Serve by Design

Lately, I have been blessed to hear stories about a new excitement for God’s Word! One of our college grandsons started a Bible study with his close friends. They meet online weekly and discuss some weighty subjects relevant to today’s young men like how to live the Christian life, confront doubt. and deal with temptation. Our granddaughter has just completed a summer service project in discipleship, worship planning, and faith sharing with young adults from her peer group who are in the eighteen to twenty-something age range. Image: freepik.com Last Saturday, I participated in a refreshing training event for our church’s small group leaders. I met a delightful young couple who lead a new group. They are excited about reading the book of James and discussing the topics of faith, listening, and service; using speech responsibly; dealing with adversity; and the impact of bold praying. Their intention was to study a chapter each session, but they have slowed down to just a few verses to g...

A few years ago, I was mentoring a new adult Bible study teacher and suggested that we meet each week for an hour to go over the lesson. At first, my friend protested that while he welcomed this one-on-one time with me, he thought I did not have the time to spend with him in this way. I quickly told him that this kind of partnership in study would be just as helpful to me. And so, the Tuesday, 1:00 PM "Study Session" was born. Today, there are four or five of us that weekly commit to this preparation time to get us ready for our Sunday teaching responsibilities. What do we get out this study time? Several things come to mind... 1. This study session disciplines us to study our lessons earlier in the week to allow the truths of the passage under consideration to season for insights and application. There is nothing worse than procrastinating in our preparation and spending late Saturday night cramming or getting up early Sunday morning with panic setting in just hours befo...