by Terry_Powell | Sep 10, 2021 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry, Christian Living in the Trenches, Church Leadership and Ministry |
What happens on the inside is far more important than external attractiveness. In the late spring of 1999, I was the teacher of record for a European tour that offered college academic credit for recent high school grads. The students had just received their diplomas...
by Terry_Powell | Jun 22, 2021 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry, Christian Living in the Trenches, Church Leadership and Ministry, Depression and Faith
Do I listen to my pastor’s sermons, or do I just hear them? To listen implies engaging the mind and processing the preacher’s words. To hear means the sound waves are entering my ear canal but I’m not concentrating on them. What a privilege I’ve...
by Terry_Powell | Feb 1, 2016 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry
For 45 years, I’ve been teaching Bible in both formal and informal venues. Here are truths that have cultivated resiliency within me despite the inadequacy, warfare, and weariness that accompany a teaching ministry. You’ll profit more from this post if you read...
by Terry_Powell | Jul 30, 2015 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry
In a Bible study group where the leader employs discussion, “relativism” occurs when participants look inward for answers, rather than observing and interpreting the Bible text for that day. It’s a focus on “what you think the verse means,” rather than on what the...
by Terry_Powell | Jul 29, 2015 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry
During 45 years of teaching and leading group Bible studies, I’ve discovered the value of these skills to facilitate effective interaction: 1. Qualifying My Questions A good discussion leader keeps the focus on God’s Word rather than human opinion. When you...
by Terry_Powell | Jul 21, 2015 | Bible Teaching and Small Group Ministry
“Chasing rabbits” is an analogy describing the activity of participants who steer a discussion off course. They chase down a thread of discussion like it is a nose-twitching, rascally varmint that doesn’t run in a straight line. They zig and zag, bolt right, then...