CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Dennis

What is God? An Investigation of the Perfection of God’s Nature

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It is a very special treat for me to introduce you to this book. It is a shame it was not written years ago. I say this because as I read this book I could hear Dr. Reymond teaching these very words and ideas. There was no course I took at Covenant Seminary that changed my life more than Dr. Reymond’s on the doctrine of God. Humanly speaking, I owe my Reformed theology to him as he patiently answered all my typical Arminian questions.

What is so helpful about this book is that it follows the pattern set out by J. Oliver Buswell in his systematics, explaining God by using the fourth question of the Shorter Catechism. Point by point you will see God clearer and clearer for who He is.

Even though this book is not set up for study classes, I used it to teach my college and career class. They too appreciated the depths of truth and Dr. Reymond’s ability to make deep things understandable and applicable.

Bob, thank you for finally writing this for everyone.

The One Year Make It Stick Devotions

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We do not normally review children’s books, but once in a while one comes along that deserves special mention. Emmett Cooper (PCA) is a master at developing ways to help people remember, and this book has many such helps.

Emmett visited our office years ago to introduce us to his HoneyWord system. The book had drawings from the Gospel stories, and each gospel writer was represented by an animal (Lion = Luke). There were also ways to remember the chapter number and even the verses. He showed us the system and then demonstrated how it worked in a few pictures. After the discussion went on for a time he opened to a new page and told us to figure out what the story was about and where it was located in the Bible – which we all did. We passed, and so did his system.

Well, I am happy to say that Emmett has once again put his God-given abilities to work; this time in the form of a one-year devotional for 6-10 year olds. Once you teach your children how the book works, it really makes the devotions fun, memorable, and applicable. If you use the book over the next year, you can have your child tell you the story as he or she figures it out from the helps. You can challenge yourself to see what you remember (you know your kids will), and you can even work on your older children and make it work for them.

This is really the kind of book I enjoy endorsing. Get it for your whole family.

What is God? An Investigation of the Perfection of God’s Nature

by

It is a very special treat for me to introduce you to this book. It is a shame it was not written years ago. I say this because as I read this book I could hear Dr. Reymond teaching these very words and ideas. There was no course I took at Covenant Seminary that changed my life more than Dr. Reymond’s on the doctrine of God. Humanly speaking, I owe my Reformed theology to him as he patiently answered all my typical Arminian questions.

What is so helpful about this book is that it follows the pattern set out by J. Oliver Buswell in his systematics, explaining God by using the fourth question of the Shorter Catechism. Point by point you will see God clearer and clearer for who He is.

Even though this book is not set up for study classes, I used it to teach my college and career class. They too appreciated the depths of truth and Dr. Reymond’s ability to make deep things understandable and applicable.

How We Teach and How They Learn, Part 1

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Over the years I have gone to MANY teacher training workshops. What I found interesting is that most of them simply focused on expanding a teacher’s arsenal of methods. After many years of studying the subject of how we learn and process new information, I have discovered that when you lay out all these teaching methods, people will pick those that best fit with their own learning style. This means that we will pick those methods we are comfortable using, but these will not reach as many as three-fourths of our students whose learning style is different from ours.

Learning styles is not a new subject, nor is it a fad. It was first defined in the 1950s. Christians were introduced to it in the early ’70s when Larry Richards taught us to develop our lessons using “Hook, Book, Look, Took.” I’m not sure how much Larry understood the science of learning styles at that time, but he got it just right.

Today it is recognized that the old “IQ” test is grossly inadequate for measuring intelligence. It is accepted that there are at least nine different intelligences that need to be measured.

How we process new information can be comfortably broken down into four categories. Cynthia Tobias calls them by more technical terms: concrete sequential, abstract sequential, abstract random, and concrete random. These can also be called concrete experience, abstract conceptualization, active experimentation, and reflective observation. Marleen LaFever and Bernice McCarthy refer to them more creatively as imaginative, analytic, common sense, and dynamic. Each describes a different way that learners take in new information and decide what to do with it.

If you have more than one child, you know how different they are. One might prefer to do homework while sitting on the floor with the radio blaring, while the other has to sit at a well lit table in complete silence. If you have more than two children there is a good chance that you are already aware of several different learning styles. For example, if you have a child or student who is very imaginative, he or she might like to talk in generalities rather than specifics and prefer to learn while talking. These children are empathetic, and might go so far as to let their grades drop so they can be part of a group. They work best in a noisy setting, and they don’t like to work alone. They also do not like lectures, which is true of three out of the four styles. Even the color scheme of the room can make a difference for them. While each of the learning styles has a list of characteristics, it must be clearly understood that almost no one fits tightly into any one category. Most of us will overlap into at least one other category.

A question I am often asked is: can our learning style change? The answer is no. We learn to adapt ourselves to the learning situation we are in if we want to survive or fit in.

One last point. Learning styles are often confused with modalities. There are three modalities: hearing, seeing, and motion. Each learning style will have those learners who are strong auditory learners, visual, and/or tactile/kinesthetic. These are subcategories of learning styles.

Equipping and the Future of Discipleship

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Nothing will ever take the place of one-on-one discipleship, and this article will not attempt to prove otherwise. Right now, I want you to just dream about what lies ahead for training in the future, the near future.

A number of years ago, I saw a cartoon where a preacher says to the congregation. “Now would you all key in … ” They all had laptops. I just laughed, but how far-fetched is that today? How many colleges don’t require them as standard equipment?

I have argued for years that the paper and ink book as we know it will begin fading away in my lifetime. Everyone then says to me that they do not like reading a book on a computer. Neither do I, but picture this: a handheld device that has a screen about the size of a book. It reads clearly. Beyond that you can change the font, its size and color, highlight the text, dog-ear the pages, and even make space to write in your own notes. Does this sound like science fiction? Well, I saw my first device like this in 1997! Today they are beginning to appear on the market. You don’t think this will take off for years? I was sitting on a ferry in Seattle a few weeks ago, and a woman in her forties was sitting across from me reading a book she downloaded from Amazon.

How does this affect discipleship? I am 57 and have used a computer since 1985, but I am not really what you would call a techno guy. However, I do know that times are changing – fast. The younger generation we want to reach knows nothing but computers, and they expect them to do everything.

Now, picture this for a Bible study. Your whole group has a device like I mentioned. They are doing the recently published study of Genesis, written by PCA pastor Will Hesterberg. There are many questions in the study that require students to write in their answers, and they can do it right on the screen – in class or at home.

CEP is working very closely with Logos Bible Software to begin producing such material in the near future. It will not only be student material. The package will contain video segments, PowerPoint presentations, notes for the students, and everything else needed to teach the course. But there will be one more feature for the teacher. Using Logos Bible Software, the teacher will be able to do research through their own, affordable library which may contain 300, 700, or more than 10,000 theological books. The teacher will not waste time trying to find things in several different books. All he or she will need to do is type in the reference (Bible text, word, or topic) and the software will search and open every source available in that library. You have got to see the power and ability of this system to believe it.

Am I promoting Logos Bible Software? You bet I am. Working with Logos, CEP will be able to expand its training and resources in incredible ways. You will begin to see more and more materials being produced by us in conjunction with them.

PS. In the future, don’t be surprised if you begin to get Equip to Disciple sent to you electronically with the capability of taking the articles and doing further research in Logos.

Organizing Discipleship

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In Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin says, “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.” It has also been said this way, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Both statements express great truth. Unfortunately, the church has a great reputation for not planning. Instead we live on activity and hope it is accomplishing something. Remember the last seven words of a church? “We’ve always done it that way before!”


For all the success stories that make their way through the Christian community, the reality is that the church is reaching fewer people. The famous Willow Creek Church has shown that in many congregations it is only the newer Christians who are being discipled. Those who have been in the church for any length of time feel they are not being fed. Planning and organizing is needed if we are to grow true kingdom disciples.


The Search Institute in Minneapolis in their published findings said, “Of all the areas of congregational life we examined, involvement in an effective Christian education program has the strongest tie to a person’s growth in faith and to loyalty to one’s congregation and denomination…. This is as true for adults as it is for adolescents…. Done well, it has the potential beyond any other congregational influence to deepen faith and commitment.”


Read entire publication in PDF (Acrobat Reader Required)


Some people love to organize. Their schedules are governed by Day-Timers. For others, it can be a terrible burden. Volunteers are hard to find, enthusiasm wears thin, and programs–even those already in place–can weigh heavily on the people “in charge.”


Organization is a tool.


In the hands of the craftsman, it can make the job easier and the product better. But when it takes the place of the craftsman, it becomes ludicrous. There is nothing intrinsically good or spiritual about trying to decide what a group will study two weeks before it is scheduled to meet. At the same time, a three-year program of study (approved by all the appropriate individuals, committees, and boards) can become deadening if it fails to adjust to the needs and resources of the group. In one case, it is like a person trying to work without the needed tool. In the other, the tool may take the place of the person. Can you imagine how little discipleship would take place if your pastor did not plan his sermons a year ahead?


Organization is a means to an end.


That end, in this case, is discipleship. Without a stated purpose and goals, there may be significant differences in what leaders are trying to accomplish. So before there is serious discussion regarding the organization of your structure and programs, there must be a careful consideration of your purpose. Organization will then provide the structure for you to tackle the job to which you are committed. Without some organization, there is no defined way for a group to work together; and the larger and more diverse the group, the greater the need for organization.


Those who know CEP Training Consultant Bob Edmiston know his favorite phrase is, “Go with the flow.” By that he means, “Be flexible. Without flexibility there is little sensitivity to the situation or to the Spirit. At the same time, it is imperative that ‘Go with the flow’ is said in the context of a structure.” Bob has written a manual he would not willingly tell you about himself – so I will. The aim of Organizing Your Christian Education Program is to give you the tools necessary to put together a structure for you to accomplish the Great Commission. It is designed for any size church that is willing to put the time into investing in a full discipleship program for all ages and for more than just Sunday school. Much of what you have been reading here was taken out of the introduction.


Make no mistake about it, planning takes work. But if you are not willing to take the time to plan for discipleship, you will still have made plans, but they won’t be to carry out the Great Commission.