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?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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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