epidemic (ĕp-ĭ-dĕm´-ĭk) n. An outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely.
It's no overstatement to say that legions of Christians are infected by "an outbreak of a contagious disease," a disease that seems to be spreading "rapidly and wildly" throughout the culture. It is especially prevalent among U.S. Christians in leadership positions, ...
Craig Tiley became the interim coach of the University of Illinois men's tennis team in 1993. During the off-season he developed a detailed, long-term plan that included winning a conference title within three years, competing at a national level within five, and winning the NCAA championship and producing "impact pros" within a decade. In 2003, Tiley's team won its first national title. Tiley won ...
Some church leaders find planning a formidable exercise. In reality, the planning process is simple — conceptually. It can be described as answering seven key questions:
Spiritual Needs Assessment: What are the greatest spiritual needs of our church and community?
Strengths and Weaknesses: What are the greatest strengths and weaknesses of our church?
Opportunities and Threats or Barriers: What are the most significant ministry opportunities for and potential threats (or barriers) to our church, given the answers to the first two questions?
How many times have you been in a committee meeting that went well, but in the weeks that followed, little or nothing happened? People either didn't remember or didn't act on what was said. So much talk, so little action.
Having endured that many times, I finally abandoned the traditional minutes of the meeting. Instead, I record a short, simple list of action steps. The only written record of the ...
A few years ago a low budget movie became a box office smash. The story line followed a boy who had a mysterious capacity to see what other people could not see—in this case seeing and interacting with people who weren't alive. The famous line in this movie, The Sixth Sense, was the boy's revelation, "I see dead people." It's eerie but quite memorable.
At 7:30 a.m. the bank president and I walked into the bank together. I was fresh out of college and beginning a career as a manager in the human resources department.
As we approached the foyer doors, Leonard, the janitor, was busy doing his three-times-a-day routine of cleaning fingerprints off the glass. After exchanging the customary pleasantries, the bank president said to Leonard, "You are one ...
I sat in my car, eyeing the church doorway with distaste. I'd passed through those portals every day this week—and the week before. Traitorous questions nibbled at the edges of my consciousness. Could there be too much service in the name of the Lord? If there were an organization called Volunteers Anonymous, would I qualify for membership?
I began to take a strong look at my church life. ...
Individual Learning Styles Great teaching matches truth with the ways people learn best. by Penny Zettler
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Educators have found at least four separate learning styles, each with its own optimum teaching methods. Individual educational theorists label their quadrants differently, but I prefer the schema Bernice McCarthy outlined in the 4MAT System. She distinguishes four kinds of students: innovative learners, analytic learners, common sense learners, and dynamic learners. The following descriptions lean ...
Style Matters for Children Use the individual learning approaches of children to inspire spiritual growth. by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
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It doesn't take an advanced degree in education to identify and understand the learning styles of children, no matter how old they are. With a little time, effort, and observation, you'll be able to determine how a child learns best and use that understanding to deepen that child's love for God.
Auditory
The child chatters almost constantly. They need to hear themselves talk. But that need to hear information ...