With my birthday approaching, I’m again wondering “how someone so young can be this old?” That thought inspired this 2015 post on how in modern American culture growing older means becoming invisible. Unfortunately this trend is also infecting the church.
Tired of the same old icebreakers? Are you using the same 3 interesting facts about yourself at every group and gathering? Here are 45 sample icebreakers to kick start your thinking.
The time between the end of the Old Testament (400BC from the prophet Malachi) to the preaching of John the Baptist (25 AD) is known as the “intertestamental” period. Here’s an overview of what happened.
The period of the divided kingdom ended with the people of Israel being taken into captivity. First, the people of the northern kingdom were conquered by Assyria, leaving Judah to struggle on alone. Finally, the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians, leaving all the children of Israel in exile from the land. Here is an overview and timeline of the exile of Israel and her return from captivity.
After the death of King Solomon, two of his sons, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, fought for the throne. When Rehoboam harshly raised taxes on the people, the 10 northern tribes rebelled and installed Jeroboam as their king, creating the northern kingdom of Israel. The two southern tribes, Benjamin and Judah, remained with Rehoboam and became the kingdom of J
After the death of King Solomon, two of his sons, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, fought for the throne. When Rehoboam harshly raised taxes on the people, the 10 northern tribes rebelled and installed Jeroboam as their king, creating the northern kingdom of Israel. The two southern tribes, Benjamin and Judah, remained with Rehoboam and became the kingdom of Judah.
Here’s advice from an expert on how not to burn out your retreat speaker.
When you recruit feedback from your students at the end of a Bible study year, don’t forget to solicit feedback from your leaders. If you are blessed to have dedicated leadership returning year after year, you may want to keep it short. Here’s an example we’ve used at Wednesday in the Word. This example survey is geared to a Bible study with a large group, small groups and homework. Customize it to fit your programs.
Church women’s retreats offer one of the best opportunities of the church for women to step away from their daily responsibilities, rest and connect with other women in the church and spend some concentrated time learning more about the Lord. While retreats require a lot of planning, they are worth it in the long run.
As a ministry leader, you often do surveys. But what questions should ask? Which questions solicit the best input? After 30 years in ministry — and countless surveys! — these are the questions I’ve found most helpful.
Commentaries can kick-start your thinking when you hit a dead end but should not be a substitute for your own work. Here’s my two rules of thumb.
Multi-volume encyclopedias are good sources for historical and biblical themes. But background information does not impose meaning.
Krisan Marotta is a Bible teacher and host of Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.