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I often recall a lesson from one of my favorite school teachers. During vocabulary lessons of looking up the definitions of words, she reminded her students not to use the word or a form of the word in the definition. We were expected to research completely different phrases in the definitions.

This teaching technique was brought to memory when I read one of the aspects of a natural critical learning environment in What the Best College Teachers Do. This environment helps students answer the question when the teacher gets the students to answer the question for themselves (page 103). Students are challenged to develop explanations and arrive at their own conclusions, rather than simply being told the answer.

As an elementary student looking up definitions in a dictionary, I could have simply copied the definitions even though some words may have been defined in the dictionary by a form of the same root word. My teacher encouraged me to seek the definitions of words without using any forms of the root word.

Effective teachers do not give students answers; they encourage them to find their own answers and research all parts of that answer.

Tags: Books, Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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I’m currently teaching early childhood students …in my paid position …and I love it. It’s a special way of doing children’s ministry without the minister title. Many more relationships to foster without that minister wall to climb over, go around, or look through.

I’m continuing to read What the Best College Teachers Do and it’s more than what college teachers do; these ideas can be applied to any teacher of any age group.

On page 88, the author states, “Highly effective teachers must choose questions and issues carefully and select common readings even more cautiously…easier reading first, more difficult later.”

He explains that some professors don’t want to hear students talk about their subject because they don’t know enough, but he reminds us of piano teachers who don’t expect their students to play the piano like Mozart. They don’t push them off the piano bench for a few bad notes early in their lessons. They give them practice and guidance, and they have faith in their students.

Early childhood students start from the beginning in most every subject and aspect of education and life. They must be taught the basics of life and survival as well as academic knowledge. As teachers, we don’t expect them to know how to do double digit addition problems from the first day of school. We begin with basic number recognition and one concept builds on another.

The same is true for college students in any subject area. Teachers don’t expect students to know all about their subject on the first day of classes. They give them simple readings that build on more difficult ones. I like what this author says about those reading assignments: (page 88-89) “They don’t discuss readings with students; they get them involved in thinking about issues, taking positions, and drawing from their readings to make arguments and solve problems.”

Early childhood teachers do the same thing. They are the facilitators who get students involved in the learning process by asking those same involvement questions.

Even though teachers work with different age groups and on different levels, the concept is similar and many of the same aspects can be applied.

Tags: Books, Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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Life is an adventure. Seek experiences. Strive to give others experiences and adventures that they may not otherwise have or do.

My favorite thought from Len Sweet is to make things EPIC …experiential, participatory, image-rich, and connective. This thought benefits the learning styles of all people.

Here’s an interesting article about the professor, Randy Pausch, who passed away Friday, July 25, 2008. He’s famous for his Last Lecture. He was adventurous.

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I finished reading Me, Myself, & Bob today while waiting in the jury assembly room during my second week of jury duty.

I love the part of chapter 21 on pages 243-244 where Phil Vischer talks about Christians must be “God’s representatives on earth.” No matter what kind of jobs we do or what careers we choose, we are called to be God’s hands and feet. We can’t “save the world” with our visionary ministry. We must understand where Christianity happens. Does Christianity happen in books? In movies? On TV? Sometimes, yes. But we can’t get so involved and preoccupied with our jobs and careers and projects that we forget about our everyday encounters with store clerks, restaurant servers, and people we meet on our paths to perform our job projects. That’s Christianity. That’s ministry. Ministry is caring about those regular people who cross our daily paths. Ministry is asking them how they’re doing and truly listening as they share.

To whom have you ministered today?

Tags: Books, Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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I’m almost finished reading Me, Myself, & Bob, the story of VeggieTales and Big Idea Productions by Phil Vischer. It is an excellent read and helps us understand Phil’s journey with the company.

Chapter 20 outlines some lessons learned from the entire experience. I like lesson #5: “Bigger is no longer better.” I usually add to that statement by saying “slow and steady wins the race.” In the tortoise and hare race, the tortoise took it easy, started off slow, maintained a steady pace throughout the entire race, and although he wasn’t always in the lead, he finished first. The hare took off quickly, ran out of steam quickly, decided to rest and thought he would be ok since he had a big lead on the tortoise. While the hare slept, the tortoise steadily slipped past him.

Ministry is like that. We don’t have to be the fastest or the biggest. We do need to be smarter doing things slow and steady. We need to make sure our batteries are charged with communication with God through Bible study, prayer, and fellowship with others. Just like cell phones need to be charged each night to have power for the next day, we need to charge our batteries each day, not allowing our batteries to get too low of power and run out of steam and energy like the hare. We need to keep a steady pace of energy like the tortoise.

We need to keep a steady pace of activities and programs in our ministries as well. Too many programs or programs moving too quickly can be like the hare and run out of steam quickly. We need to focus on a few quality programs and activities that will run steadily like the tortoise.

Remember: Slow and steady wins the race!

Tags: Books, Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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The last chapter of The Church of the Perfect Storm was written by Len Sweet. If we’re going to be Jesus storm-chasers, we must get out of the harbor. We can’t do much from the shore. We might think we’re playing it safe by staying close to the shore, but “the shore is not safer” (page 147). “Hugging harbors leaves a church in a lurch. A church in the dock is a church in lockdown.” (page 147)

To be a Jesus storm-chaser and follower, we must take risks. It’s not an easy life. Jesus walked directly into the storm, and He will walk with us into and through the storm. He will put others in our lives to walk with us as well. “Small boats fare better than big supertankers and cruise vessels” (page 152). Studies show that the larger a church grows, the smaller it must become. That statement means that as churches increase in numbers in large corporate worship gatherings, then the small groups must also increase. The small groups (small boats) are going to make it through the storm together.

Churches must throw excess cargo overboard to make the load lighter to sail through the storm. They need to cut back some of the old roots and methods for new shoots to grow.

Just like in the story of the tortoise and hare, slow and steady wins the race. Churches need to steadily steer the boat to maneuver through the storm. No sudden moves or jerks to get off course in the wind. Keep our focus on Jesus Christ and the cross. He is our lighthouse for direction in the storm.

Most of all, enjoy the ride. It’s bumpy, wavy, and always an adventure, but God is in the storm and on the calm sea. Let Him drive the boat and guide you.

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Chapter 10 of The Church of the Perfect Storm was written by Mark Batterson. “God is calling the church out of the church and back into the middle of the marketplace” (page 110). Years ago church was the thing to do; it was the place to go. Not anymore. Generations today have other interests and many things to do and see.

According to George Barna, 61 percent of young adults who grew up going to church stopped going to church sometime during their 20’s (page 111). We learn from Dan Kimball why these adults stop going to church: They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Why don’t they like the church? One word: relevance. The church must be relevant to all people. If we ignore, imitate, and condemn culture, then people will do the same with the church. We must create culture. “We’re called to redeem” (page 114). Churches must be creative in how they minister to others. They must be creative in meeting locations, in activities and events, and even in their jobs. All Christ-followers are ministers, not just the paid church staff members. Every career should be a God-ordained calling: doctors, teachers, business people. We can build relationships and minister to others through our daily jobs, not just at the church building.

The author says, “There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet” (page 118). Be creative. It’s hard work to keep church alive, interesting, fresh and relevant, but we need to chase the lion of church creativity and keep it relevant to reach the generations of today and those who have stopped going to church.

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Chapter 9 of The Church of the Perfect Storm was written by Michael Blewett. When we head straight into the storm, we’re going to get wet. We’re going to have to get wet in relationship. “We are intimately and ‘indissolubly’ connected to Jesus and those whom Jesus loves” (page 104). Jesus loves difficult people; therefore, our lives will be difficult, yet merciful and memorable. These relationships will make us stronger. The storm waters are like glue that seals the broken bones of the Body of Christ back together again. (page 104) It’s not about where you’re going or how you’re getting there; it’s about with whom you’re traveling.

Like the Capital One ad says, “what’s in your wallet?”

Who’s in your boat? With whom are you traveling through the storm?

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Chapter 8 of The Church of the Perfect Storm was written by Bill Easum. In this chapter, he lists many equations for ministering in mid-storm. For his list of equations, see pages 92-97. I want to highlight a few of the most-interesting points of these equations.

The 21st Century church will take on a more organic than institutional form. We are beginning to see more house-churches being formed as church planting takes on multiple forms. Not every person learns by the same method and not every region attracts the same personalities; therefore, it requires multiple methods to reach people. Many times we only need a small space and a small group and we have a church. Sometimes there is no need for large mega facilities. The small group relationships are often appealing to younger generations where they feel they can make a difference in other people and causes.

Throughout this entire book, we’ve read that Jesus storm-chasers head straight into the storm. The author of this chapter is no exception. He explains that “the established church that survives mid-storm will be in continuous chaos until emerging on the other side of the storm, only to find another storm waiting” (page 93). Risk-taking leaders face the storm and create just enough chaos to destabilize the status quo to instigate changes. These leaders are big dreamers, flexible, and quick to respond.

The biggest dreamer and risk-taker of thriving churches is the pastor. “They pastor as spiritual leaders who listen to God rather than as corporate leaders who lead based on democratic rule” (page 94). Pastor-led churches are much more effective in building God’s Kingdom than congregational or democratic churches.

Every believer and Christ-follower is a minister. The church leader’s responsibility is to equip those believers to reach and teach others. The church must be engaging in the community, not sitting in church buildings in meetings. (See previous post on another chapter … In/Out-Out/In.)

Churches don’t have to be stuck on annual events and ideas. Generations today don’t plan in advance; they’re more spontaneous with events and activities. I find that true in the northeast/mid-atlantic region of the U.S. Previous churches where I’ve worked had an annual calendar and we planned one time each year for the entire next year. That doesn’t work in the mid-atlantic states. I can only plan events in 3-6 months time, and 6 months is stretching it. At best I plan 2-3 months in advance because of the fast-paced schedules, transient lifestyles, and changing interests of younger generations.

As we all head straight into the storm, let’s focus more on what we’re doing as Jesus storm-chasers instead of the method of riding the waves. It is more beneficial to build relationships to reach people, not be stuck with the traditional ways and events.

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Chapter 7 of The Church of the Perfect Storm was written by Earl J. Pierce. “Paradigms are mental constructs–frameworks for understanding and answering questions posed by the task at hand” (page 82). They are built through experience. As long as answers are provided and there is continued progress, then the paradigm remains in use by the individual who developed it. When there are no longer answers or progress, then there is a paradigm shift leading to a different experience.

One common paradigm shift is from cognitive to affective. From chapter 7, we learn that there are two primary domains of human behavior: affection (emotion) and cognition (reason). The affective paradigm provides answers based on feeling and emotion while the cognitive paradigm provides answers based on reason and logic. Both are in constant conflict within an individual.

An example of this paradigm shift is seen in the titles given to Christian leaders. In Judaism religious leaders are called ‘rabbi’ or teacher. The Christian term for these leaders is ‘pastor’ or shepherd. Even in these titles we see the shift from cognition to affection (reason to emotion). (page 85). Faith became the standard of living, instead of logic or reason.

Experiences play a great role in growing churches and building relationships. We must have the affective domain of growing relationships and experiences or individuals will pull away and find other ways to meet those needs. We must hold on to the experiences of Jesus and the cross and grow relationships as He did to survive the perfect storm.

For more information on this paradigm shift, please deposit 20 cents into this great book.

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