Category Archives: Equipping Philosophy

What’s your picture of adult ed?

Posted on by TimDoubleU
Reply

Talk with people about the equipping ministry of the local church long enough (we call it “adult ed” where I come from), and you’ll soon discover that there are lots of ideas people have developed about this particular equipping “arm” of the local church.  Many of these ideas are often influenced most by whatever church people came from.  Perhaps their version of an “equipping ministry” is synonymous with the Sunday School program that involved lots of coffee and community, but little content.  Or perhaps their version of adult ed died out altogether as the church grew in other directions.

Working through and overcoming these preconceptions is one of those ongoing things I deal with as a pastor who oversees the adult education ministry of the local church I serve.  However, working through and overcoming these preconceptions is a joy, as it provides the chance to ground our approach to church education in church history (catechesis) and biblical study (the key role of instruction of God’s people throughout the Bible) – and not just in what some church somewhere else is doing or has done.

Continue reading →

What “Learning Overload” has taught me: Learning to learn well

Posted on by TimDoubleU
Reply

Talk with most people who know me, and they’ll probably agree that I’m a learner.  My top two “strengthsfinder” strengths are “learner” and “input” (a third is “intellection” which kinda goes along with this as well).  I love to ask questions.  My office walls (and a few walls in my home) are lined with bookshelves.  The one piece of artwork in my office is a picture of a guy reading.  I constantly invite “referrals” to good sources of information and each week get a few emails with websites I can visit and where I can soak in learning.  My iTunes downloads a number of podcasts that “re-fill” each day or week with yet more chances to learn.

There’s just one problem:  I don’t have time to spend sitting and learning for 40-50 hours each week (or even a fraction of that).  And even if I did, that probably wouldn’t be enough time to satisfy my love of learning.  In fact, the time I have to devote to learning seems to be shrinking as my kids get older and other responsibilities (understandably) demand my attention.  What’s a philomath (“lover of learning”) to do in this situation?  Here are some of the ways I’m learning (pun intended) to answer that question:

Continue reading →

Worth-a-Watch: John Piper interviews Rick Warren

Posted on by TimDoubleU
Reply

Earlier today I took some time to listen to/watch an interview between John Piper and Rick Warren.  I appreciated so many things about this interview: the chance to see two well-known pastors interact and seem to enjoy each other’s company, the theological clarity, and more.

These two men represent two “evangelical subcultures” that, when stereotyped, are often pitted against each other.  But this interview is conducted (by design) in a way that is respectful, seeking-to-learn-and-listen, and clarifying.  And this is what I appreciate most about this interview, and why I’d encourage you to take 90 minutes of time over this long Memorial Day weekend (or whenever you run across this) and follow the link below and give it a-listen or a-watch.  May we see more of this respectful dialogue, while at the same time pursuing and clarifying truth, in the future.

Click here to be taken to John Piper’s interview of Rick Warren.

Worthwhile reads: Christianity Today’s 2011 Book Awards

Posted on by TimDoubleU
Reply

Let’s face it, one of the first tasks of reading is deciding which books to read amidst the barrage of literature at any bookstore – local or online.  For all of us bibliophiles out there, there’s a tension that pops up every time we choose one book over another with our limited money and/or time, and so this makes it important to make sure that the books we decide to spend our money and/or time on are actually worthwhile.

And that’s why I’m grateful for Christianity Today’s annual book award list – a list that (1) points us toward some great reads in (2) some important categories that (3) helps us achieve some balance/rounding in our reading.

So…looking for some good reads in 2011?  Click here to see Christianity Today’s 2011 book awards.

Finally, what “worthwhile reads” would you add to the list?  Post your recommendations as comments on this post, and help point us towards some good books!

 

Does Christian equipping prepare us for Bible Jeopardy? Or something more?

Posted on by TimDoubleU
1

Shortly after I was married, while still a student in Bible college, my wife and I were getting together with a photographer for one of our first “family pictures” with some extended family after our wedding.  When the photographer – himself a committed church member, from the sound of it – heard that I was planning to be a pastor and was attending a nearby Bible college, he immediately (without segue or other transition, if I remember correctly) assumed the role of Alex Trebec and began rattling off a few “stumper questions” to (apparently) see how well I was prepared for pastoral ministry.

I don’t remember all of the four or five questions he asked, but the one I do remember is representative of the rest: “How many times did Moses go up and down Mt. Sinai in the book of Exodus?”  I knew he was fishing for some sort of other-than-expected answer, but nevertheless guessed what was in my head: Moses went up and down Mt. Sinai two times.  He rather confidently assured me that the answer was seven (I still haven’t double-checked this…) and moved on to his next stumper question.  I graduated summa cum laude from both college and seminary, but I’m pretty sure I failed this photographer’s pop quiz.

Continue reading →

Brookside Adult Ed: The “why” the “how” and the “what”

Posted on by TimDoubleU
Reply

Brookside’s Spring 2011 Adult Ed classes are beginning soon – later this month and in early February.    As we head into this new session for the New Year, let’s take a minute and revisit some foundational “building blocks” of Brookside Adult Ed:

The “Why” of Brookside Adult Ed

God’s Word places a high value on the careful teaching of God’s people.  We can find numerous examples of this emphasis in both the Old Testament (e.g. Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Nehemiah 8:1-8) and New Testament (e.g. Matthew 28:19-20; Colossians 1:27-28; 2 Timothy 4:1-5).  Knowing this, the following sentence may be a little unpolished, but you’ll get the picture of what I’m trying to say and how it’s faithful to the biblical emphasis on teaching: “If we’re going to get set on a trajectory of growing in Christ for a lifetime, there’s some stuff you’ve just got to know (and un-know).”  This is why Adult Ed at Brookside exists: to help set (and/or maintain) a trajectory of growth in Christ-likeness for a lifetime.

Continue reading →