We’re
Teaching This:
Words
are powerful. They can make your day or ruin it Words can make friends or
create enemies. On a global level, words can start a revolution or bring peace.
Now, think about how much more powerful God’s words are. Simply by speaking He caused the world to be
created along with everything in it— mountains, oceans, thunderstorms, planets,
the sun. His words caused nations to rise and fall, and people who were dead to
come back to life. God’s words are the most powerful force in our entire world,
but if we’re honest…most of us don’t think of them that way. We hear “God’s
Word” or “the Bible” and think about an old dusty book, something complicated,
outdated, or even boring. But what if it was never meant to be that way? What
if we’re missing out by seeing it as simply a history book or something to
study? As we take a closer look at God’s Word, we may be surprised at what we
find. God is inviting us to hold, read, and experience the same Word that
created everything we see. It’s more than a book. It’s better than a story.
It’s alive.
Session 1 Summary: Out of The Fishbowl (10/28)
What words come
to mind when you think about the Bible? Exciting? Mind-blowing? Life-changing?
If you’re honest, probably not. Even though we aren’t quick to admit it in
church, many of us don’t feel all that excited about reading the Bible. Maybe
for you it just seems like a history book filled with random facts about random
people that don’t really matter. Or maybe it feels more like a foreign language
textbook with lots of words and phrases that don’t make sense. Either way, it’s hard to see how an old
book written by a bunch of dead guys about
an invisible God could be relevant to anything we’re doing today. But that was not how it was intended to be
experienced. Through a letter written to the Hebrews, we discover that the
Bible is more than just a recording of the past. If we give it a chance, God’s
Word has the power to change our present and shape our future.
Session 2 Summary: Baby Bottle (11/4)
Have you every
taken care of a baby? It isn’t easy. They constantly need your help. They need
to be fed, changed, carried, and fed again. Eventually babies grow up and learn
to feed and care for themselves. It’s a natural process, and it’d be weird if
they didn’t! The
truth is, we’re all growing up in different ways, and our lives aren’t maturing
and growing at the same rate. One area where we tend to stay immature is our
faith. We depend on our pastors, our small group leaders, and our parents to
spiritually “feed us” or tell us what God’s word says, what to think, and what
to believe. But we were never meant to be infants forever. In the a letter
written to the Hebrew Christians, we find that God’s desire is for us to grow
up and be healthy spiritually as much as physically. And the only way for us to
do that is to find a way to feed ourselves.
Session 3 Summary: Forget Me Not (11/11)
Memorizing
just doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? Maybe you’ve had to memorize
something for school and found yourself wondering why? In a world where you can Google the answer to just about
anything, why would anyone bother to memorize? There must be a better use of
our time. That may have been exactly how Joshua felt. He was just about to take
over leading the nation of Israel from Moses. It was no easy task and there was
a ton that needed to happen. At this pivotal moment in history, God tells
Joshua that the key to his success hinges on him committing his time and
attention to knowing and meditating on scripture. It probably seemed
counterintuitive. He had work a lot of other work to do. But through his story we find that keeping
God’s word in us is the first step to
dealing with anything that’s going on around
us.
Think
About This:
Do
you like to study? Probably not. It’s almost a universal “dislike”. And if
we’re honest, most of us don’t envy our student’s position of being required to
study history or math or literature every day. Sure, going back to relive parts
of high school or middle school might be nice, but we’ll pass on the actual
studying part. But did you know students often take their cues from their
parents when it comes to learning, growing, and studying? In the article, “The
Role of Parents, PBSparents.org puts it this way, “one thing remains constant: we are our children’s
learning models. Our attitudes about education can inspire theirs and show them
how to take charge of their own educational journey.” (http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/supporting-your-learner/role-of-parents/)
That means our attitude—good
or bad—toward learning new things will ultimately rub off on our students. Obviously
this effects them when it comes to school—but it also impacts their willingness
to learn and investigate areas of their faith as well. While we may feel there
is value in learning the principles found in the Bible, and though we want our
teenagers to begin to develop a faith of their own, with that comes some really
tough questions. And fear of not having all the answers can intimidate us into
believing it’s a job better left to the church. But what if talking about faith
didn’t have to be so scary? What if having all of the answers wasn’t a
pre-requisite for having a conversation?
One step any parent can take—no matter where they are in their personal
faith journey—is to choose to model
curiosity. The reality is, no parent has all the answers. But every parent
has the ability to demonstrate a positive attitude toward learning by choosing
to learn with their student. This is true whether the topic is faith,
history, literature, or Calculus. That’s why many schools have encouraged
parents to see themselves as co-learners with their student. Seeing their
parents model a healthy willingness to learn has a huge impact on the students’
attitudes.
So when you don’t know, ask
questions. Find answers—together. No matter the subject, involve your student
in the process. In doing so, you’ll teach them the confidence to do the same
Try
This
Did
you know you don’t even have to believe
something to learn from it? Think about it, did you ever learn something from a
fiction book, even though you didn’t believe it actually happened? Probably so.
Even if you aren’t sure whether you believe the Bible and all its teachings, you
owe it to yourself (and to your child) to read at least part of the book that
has so shaped our culture. If you do believe the Bible is true and accurate,
that’s all the more reason to give it your time and attention.
This
week, try reading just one verse and encourage your student to read the same
one. You can cut out the card below. Write out a response to the question and
then compare answers next time you’re together. It doesn’t have to be anything
profound. Just a simple take-away that each of you can share with the other.