Letters from the Woods

              This week, my class is challenged to consider the Christian education of our local church through the lens found in chapter 11 Toward a Theologically Informed Approach to Education. [1]   Within the chapter, there are references made for different strategies associated with Christian education.   The topic of Christian education could include Sunday school, Wednesday bible study, small groups, or even a church school.   My local church does not have a connect Christian school; however, we have regularly maintained Sunday school and Wednesday night bible study for many years.   Unfortunately, these programs have suffered due to COVID in 2020.   We shut down our Sunday school program except for a slimmed down children’s program on Sunday mornings.   Our Wednesday night bible study has morphed toward a more online approach this year, but it is part of our practices.   It is through ...

              This week for an assignment, we were charged to watch part ten “Galileo Was Right” of the HBO series “From the Earth to the Moon” which can be purchased from YouTube as well as on HBOMax.   Within the episode, the astronauts are charged with learning geology as a part of their training for the Apollo 15 mission.   The astronauts had a singular focus on what their mission was to be.   The lead astronauts first believed their mission was simply to fly to the moon grab some random rocks and return home where the “real geologists” would then test their theories.   The thought process was that anything would work, and the actual flight was far more important.   If the rocks returned were not satisfactory, there would be other missions to find more adequate samples.   Unfortunately, the NASA Apollo program was beginning to traction in congress budgetary concerns would limit future missi...

               During my current week of study, we were tasked to read chapter two “What Makes Education Christian” from A Theology of Christian Education by James Estep. [1]   The chapter details what makes education Christian or non-Christian.   There are four reflection questions posed at the end of chapter which I will document and reflect upon. 1.      How would you have defined Christian education prior to reading this chapter?   What about now? a.         I have considered Christian education to be about learning how to be a Christian.   I grew up with the understanding of the better you know the bible the more of Christian you will become.   This concept was at the foundation of my spiritual growth.   It was only later that I discovered the richness that could be found in Christian education beyond simple bible study.   There was theology, church histo...

  Small group ministries are vital expressive ways for the church to continually grow spiritually as individuals and one body. In reading Discovering Discipleship , I was intrigued to learn the overarching history of small group ministry can be focused on John Wesley. [1]   Wesley’s classes and societies lay a wonderful foundation of how one could approach small group ministry.   Each level of Wesley’s program was meant to bring about a different type of change in the life of the believers.   For Wesley, there were three different groups which each had their own important part towards the spiritual growth of the church. [2]   In the societies, the Methodists were receiving biblical instruction among a larger group very much like our congregational worship services.   In the class meetings, the Methodists began to world through what they should do and what they should do.   This group was focused on rooting out negative behaviors of the society. ...

              Perfection is a word we use to explain when something is faultless.   Perfection comes with the mindset there can be no blemish.   A perfect game in baseball means no hits and no walks.   A perfect season means no losses or ties if the sport allows for ties.   A perfect grade means no wrong answers.   So, what does Christian Perfection mean?   Does this mean a Christian with no blemishes on their record?   They live without sin?   Many think this is what John Wesley taught when he preached Christian Perfection and entire sanctification.   There became a counterpoint that Wesley said we could be perfect in this world.   While Wesley used the term perfection, he did not stick to a faultless definition of perfection.   He chose to describe perfection as completion.   To Wesley, Christian Perfection was a perfection in love.   Love is the summation of ...

  Have you ever considered the over abundance of social media in our world today.  There is Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, and so much more.  There seems to be a new social media platform every year.  Why is that?  Because it is not good for any of us to be alone.  We need each other.  Ever stop to think about the stories from the early lockdowns.  We all strove to do something with others especially when it became no longer proper or safe to gather together.  Our first reaction to lockdown was a desire to be with others.  Whether it was on Zoom, FaceTime, Google Duo, or some other video service, we wanted to be with others.  That is our nature.  God created us to be that way.  Genesis tells us that it is not good for man to be alone; therefore, God created a life mate for him.  We are meant to be in community with each other.   It can be difficult to think about the Christian walk being mor...