Happy Birthday John!
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity (birth) of St. John the Baptist
Author: pilgrim
Leading a Bible study: Part 6
Today is the final post in my series on leading a Bible study (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5). Here are my concluding Do’s and Don’ts:
DON’T: Forget the heart
I’m a very “head” oriented person. When I study the Bible I like to pull apart texts, examine the words, look at the historical background and get straight to the meaning of the text. It is only after I’ve done all this that I’m ready to engage with the Scripture on a “heart” level. However, I know that in this I am an oddity! I find that most people engage with Scripture on an emotional level much earlier in the process. Therefore, to lead an engaging bible study I must accommodate this and allow people to respond emotionally to the Scripture before we’ve dissected every technical detail of the text.
DON’T: Forget the head
…having said that, don’t neglect the exegesis. I have been to Bible studies before which have been nothing more than a “feeling sharing group”. That was all anyone ever talked about, how they felt about the text! The actual meaning of the text wasn’t even examined.
DO: Keep the hippy, tree-hugging stuff to a minimum… 😉
A balance must be struck between head and heart.
Happy Feast of St. Thomas More
Happy Feast Day to a man who’s definitely in my Top Ten list of Saints:
What do you buy a Presbyterian for Christmas?
Clients From Hell
I’m subscribed to Clients From Hell. Here’s a great post from yesterday:
Client: Do you animate bible stories?
Me: We don’t currently, but we can animate anything you like. What do you have in mind?
Client: Well how much is it to animate the bible?
Me: Well it depends on what stories from the bible you want. The duration of the animation, how many characters, sets etc. Do you have a script?
Client: Well I don’t want to elaborate on the bible, I just want to animate it for the kids.
Me: Right, okay, but in order to give you a budget I need to start somewhere so I can figure out roughly how many characters, props and such.
Client: How much time will it take for creation?
Me: The creation of the assets? Characters, sets etc?
Client: No, Creation, in the book of Genesis.
Me: A lot more then 7 days.
Leading a Bible study: Part 5
We are now drawing to the end of my suggested Do’s and Don’ts of leading Bible study (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4). Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday..
DON’T: Shoot people down
Sometimes you’ll ask a question or someone will be sharing and they will say something which is just objectively incorrect.
Love is patient, love is kind, …
Sunday Lectionary: Called, sanctified and sent
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist: 24th June, 2012
After being “fearfully, wonderfully made…knit…in [his] mother’s womb”, we read in this week’s Gospel of how Elizabeth gave birth to a son and how he was named “John”. It’s a solemnity again! This week we celebrate the birth (“nativity”) of the one who would be the herald of the coming Messiah, John the Baptist:
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”
Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. – Matthew 3:1-6
As we celebrate Mass this week, let us pray for courage to step out boldly as prophets, to speak truth to our world and to prepare the way of the Lord.
The baptized have become “living stones” to be “built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.” By Baptism they share in the priesthood of Christ, in his prophetic and royal mission… “[They] must profess before men the faith they have received from God through the Church” and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God. – Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraphs 1268 and 1270