Fall Placemats

I'm Back

Dearest Readers of my sadly neglected blog,

I apologize for my long absence here on this blog. I have had a number of things going on in my life and just needed to take a break for awhile. I have some new ideas, so hopefully I will be able to carry them out on here. Any suggestions for topics would be appreciated.

I returned early this morning from the Loving and Leading Conference in Milford, OH. I highly recommend this conference. There were many different workshops to choose from to learn lots of new ideas to incorporated into your ministry. Dr. David Gibbs, JR was the speaker for the main sessions. He brought a number of very convicting messages. Now to just put into practice what I have learned.

~Julia

Books of the Bible Game

Sewing with Kids

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side is doing a series on sewing with kids. Check it out by clicking the button below:

This weeks project:

Teaching for Life Change

        

        Many teachers approach their class as teaching lessons rather than teaching students.  The pitfall of this is that it focuses on covering content rather than meeting the needs of individuals.  It is important for the teacher to get to know and understand his students.  The teacher should know the common characteristics of the age group he is teaching.  Moreover, the teacher needs to know each of his students on a personal level.  If the teacher’s goal is life-change, then he must know where his students are coming from and what direction they should be moving in.

         A creative Bible teacher will seek to teach in ways that promote life change.  If he merely teaches the Bible as content, he is implying that to know God and to know about God are the same thing.  Learning must be brought to where it has meaning to the student’s life and experience.  The teacher must use a vocabulary that the students understand.  When teaching unfamiliar terms or concepts, the teacher should carefully explain and illustrate to give meaningful understanding.  The closer an idea or concept is linked to something with which the student is already familiar, the more meaningful it will be.  A creative teacher will have his students take part in exploring the meaning of a passage.  When a student personally thinks through how Biblical truths may be applied, he will be more likely to respond on a personal level.

Jungle Bulletin Board Ideas

Ideas by Sophia from "Frugal Ideas from the Parsonage"

Influence vs. Control

By Cary Schmidt

Sometimes we get mixed up in ministry. We forget that our responsibility is not control it is influence. God never gave us control of people, their lifestyles, or their choices. He created free will, and gives each individual responsibility for their choices. I fear, out of good intentions, some spiritual leaders cross the line and actually try to control behavior rather than influence the heart. There are a lot of reasons this well-intentioned approach to ministry is really bad...read more