The Start of Something New- January 2018

This last week was our first week running our brand new SBS program. If you have been following my updates you might know that we have drastically updated our program to be more accessible to the body of Christ. This program also opens up new avenues for us to partner with the local church.  In making these changes, we have seen a huge response, as we now have 8 students participating in our pilot school! Many of our current students would have not been able to attend our former school.We are so excited to see God call each and every one of our students to study scripture with us this semester. It has been such a wild ride. Five months ago, we sat down as staff and dreamt up a school for people without faces or names. Now we have 8 students, each one having been called to come on a journey down the Emmaus road and discover God through his own Word. Seminar WeekThis week has been our introduction to how we study scripture. We focused on teaching the students the Inductive Bible Study method (if you are not familiar with the Inductive method I suggest you check out this article). The students have had a crash course in studying Scripture, attending class every day from 8-12. For many of our students, the inductive method is a very new way to interact with Scripture. I remember learning it all as a student and finding myself frustrated and confused many times. It has been such a joy now on staff watching our students learn the Inductive method for themselves. Many of them understand the concept much faster than I ever did!Possibly the most exciting thing is to see the moment of discovery for the students. In one of my lectures, I told the students that they were going to be the GPS and I was just the driver. It was in this hour of class that I saw incredible learning take place as they directed me. They were the ones to explore the text and lead me in interpreting it.I’m so excited to walk with this group of students through the New Testament and explore with them on the Emmaus Road.  

Next For Me:At the end of the month I will be teaching the Gospel of Mark. In my lecture, I will focus on the major themes found throughout the book, the important historical context, and the structural layout of the text. Later in the semester, I will be also teaching 1^st Corinthians and 1^st Peter, as well as speaking at two different youth retreats. I have also started to teach at an assisted living home once a month on Sunday mornings. I have a pretty busy semester and I’m excited to step up to the plate. Current Prayer Requests:When you pray for our ministry, please join me in praying for our students. Pray that God would continue to open himself up to these students. Pray that each one makes serious progress in knowing God more while attending the school.Please also join us in praying for the financial support of the staff. Several staff members, along with myself, still have financial needs that need to be meet. Pray that God will work through individuals, excited about our ministry, to partner with us on this journey.Please also pray that Jesus will continue to speak through me, both in my one on ones with the students and through my bible lectures. I find myself more concerned with trying to impress people through my wisdom or the way that I teach rather than the actual development of students. I find myself obsessing over what I think the students will think of me. Pray that I'll be more concerned with what they think of Jesus and not myself. Thank you for your prayers and continual support.