Thanks to Norma Gail for inviting me to participate in the My Writing Process Blog Tour. Norma is a women’s Bible study leader, blogger, and author. Her debut novel, Land of My Dreams, is published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and is available from Amazon.
Thanks to Eddie Jones for inviting me to participate in this World Blog Tour. Eddie is the author of the Caden Chronicles, a series published by Zonderkidz and written for middle school age boys. Eddie is also the acquisition editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries. His latest YA novel, Dead Low Tide follows young Nick Caden whose curiosity gets the better of him, only this time he brings his sister, Wendy, along to investigate—and she’s taken by what appears to be a zombie of a dead girl!
Several years ago, Hollywood made a film about a child adopted by a movie production company. In The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey, the boy was raised on the set for the television show and never knew that his “parents” were paid actors. His neighbors and friends were extras. Each day he walked down the street and greeted people that were paid to greet him in return. Then one day his eyes were opened. Instead of his perfect home and neighborhood, he saw an artificial main street. Rather than family and friends, he saw hired hands. His world, as enticing as it was, came to an end when he discovered the edge of the movie set and climbed out.
Sin is tricky. Like a movie set of a neighborly main street with beckoning storefront windows and inviting front doors, sin is an attractive façade. Look closely, however, and we find that nothing is for sale in the store, and no one lives behind those front doors. Sin is a charade, a mirage, a trick. It is never what it seems.
Read the full devotion from June 21, 2014 here at Wilmington Word Weavers
Hardly anyone reads a roadmap anymore. With GPS on our phones and in our cars, we go unfamiliar places by following the arrow or the voice that tells us where to make the next turn. But there’s something to be said for having an overview of the whole trip mapped out in advance.
Likewise teaching. The benefits of having good lesson plans when preparing a Bible study are many. Just as a roadmap gives you a clear image of how to arrive at your destination, the lesson plan gives the Bible study leader a clear path to get from the beginning to the end of the lesson. (Read more…)
You may think that using a syllabus with a small group Bible study is overly rigid and will inhibit a friendly atmosphere where class members feel free to discuss topics that are on their hearts. But bear with me. The syllabus can be called something more inviting: “Class Schedule” or “Introductory Information” or even something like “Reference Materials” if the word “syllabus” stirs unpleasant school memories.
And just as a syllabus serves a purpose in school, you and your small group may find it to be a very helpful resource throughout your class. (Read more…)
Unfolding His Word