How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was smaller than normal, but thanks to negative COVID tests, we were able to enjoy it without worrying about becoming ill. Of course, this means Christmas will be here soon. Here are the social media challenges for the week in case you missed them.
Monday: Did you miss this post last week? You can always search our blog for past posts on topics of interest. Here’s a fun activity you can do to begin discussing Bible stories and scriptures dealing with, bias, prejudice, favoritism, etc. http://teachonereachone.org/fun-bible-class-activity-on-bias/?fbclid=IwAR14UVZoUyUUR2PwERsfDR71e-ZeFND8XpHTxbu3UPifF-Ne1N3V52_lM_g
Tuesday: Are you thankful for your Bible students? Let them know. Better yet, send each a note that tells them something specific and positive you see in them. Let them know you can’t wait to see how God uses them. For some young people, notes like that can be life changing.
Wednesday: Did you know the more senses you involve in your Bible lessons, the better your students will remember it? One of the senses that enhances memory the most, but is rarely used is smell. You will have to get creative, but it’s possible. Bringing in a portable, small electric grill and having someone grill meat outside your classroom while you teach a lesson involving an animal sacrifice gives an authentic smell. What other ways can you add authentic smells to lessons?
Thursday: At Teach One Reach One Ministries we are thankful for you! While we do everything we can to help support your ministry with free resources, you are on the front lines every day. We know how draining that can be. We love and appreciate all you are doing to serve and teach kids, teens and their parents. Try to take some Sabbath type rest today. It’s okay. (And at least once every week.) You and your ministry will be stronger for it.
Friday: The Christmas season officially begins today. Unfortunately, it can become a stumbling block for some young people. Why? Because they hear about Christ being “born on Christmas Day” only to find out no one really knows when Jesus was born for sure. Or they are taught about the three wisemen only to later learn we don’t know for sure how many there were. Sounds silly, but being taught those things as though they were truths – only to find out they aren’t necessarily- will make some young people wonder what other half truths or theories they have been taught as truth in Church. They will find atheists or even theologians who believe some of the truths in the Bible are myths and be more likely to believe them because of how things like Christmas are handled in sloppy ways. It doesn’t undermine Christmas to state the truth – some early Christians picked the date – especially since western Christians and Orthodox Christians even chose different dates for Christmas. Being careful to be totally honest with your Bible students about things like Christmas will give you credibility when you teach them truths they absolutely must believe.