Why is a Family Bible Study so important? Why is an interactive, discussion style Bible Study so important? At times I am really amazed at how God will use life circumstances to teach us, to give us revelations and insights.
A few weeks ago, Dory's Windows 7 business computer crashed, would not boot up. So she had a choice - give me time (at that time, an undetermined piece of the puzzle) to try to fix her computer - or buy a new computer. But waiting for me to fix her computer meant she would not be able to do her real estate work until I finished, assuming I could fix that computer.
Both options offered an upside and a downside. Fixing her existing computer, assuming I could, might takes weeks. Which meant she could not do her work. Definitely a downside. But the upside was that it would save her money.
On the other hand, buying a new computer meant having to learn to use Windows 10 - definitely a downside. That transition for Dory, going from a Windows 7 computer to a Windows 10 computer - reminds me of the time, circa 1985, she had to take a quick, unexpected trip to Spain, with no one to travel with her who spoke Spanish. On a previous trip her traveling companion spoke Spanish, but she was not available for this trip.
At the end of her visit to Spain, Dory found herself traveling from the Costa Brava region to Barcelona alone by train, and then trying to navigate from the train station to the hotel - about half a mile. Walking down the street she could find no one who spoke English. She truly had a problem trying to find the hotel.
For her, trying to navigate a new, unfamiliar computer was much like trying navigate in Barcelona and not speaking the language. While Dory is very knowledgeable of real estate - she is not a computer or technology whiz. She knows enough about using her Windows 7 computer to use it - but what will she do if she has to navigate the Windows 10 foreign language computer world?
We decided to take the plunge into Windows 10. But now I needed to see if I could make her Windows 10 system look, feel, and act like her Windows 7 system.
Looking back on that, and other related problems with this transition - I realized two things: First, in today's world of technology - virtually everything you need to know can be found on the internet. Second, you can find the information - but you HAVE to know the right questions to ask. Not as simple as it might seem. Many times I have found that having one word wrong in my question - would take me into left field and lost.
"Okay, Bill, so how does that relate to Bible Studies?"
Glad you asked. Basically there are three types of Bible Study. First is the "sermon" Bible study - which is not a Bible Study, but a Friday night, or midweek, sermon. One might pick up a tidbit or two - but statistics have shown that folks retain about 10% of what they hear in a sermon versus 40% or better in an effective Bible Study.
Next is the "prewritten study guide" type of Bible Study where everyone has a Bible Study guide book, most often written by a knowledgeable Bible teacher - but written to be simple enough to be understood by new "babes in Christ" - new believers who are just getting started - and yet complex enough to not be boring to the more mature Christian.
Yes, you are right. That is like writing a single text book which can be used in a Kindergarten class, the same book used in high school classes, and also for young folks in college. Any ideas how you would do that? Most authors of such Bilbe Study guides write them with some pretty good comments - but then drop to the inane level when composing the questions. After all, they don't want to lose the Kindergarten students by confusing them. So they end up most often boring the more mature believer into dreamland. I believe you can see the problem with a "one size fits all" Bible Study guide.
In the early 1980s, I was working for Ferranti International Controls, a Houston based division of Ferranti International in Manchester, England. I was asked to come to Houston and present a two day seminar on Computer Graphics. I asked my boss, "What level of graphics knowledge will the people attending have, so that I can tailor my presentation?" His response was like a glass of cold water in the face, "There will be people there with zero knowledge - and people with a great deal of knowledge in computer graphics." Wow, how to address that diverse audience?
How did I address the zero knowledge folks without losing them - and still not bore the others? I prepared 300 overhead transparencies (this was before PowerPoint Presentation). My two day seminar would use 100 transparencies - and the other 200 gave me a data base in case I needed to answer a question not covered in the initial 100. That meant that I had to be able to talk intelligently about all 300 transparencies, even though I wanted to use only 100.
Now you can see the problem with doing a "one size fits all" Bible Study from a pre-written study guide - and a "one size fits all" computer graphics seminar. Someone could fall asleep - either from being totally snowed under, or from being bored to sleep. Not a good solution with either.
And the third kind of Bible Study is the one I prefer and the only kind I will lead. Notice that I said "LEAD" and not "teach." A good Bible Study - where the group is actually "studying" the Bible - does not need a teacher, only a leader, one who can keep the discussions moving, and keep them from going off into left field and never returning.
This kind of Bible Study is a "discussion" or "dialogue" study - based upon an expositional reading and discussion of a passage or a book of the Bible. I have seen such Bible Studies go on for hours - because the people get so involved in a discussion that no one wants to stop. That is where a good "leader" comes in - to keep the discussions active, to allow for short side trips where folks may agree or disagree in a short side discussion - but not allowing the study to get mired in a tangential swamp, never to be seen again.
This is where God recently surprised me. In a moment of revelation, He tied my thoughts regarding the past few weeks of making Dory's computers workable for her - and my long held thoughts on what makes an effective Bible Study - into a common thread. What is that common thread? Simple. Regardless of what problem you need to solve - the answer depends upon asking the right question.
When working to make Dory's Windows 10 look like a Windows 7 to make her work easier - I had to go on line and "Ask the right questions."
When we want to have an effective Bible Study - we have to encourage and allow the people to "Ask the right questions." And, if the comments and questions are not forthcoming - the good Bible Study leader needs to know how to "Ask the right questions" to prime the knowledge pump and get folks talking. And, yes, even allowing them to debate, argue, and at times, agree to disagree ~ and all the while we are studying and learning God's Word. Works for me.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
A few weeks ago, Dory's Windows 7 business computer crashed, would not boot up. So she had a choice - give me time (at that time, an undetermined piece of the puzzle) to try to fix her computer - or buy a new computer. But waiting for me to fix her computer meant she would not be able to do her real estate work until I finished, assuming I could fix that computer.
Both options offered an upside and a downside. Fixing her existing computer, assuming I could, might takes weeks. Which meant she could not do her work. Definitely a downside. But the upside was that it would save her money.
On the other hand, buying a new computer meant having to learn to use Windows 10 - definitely a downside. That transition for Dory, going from a Windows 7 computer to a Windows 10 computer - reminds me of the time, circa 1985, she had to take a quick, unexpected trip to Spain, with no one to travel with her who spoke Spanish. On a previous trip her traveling companion spoke Spanish, but she was not available for this trip.
At the end of her visit to Spain, Dory found herself traveling from the Costa Brava region to Barcelona alone by train, and then trying to navigate from the train station to the hotel - about half a mile. Walking down the street she could find no one who spoke English. She truly had a problem trying to find the hotel.
For her, trying to navigate a new, unfamiliar computer was much like trying navigate in Barcelona and not speaking the language. While Dory is very knowledgeable of real estate - she is not a computer or technology whiz. She knows enough about using her Windows 7 computer to use it - but what will she do if she has to navigate the Windows 10 foreign language computer world?
We decided to take the plunge into Windows 10. But now I needed to see if I could make her Windows 10 system look, feel, and act like her Windows 7 system.
Looking back on that, and other related problems with this transition - I realized two things: First, in today's world of technology - virtually everything you need to know can be found on the internet. Second, you can find the information - but you HAVE to know the right questions to ask. Not as simple as it might seem. Many times I have found that having one word wrong in my question - would take me into left field and lost.
"Okay, Bill, so how does that relate to Bible Studies?"
Glad you asked. Basically there are three types of Bible Study. First is the "sermon" Bible study - which is not a Bible Study, but a Friday night, or midweek, sermon. One might pick up a tidbit or two - but statistics have shown that folks retain about 10% of what they hear in a sermon versus 40% or better in an effective Bible Study.
Next is the "prewritten study guide" type of Bible Study where everyone has a Bible Study guide book, most often written by a knowledgeable Bible teacher - but written to be simple enough to be understood by new "babes in Christ" - new believers who are just getting started - and yet complex enough to not be boring to the more mature Christian.
Yes, you are right. That is like writing a single text book which can be used in a Kindergarten class, the same book used in high school classes, and also for young folks in college. Any ideas how you would do that? Most authors of such Bilbe Study guides write them with some pretty good comments - but then drop to the inane level when composing the questions. After all, they don't want to lose the Kindergarten students by confusing them. So they end up most often boring the more mature believer into dreamland. I believe you can see the problem with a "one size fits all" Bible Study guide.
In the early 1980s, I was working for Ferranti International Controls, a Houston based division of Ferranti International in Manchester, England. I was asked to come to Houston and present a two day seminar on Computer Graphics. I asked my boss, "What level of graphics knowledge will the people attending have, so that I can tailor my presentation?" His response was like a glass of cold water in the face, "There will be people there with zero knowledge - and people with a great deal of knowledge in computer graphics." Wow, how to address that diverse audience?
How did I address the zero knowledge folks without losing them - and still not bore the others? I prepared 300 overhead transparencies (this was before PowerPoint Presentation). My two day seminar would use 100 transparencies - and the other 200 gave me a data base in case I needed to answer a question not covered in the initial 100. That meant that I had to be able to talk intelligently about all 300 transparencies, even though I wanted to use only 100.
Now you can see the problem with doing a "one size fits all" Bible Study from a pre-written study guide - and a "one size fits all" computer graphics seminar. Someone could fall asleep - either from being totally snowed under, or from being bored to sleep. Not a good solution with either.
And the third kind of Bible Study is the one I prefer and the only kind I will lead. Notice that I said "LEAD" and not "teach." A good Bible Study - where the group is actually "studying" the Bible - does not need a teacher, only a leader, one who can keep the discussions moving, and keep them from going off into left field and never returning.
This kind of Bible Study is a "discussion" or "dialogue" study - based upon an expositional reading and discussion of a passage or a book of the Bible. I have seen such Bible Studies go on for hours - because the people get so involved in a discussion that no one wants to stop. That is where a good "leader" comes in - to keep the discussions active, to allow for short side trips where folks may agree or disagree in a short side discussion - but not allowing the study to get mired in a tangential swamp, never to be seen again.
This is where God recently surprised me. In a moment of revelation, He tied my thoughts regarding the past few weeks of making Dory's computers workable for her - and my long held thoughts on what makes an effective Bible Study - into a common thread. What is that common thread? Simple. Regardless of what problem you need to solve - the answer depends upon asking the right question.
When working to make Dory's Windows 10 look like a Windows 7 to make her work easier - I had to go on line and "Ask the right questions."
When we want to have an effective Bible Study - we have to encourage and allow the people to "Ask the right questions." And, if the comments and questions are not forthcoming - the good Bible Study leader needs to know how to "Ask the right questions" to prime the knowledge pump and get folks talking. And, yes, even allowing them to debate, argue, and at times, agree to disagree ~ and all the while we are studying and learning God's Word. Works for me.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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