Older and Bolder: Reflections on Ageing Outrageously

The book, The Gift of Years, by Joan Chittister offers a perspective on ageing that invites the elderly to live outrageously. While ageing is often viewed negatively and is associated with limitations, withdrawal, uselessness, loneliness, purposelessness, and illness; author, Joan Chittister, provides a life-transforming perspective that shows how being an older person can be one of the most meaningful and exciting stages in life. This blog provides one paragraph summaries of 10 of the 40 chapters in her book.

Newness
Life is full of changes and transitions. It is a personal choice to have an attitude that looks at life as “accepting the old” or “discovering the new.” We can find fresh and glorious experiences at any stage of life, and especially as older persons, if we seek to make new discoveries.

Meaning
In the past we have ascribed meaning and even our self-worth through accomplishments, jobs, income, and titles. Living meaningfully more rightly springs from cultivating life-qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Joy
We can allow ourselves to be mired in the muck of anxiety, bitterness, and doubt of our past. Or we can, rather, look for reasons to be grateful for each day, being intoxicated by the beauty of life and celebrating its serendipitous moments, however large or small they may be.

Possibility
Getting older and being retired opens opportunities for new adventures. Instead of withdrawing from social experiences, there is a freedom to launch into new encounters. Tiredness breeds more tiredness. Activity, even when forced and done reluctantly, awakens the spirit, provides fresh insights, gives birth to new ideas, and stimulates creative thoughts.

Forgiveness
Only forgiveness can free us to rise above many of the pains in our past, even if this forgiveness is not acknowledged, requested, or accepted by others. Forgiveness is more important to the wellbeing of the one who forgives than the one being forgiven. Because it is not possible to make amends for all of our past failings, we do well to claim the forgiveness offered by Jesus, reflect it in our relationships with others and self, and start each day afresh.

Dreams
Essential to vibrant living, dreaming (daydreaming, aspirations, hopes) helps us move beyond resignation and into anticipation. Dreaming about what could be is the first step in achieving it. Our dreams can help us achieve what must yet be finished in our lives, and even in the world. The older we get, the stronger is the foundation for imagining and acting on possibilities for a better future.

Relationships
Some stay locked into and limited by relationships in their past. Others, as they get older, withdraw and disengage from social involvement. However, it is never too late to begin new relationships and cultivate new friendships. Older adults are rich in experiences and can be happily enriched by sharing these with one another. The efforts of caring for others as we do for ourselves provides mutual blessings.

Wisdom
Wisdom comes from time and experience. It is a development of life-understanding that is earned by the old who, with it in their possession, have responsibility for sharing it with those who are younger. It is the privilege of those no longer in the “normal” workforce to be thinkers, insight-givers, and encouragers of others in what they have found to be good, and true, and right.

Outreach
Many of the elderly live in isolation from society. They stay in their homes or are in retirement communities or in assisted living facilities. The choice of the elderly is that of staying in (their homes or rooms) or stepping out. Will we withdraw, or will we reach outside of ourselves to manage the life that we have in ways that benefit and bless others? And, wonder of wonders, those who give to others find themselves being blessed!

Future
Older people generally have a state of mind that fits into one of two categories. One is, “I’m getting older. I just can’t do that anymore.” The other says, “I am free from many of the responsibilities and obligations of the past. This my big chance to live outrageously free, outrageously involved, outrageously fun-loving, outrageously adventurous, and outrageously alive!” Treasuring the time that remains, now is the time to, in faith, imagine the impossible, attempt the unthinkable, and plan the incredible.

Conclusion
This has been an overview of selected topics from the book, The Gift of Years. It has summarized the areas of Newness, Meaning, Joy, Possibilities, Forgiveness, Dreams, Relationships, Wisdom, Outreach, and the Future from a positive, life-transforming perspective. Following is additional information and a link for those who would like to purchase the book.

The Gift of Years by Joan Chittister
“Joan Chittister, one of our most celebrated spiritual writers, invites us to embrace older life age as a natural part of life that is both active and contemplative, productive and reflected, and deeply rewarding… and shows us that this is a special period of life – maybe the most special of them all.” Quoted from the book jacket.

This book may be purchased by clicking here. This blog is also available as a narrated YouTube video by clicking here.

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Discipleship: Foundations, Definitions, and Selected Resources

Dan and Debbie have recently become followers of Jesus. Almost everything about church is new to them. They say, “We have so much to learn. There are so many ways that we want to be involved in the life of this place. We love it here.”

Let us think together about Scripture and other resources that we should consider as a foundation for discipling them and assisting with their spiritual formation? What will be the next steps for them?

This blog includes the discipling-related topics of Scripture, definitions, and foundational resources with special attention to the book The Master Plan of Evangelism.

There are many Scripture passages that speak specifically to discipleship. Several of these follow.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”… Matthew 28:19-20).

”Follow me and I will send you out to fish for people” (Mathew 7:19).

“Whoever serves me must follow me” (John 12:26)

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Two descriptions or definitions of discipleship are helpful to me. The first describes disciples as

a. beginning with a profession of faith in Jesus Christ,
b. developing by involvement in a process of spiritual formation and
c. finding expression in acts of Christian service ( www.maninthemirror.org. Morley).

The second defines discipleship as the nurturing of Christ-followers who are growing as learners; practice biblical behaviors or habits that enable them to live the Christian life effectively; display behaviors or habits such as prayer, sharing faith, Bible study, and serving; and multiply Christ-likeness in the lives of others (Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches. p. 281).

Following are some of the foundational resources in discipleship literature and a brief quote from each book. I will give extra attention to the last featured book, The Master Plan for Evangelism.

Bruce, A.B. Training of the Twelve (1871).
“Jesus gave His disciples lessons on the nature of the divine kingdom, on prayer, on religious liberty, on the nature of true holiness, on humility… on self-sacrifice… on the mission of the comforter, to convince the world and to enlighten themselves.”

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship (1949).
A contrast is made between cheap grace and costly grace. "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship....Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again....It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."

Ogden, Greg. Discipleship Essentials. (1998).
The book is divided into four parts: Growing Up in Christ, Understanding the Message of Christ, Becoming Like Christ, Serving Christ. Each chapter contains a core truth, memory verse, inductive Bible study, and additional readings. An appendix describes how to build a discipleship ministry.

Coleman, Robert E. The Master Plan of Evangelism (1963).
“…a study in principles underlying His ministry-principles which determined His (Jesus) methods.” Chapter headings: Selection, Association, Consecration, Impartation, Demonstration, Delegation, Supervision, and Reproduction.

Selection: Jesus chose a few faithful, available, teachable disciples. (Luke 6:13-17, Mk 3:13-19). They weren't scholars, or individuals with special talents, just ordinary people whom he could shape and mold into leaders.

Association: He devoted his time to them, even in the midst of ministry to the masses. They were with him in all sorts of situations -called to simply "be with him" and "follow him."

Consecration: Jesus called these disciples to obedience- to turn away from sin and sacrifice their own personal interests- to turn to him and his teaching. He called them to commit themselves not to a doctrine or program, but to his person.

Impartation: He gave himself to them and for them. The foundation of their relationship to him was his love and self-denial. His commitment to them and giving of himself for them was the motivation of their giving themselves totally for him.

Demonstration: Jesus taught them by showing them. All the disciples had to teach them was a teacher who practiced in front of them what he expected them to learn. So they learned to pray by hearing him pray, learned how to use the Word by observing his handling of it, learned how to minister by watching him ministering.

Delegation: He put them to work (Mk 6:7, Mt 10:5, Luke 9:1,2). They assisted Him as He ministered, gradually he sent them out two by two. The instructions he gave them are most interesting, revealing how even this was a part of their preparation as his disciples.

Supervision: Jesus kept check on them and used their experiences to instruct them further (Mk 6:30). This was “on-the-job training” at its best. They were given adequate room to work and learn, yet never without his concern and guidance as it was needed.

Reproduction: It is clear that he intended them to become disciplers. The church is like the mustard seed; it starts out small- yet we expect it to grow bigger than the crops around it (Jn 15:1-17), for the branch abiding in the vine must bear fruit.

In summary, this has been an overview of Biblical foundations, definitions, and selected resources for discipleship. It has focused on the command of Jesus to make disciples and has provided a few classic resources. For those interested in further readings on discipleship, consider the following resources.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship (1949).
Bruce, A.B. Training of the Twelve (1871).
Coleman, Robert E. The Master Plan of Evangelism (1963).
Ogden, Greg. Discipleship Essentials. (1998).
Stetzer, Ed. Planting Missional Churches. (2006).

The books listed here are personal favorites of this writer. Placing them here is like providing the names of good friends, individuals who have influenced my life and ministry. A small commission may be provided to me for books purchased. Church and School Education (CASE) Resources is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Line drawings are from the following web site https://www.rotation.org/topic/public-archive-of-annie-vallotton-bible-images-400px-wide-archive and appear in the Good News Bible.
  

This blog is also available as a YouTube video by clicking here.

Curriculum Basics

If you don't know where you are going, any road with get you there. - Lewis Carroll

This blog identifies several basic curriculum terms and processes to help educators know the path or road to construct in their planning. These terms include
-- Defining the word “curriculum,” 
-- Identifying four key curriculum questions,
-- Describing what is meant by “scope and sequence,” and
-- Defining the term “spiral curriculum.” 

Curriculum is defined as a course or path of study. The curriculum of an organization answers the questions: what, why, to whom, and how to accomplish the learning goals of an organization or group. These four questions help us move along the teaching-learning pathway.
1. What should we teach?
2. Why should we teach this topic or topics?
3. Who will we be teaching?
4. How are we going teach?

 What should we teach? This a question about the content or subject matter to be taught.

“What” is interrelated with “why.” These two questions should be dealt with simultaneously. If they are not, we may find ourselves teaching content without reason or having reason without content for accomplishing our purposes.

Why teach this topic or topics? “Why” is a question for identifying objectives, or goals (intentions). Why addresses the rationale for teaching a topic.

Goals are generally understood to be general purpose statements that apply to a thematically grouped number of lessons or units. Objectives are typically defined as behaviors that can be identified as a result of a specific lesson.

Who will we be teaching? This question asks us to identify a specific group of learners. Are they children, youth, adults, or a multi-generational group? What are their cultural characteristics?  Do they have an advanced or beginning knowledge of the subject matter?

How are we going to teach? The “how” question asks about the methods, procedures, environment, and conditions by which we plan to teach. Will teaching-learning methods be directive or participatory? Will we be giving a lecture (information giving), leading a discussion (discovery learning), telling a story (imagination), or something else? Where will this teaching take place?

Curriculum planning also deals with “scope and sequence.” Scope and sequence refer to the “what” and “how” of teaching. They are part of the curriculum planning process.

Scope refers to topics that are to be taught; specifically, how basic or difficult will the content be from beginning to the mastery levels? Sequence is the order in which topics are to be taught over time.

Another component of is referred to as the “spiral curriculum.” The term “spiral curriculum” refers to concepts being repeated throughout the curriculum, repeated with increasing depth and complexity according to the prior knowledge and development level of the learners.

This presentation has been an introduction to several basic curriculum topics. These include defining curriculum, four curriculum questions, scope and sequence, and spiral curriculum.

These areas are key to planning teaching and learning experiences in any educational organization.

Following are references on which this material is based.

Bruner, Jerome. The Process of Education. Harvard, 1960 and The Spiral Curriculum

Tyler, Ralph W. Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. University of Chicago Press, 1949

Ward, Ted. Curriculum: The Path to High-Worth Outcomes. Common Ground Journal. v10 n1 (Fall 2012) 43

This blog is also available as a YouTube video, click here.

 

The Seven Laws of Teaching

How would you begin your book about teaching if you were one of the most famous educators of your time…

If you were President of two major universities;
If you were State Superintendent of Education;
If you were founder of a major journal on education;

If you were Dr. John Milton Gregory (1822-1898)?

This author began with a quote from the Bible: Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it. 

That is how the educational classic, The Seven Laws of Teaching (1886), begins.

John Milton Gregory was founder of the Michigan Journal of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Michigan, President of Kalamazoo College, and President of the University of Illinois.

What follows are Gregory’s “Seven Laws,” or rules, for teaching. Each one also has a brief explanation. The “Laws” are:
1. The Law of the Teacher
2. The Law of the Learner
3. The Law of the Language
4. The Law of the Lesson
5. The Law of the Teaching Process
6. The Law of the Learning Process
7. The Law of Application and Review

Here they are in greater detail.

The Law of the Teacher
“A teacher must be one who KNOWS the lesson or truth to be taught.”
Teachers are to have a firm and thorough grasp of the material that they plan to teach.

 The Law of the Learner
“A learner is one who ATTENDS with interest to the lesson given.”
There is no learning without attentiveness and interest.

The Law of the Language
“The language used is a MEDIUM between the teacher and learner and must be COMMON to both.”
The words used by teachers are to be understood by both teacher and learner in the same sense. The language must be clear and vivid to both alike.

The Law of the Lesson
“The lesson to be learned must be explained in the terms of what is already known by the learner — the UNKNOWN is to be explained by the KNOWN.“
Begin with what is already well-known or mastered about a topic, subject, concept, or skill. Then proceed to the unknown by single, easy, and natural steps, letting the known explain the unknown.

The Law of the Teaching Process
“Teaching is AROUSING and using the learner’s mind to form in it a desired thought, attitude, or skill.”
Use the learner’s own mind, exciting their self-activities. Keep their thoughts, as much as possible, ahead of your direct input, helping them discover that which is to be learned.

The Law of the Learning Process
“Learning is THINKING and BEHAVING into one's own UNDERSTANDING and ABILITIES a new idea or skill.”
This requires learners to reproduce in thought or action the lesson being learned—thinking it out in its parts, proofs, connections, and applications until they can express it in their own language or behaviors.

The Law of Application and Review
“The test and proof of teaching done is a finishing and fastening process that requires RE-VIEWING, RE-THINKING, RE-KNOWING, and RE-PRODUCING of the material taught.”
Review in order to reproduce correctly the old, deepening its impression with new thoughts, correcting false views or behaviors, and completing correctly what was taught and learned.

Summary and conclusion
You have been introduced to the “Seven Laws.” These “Laws” give us a way of thinking about education. They help us look at teaching and learning from seven different, but interrelated, perspectives – i.e., teacher, learner, language, lesson, teaching process, learning process, and review and application.

Each of the laws is developed in detail in Gregory’s book. You can find a free downloadable copy by clicking on “Free ebooks…” in our Virtual Resource Center. The book is also available in print by clicking “Recommended books to purchase,” also in the above Virtual Resource Center. This blog can also be viewed on our YouTube channel by clicking here

The Bible: A Beginning Introduction

This blog contains a summary of the message of the Bible, description of how the Bible is organized, and suggestions for Bible reading.

If someone who had never seen or read a Bible asked you, “What’s that book about?,” what would you say?

The Bible is about redemption (deliverance) through Jesus Christ. One early Christian leader described four states of Redemptive history (Augustine, 354-430 AD).

·       Creation: able to sin, able not to sin (posse peccare, posse non peccare)

·       Fall: not able not to sin (non posse non peccare)

·       Redemption: able not to sin (posse non peccare) – again

·       Consummation: not able to sin (non posse peccare) 

Another way to identify the purpose of the Bible is to see what the Bible says about itself. Note the following verses.

·       “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

·       “When you received the word of God… you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13).

·       “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man (person) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

·       “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). 

The Bible is a library of different types of literature, rather than a single book (Greek biblia—books [plural]).

•        66 Books total

•        Old Testament: 39 books

•        New Testament: 27 books

Old Testament Structure

New Testament Structure

The Bible is meant to be read and if you are interested, you may want to begin by reading selected passages or having a daily reading or listening plan or even starting with any place that looks interesting.

1. Selected passages to consider could be the following five Bible books.

•        Genesis: early history

•        Psalms: poetry

•        Mark: life and ministry of Jesus

•        Acts: early church

•        1 Peter: letter to churches 

2. A daily reading or listening plan is helpful for many. The following link is an example of one plan. You can read the Bible in a year with a printed plan like this.

My wife and I listen to the Bible each morning with the Daily Audio Bible.

3. You could also begin with any topic that is of personal interest. Think of a topic and Google it with the word “Bible” in the search line (e.g., faith, hope, joy, temptation, encouragement).

This blog has contained beginning thoughts about introducing the Bible. The purpose of the Bible is to tell the story of redemption through Jesus Christ. This is called “redemptive history.” The Bible is a book containing 66 books that are divided into the Old and New Testaments. You are encouraged to read the Bible for yourself and decide how its message applies to you.

To learn more, you will find free e-books, videos, and articles as well as recommendations for purchasing books and other products in the Virtual Resource Center at the top of this site.

If looking for a Study Bible, click here.

Church and School Education (CASE) Resources is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

To view this presentation on my Youtube channel, click here.

For a free e-book, The Beginner's Guide to the Bible, click here.

 

Prayer at the Beginning of a New School Year

God of new beginnings, we pray for the start of a new school year.

We pray for our teachers. We thank you for the heart that each of them has to invest in the lives of young people and pray that they are encouraged in their work. At a time when so many teachers are burning out, we pray for renewed strength and energy. May the teachers of our community know how deeply you love them and desire for them to experience the fullness of life in you.

We pray for our school administrators. We pray for wisdom for the decisions that they must make to guide the schools of our community. We pray for healthy relationships between faculty and administration.

We pray for school staff members, paid and volunteer. We pray for the important logistical work they do to ensure good education. We thank you for their selfless service and ask you give them strength and perspective in the work they do..

May the administrators and staff of our schools know how deeply you love them and desire for them to experience the fullness of life in you.

We pray for students. We pray for the students who are starting school for the first time and for those at new schools. Calm their nerves, and soothe their fears. For students who feel left out and alone, we pray for a welcome embrace. We pray for the many pressures our students will face - pressure to conform and pressure to perform.

May the students of our community know how deeply you love them and desire for them to experience the fullness of life in you.

We thank you for the gift of knowledge and the opportunity to better understand your world and who we are within it. We join our prayers with those around our communities and pray a canopy of support, protection, and love over the teachers, students, and schools in our community.

We pray all these things in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

This prayer is a slightly modified version of that used by Pastor Nate Schipper on Sunday, August 28,2022 at Fellowship Church, Holland, Michigan. He edited it from a group called Movement West Michigan.

Lesson Planning for Church Education

     Are you looking for a good way to get ready to teach your class?

         Do you want to find a process that works for you?

There are many valuable approaches for preparing to teach. In this post, I describe one of the most effective processes for lesson preparation. The approach suggested here has stood the test of time.

It was developed by Dr. Lawrence O. Richards (1931-2016), a teacher and author of more than 200 books on education, leadership, and Bible studies. Richards called it the Hook, Book, Look, Took method in his text, Creative Bible Teaching (1970).

Here are the four steps of lesson preparation.

·        Get the attention of class members (Hook).

·        Identify what you want to teach and the activities for doing it (Book).

·        Apply the lesson to life (Look and Took).

Following is a description of each step and a sample lesson planning worksheet.

A good “Hook” is a question or statement or activity that snags the attention of group members. It is one of the first things to do during class time. Hooking involves:

·        Connecting with the life interests of learners.

·        Cultivating curiosity.

The “Book” step refers to the content and process of class time. This is where a Bible passage is read and discussed, Bible stories are told, videos are watched, presentations are made, or learners are involved in other learning experiences. “Book” takes the majority of class time and includes:

·        Information and activities related to the lesson topic,

·        Initial hints about the relationship between the information and the lives of the learners.

“Look” begins lesson application. During the look step the teacher is interested in:

·        Ideas in the lesson that seem most relevant for meeting the needs of learners,

·        Involvement by participants to define for themselves ways of applying the lesson.

“Took” asks, What should learners take away from class? How does the lesson impact the attitudes, behaviors, and commitments of group members? This step addresses:

·        Attitudes: In what ways might learners be encouraged to think and feel differently?

·        Behaviors: What could participants be asked to do as a result of the lesson?

·        Commitments: What life decisions could learners consider making?

LESSON PLAN WORKSHEET

Date______________

Lesson Title/Theme___________________

 

Hook: words and activities to engage learners.

____________________________________________________________

 

Book: content and activities for information, attitudes, and/or skills to be presented and experienced.

Content_____________________________________________________

Activities____________________________________________________

 

Look: Ideas most relevant to the learners.

___________________________________________________________

Took: Attitudes, behaviors, and commitments to take-away.

___________________________________________________________

 

Name of person leading the lesson:_________________

 

Post meeting notes:__________________________________________

This has been an overview of lesson planning. It is based on the book Creative Bible Teaching. You are invited to further pursue this approach. The original text by Lawrence O. Richards is out of print and has been replaced with an even-more-comprehensive revised edition that includes the same four steps.

For purchase information about the book, click here.

To watch a YouTube video related to this topic, click here