Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I found this in my inbox this morning and knew immediately I wanted to use it in this blog. I asked the person who sent it for the identity of its source but I’ve not receive a reply yet.

I’m so anxious to share it, though, that I’m going to use it with no credit. If and when I find out the creator, I’ll alter this post. In the meantime, if you know the source, please tell me. Read more »

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Here’s an encouraging word for Bible teachers from Glenn Brooke, the author of Teach the Bible to Change Lives:

Be positive about God’s work in people’s lives.

Many of the people coming to your class or group are hurting. They’ve been through a lot. Maybe not life-threatening stuff, but just the regular wear and tear of day-to-day living can drag people down and discourage them.

Sometimes you won’t know it because a person puts on a ’stained-glass masquerade.’ (Casting Crowns has a great song with that title. There’s a lyric that goes “Maybe if they all believe it, I’ll believe it, too.”)

Sometimes it will be brutally obvious, so they don’t need to be beaten up.

It’s pretty easy to be a Bible teacher and get in to pointing out how far short we are from the biblical description of what we should be. But our job is not to heap guilt on people (Satan does that, folks!), but to remind them of their destination: perfection in Christ.

Check out your lesson with these three questions:

1. Is there at least one mention of the AWESOME POWER of GOD to transform every one of us?
2. Are you pointing people to Jesus for that transformation?
3. Are you speaking in an encouraging, positive way, to build them up?

Part of our role as a Bible teacher is to help people see how God is working in their lives, especially when a person may not be able to see it clearly themselves.

I can speak much more about this teacher/pastor role of helping people, but it won’t do you any good unless you are teaching positively and encouragingly about the power of
our Lord in their lives.

So that’s where to start: check yourself, your speech, your tone of voice, and your teaching points.

(End of article)

Let Glenn’s words be an encouragement to you as you teach the Bible to change lives!

Love,
Brother Bill

About the Author:

Bill Walker is the creator and webmaster of Everyday Christianity, which provides ministry and resources for Christian families. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to the website at http://www.EverydayChristianity.com.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Here’s a new perspective–at least to me–on the way in which we can come to know God. It’s from Rumors of Another World by Phillip Yancey:

“The ordinary natural world contains the supernatural, a necessary step since we do not have the capacity to apprehend God directly. We see God best in the same way we see a solar eclipse: not by staring at the sun, which would cause blindness, but through something on which the sun is projected.”

The harder I try to get to know God; the more I try to “figure Him out”, the more blind corners I hit. For me, God is reflected in the person of Jesus Christ. I can begin to grasp God–and it is only that–when I think of what Jesus said when to Philip when he asked to see God, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Today I will reflect on God by practicing the presence of Jesus.

Love,
Brother Bill

About the Author:

Bill Walker is the creator and webmaster of Everyday Christianity, which provides ministry and resources for Christian families. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to the website at http://www.EverydayChristianity.com.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Do Pharisees still exist? Well, certainly some of the attitudes do. What’s more, sometime these attitudes are in us–I can speak for myself specifically. We call it “holier than thou”, usually.

I got the quote below in an email from ChristianBibleStudies.com. It started me thinking about how often my own pharisaical thinking rears its ugly head. Take a look at this true-life experience:

“When our children were young, my husband and I decided we wouldn’t watch R-rated movies. We wouldn’t allow our children to watch them, so we decided that to watch them ourselves would be confusing to them. We made this decision in good conscience and never regretted it. I found, however, that it made me feel judgmental toward other parents who watched R-rated movies. I began to feel they weren’t fully committed to Christ because they watched things I’d decided not to watch.

Even as I write this, I realize how ridiculous it is to judge someone’s relationship with God by what rating of movies he or she watches, but it was so subtle at the time. Since it was a sacrificial commitment for me, I instinctively evaluated other people’s spiritual dedication when they talked about the latest movie they’d watched. As I made this judgment, I never thought about my own sin or all the things that person was doing right. Instead I focused on this one thing I thought they were doing wrong.

The ability to see sin in others and ignore it in your own heart is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a Pharisee, and being a Pharisee is so easy. It’s great to make rules to guide our own behavior, but when we extend those rules to everyone around us, we’re in danger of becoming pharisaical.”

(End of Quote)

I remember from my youth a comic strip named “Pogo”, and a famous line which I’m probably misquoting but hopefully getting the jist of: “We have met the enemy and it is us.” Gotta watch that pharasaical thinking.

Let us pray that our practice of everyday Christianity will cause us to look inward and allow the Holy Spirit to change us instead of us seeking to change others.

Love,
Brother Bill

About the Author:

Bill Walker is the creator and webmaster of Everyday Christianity, which provides ministry and resources for Christian families. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to the website at http://www.EverydayChristianity.com.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

For some time I have been led to send notes and cards to the people around me at church and at work with the intent of encouraging them in the faith and expressing gratitude for what they do. This calling, if you will, led to the creation of www.sarcalogos.com.

On my website, I have essays, letters, articles–whatever you want to call them–along with books, ebooks, etc. all aimed at building up Christians and Christian families. If you visit Sarcalogos, I’d be interested in your comments.

Lately, I’ve been led to create this blog. Just today I read a short article on ChristianityToday.com that I took as a confirmation of this latest step. Read more »

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Here’s another Bible teaching tip from Glenn Brooke:

“Prepare with God’s desired outcome in mind.

Now you might be thinking, “That’s not new, Glenn.”

Which is exactly correct.

But as Richard Halverson said, “It is as important to be reminded as it is to be informed.”

I need to be reminded of this, FREQUENTLY, in my own teaching ministry.

Because it’s pretty easy to work up powerful hooks, great discussion questions, illustrations, even humor that you know will help conversation, and forget about your
objective: the application, and the launch at the end of the teaching time.

So let’s keep about our primary business: teaching to change lives.

Start with prayerfully identifying the objective. What does God want this class or group to learn at this specific time?

I recommend you actually write this down on paper, so you are sure to have it in words.

Then build everything towards that end. And then we go on to the next time. Repeat until the Lord calls us home!”

Thanks, Glenn.

Changing lives. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Changing lives ETERNALLY!

Our goal as Christians–the great commission given to us by Jesus Christ–is to change lives!

Whether you are called and gifted as a teacher of the Bible or have some other calling, you share with all of us the calling to spread the good news–the saving news–of Jesus Christ.

That’s what “Everyday Christianity” is all about. Whatever our calling, we are to bring Christ into all aspects of our everyday lives.

If your specific calling is teach the Bible, you might want to check out Glenn’s course by clicking here or on the banner at the top of the page.

Love,
Brother Bill

About the Author:

Bill Walker is the creator and webmaster of Everyday Christianity, which provides ministry and resources for Christian families. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to the website at http://www.EverydayChristianity.com.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence has, without doubt, had more impact of my daily walk with Jesus Christ than has any book other than the Bible.

I have read and reread this little book since I discovered it over ten years ago. Of course, it has been around much longer than that and countless other Christians long ago discovered it.

You also my already know and be familiar with this simple account of one man’s journey with the Lord. If, however, you are not, I invite you to download it for free by right-clicking on the link below.

The Practice of the Presence of God

If you would like a bound copy of a newer version written in more modern language, you can click here to pick one of several others including the one pictured in this article.

I pray that God will speak to you through its pages and that it will spark and stimulate your own daily walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Love,
Brother Bill

About the Author:

Bill Walker is the creator and webmaster of Everyday Christianity, which provides ministry and resources for Christian families. This article may be reprinted in your e-zine, e-book and/or on your web site so long as it includes this resource box and a link back to the website at http://www.EverydayChristianity.com.