I'm in the midst of writing our new Bible study for Term 4. This is something that takes a while and yet I learn so much about the topic because I have to sift through context, meaning and application. It's a process that can be frustrating, particularly when trying to discern what key point I want the girls to take home.
Another challenge is the time-frame of each lunchtime group. We have about 30mins to read the passage and discuss it. For Ruth I have a few choices - choose key verses that point to the main purpose of the chapter, read each chapter each week or spend Week 1 reading the whole story. The main drawback with that option is that I have different girls coming each week and they need to hear the story too. I could email the passages out each week for the girls to read, but will they do that? I need God's help in discerning how to best tell the story of Ruth while not leaving anything out.
Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
Hi Rebekah, how exciting to be studying the book of Ruth!
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of choosing key verses for each study since you have limited time and people are not regular. Perhaps you can have a quick story overview at the beginning of each study to keep people up to speed. You can even try doing it in a creative way each time (drawing, playdough, use a single word for each plot development).
I hope the preparation will not be too stressful. Sometimes when I feel a study has flopped people actually learn from it and vice versa. The Proverb you’ve shared is a great reminder that God is in control. Of course I am always reminding myself that this does not give me license to be lazy (hehe) but it sounds like you are doing the prep work faithfully so leave the growing in God’s hands =)