin if he would grab some chalk and write some things down on the chalk board so that we would be able to see the things that we were thinking. Kevin also drew us a little stick figure diagram of the rich man, his friends that did not attend the party, and the people that did attend the party. This was something that helped get the attention of the class, because it was definitely something different than we normally do. This tactic clearly helped with keeping the class on task, and in the discussion. The group seemed to conquer that we needed to stop ignoring God’s calling to come to his banquet, and we need to stop making excuses.
Questions:
1. Should I have done the writing on the chalk board, or was it good to get a “class member” to do it?
2. We have found that a chalk board keeps their attention, what else would be a good attention grabber?
From: Caleb Hall
Subject: Practicum Report 5
Time: 4 Hours (SS-1.5 hour, Service-1.5 hour Preparation-1 hour)
Preparation: For the preparation for this week’s lesson Kevin and I had a quick talk to see if we really wanted to continue on the track that we have set for our Bible study. After we talked about it a little while we quickly decided to continue with the study that we originally picked out. After we decided to keep with the topic that we originally chose I then had to prepare the lesson. The Serendipity Bible that we have suggested to use Luke 16:19-31. This was a relatively easy lesson to plan for, because this passage is pretty self explanatory. I then had to look at the questions that the Serendipity Bible gave me so that I could pick out the ones that I wanted to actually use. I ended up using most of the questions that the Bible had in it.
Lesson: This passage again was Luke 16:19-31, and it was about the rich man that had the banquet that none of his friends that he invited came to. To start the lesson I had Charlie read the verse in Luke so that there would be some class involvement in the lesson. This topic was about the rich man who had a banquet, and invited a lot of his friends to come to this banquet. When the day of the banquet arrived none of his friends showed up, and they all had a different excuse for not being there. After this the rich man had his servants go out and get anyone that he can find to come to the banquet. After the passage was read we then discussed what exactly this meant to use as Christians. After posing this question I quickly realized that our group again was not very awake or participant. When I realized this I quickly asked Kevin if he would grab some chalk and write some things down on the chalk board so that we would be able to see the things that we were thinking. Kevin also drew us a little stick figure diagram of the rich man, his friends that did not attend the party, and the people that did attend the party. This was something that helped get the attention of the class, because it was definitely something different than we normally do. This tactic clearly helped with keeping the class on task, and in the discussion. The group seemed to conquer that we needed to stop ignoring God’s calling to come to his banquet, and we need to stop making excuses.
Questions:
1. Should I have done the writing on the chalk board, or was it good to get a “class member” to do it?
2. We have found that a chalk board keeps their attention, what else would be a good attention grabber?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Practicum Report #7
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #7
Time: 3 hours (1.5 SS, 1.5 Service)
Preparation: Caleb and I sat and discussed briefly the direction of our Bible study. We have to decide if we wanted to continue on the course we were on with the series we had begun studying. We quickly agreed it would not be advantageous to change directions and decided to forge on ahead. From there it was up to Caleb to prepare the lesson, so my involvement was minimal. The passage to be studied was Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and his banquet.
Study: As I said, the passage used was Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and his banquet. To start, Caleb had Charlie read the passage out loud for us to hear. The passage discussed the rich man that was going to have a banquet and how all his friends told his servants he could not attend for various reasons. After being angered by this, the rich man sent his servant to get the poor and lame off the streets to enjoy the banquet. Caleb asked us for our thoughts and after realizing that most of us were not very awake, decided to use a new tactic. He had me use the chalkboard to write down ideas. This forced us to see our thoughts and focus on them. It helped keep us awake and talking. What transpired were us diagramming rich man, his friends and the needy that were brought in off the street. Caleb then asked us what kind of things get in our life today to give us excuses to ignore God’s calling us to his banquet. A variety of answers came out from Adam and Chelsea such as school, video games and significant others. It became clear to our group pretty quickly that there are a lot of things in life that keep us from listening to what God is trying to tell us. As a result, we started to realize how we needed to stop ignoring God’s calling us. Also, we thought about the idea of helping those in need by inviting the needy to eat with us or doing service projects to help them. Because it is to those in need that accept the calling from God that inherit the kingdom.
Questions:
1 How can the class take lessons like this and put them into practice in our everyday lives?
2 What are some other ways to keep the class on task and focused such as using the chalkboard?
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #7
Time: 3 hours (1.5 SS, 1.5 Service)
Preparation: Caleb and I sat and discussed briefly the direction of our Bible study. We have to decide if we wanted to continue on the course we were on with the series we had begun studying. We quickly agreed it would not be advantageous to change directions and decided to forge on ahead. From there it was up to Caleb to prepare the lesson, so my involvement was minimal. The passage to be studied was Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and his banquet.
Study: As I said, the passage used was Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and his banquet. To start, Caleb had Charlie read the passage out loud for us to hear. The passage discussed the rich man that was going to have a banquet and how all his friends told his servants he could not attend for various reasons. After being angered by this, the rich man sent his servant to get the poor and lame off the streets to enjoy the banquet. Caleb asked us for our thoughts and after realizing that most of us were not very awake, decided to use a new tactic. He had me use the chalkboard to write down ideas. This forced us to see our thoughts and focus on them. It helped keep us awake and talking. What transpired were us diagramming rich man, his friends and the needy that were brought in off the street. Caleb then asked us what kind of things get in our life today to give us excuses to ignore God’s calling us to his banquet. A variety of answers came out from Adam and Chelsea such as school, video games and significant others. It became clear to our group pretty quickly that there are a lot of things in life that keep us from listening to what God is trying to tell us. As a result, we started to realize how we needed to stop ignoring God’s calling us. Also, we thought about the idea of helping those in need by inviting the needy to eat with us or doing service projects to help them. Because it is to those in need that accept the calling from God that inherit the kingdom.
Questions:
1 How can the class take lessons like this and put them into practice in our everyday lives?
2 What are some other ways to keep the class on task and focused such as using the chalkboard?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Practicum Report 4
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Caleb Hall
Subject: Practicum Report 4
Time: (SS-1 hour, Service-1 hour)
Preparation: I did not have to do anything to prepare for this week’s lesson in terms of getting a lesson ready. I did however spend some time in prayer, specifically for Kevin as he taught. I think that praying for the teacher and the Bible study are both very important. This encourages the teacher, by doing this you are inviting God to come into the lesson and work in the hearts of the people.
Lesson: There were only four of us that showed up at the Bible study this week, which is a few less than usual. We opened this week in prayer, to invite the spirit to fall on us, and for him to speak to us during the Bible study. After the time of prayer there was a problem with Adam, as he fell asleep in the corner of the class room while Kevin was trying to introduce the topic. We quickly woke him up so that he could pay attention to the lesson. The topic for this week was out of Luke16:19-31, which is the passage that talked about the rich man and Lazarus the beggar. I read this passage aloud for the class, and after the scripture reading Kevin then asked for some General reactions to the passage. Most of us agreed that we all need to be more aware of the people who have physical needs, and how we need to go a little bit out of our way to help the people that are in need. Kevin then asked a series of questions out of the serendipity Bible to try to engage us into deeper discussions. The first question that Kevin asked was if we fell into a lot of money, what would we end up doing with the money? Most people said that they would spend some, save some, and give some away. The one thing that I noticed was that nobody was willing to give away all of the money, or even half of it. Kevin then asked who we felt sorry for in this passage. Most of them said that they felt sorry for Lazarus, because he was a poor man. I however said that I felt bad for the rich man because of how miserable the rich man’s life was, and that even though Lazarus was poor, that he was a happy man.
Questions:
1.) Would it be more beneficial to do the Bible study at a later time so that we are more awake?
2.) How do we get deeper reactions and conversation?
From: Caleb Hall
Subject: Practicum Report 4
Time: (SS-1 hour, Service-1 hour)
Preparation: I did not have to do anything to prepare for this week’s lesson in terms of getting a lesson ready. I did however spend some time in prayer, specifically for Kevin as he taught. I think that praying for the teacher and the Bible study are both very important. This encourages the teacher, by doing this you are inviting God to come into the lesson and work in the hearts of the people.
Lesson: There were only four of us that showed up at the Bible study this week, which is a few less than usual. We opened this week in prayer, to invite the spirit to fall on us, and for him to speak to us during the Bible study. After the time of prayer there was a problem with Adam, as he fell asleep in the corner of the class room while Kevin was trying to introduce the topic. We quickly woke him up so that he could pay attention to the lesson. The topic for this week was out of Luke16:19-31, which is the passage that talked about the rich man and Lazarus the beggar. I read this passage aloud for the class, and after the scripture reading Kevin then asked for some General reactions to the passage. Most of us agreed that we all need to be more aware of the people who have physical needs, and how we need to go a little bit out of our way to help the people that are in need. Kevin then asked a series of questions out of the serendipity Bible to try to engage us into deeper discussions. The first question that Kevin asked was if we fell into a lot of money, what would we end up doing with the money? Most people said that they would spend some, save some, and give some away. The one thing that I noticed was that nobody was willing to give away all of the money, or even half of it. Kevin then asked who we felt sorry for in this passage. Most of them said that they felt sorry for Lazarus, because he was a poor man. I however said that I felt bad for the rich man because of how miserable the rich man’s life was, and that even though Lazarus was poor, that he was a happy man.
Questions:
1.) Would it be more beneficial to do the Bible study at a later time so that we are more awake?
2.) How do we get deeper reactions and conversation?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Practicum Report #6
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #6
Time: 3 hours (1 Prep, 1 SS, 1 Service)
Preparation: Preparation for the Bible study was relatively easy. It was simply a matter of pulling up the list for the series we are doing and looking ahead to the next passage we are studying. I read the passage, thought about what it meant to me and then looked at the questions that went with the study. After doing that I rethought the passage and searched my study Bible for footnotes about the passage. This gave me some different views on the passage and helped prep me for leading the study.
Study: To start the study, we opened in prayer with the few people we had in attendance. It was only Caleb, Adam, Rebecca and I that showed up. After opening in prayer, I introduced the topic as Adam quickly started to fall asleep in the corner. The study for the week was about Luke 16:19-31. This passage is about the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar. Caleb read the passage aloud and then I probed for general reactions. Typically, the reaction was that we need to be careful about caring more about the physical world and that we need to help each other. So I continued to probe for further examination of the passage by asking a series of questions. The first question I asked was what would you do if you suddenly came into a lot of money? Most people said they would do a combination of spending it, saving it and giving some away. No one said they would give it all away or even more than half. Then I asked who they felt sorrier for in the story. At first, they felt sorry for Lazarus, but seeing that things turned out well for him, it is hard to feel sorry for him. As for the rich man, in some ways it is hard to feel sorry for him because of how he acted. Yet it is hard to dismiss his misery and regret as well as his care for his family. That seemed to be a consensus answer. Rebecca gave it pretty quickly while Adam just shook his head in agreement. Caleb said he felt bad for the rich man because of how miserable he was and how concerned he was about his family. I continued to probe for answers and by the time I was done, the group looked at things a little differently. They saw the need to listen to Jesus in the story. The facts have been given to us. It is up to us to be like Lazarus or the rich man in our faith and daily lives. We then closed in prayer.
Questions:
1. How do I get more people to come to Bible study on a regular basis?
2. What should I do when someone falls asleep during Bible study?
3. Should I add activities to the study to keep it more lively and engaging?
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #6
Time: 3 hours (1 Prep, 1 SS, 1 Service)
Preparation: Preparation for the Bible study was relatively easy. It was simply a matter of pulling up the list for the series we are doing and looking ahead to the next passage we are studying. I read the passage, thought about what it meant to me and then looked at the questions that went with the study. After doing that I rethought the passage and searched my study Bible for footnotes about the passage. This gave me some different views on the passage and helped prep me for leading the study.
Study: To start the study, we opened in prayer with the few people we had in attendance. It was only Caleb, Adam, Rebecca and I that showed up. After opening in prayer, I introduced the topic as Adam quickly started to fall asleep in the corner. The study for the week was about Luke 16:19-31. This passage is about the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar. Caleb read the passage aloud and then I probed for general reactions. Typically, the reaction was that we need to be careful about caring more about the physical world and that we need to help each other. So I continued to probe for further examination of the passage by asking a series of questions. The first question I asked was what would you do if you suddenly came into a lot of money? Most people said they would do a combination of spending it, saving it and giving some away. No one said they would give it all away or even more than half. Then I asked who they felt sorrier for in the story. At first, they felt sorry for Lazarus, but seeing that things turned out well for him, it is hard to feel sorry for him. As for the rich man, in some ways it is hard to feel sorry for him because of how he acted. Yet it is hard to dismiss his misery and regret as well as his care for his family. That seemed to be a consensus answer. Rebecca gave it pretty quickly while Adam just shook his head in agreement. Caleb said he felt bad for the rich man because of how miserable he was and how concerned he was about his family. I continued to probe for answers and by the time I was done, the group looked at things a little differently. They saw the need to listen to Jesus in the story. The facts have been given to us. It is up to us to be like Lazarus or the rich man in our faith and daily lives. We then closed in prayer.
Questions:
1. How do I get more people to come to Bible study on a regular basis?
2. What should I do when someone falls asleep during Bible study?
3. Should I add activities to the study to keep it more lively and engaging?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
3rd Blog
To: Stephen
From: Caleb
Subject: Practicum Report 3
Time Spent this Week: 3 Hours total (SS=1; AM worship=1; preparation=1)
My class this week
Preparation: This week I taught the Bible study, so I had to do some preparing for the lesson. For the lesson I prepared to talk about Saul on the road to Damascus, and getting his name changed to Paul. This was relatively easy to do because of the study that Kevin and I have chosen to use for our Bible study. This lesson was pretty much straight out of a serendipity Bible.
Lesson: This week I taught on Saul’s journey to Damascus to persecute the Christians, and then how he was converted. This lesson came out of Acts 9:1-19. It was hard to get everybody to talk a lot during the discussion at first, but the questions out of the Serendipity Bible helped to spark a lot of questions. I also found however that even with these questions there were many times when only Kevin or I would say something. One of the questions that I asked was what changed the most in you when you became a Christian. I went first because nobody was really talking, and I told them that I accepted Jesus at a very young age, and there was not any major change at such a young age. Chelsea went next and she pretty much had the same answer as me. Mostly everybody else had the same answer of a slow and gradual change, and not something that was extremely noticeable. Then a guy by the name of Charlie brought up an interesting point when he asked if this story was the reason why Catholics use their “Christian names.” I thought that this was interesting, so we had a little side conversation about this question, and we really did not find an answer to it.
Questions:
1) Should I as the teacher be the first person to answer the questions that I have posed?
2) How can I keep people from getting too sidetracked during the study?
3) Should I rely on Kevin to help me get everyone back on track?
To: Stephen
From: Caleb
Subject: Practicum Report 3
Time Spent this Week: 3 Hours total (SS=1; AM worship=1; preparation=1)
My class this week
Preparation: This week I taught the Bible study, so I had to do some preparing for the lesson. For the lesson I prepared to talk about Saul on the road to Damascus, and getting his name changed to Paul. This was relatively easy to do because of the study that Kevin and I have chosen to use for our Bible study. This lesson was pretty much straight out of a serendipity Bible.
Lesson: This week I taught on Saul’s journey to Damascus to persecute the Christians, and then how he was converted. This lesson came out of Acts 9:1-19. It was hard to get everybody to talk a lot during the discussion at first, but the questions out of the Serendipity Bible helped to spark a lot of questions. I also found however that even with these questions there were many times when only Kevin or I would say something. One of the questions that I asked was what changed the most in you when you became a Christian. I went first because nobody was really talking, and I told them that I accepted Jesus at a very young age, and there was not any major change at such a young age. Chelsea went next and she pretty much had the same answer as me. Mostly everybody else had the same answer of a slow and gradual change, and not something that was extremely noticeable. Then a guy by the name of Charlie brought up an interesting point when he asked if this story was the reason why Catholics use their “Christian names.” I thought that this was interesting, so we had a little side conversation about this question, and we really did not find an answer to it.
Questions:
1) Should I as the teacher be the first person to answer the questions that I have posed?
2) How can I keep people from getting too sidetracked during the study?
3) Should I rely on Kevin to help me get everyone back on track?
Practicum Report #5
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #5
Time: 4 Hours
Preparation: We had our youth group's annual fall festival the other night. This fall festival is a time of pumpkin painting, food, hay rides and a bonfire. I had to help come up with songs to sing as well as my usual chant. It was my task to get some college age youth to come help supervise the event. But my biggest task was to prepare the study for that night. I always love doing this event. It is a youth favorite and a chance for me to have the youth's attention. In preparation, I sat for a few minutes praying about the study. I searched my mind for things I had heard recently or things that might get the youth's attention. I was quickly drawn to a few passages I had used many times before in studies and love dearly: 1 Peter 2:9-10.
Study: I had the chance to do the study around the fire in the evening. I started off by reciting the verse to them and telling them to focus on a seemingly insignificant word repeated throughout the verse. The first part of the verse goes, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God...". I had them focus on the word "a". This word is important because it does not signify different chosen individuals or priests. It indicates one unified people, priesthood and nation. I focused hard on the idea of community and what a youth group can mean to each other. I used Matthew 18:20, which discusses the idea that where two or more are gathered, God is there with them. I also referenced a verse in the old testament that says one person is easily defeated, while a strand of 2 can be easily broken, but a cord of 3 is not easily broken. My point was that as our youth group takes on new directions and a new youth pastor soon, it is up to them to come together and make great things happen. I looked at the fire and talked about how if I were to take one coal out and throw it in the grass that coal would go cold. But when kept in the fire it stays warm, keeps other coals warm, and may even start another fire. The idea is simple, we are those coals. Alone we can easily succumb to temptation and our religious fervor can cool off. But united as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can strengthen each others' faith and fight temptation. Together, the youth group can do amazing things. And that was where I left it with them. I left them with the question of how they were going to respond to the new opportunities that lie ahead of them as a youth group.
Questions: How can I use such a study to ignite the group and encourage community?
Was there a better way to finish off such a study?
Should I have gotten the youth more involved rather than have it seem more like a devotion or sermon?
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #5
Time: 4 Hours
Preparation: We had our youth group's annual fall festival the other night. This fall festival is a time of pumpkin painting, food, hay rides and a bonfire. I had to help come up with songs to sing as well as my usual chant. It was my task to get some college age youth to come help supervise the event. But my biggest task was to prepare the study for that night. I always love doing this event. It is a youth favorite and a chance for me to have the youth's attention. In preparation, I sat for a few minutes praying about the study. I searched my mind for things I had heard recently or things that might get the youth's attention. I was quickly drawn to a few passages I had used many times before in studies and love dearly: 1 Peter 2:9-10.
Study: I had the chance to do the study around the fire in the evening. I started off by reciting the verse to them and telling them to focus on a seemingly insignificant word repeated throughout the verse. The first part of the verse goes, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God...". I had them focus on the word "a". This word is important because it does not signify different chosen individuals or priests. It indicates one unified people, priesthood and nation. I focused hard on the idea of community and what a youth group can mean to each other. I used Matthew 18:20, which discusses the idea that where two or more are gathered, God is there with them. I also referenced a verse in the old testament that says one person is easily defeated, while a strand of 2 can be easily broken, but a cord of 3 is not easily broken. My point was that as our youth group takes on new directions and a new youth pastor soon, it is up to them to come together and make great things happen. I looked at the fire and talked about how if I were to take one coal out and throw it in the grass that coal would go cold. But when kept in the fire it stays warm, keeps other coals warm, and may even start another fire. The idea is simple, we are those coals. Alone we can easily succumb to temptation and our religious fervor can cool off. But united as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can strengthen each others' faith and fight temptation. Together, the youth group can do amazing things. And that was where I left it with them. I left them with the question of how they were going to respond to the new opportunities that lie ahead of them as a youth group.
Questions: How can I use such a study to ignite the group and encourage community?
Was there a better way to finish off such a study?
Should I have gotten the youth more involved rather than have it seem more like a devotion or sermon?
Practicum Report #4
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #4
Time: 2.5 hours (1.5 Youth Service, 1 SS)
Preparation: I did not have much preparation to do for this week. Since Caleb took charge of the study, I only had to show him the study we were going work from and he took care of the rest. The largest piece of set-up I had to do was help get everyone to church.
I did find myself helping with the youth service however. I had to help plan and run a skit before the message. The skit we did was called "God's Coming to Dinner." In this skit, someone calls acting like God and says he is coming to dinner. Then three people come one at a time to the person's house with some major problem such as a broken leg and asks for help. But the person is expecting God and does not have time to help, so she pushes them out of her house quickly. At the end God calls back and says she did not let him in on three separate occasions. The point is that God is in everyone and the what we do for the least we do for God. I also had to help keep people involved in worship and get the excited to sing.
Study: Caleb's Bible study was on Acts 9:1-19. This passage focuses on Saul's conversion while on the road to Damascus. We started by having Adam read the passage. Then Caleb began asking questions from his study Bible. Such questions addressed our personal conversions and what we would have felt if we had been Saul, now called Paul. We all discussed our personal conversions. Chelsea discussed how hers occurred really young, since she was raised in the church. Others discussed theirs as gradual. I, in an attempt to keep things light, made joke of how I had been blinded for a while as well as Saul. Caleb did not find it humorous, so I explained how I had been raised in the church and always had the basic beliefs, but did not understand what it meant to truly believe until later on in my youth. Chase was rather quiet, though he did say his was gradual from being raised in the church. We also discussed where we think we are in our faith journey compared to Saul's. Some opted for the road to Damascus, some felt they were in Damascus having seen the light. We then discussed which sense we thought would be the worst to lose. Many thought scent would be the worst to lose since it had such an effect on taste. I felt like taste would be awful, because I like the taste of things and taste is supposed to tell us when something is harmful for us to eat or drink. The study kind of slowed down after that and ran into some problems keeping on track. By that point, we had all discussed our faith and were struggling to stay focused after a long night of little sleep. So we quickly closed the study and spent some time in general fellowship before heading our separate ways for the day.
Outlook: Next week is supposed to be my turn to do the Bible study. I will not be able to do that though, since I will be out of town. Most of us will be as a matter of fact, so the Bible study has been suspended for one week until after fall break. Once it resumes though, it is up to me to carry the torch and keep the study alive.
Questions: How do we keep people in the study and on track instead of getting sidetracked so easily?
How do we deal with off-weeks such as the one coming up to keep spiritual formation alive? Do we give a reading to read in preparation for the next week's Bible study?
How can I help Caleb when he is leading the study without starting a power struggle?
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #4
Time: 2.5 hours (1.5 Youth Service, 1 SS)
Preparation: I did not have much preparation to do for this week. Since Caleb took charge of the study, I only had to show him the study we were going work from and he took care of the rest. The largest piece of set-up I had to do was help get everyone to church.
I did find myself helping with the youth service however. I had to help plan and run a skit before the message. The skit we did was called "God's Coming to Dinner." In this skit, someone calls acting like God and says he is coming to dinner. Then three people come one at a time to the person's house with some major problem such as a broken leg and asks for help. But the person is expecting God and does not have time to help, so she pushes them out of her house quickly. At the end God calls back and says she did not let him in on three separate occasions. The point is that God is in everyone and the what we do for the least we do for God. I also had to help keep people involved in worship and get the excited to sing.
Study: Caleb's Bible study was on Acts 9:1-19. This passage focuses on Saul's conversion while on the road to Damascus. We started by having Adam read the passage. Then Caleb began asking questions from his study Bible. Such questions addressed our personal conversions and what we would have felt if we had been Saul, now called Paul. We all discussed our personal conversions. Chelsea discussed how hers occurred really young, since she was raised in the church. Others discussed theirs as gradual. I, in an attempt to keep things light, made joke of how I had been blinded for a while as well as Saul. Caleb did not find it humorous, so I explained how I had been raised in the church and always had the basic beliefs, but did not understand what it meant to truly believe until later on in my youth. Chase was rather quiet, though he did say his was gradual from being raised in the church. We also discussed where we think we are in our faith journey compared to Saul's. Some opted for the road to Damascus, some felt they were in Damascus having seen the light. We then discussed which sense we thought would be the worst to lose. Many thought scent would be the worst to lose since it had such an effect on taste. I felt like taste would be awful, because I like the taste of things and taste is supposed to tell us when something is harmful for us to eat or drink. The study kind of slowed down after that and ran into some problems keeping on track. By that point, we had all discussed our faith and were struggling to stay focused after a long night of little sleep. So we quickly closed the study and spent some time in general fellowship before heading our separate ways for the day.
Outlook: Next week is supposed to be my turn to do the Bible study. I will not be able to do that though, since I will be out of town. Most of us will be as a matter of fact, so the Bible study has been suspended for one week until after fall break. Once it resumes though, it is up to me to carry the torch and keep the study alive.
Questions: How do we keep people in the study and on track instead of getting sidetracked so easily?
How do we deal with off-weeks such as the one coming up to keep spiritual formation alive? Do we give a reading to read in preparation for the next week's Bible study?
How can I help Caleb when he is leading the study without starting a power struggle?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Caleb's 2nd Blog
To: Stephen
From: Caleb
Subject: Practicum Report 2
Time Spent this Week: 2 Hours total (SS=1; AM worship=1)
My class this week
Confusion: There was a little bit of a miscommunication which resulted in the lesson for Sunday school not being prepared. Luckily for us the study that we are doing is right out of a Serendipity Bible, so Kevin was able to go get some of the Bibles. This turned out to not be that big of a problem, but it could have been a very big problem.
The Lesson: The lesson for this week was based on James 2:14-26 which is a passage based on faith without deeds. Kevin asked me to read the passage to start out the lesson, so that we all knew what the passage was talking about. After the scripture was read Kevin then had some questions for the class to think about and answer. Kevin did a very good job at using some of the questions in the Serendipity Bible, but also making up his own challenging questions for the students to answer. This class that we are teaching can be a little bit difficult at times with getting to answer the questions that are asked. So needless to say it was a lacking in conversation at first. Then Adam finally spoke up and said pretty much that he did not think that we needed to do good things to get to heaven, but rather that as Christians we should want to do good deeds simply to show Christ in us. The three girls that were there were Chelsea, Rebecca, and Rachel. Rachel was just a visitor on Sunday, and I do not think that she was comfortable enough with everybody to really voice her opinion. Chelsea and Rebecca added little comments every once and a while, but for the most part they did not talk much.
Questions:
1. Should have I offered more of my opinions, or should I let the “students” answer them?
2. How do I as the “helper” of the class encourage the students to answer the questions?
From: Caleb
Subject: Practicum Report 2
Time Spent this Week: 2 Hours total (SS=1; AM worship=1)
My class this week
Confusion: There was a little bit of a miscommunication which resulted in the lesson for Sunday school not being prepared. Luckily for us the study that we are doing is right out of a Serendipity Bible, so Kevin was able to go get some of the Bibles. This turned out to not be that big of a problem, but it could have been a very big problem.
The Lesson: The lesson for this week was based on James 2:14-26 which is a passage based on faith without deeds. Kevin asked me to read the passage to start out the lesson, so that we all knew what the passage was talking about. After the scripture was read Kevin then had some questions for the class to think about and answer. Kevin did a very good job at using some of the questions in the Serendipity Bible, but also making up his own challenging questions for the students to answer. This class that we are teaching can be a little bit difficult at times with getting to answer the questions that are asked. So needless to say it was a lacking in conversation at first. Then Adam finally spoke up and said pretty much that he did not think that we needed to do good things to get to heaven, but rather that as Christians we should want to do good deeds simply to show Christ in us. The three girls that were there were Chelsea, Rebecca, and Rachel. Rachel was just a visitor on Sunday, and I do not think that she was comfortable enough with everybody to really voice her opinion. Chelsea and Rebecca added little comments every once and a while, but for the most part they did not talk much.
Questions:
1. Should have I offered more of my opinions, or should I let the “students” answer them?
2. How do I as the “helper” of the class encourage the students to answer the questions?
Practicum Report #3
To: Stephen Howlett
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #3
Time: 2 hours (1 SS, 1 service)
Preparation: There was some confusion with the lesson this week, and as a result, no one had prepared anything for the class Sunday morning. Luckily, the series is a very open and easy study to put together. I simply went to the prep room and got a few Serendipity Bibles and picked a controversial topic in the Bible: James 2:14-26.
Lesson: James 2:14-26 focuses on faith with deeds. The big issue here is whether deeds are required for faith to get into heaven or not. It is a topic that is hotly debated and no one can find a simple middle ground. I had Caleb read the passage and then I proceded to ask questions. Most of the questions were found in the Serendipity Bible to go along with the passage, but some were questions that came to mind as we went through the passage. It was a challenge getting response from those in attendance. The problem was that most of them were tired and did not know much about the topic. Furthermore, I found that many did not feel like it was a topic they wanted to debate. It was a challenge the whole way through, although Adam was willing to speak up and give his insight. He simply believes that it is a topic with no final answer that we can debate for as long as we want with no solid conclusion. But he did concede that he felt like deeds were not required for heaven, but that if we truly loved God and had faith, we would want to do deeds. It was a challenge getting any response from Rebecca and her friend Rachel. Rachel was just visiting and did not want to be a big part of the discussion. Chelsea did not say much, though she said she enjoyed some of information we were able to discuss. The study ended quickly as Peggy, one of our youth leaders, came in to ask about helping with various youth events. It became apparent to me quickly that most of those in attendance Sunday did not have much interest in studying the Bible. They were mostly there because I harrassed them enough to get them there and for some fellowship. So my challenge now becomes getting them excited about Bible study.
Questions:
1. How do I get everyone excited for Sunday school?
2. How do I get individuals to give there opinions without awkwardly having to call them out?
3. Should I stray away from hotly debated topics in a Sunday school setting such as faith without deeds?
From: Kevin Aaron
Subject: Practicum Report #3
Time: 2 hours (1 SS, 1 service)
Preparation: There was some confusion with the lesson this week, and as a result, no one had prepared anything for the class Sunday morning. Luckily, the series is a very open and easy study to put together. I simply went to the prep room and got a few Serendipity Bibles and picked a controversial topic in the Bible: James 2:14-26.
Lesson: James 2:14-26 focuses on faith with deeds. The big issue here is whether deeds are required for faith to get into heaven or not. It is a topic that is hotly debated and no one can find a simple middle ground. I had Caleb read the passage and then I proceded to ask questions. Most of the questions were found in the Serendipity Bible to go along with the passage, but some were questions that came to mind as we went through the passage. It was a challenge getting response from those in attendance. The problem was that most of them were tired and did not know much about the topic. Furthermore, I found that many did not feel like it was a topic they wanted to debate. It was a challenge the whole way through, although Adam was willing to speak up and give his insight. He simply believes that it is a topic with no final answer that we can debate for as long as we want with no solid conclusion. But he did concede that he felt like deeds were not required for heaven, but that if we truly loved God and had faith, we would want to do deeds. It was a challenge getting any response from Rebecca and her friend Rachel. Rachel was just visiting and did not want to be a big part of the discussion. Chelsea did not say much, though she said she enjoyed some of information we were able to discuss. The study ended quickly as Peggy, one of our youth leaders, came in to ask about helping with various youth events. It became apparent to me quickly that most of those in attendance Sunday did not have much interest in studying the Bible. They were mostly there because I harrassed them enough to get them there and for some fellowship. So my challenge now becomes getting them excited about Bible study.
Questions:
1. How do I get everyone excited for Sunday school?
2. How do I get individuals to give there opinions without awkwardly having to call them out?
3. Should I stray away from hotly debated topics in a Sunday school setting such as faith without deeds?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Caleb Hall
1st Blog
This weekend I spent the weekend at Camp Lutherwald with the Church that I am doing my practicum at. We spent the weekend getting to know some of the members of the youth group, and helping them grow in their walk with Christ. In all I spent about 24 hours with the group this weekend. The trip was from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. When we got there Friday night we all got settled in to our cabins, and then we had a camp fire with songs and fun. Then Kevin Aaron gave a little devotional about how we all need to practice the spiritual discipline of rest more in our lives. When he did this he had us lie on our backs and just look at the stars in the sky, and soak in God’s glory. This was a great time for all of the youth and leaders alike to realize how little we actually do practice this spiritual discipline. On Saturday we had a time of service projects where we tried to help out around the camp wherever it was needed, and bless them for allowing us to have our retreat there. After the service project we all got changed and participated in the mud hike, which was a blast to experience with the youth and the other leaders that went on the hike. This hike did have a great purpose to it at the end other than just being a fun time of fellowship. At the end of the mud hike we ended up in a stream, which is where Kevin had a little “lesson” prepared for us. He said that the mud was like sin, and how often times we get stuck in sin, and it sticks to us. The stream was like a baptism of sorts in that it was a public showing and time for us to get clean of our sin. Later in the evening we had another bible study with the youth. It was about the story when Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to the mustard seed. He told us that in Jesus’ day the mustard plant was somewhat of an annoyance, and had the youth think about why Jesus would compare the kingdom of heaven to an annoyance. In this time we broke the student up into small groups and talked about this, and one of the answers was that it was because we are like the mustard plant because we can be somewhat of an annoyance, and we as believers make up the kingdom. On Sunday morning we then had a church service outside, where Kevin’s dad Dave brought the message. One question that I have is how you deal with the students in your group that will not cooperate with anything that we are supposed to be doing in the group. The second question that I have is do all of the devotions and Bible studies all have to relate to one another in some way when you are at a retreat?
This weekend I spent the weekend at Camp Lutherwald with the Church that I am doing my practicum at. We spent the weekend getting to know some of the members of the youth group, and helping them grow in their walk with Christ. In all I spent about 24 hours with the group this weekend. The trip was from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. When we got there Friday night we all got settled in to our cabins, and then we had a camp fire with songs and fun. Then Kevin Aaron gave a little devotional about how we all need to practice the spiritual discipline of rest more in our lives. When he did this he had us lie on our backs and just look at the stars in the sky, and soak in God’s glory. This was a great time for all of the youth and leaders alike to realize how little we actually do practice this spiritual discipline. On Saturday we had a time of service projects where we tried to help out around the camp wherever it was needed, and bless them for allowing us to have our retreat there. After the service project we all got changed and participated in the mud hike, which was a blast to experience with the youth and the other leaders that went on the hike. This hike did have a great purpose to it at the end other than just being a fun time of fellowship. At the end of the mud hike we ended up in a stream, which is where Kevin had a little “lesson” prepared for us. He said that the mud was like sin, and how often times we get stuck in sin, and it sticks to us. The stream was like a baptism of sorts in that it was a public showing and time for us to get clean of our sin. Later in the evening we had another bible study with the youth. It was about the story when Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to the mustard seed. He told us that in Jesus’ day the mustard plant was somewhat of an annoyance, and had the youth think about why Jesus would compare the kingdom of heaven to an annoyance. In this time we broke the student up into small groups and talked about this, and one of the answers was that it was because we are like the mustard plant because we can be somewhat of an annoyance, and we as believers make up the kingdom. On Sunday morning we then had a church service outside, where Kevin’s dad Dave brought the message. One question that I have is how you deal with the students in your group that will not cooperate with anything that we are supposed to be doing in the group. The second question that I have is do all of the devotions and Bible studies all have to relate to one another in some way when you are at a retreat?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
I teach the kindergarten class every other month at Westview and since this is not my month to teach I have recently signed up for a finance class at our church. I will be attending the finance class on the months were I do not teach and obviously I will teach when it is my month. The class is study the "Treasure Principle" as class designed by Crown Financial. The class is based of Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." The purpose of the class is show how storing up treasures in heaven is the best financial policy. By tithing and giving of our resources and time we can build up treasures in heaven rather than watch them parish on earth.
We watched the video and went through the booklet that comes with the class and discussed what suprised us in the video. The video stated that even though we can not take our wealth with to heaven we can send it ahead of us. This kind of surprised me and others in my class the idea of sending our possesions ahead of us. I believed that it was meaning we should give and by givning to the Kingdom we are "sending" it ahead of us. So fare I really like the class and am looking forward to the rest of the class.
We watched the video and went through the booklet that comes with the class and discussed what suprised us in the video. The video stated that even though we can not take our wealth with to heaven we can send it ahead of us. This kind of surprised me and others in my class the idea of sending our possesions ahead of us. I believed that it was meaning we should give and by givning to the Kingdom we are "sending" it ahead of us. So fare I really like the class and am looking forward to the rest of the class.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Practicum Report #2 Teaching Report
SUBSTITUTE ASSIGNMENT: Because I was taking my youth group to the camp I worked at this summer, I was not able to teach class in the usual setting. I did however, lead a couple devotions and help with a worship service as well as lead an hour or so long Bible study. All of the usual members of my Sunday school class were there as well as all the 5-12th grade youth. Many of the adults that I work with for lessons and other events were also present.
Kevin Aaron
Teaching Report 1
Time Spent: 47 Hours (1/2 devotion, 1 S.S., 2 1/2 worship, 3 servant work, 40 general time with youth)
A. The Lesson
The lesson I prepared for the youth was based on nature to an extent. Since we were spending the weekend camping and enjoying God’s creation, I did a devotion the first night about God’s creation and how when he made everything we see around us, he knew one day we would be there enjoying it. I also discussed the disciplines of rest and silence and how we need to step back and spend quiet time enjoying God’s creation. And so my study for the next night was about the mustard seed. At the end of this section is the sheet I typed up as the basic guidelines for how the study was to be run.
The first thing I did was opened with prayer. Then I split the group up into three different groups. We had six adults and five other college age youth present to help for the weekend, so I had them help with the groups. The adults formed a group of their own, while the college youth helped lead the two groups comprised of junior and senior high youth. Chelsea, Shandalyn and Rebecca lead the girls group while Caleb and Adam took charge of the guys group while I led.
After this I discussed with them that we would be examining the mustard seed and looking at the kingdom of God. I told them to remain open minded and ready to look at some different ideas.
And so the group’s split and read Mark 4:30-32. They then had a few questions to discuss in their respective groups about the passage. Once they had finished that, they went on to read a slightly different passage. They read Ezekiel 17:22-24. This passage is similar in concept, but uses a different plant then the mustard seed. The youth were then asked to compare the two and discuss the passages, separately and together.
The youth all came back together into one big group. The purpose of this was to read the passage as a group. Then we would discuss the questions and get different perspectives of the group.
This is where I took over. At this point, I began to discuss how hard it was for me to understand the mustard seed and why it would be chosen. We discussed what a mustard seed was and why it was used to describe the kingdom. Then I discussed with them the kingdom and how it is hard to know what the passage is really saying without knowing anything about the kingdom. And so I proceeded to discuss some possible ideas about what the kingdom is. The first option I offered was that the kingdom is seen in our own faith and that it starts as a tiny seed that grows and can spread to others around us just like the mustard seed. The other option was that maybe the kingdom is a physical place, like the New Jerusalem discussed in Revelations that gives us shelter and comfort. Then I offered the view that maybe the kingdom was heaven, a spiritual realm we do not understand or really know about until we die and experience it. The final thought I proposed to them was that maybe the kingdom was Jesus himself. That just like how a mustard seed needs to be crushed to get anything out of it, Jesus needed to be crushed and killed for us to gain salvation. I talked about how a mustard seed is tiny, and an annoying weed that comes up in unexpected places. Discussed how Jesus was a commoner and so were his disciples. They were not the king and warriors that Israel was looking for in a messiah.
After this, I sent them back into their groups for further discussion about what they each thought the kingdom was and how they can pull meaning from the passage. They discussed in their groups how the passage affects us today and what it means for us. After this, they prayed in their groups and got ready to sing songs.
Lesson Plan:
30Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”
22 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.
" 'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' "
Opening Questions on Mark 4:30-32, Ezekiel 17:22-24
1. Read the passage in Mark first and discuss any general reactions.
2. What exactly is a mustard seed and what does it look like?
3. How does this give an illustration of the kingdom?
4. Read the passage in Ezekiel and discuss any general reactions.
5. What are your thoughts on comparing the two passages? Which one seems like a better description to you?
Final Questions
1. What do you think is the kingdom?
2. Why do you think Jesus used the mustard seed instead of the cedar?
3. How can we benefit from what this passage tells us?
4. How does this passage relate to us
5. What might be an example that relates to us today?
B. Response
I had 10 youth, 5 youth leaders, and 6 adults at the study with me. As previously mentioned, the youth leaders were Chelsea, Shandalyn, Rebecca, Adam and Caleb. The adults that helped were Peggy, Big Al, David and Karen Aaron, Roger and Cindy. The 10 youth included, Matt, Raleigh, Eric, Mike, Rachel, Kristin, Courtney, Jessica, Cassie, and Grace. Most of them had good response for me about the passages, except Matt. Matt seemed to take it as a joke and more or less ran all over poor Caleb in the group portion of the study. Matt got hung up on the yellow color of mustard seeds and tried to compare the kingdom to Chuckie Cheese. Raleigh tried his best to cover for Matt by saying that tickets turn into great prizes, just like the small seed turns into a plant. Cassie, however, gave me the example of the mustard seed representing faith. She discussed with us how our faith starts out so small, yet with the help of the Spirit, it grows and we learn to share it with others so they can find comfort in Jesus Christ. Overall, they paid attention throughout the whole lesson and did not give me any problems. Chelsea told me the girls answered the questions thoughtfully and did really well. How much they took from the study is debatable, but they were willing to listen and behaved. And that is a good sign in and of itself.
C. Supervisor’s Evaluation
Multiple different adults had some comments for me about my Bible study. My dad, David, enjoyed the topic and the things I had to say. Peggy had the most comments for me. She praised the set-up of my study. She particularly liked how I had times where the youth interacted as a whole group and others worked in small groups. She was glad I allowed time for songs at the end of the time. She did have some criticism for me about the finish of the study before the singing. She would have liked to see me do a full group prayer instead of prayer in small groups. Also she would have liked to see me bring the group back together and discuss the final round of questions to help wrap it up. Both ideas would have been good ideas to think about. In hindsight it might have given the whole study a better effect if I had given them a chance to discuss the last questions as a whole. The last person I talked to was Cindy. She thanked me for what I was doing and said she could tell I had put some time and effort into planning both the weekend and the study. The only real evaluation material she gave me was a desire to see activities incorporated to get the youth moving and involved.
D. Things I Did Well
1. I kept their interest well.
2. I used Biblical text and not just my own thoughts.
3. I allowed them the chance to say what they thought in a small group environment as well as with the whole group.
4. I provoked thought from both the adults and the youth.
5. I tied the general details of the story in with the theme of the rest of the weekend: God’s creation.
E. Things I need to improve
1. I need to do more prayer with the whole group instead of just as small groups.
2. I need to close the study better instead of leaving it to the small groups.
3. I need to find a way to tie it all together instead of having a few loose thoughts.
4. I need to do a better job of getting everyone involved in the discussion.
F. Questions
1. How do I get better participation from everyone?
2. Would the study go better and be more enjoyable if I had something such as food or fun activities tied into it?
3. Is it a good idea to have college age youth lead high school youth or should I use adults more in that setting?
Kevin Aaron
Teaching Report 1
Time Spent: 47 Hours (1/2 devotion, 1 S.S., 2 1/2 worship, 3 servant work, 40 general time with youth)
A. The Lesson
The lesson I prepared for the youth was based on nature to an extent. Since we were spending the weekend camping and enjoying God’s creation, I did a devotion the first night about God’s creation and how when he made everything we see around us, he knew one day we would be there enjoying it. I also discussed the disciplines of rest and silence and how we need to step back and spend quiet time enjoying God’s creation. And so my study for the next night was about the mustard seed. At the end of this section is the sheet I typed up as the basic guidelines for how the study was to be run.
The first thing I did was opened with prayer. Then I split the group up into three different groups. We had six adults and five other college age youth present to help for the weekend, so I had them help with the groups. The adults formed a group of their own, while the college youth helped lead the two groups comprised of junior and senior high youth. Chelsea, Shandalyn and Rebecca lead the girls group while Caleb and Adam took charge of the guys group while I led.
After this I discussed with them that we would be examining the mustard seed and looking at the kingdom of God. I told them to remain open minded and ready to look at some different ideas.
And so the group’s split and read Mark 4:30-32. They then had a few questions to discuss in their respective groups about the passage. Once they had finished that, they went on to read a slightly different passage. They read Ezekiel 17:22-24. This passage is similar in concept, but uses a different plant then the mustard seed. The youth were then asked to compare the two and discuss the passages, separately and together.
The youth all came back together into one big group. The purpose of this was to read the passage as a group. Then we would discuss the questions and get different perspectives of the group.
This is where I took over. At this point, I began to discuss how hard it was for me to understand the mustard seed and why it would be chosen. We discussed what a mustard seed was and why it was used to describe the kingdom. Then I discussed with them the kingdom and how it is hard to know what the passage is really saying without knowing anything about the kingdom. And so I proceeded to discuss some possible ideas about what the kingdom is. The first option I offered was that the kingdom is seen in our own faith and that it starts as a tiny seed that grows and can spread to others around us just like the mustard seed. The other option was that maybe the kingdom is a physical place, like the New Jerusalem discussed in Revelations that gives us shelter and comfort. Then I offered the view that maybe the kingdom was heaven, a spiritual realm we do not understand or really know about until we die and experience it. The final thought I proposed to them was that maybe the kingdom was Jesus himself. That just like how a mustard seed needs to be crushed to get anything out of it, Jesus needed to be crushed and killed for us to gain salvation. I talked about how a mustard seed is tiny, and an annoying weed that comes up in unexpected places. Discussed how Jesus was a commoner and so were his disciples. They were not the king and warriors that Israel was looking for in a messiah.
After this, I sent them back into their groups for further discussion about what they each thought the kingdom was and how they can pull meaning from the passage. They discussed in their groups how the passage affects us today and what it means for us. After this, they prayed in their groups and got ready to sing songs.
Lesson Plan:
30Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”
22 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.
" 'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' "
Opening Questions on Mark 4:30-32, Ezekiel 17:22-24
1. Read the passage in Mark first and discuss any general reactions.
2. What exactly is a mustard seed and what does it look like?
3. How does this give an illustration of the kingdom?
4. Read the passage in Ezekiel and discuss any general reactions.
5. What are your thoughts on comparing the two passages? Which one seems like a better description to you?
Final Questions
1. What do you think is the kingdom?
2. Why do you think Jesus used the mustard seed instead of the cedar?
3. How can we benefit from what this passage tells us?
4. How does this passage relate to us
5. What might be an example that relates to us today?
B. Response
I had 10 youth, 5 youth leaders, and 6 adults at the study with me. As previously mentioned, the youth leaders were Chelsea, Shandalyn, Rebecca, Adam and Caleb. The adults that helped were Peggy, Big Al, David and Karen Aaron, Roger and Cindy. The 10 youth included, Matt, Raleigh, Eric, Mike, Rachel, Kristin, Courtney, Jessica, Cassie, and Grace. Most of them had good response for me about the passages, except Matt. Matt seemed to take it as a joke and more or less ran all over poor Caleb in the group portion of the study. Matt got hung up on the yellow color of mustard seeds and tried to compare the kingdom to Chuckie Cheese. Raleigh tried his best to cover for Matt by saying that tickets turn into great prizes, just like the small seed turns into a plant. Cassie, however, gave me the example of the mustard seed representing faith. She discussed with us how our faith starts out so small, yet with the help of the Spirit, it grows and we learn to share it with others so they can find comfort in Jesus Christ. Overall, they paid attention throughout the whole lesson and did not give me any problems. Chelsea told me the girls answered the questions thoughtfully and did really well. How much they took from the study is debatable, but they were willing to listen and behaved. And that is a good sign in and of itself.
C. Supervisor’s Evaluation
Multiple different adults had some comments for me about my Bible study. My dad, David, enjoyed the topic and the things I had to say. Peggy had the most comments for me. She praised the set-up of my study. She particularly liked how I had times where the youth interacted as a whole group and others worked in small groups. She was glad I allowed time for songs at the end of the time. She did have some criticism for me about the finish of the study before the singing. She would have liked to see me do a full group prayer instead of prayer in small groups. Also she would have liked to see me bring the group back together and discuss the final round of questions to help wrap it up. Both ideas would have been good ideas to think about. In hindsight it might have given the whole study a better effect if I had given them a chance to discuss the last questions as a whole. The last person I talked to was Cindy. She thanked me for what I was doing and said she could tell I had put some time and effort into planning both the weekend and the study. The only real evaluation material she gave me was a desire to see activities incorporated to get the youth moving and involved.
D. Things I Did Well
1. I kept their interest well.
2. I used Biblical text and not just my own thoughts.
3. I allowed them the chance to say what they thought in a small group environment as well as with the whole group.
4. I provoked thought from both the adults and the youth.
5. I tied the general details of the story in with the theme of the rest of the weekend: God’s creation.
E. Things I need to improve
1. I need to do more prayer with the whole group instead of just as small groups.
2. I need to close the study better instead of leaving it to the small groups.
3. I need to find a way to tie it all together instead of having a few loose thoughts.
4. I need to do a better job of getting everyone involved in the discussion.
F. Questions
1. How do I get better participation from everyone?
2. Would the study go better and be more enjoyable if I had something such as food or fun activities tied into it?
3. Is it a good idea to have college age youth lead high school youth or should I use adults more in that setting?
Practicum Report #1
From: Kevin Aaron
To: Stephen Howlett
Subject: Practicum Report #1
TIME SPENT THIS WEEK: 3 Hours total (SS= 1.5; Worship= 1.5)
MY CLASS THIS WEEK
The task of preparation. Since I am in charge of the Bible study I am working with, I had to do all the preparation for this Bible study. The study we are doing is from a serendipity Bible. Thus, there is not a whole lot of preparation involved. The text and questions are already designed. All I really have to do is go through and read it all to know what I am doing ahead of time and alter any questions I feel are weak or could use restructuring. But even in doing so, it takes time to prepare such a simple study. I never put thought into the time required to do a weekly Bible study. It gives a whole new appreciation for these people.
The Study. The study itself was not very long this week. Only 4 people were present: Adam, Caleb, Rebecca and I. We read through the passage of John 8:1-11 and discussed it. We looked at the questions and particularly enjoyed the question, “How does the way Jesus treated this woman help you face your sins?” For us it was a matter of thinking about our own sins. That is not an easy thing to think about and come to grips with. It was comforting, though, as Rebecca pointed out to realize that this passage shows us that we are all sinful and cannot be judged by others because they are also sinners. She had a lot of really good insight into the problem of judging others and was willing to open up to us about occasions in which she has judged others unfairly. We discussed the question of what would we do if the woman in the story came to our own church. It was tough for us to imagine someone condemning and wanting to stone someone these days for adultery. I could see how the church would be quick to condemn her actions and judge her for it though. Adam closed the study out for us with an awesome prayer about having the strength to not judge others, but always remain introspective of our own faith.
The Outlook. After the study, we discussed the outlook for the Bible study. We talked about the direction we wanted to see the study go in and how it should happen. First of all we agreed we wanted to get more people involved in the study. Then we agreed to take the next week to do another study, on the parable of the mustard seed, and then make decisions on what we should study after really thinking and praying about it.
Questions
How should we go about fixing the problem of low attendance?
What are some good areas of study for high school/college age youth?
Should we stick to a general topic of studies or should we skip from topic to topic as we would like to?
To: Stephen Howlett
Subject: Practicum Report #1
TIME SPENT THIS WEEK: 3 Hours total (SS= 1.5; Worship= 1.5)
MY CLASS THIS WEEK
The task of preparation. Since I am in charge of the Bible study I am working with, I had to do all the preparation for this Bible study. The study we are doing is from a serendipity Bible. Thus, there is not a whole lot of preparation involved. The text and questions are already designed. All I really have to do is go through and read it all to know what I am doing ahead of time and alter any questions I feel are weak or could use restructuring. But even in doing so, it takes time to prepare such a simple study. I never put thought into the time required to do a weekly Bible study. It gives a whole new appreciation for these people.
The Study. The study itself was not very long this week. Only 4 people were present: Adam, Caleb, Rebecca and I. We read through the passage of John 8:1-11 and discussed it. We looked at the questions and particularly enjoyed the question, “How does the way Jesus treated this woman help you face your sins?” For us it was a matter of thinking about our own sins. That is not an easy thing to think about and come to grips with. It was comforting, though, as Rebecca pointed out to realize that this passage shows us that we are all sinful and cannot be judged by others because they are also sinners. She had a lot of really good insight into the problem of judging others and was willing to open up to us about occasions in which she has judged others unfairly. We discussed the question of what would we do if the woman in the story came to our own church. It was tough for us to imagine someone condemning and wanting to stone someone these days for adultery. I could see how the church would be quick to condemn her actions and judge her for it though. Adam closed the study out for us with an awesome prayer about having the strength to not judge others, but always remain introspective of our own faith.
The Outlook. After the study, we discussed the outlook for the Bible study. We talked about the direction we wanted to see the study go in and how it should happen. First of all we agreed we wanted to get more people involved in the study. Then we agreed to take the next week to do another study, on the parable of the mustard seed, and then make decisions on what we should study after really thinking and praying about it.
Questions
How should we go about fixing the problem of low attendance?
What are some good areas of study for high school/college age youth?
Should we stick to a general topic of studies or should we skip from topic to topic as we would like to?
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