Our purpose: To encourage, inform, inspire, and train Bible school teachers.
Churchman Bill Keane, creator of the popular Family Circus comic strip, tells of a time when he was penciling-in one of his cartoons and his son Jeffy asked, “Daddy, how do you know what to draw?”
Keane answered, “God tells me.” Then Jeffy innocently responded, “Then why do you keep erasing parts of it?”
The 365 Day Clean Joke Book
REACHING THE LOST GENERATION
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOST GENERATION
Shift From Optimism to Pessimism
For more than two centuries, Americans possessed a deep, fundamental confidence in the future. Every generation would be better off than the previous and life would just get better and better. All of this came to a crashing halt with the Mosaic generation (born 1984- 2002). This generation has been exposed to more bad news than any previous generation. They’ve heard more of scandal, crises, dishonesty, suffering, unemployment, natural disasters, and terrorists than any previous generation. The onslaught of bad news has chipped away at their sense of hope and optimism.
The Mosaics have very little trust in traditional institutions. They view government, schools, organized religion, hospitals, and the news media with extreme skepticism. The only institution that still holds their confidence is the military.
How can churches regain the confidence of the Mosaic generation? How can we counterbalance the bad news with the Good News? How much has the Lord’s church bought into the negative, pessimistic mentality of the younger generation? How can we safeguard ourselves against the hypocrisy that this generation despises?
"A teacher affects eternity. He can never tell where his influence stops."
Henry Brooks Adams
Teaching Tips From LifeLINKS to God
When Teaching the Bible to Upper Elementary Students ...
There’s something wonderful about a new year. It gives us a fresh start and a chance to look back. We can make note of progress and lessons learned.
Upper-elementary students are beginning to make the move away from a child’s immediate, microscopic view of life to a more long-term adult perspective. Your students are becoming more aware of the passing years, and many of them feel ready to be really “grown-up.” Even so, your students may feel some very natural anxiety about the new stages of life that they will soon confront.
Take the opportunity to tell your students that God will help them in all they do – just as He helped them in the past. The following suggestions can help your students become more aware of God’s help in their daily lives.
- Talk to your students about thinking of the new year from a spiritual point of view. What are some realistic goals they might set for themselves? Some ideas would be regular prayer habits, Bible reading, or church and Sunday school attendance.
- Your students could keep a journal in which they write their worries, victories, and answers to prayer. Even if they make only one entry a month, it can be tremendously encouraging to look back and realize how God has helped them.
- Review things you have prayed about as a class this year and talk about how God has answered those prayers. Let students share what they have learned about God from their experiences.
"Failure is only failure if you: 1. Give up, 2. Learn nothing, or 3. Blame someone else."
Tekoa Miller
Encounter Digital Magazine
New Life Through His Word, teen curriculum
A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “What was Jesus’ mother’s name?” One child answered, “Mary.” The teacher then asked, “Who knows what Jesus’ father’s name was?” A little kid said, “Verge.” Confused, the teacher asked, “Where did you get that from?” The kid said, “Well, you know how they are always talking about ‘Verge and Mary’.”
A Bundle of Laughs
A Discipline Question
Q. What do I do when kids don’t pay attention?
A. Even the best teacher will get blank “I stopped listening a long time ago” looks. Don’t take it personally; instead, focus on getting kids moving.
Active learning involves senses, talents, and interests. Try experiences that tap into their learning styles. If one child has wandered, make a minor strategy shift and invite that child to help you act out a piece of the Scripture. If your entire room has wandered, make a major strategy shift and give them a break. A quick game can get their blood flowing back up to their brains – rather pooling in their seats!
If a noise or object is distracting, don’t shift strategy – just remove it while you continue teaching. With practice, you can shut out a noisy hallway or remove a toy all without missing a beat.
Gordon and Becki West
Children’s Ministry Magazine
November/December 2011
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 The Expanded Bible
Explore the Depths of the Scriptures While You Read
Expect understanding! Experience the full meaning of God's Word. The Expanded Bible has been developed by a respected team of skilled Bible translators to make God's Word easier to understand-and more relevant and real for today's Christian-with innovative expansions in the text itself that exhibit the complete meaning of each passage in its context-while you read.
Perceive what God is saying in language that's easy to understand
Discover the significance of each passage with helpful expansions in the text
Comprehend full meaning with alternative, literal, and traditional wordings
Understand the Bible's culture and setting with descriptive comments where needed
Compare scripture with scripture using key cross-references
Add your own expansions and observations in wide margins on every page
Contributing scholars: Tremper Longman III, Mark L. Strauss, Daniel Taylor
Hardcover $34.99
Thomas Nelson Publishing
 The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter
by Mary Hollingsworth
The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter is specifically designed to brighten your day with laughter and joy. Joy is a special type of happiness. It requires a deep appreciation of what God has given. Each one of us should create habits in our lives that encourage us to look on the bright side of our circumstances and see God’s goodness- whether it’s appreciating the dawn of a bright, beautiful spring day, savoring a warm cup of coffee, enjoying the company of good friends, or giggling with a toddler.
Recognizing and celebrating God’s everyday wonders require a certain frame of mind. This devotional is designed to help you create that mind-set each and every day. Start today to build your own habit of a daily joy break.
Paperback $14.99
Tyndale Publishing
Attend a 21st Century Christian Teacher Training Workshop in your area. Listed below are upcoming seminars.
• January 7, 2012
West End Church of Christ
Atlanta, GA
404-753-6271
• April 14, 2012
North Town Church of Christ
McAlester, OK
918-423-7332
• April 21, 2012
Church of Christ South Yukon
Yukon, OK
405-354-1863
• May 19, 2012
Elmwood Park Church of Christ
Detroit, MI
313-567-4027
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