Walking in His Steps
How are you enjoying the August lessons so far? I have received a few, actually more than a few, emails about the format for this month’s study. The question has generally been like this, “Why did you not print the rest of the readings in the student book?” The second most popular question has been, “The Scriptures are not printed and we don’t have access to the internet in our class.” Just to get everyone on the same page, if you count the number of lessons in the Summer issue, you will notice we had 14 lessons to cover, which is one more than normal. Apparently the stars lined up wrong and we ended up with 14 Sundays. While it is rare, we were still faced with a dilemma and the choice we made was to not cut down on the content but to deliver it another way. Also, removing the Scripture from the book meant that people would be forced to use their Bibles, which in my opinion can never be a bad thing. Can you think of a way the phrase “had to use my BIble” could be a negative? Best response this week gets a free Threads T-Shirt. Call it a contest, the first for the LifeMatters blog.
To make a long story shorter, things return to normal in a few weeks. While we will still take advantage of the internet, you will always be able to find the content in the book as the primary source. We are going to try a few new things coming up that will allow those of you who want to, to email the readings out during the week to your class or at least a link to them to encourage them to be studying on their own. If you are having trouble accessing the devotional material click here and you will be magically transported to the land of Personal Bible study and you can print at will!
Now onto the good stuff. This week we take a closer look at Christ and our author Matt Tullos had some great insights into this lesson so I am going to let him have the spotlight this week.
The body of Christ (by that I mean the church) is awash with spiritually preoccupied Christians. Somewhere along the way we’ve been sold a bill of goods that busyness is next to godliness, and that we can have all the trappings of righteousness without a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus. That’s crazy-talk, and it has been around since Moses. Literally. The writer of Hebrews rewinds to the earliest days of Israel when they were a group of people rather than a territory with boundaries. God’s power wasn’t a theory. Think about all that great movie fodder—parting seas, water from rocks, fire on the mountain—all acts of God in Spielberg proportions. When all those astounding, holy, fantastic moments were happening all around them, the Israelites were sneaking around, worshiping idols, fighting each other, and acting like Americans.
Simply put, they were stubborn, hard-hearted people. All they had to do was rest in the reality and power of God. But they craved to worship their own craft. They melted gold to make calves. They complained about the menu. They hoarded treasures, and they promoted their own treadmill, me-first existence. In other words, they had Egypt on the brain. Can you relate to that? I can. The pagan culture surrounds us, and we begin to smell like it. We act like it. Aspiring to be successful we forget what is right. So invigorated by the thought that we could, we don’t stop to ask ourselves if we should. Our heart grows distant. Our soul cracks open and the world spills out of us. We are spiritually brittle.
How have you gone astray in your heart? Is a strong heart the same as a hard heart? Do you have idols that you need to show out of the tent so you can have a tender heart toward Jesus?
There have been 15 replies so far
I was disappointed to find that the Bible scripture (HCSB) wasn’t printed in the student study guide. I called on several people to read the scripture and found that they couldn’t. Each of them have different translations (KJV, NASB, NIV, etc.), which makes following and comprehension difficult. The most disappointing thing for me as a teacher was to find that none of them had studied their student guide during the week (or prior to class) because the text was incomplete and they didn’t have access to the Internet (lacking computer systems or an Internet provider). The student guide was filled with questions and huge blank spaces. These blank spaces could easliy have been put to better use, namely with the missing scripture.
I was left as a lecturer and not a facilitator. I am convinced that they were taught something, but the group discussion was noticeably weakened.
The author made several comments which I found disturbing and objectionable. For instance, “Apparently the stars lined up wrong and we ended up with 14 Sundays.” Stars lining up? Do you see anything wrong with this analogy? Another comment, “When all those astounding, holy, fantastic moments were happening all around them, the Israelites were sneaking around, worshiping idols, fighting each other, and acting like AMERICANS.” There may be truth in the statement, but the use of anti-American comments in this besieged age is inappropriate. The author is not a prophet of God and should keep his negative comments to himself. Our second most important job as a body of believers is to encourage (not discourage). I’m sorry if you were discouraged by these comments.
1 | RichardH
Friday, August 8, 2008, at 6:22pm
For the most part, that is howAmericans act.
2 | sjmires
Friday, August 8, 2008, at 9:53pm
I’ll admit that when I first read the lesson last week I was not impressed with the format… then I got to thinking about it. I think maybe… how will I react to CHANGE? Will I do the same things that I see others do & say when they encounter change? Hmmm… yea, it’s different- but different isn’t always bad. I didn’t mind the scripture not being in the book… I have The Book with me- its good to break the Word with others- even if it isn’t the same version. I’ll give this a try. I’ll continue to try my best to get as much of the picture as God allows and have an open mind about different ways to break open the Word with my friends. Thanks for answering some of the questions we had in class this past week as well. Keep keepin’ on for Him!
3 | jesusrocks
Friday, August 8, 2008, at 10:57pm
First, thank you for the great blog Chad. The materials for this month are different, but hey, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. In my opinion, Threads has done a fine job dealing with an extra Sunday’s worth of material, so well done! Now…about that contest…You’re right! A person being forced to use a Bible is never a negative thing, unless…As you are leaving church, you and a friend are dive-bombed by a lone, kamikaze African Honey Bee. Knowing that your friend is allergic, you are heroically forced to swat the bee out of the air with your NIV. Well, unbeknownst to you, bees release a scent when in danger to attract other bees. And before your friend has time to sigh a “thanks buddy,” the reinforcements arrive attacking with the fury of a thousand suns. That could be one way that the phrase “I had to use my Bible” would be negative. [The story is fictional. No African Honey Bees nor any friends were actually injured in such an event.]
P.S. If I win, just for future reference, I wear size MEDIUM. Thanks.
4 | They Call Me Co
Saturday, August 9, 2008, at 12:13pm
I am pumped about this material and the challenge it brings to the table. Who cares if it isn’t the same as it has always been, our Christian comfort zones need to be rattle every now and then. I know that even when the material has it all, those I meet with every week don’t take the time to dive in. I have to admit that I like the fact that I am challenged to be prepared with the material every week. It’s no walk in the park to be giving a lesson with college students (some being Bible college students). I take full advantage of the author insights and questions. College students, especially those claiming to follow Christ, have to be aware of the fact that we are not playing a big game. Some of the students at our church are going to major secular campuses and they are exposed to every belief and lifestyle you can imagine. I say bring on the challenges to step up and truly follow Christ. I know I need it!!!
5 | msawyr
Saturday, August 9, 2008, at 5:48pm
Hey guys, great comments this week. This is definitely the most active our blog has been yet. I know this month has been different and it is great to see how you guys are adjusting. It is also great to hear that people do in fact miss the material being in the Learner’s guide. That means to me some people are reading it!
Richard- I have to take credit for the “Stars lining up” comment. That was totally meant as a joke as I do not place any credit in those type of things. I was just trying to explain why we made the decisions we did for this issue of LifeMatters. The next statement was in fact by our author, but I see nothing but truth in that statement. Here we have the Israelites seeing God do amazing things firsthand, and the very next moment they are creating idols and wanting to go back into slavery. Matt was not trying to be a prophet or anything, he was commenting on how we live in this country. God has blessed us with many freedoms in this country, and our culture and in many cases our Christians worship everything except Him. It is sad, but many times it is true.
They Call Me Co- Great story, you got exactly what I was saying. Of course there would never be a time when using your Bible should be a bad thing, so the idea was a funny story in which that comment could be used. Great job and funny story, you are the leader in the clubhouse right now!
Msawyr- Great words about the challenges that face us all as teachers and leaders in the church. We have to work hard to equip the people we teach to engage the culture they live in. It is hard work full of challenges and I applaud your passion and your hard work. Keep it up!
Jesus Rocks- First off, your name is true and I like it. Secondly, good word about dealing with change. I am constantly challenged with that myself. Change happens and we need to fight the desire to immediately complain. Unfortunately that is my first reaction often times but when I take a second and look at things again, they usually don’t seem as bad. Every challenge presents us options to try new things. Good words!
Keep the conversation going, and keep those Bible stories coming in. Right now we have two, and one is the clear leader.
6 | Chad Jordan
Saturday, August 9, 2008, at 6:26pm
Let me just say this, I am one that reads the lesson and then I read the verses in my Bible. It seems to help in remembering them and what I have learned. I for one don’t think it’s that bad of an idea on what you have done in the lesson books. It really helps out church’s that are small and don’t have a lot of money to spend on extra books. You can go on this website and print off the lessons and have them on hand for those that do not have a lesson book. So kudos to the creators of this whole thing!!! I really hope that this will be a ongoing thing. I can’t say in words how much I LOVE this!!! Thanks!!!
7 | EMichael
Saturday, August 9, 2008, at 10:23pm
Well I guess I must admit that the new internet format bothered me at first. I am concerned that some people do not have access to the internet. But to be honest, most of us do. I also feel that the Scripture needs to be in the printed lesson , as you can never have too much Scripture.
After reading these blogs and today’s news, I began to think about all those Christians in China today who cannot meet in public, or look anything up on the net at all. How blessed we truly are. I encourage all of the readers to remember our brothers and sisters in Christ in China today.
Well, the change in format did one thing. It made me think more and that is a good thing !!
I am thankful for all of our writers and Sunday school leaders. I hope God will truly bless you for your faithfulness.
8 | Forgiven again
Sunday, August 10, 2008, at 6:51am
As a substitute Sunday School Teacher and as a Teacher in a public school system, I DO NOT like the format of the August lessons. We are from a low income community and several of our people do not even have access to the internet. These lessons are useless for most of the people in our Sunday School program. As I said I teach in a public school system and I teach computers, I cannot require any homework because that would mean that I expect parents to purchase computers for their children to use. If you are going to continue to do lessons in this matter, I would like to suggest that you send a master copy of what you put on the web with the books so that small churches can copy and distribute the information to people who do not have access to a computer. Thanks, Jesusismyrock
9 | jesusismyrock
Sunday, August 10, 2008, at 7:50am
Great ideas again guys!
Jesusismyrock- I like your idea of sending the files along on the Leader Pack CD. In the future if we do something like this, I will definitely remember that!
It has been great hearing from so many of you this week. I pray that God uses you all this morning as you teach His Word and His truth. Keep up the good work.
10 | Chad Jordan
Sunday, August 10, 2008, at 8:06am
I had noticed a few ago that this months Bible Studies were different. At first I was a little spekitcal. We didn’t have a regular Sunday Bible Study last week, so it was this week when everyone noticed that the scripture was not in the book. So today everyone noticed. What a reaction we had. It wasn’t brought to the leader’s attention until we were almost finished. No one liked the fact that the scripture wasn’t in the book. They didn’t care much that the stories weren’t all there. As we were discusing what was going on, I had said that maybe it was so more of us would actually open our Bibles in class. Everyone just looked at me. We’ve has taken for granted that the scripture would always be there.We’ll see how the rest of the month goes. Because of this, I checked out the website for threads. I like it.
11 | SonShine
Sunday, August 10, 2008, at 8:15pm
Chad, I’m sorry for the touchiness about the “American” comment. I’m retired military and we are part of a Military Mission that is trying to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of “wounded warriors” and their families at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC - Fort Sam Houston, TX / San Antonio). Anti-American comments are felt on a different level in our community and although our culture is not the covenant nation it once was, God is not through with us yet. You had a valid point, I just feel it could have been made without the discouraging aspect. I’m reminded how hard it was for Nehemiah to fight morale and espirit-de-corp issues (and enemies) in his day to inspire other’s to join with him in the work God had put before them.
As far as having to read from one’s Bible, I agree that is always a good thing. The study material was reviewed and purchased based on the original outline and content and so the unexpected change is kind of like buying a “Pig-in-a-poke”. We now know better. The next time we renew our order, we will take a closer look and make appropriate change if necessary.
Personally, I don’t need additional materials added to my teachers pack. Most of the material (posters, etc.) that is currently enclosed is really not very useful (IMHO). Standing in line at the copy machine on Sunday morning is something I would not look forward to, since there’s so much more I need to do prior to class starting. Plus the machine doesn’t always work and then there’s a shortfall in materials.
I may not always agree with you, but keep doing what God has called you to do.
12 | RichardH
Sunday, August 10, 2008, at 9:35pm
Greg: My class of 5 high school seniors thought the brief lessons were a hoot. I printed the entire study for August and put it in loose-leaf folders to make it user friendly. We read through each lesson and my main job is to try and keep the students from wrong interpretations of the material. They delight in making some bizarre connecton to anything weird (i.e. aren’t all angels aliens that, like, want to take over the Earth?) just to see if I will take the bait and freak out. One class member believes everything is a conspiracy and the others are typical high school seniors worrying about dating, college and why is everyone so mean to me at schoo?. I’m working to get them through high school and tell them each week how much better life will be when they all get to college. Keep up the wonderful work.
13 | rmt1977
Monday, August 11, 2008, at 5:38pm
I’m just getting ready for my first class using the threads: lifematters set, and I’m very pleased with what i’ve seen so far. number one: interaction with the publisher and authors…HUGE. i don’t know about the other publishing groups, but i haven’t seen this level of interaction before and i love it.
i just started at a new (to me) church last month-after 12 years in youth ministry-as the discipleship minister. and one of my responsibilties is to start up a college age/young adult ministry. after scouring around and looking at different systems and programs (and i’m not a big fan of ‘programs’) i was very happy to link up with threads…i’m looking forward to what is yet to come.
as far as negative connotations for “had to use my Bible” ;) as a parent of 3 kids under 6, i can think of plenty…but i don’t want to get too far gone on this one.
“Somehow, despite all the intel we had from our scouts in Ops, we still managed to stumble in on the Chinese Mafia in the midst of a meeting with Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago…and things did not go well. So now, here I sit tied up to a rick-shaw with sausage casings, perched over a pool containing an ill tempered sea bass with a hungry look in his eye…
All my gear had been siezed, and i was now weaponless, and my team was stuck in a cell full of Jonas Brothers music and Hannah Montana posters, quickly going insane.
The only thing I had in my possession, which was somehow overlooked, was my coffee table KJV that my wife and I received as a wedding gift. Using my feet, I pushed it out of my jacket pocket, and lacking any other cutting implements, “I had to use my Bible” with the gold edged pages to cut through the raw sausage casings that held me captive. The gilded page took no time to slice through the slimy tubing, and I was free.
Now, to rescue my team, and apprehend Abe Froman…by the way, the name’s Bueller, Ferris Bueller.”
Okay, maybe not horribly negative at the first glimpse, but using Hebrew Scriptures to cut through raw pork seemed pretty bad :) Of course you’d have to use a page somewhere before Mark 7:19.
14 | benhedgspeth
Tuesday, August 12, 2008, at 11:17am
Ben- great story. Any time you can throw the word “ops” in and make a Ferris Bueller reference in the same story you get major points. I am also glad you have found Threads. Let us know any time we can help you do what God is calling you to do.
rmt1977- Great job taking an opportunity and turning it around. It is great to see a leader engaging his class, and keep making sure they don’t make the wrong interpretations. That will get us all in trouble!
Great dialog this week, let’s make sure next week does not feel lonely. It is going to be about spiritual growth and we will have a few new bonuses as well. A new contest is coming and something else that will hopefully get alot of interest.
Don’t forget to keep those stories about your Bible coming in. We have three in right now and will leave the contest open for a few more days.
15 | Chad Jordan
Tuesday, August 12, 2008, at 1:27pm
Comments are closed. Please use our contact form if you have any thoughts or questions.