Category Archives: Study

Books, Discipleship, Resources, Risk, Self-Leadership, Study, Theology

49

Over the Christmas break, I wrote down a few goals and plans for 2012. One of those goals was to read 50 books between January and December 2012.

Yesterday, I finished my 49th book. I am inches from reaching my goal. In fact, I should cross that line sometime tonight or Friday.

How did I do it?

First, as I wrote last week, you can gain a lot of momentum in your reading when you choose the RIGHT kind of books to read. For me, I read books on Theology, Philosophy, and Best Practices. This way I am making the most of my time and energy and avoiding books that might not stretch me mentally or professionally.

Secondly, at the outset of the year I listed about 30 books that I wanted to read. Some books on my list are ones that were published in years previously and some are books that I know will be published later this year. Some are books I have always wanted to read but have not had the opportunity. I have since edited and re-edited that list but I believe by laying out a plan and choosing individual titles to read it set me on the path to achieving my goal early. It took the guess work out of choosing my next book and it kept me from blindly groping for any book to read next.

I also make time to read DAILY. On Monday morning when I get to the office it is “all sermon prep, all the time” from the minute I sit down at my desk. This is the day I’m reading scripture, commentaries, articles, you name it in order to prepare for next Sunday’s message. I take a break from around 12-2pm for lunch and a mentoring call. I wrap up my sermon prep for the day and then I make sure to spend about another hour reading from my list. There once was a time when I would have said, “I’ve been reading all day” and I would have made an excuse that I had already “read” for the day. No more. My goal is to read no less than one hour a day. Monday is just an hour. Other days I can get in more. Each day brings with it it’s own troubles and obstacles. If you want to read more books that will develop you personally, intellectually, or spiritually you have to commit to reading each day. No matter what!

Next Steps
The point isn’t for you to read 50 books or 100 or whatever. Reading has impacted my life greatly and I want to see it make a difference in your life. One of my favorite quotes is from Charlie “Tremendous” Jones when he says, “Ten years from now you will be the same, except for the books you read and the people you meet.” If you read one more book this year than you did last year you will be better for it and you will be better equipped to lead those around you. So, ready to set a reading goal? Here are some next steps you can take:

1) Today, make a list of the categories you would like to begin reading. Do you want to read more books on history, more literature, business books, foreign languages? There are thousands of books out there from a thousand different categories. Pick a handful of categories that will help you grow and that you will find enjoyable.

2) Next, list at least 5 books that you want to read in the categories you’ve chosen. Then begin reading from your lists. My list for this year is in Evernote. Next to each book I’ve chosen I have a check box and as I read each book, I check it off the list. Some books, after closer inspection, end up getting dropped from my list or moved down the list in order to make room for something that I need to read or is a better resource. Once your list is in place, you can stop worrying about what your going to read.

3) Pull out your calendar and find at least one hour a day in order to read from your lists. It doesn’t have to be all in one sitting. 30 minutes at lunch and 30 minutes before bedtime is manageable. Instead of watching that 3rd and 4th episode in a row of Diners, DriveIns, & Dives (guilty!), read. You have time to read- I promise. Get creative about making time. Make the hard decisions. Sacrifice the things you love in order to do the things you love more.

Don’t just sit there- get reading!

Question: What is one book you’ve read that you would recommend over and above any other book? (Leave your answer in the comments section.)

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Books, Campus Ministry, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Harding, Resources, Study, Uplift 2011 Resources

Uplift 2011 Faith Resources

I spent the first part of the week at Harding University teaching junior and senior high students at Uplift summer camp. This was my 6th year teaching a class and marked my 19th anniversary of attending Uplift. Yes. I am officially old!!!

Tuesday, my class focused on the Shield of Faith that Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:16. I told them that our Shield of Faith is indestructible if it is built on the foundation of the truth of who Jesus is. I encouraged them to read and study scripture and reliable resources that will help them find the truth of Jesus and who he really is.

I promised the students that I would post some apologetic resources here on the blog for them to look at. The books by Lee Strobel were books I read as a teen that were indispensable for me in strengthening my faith and showing me that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God.

It is ok to have questions about what you believe. It is ok to struggle with answers and to seek out help in strengthening your faith. It is my hope that these resources will be helpful to you as you seek the truth, face your doubts, and find security in Jesus!

The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
The Case for Christ records Lee Strobel’s attempt to “determine if there’s credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God.” The book consists primarily of interviews between Strobel (a former legal editor at the Chicago Tribune) and biblical scholars such as Bruce Metzger. Each interview is based on a simple question, concerning historical evidence (for example, “Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?”), scientific evidence, (“Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus’ Biographies?”), and “psychiatric evidence” (“Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?”). Together, these interviews compose a case brief defending Jesus’ divinity, and urging readers to reach a verdict of their own. (from the product description)

Case for Christ–Student Edition
Who Was Jesus? A good man? A lunatic? God? There’s little question that he actually lived. But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that–stories. A reasonable person would never believe them, let alone the claim that he’s the only way to God! But a reasonable person would also make sure that he or she understood the facts before jumping to conclusions. That’s why Lee Strobel–an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions–decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity’s claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards. He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. You’ll consult expert testimony as you sift through the truths that history, science, psychiatry, literature, and religion reveal. Like Strobel, you’ll be amazed at the evidence–how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says. The facts are in. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ? (from the product description)

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity
Award-winning reporter and author Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ) once again uses his investigative skills to address the primary objections to Christianity. As a former atheist, Strobel understands the rational resistance to faith. He even names the eight most convincing arguments against Christian faith:

  • If there’s a loving God, why does this pain-wracked world groan under so much suffering and evil?
  • If the miracles of God contradict science, then how can any rational person believe that they’re true?
  • If God is morally pure, how can he sanction the slaughter of innocent children as the Old Testament says he did?
  • If God cares about the people he created, how could he consign so many of them to an eternity of torture in hell just because they didn’t believe the right things about him?
  • If Jesus is the only way to heaven, then what about the millions of people who have never heard of him?
  • If God really created the universe, why does the evidence of science compel so many to conclude that the unguided process of evolution accounts for life?
  • If God is the ultimate overseer of the church, why has it been rife with hypocrisy and brutality throughout the ages?
  • If I’m still plagued by doubts, then is it still possible to be a Christian?

These are mighty tough questions, and Strobel fields them well. Rather than write a weighty dissertation about the merits of faith, he brings us along on his quest as we meet leaders in the Christian community, such as Peter Kreeft and William Lane Craig. We also encounter his everyday friends and acquaintances that serendipitously fill in the holes in each of the eight arguments against faith. The use of dialogue from personal interviews and a scene-by-scene active narrative makes this an easy and engaging read. However, easy does not mean breezy. This is a book of substance and merit, one that will help Christians defend their faith, especially during the hardest of times, when they have to defend their faith to themselves in moments of doubt. (from Amazon review)

Also available as Case for Faith–Student Edition

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God
Are Christianity and science incompatible? If there is a God, is he only an impersonal starter force? An introductory high school biology class first propelled Lee Strobel toward a life of atheism. God and science, he reasoned, were mutually exclusive. When the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune converted to Christianity, he decided to investigate the science he had once accepted as truth. Did science point toward or away from God? As Strobel interviews a variety of scientists on everything from debunking evolutionary icons to the implications of the Big Bang to the existence of the human soul, he builds his case: scientific evidence points toward Intelligent Design.
Although the discussion often veers into the academic, Strobel works hard to make it accessible to those without scientific training. Throughout the book, he salts interview transcript information with interesting personal stories of his own spiritual and scientific quest for knowledge, as well as sometimes over-detailed descriptions of the actual interviews. Each chapter contains suggestions for further reading on particular issues of science and faith. (from Amazon review)

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
Why does God allow suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to hell? Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive? How can there be one true religion? Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God? Timothy Keller addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics and even ardent believers, have about religion. Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in God is, in fact, a sound and rational one. To true believers he offers a solid platform on which to stand their ground against the backlash to religion created by the Age of Skepticism. And to skeptics, atheists, and agnostics, he provides a challenging argument for pursuing the reason for God. (from the back cover)

Is the Bible True . . . Really?: A Dialogue on Skepticism, Evidence, and Truth
Did the Resurrection Happen . . . Really?: A Dialogue on Life, Death, and Hope
Who is Jesus . . . Really?: A Dialogue on God, Man, and Grace
With over 40 million books sold, bestselling author Josh McDowell is no stranger to creatively presenting biblical truth. Now, partnering with fellow apologist Dave Sterrett, Josh introduces a new series targeted at the intersection of story and truth. The Coffee House Chronicles are short, easily devoured novellas aimed at answering prevalent spiritual questions. Each book in the series tackles a long-contested question of the faith, and then answer these questions with truth through relationships and dialogue in each story.

In Is the Bible True, Really?: A Dialogue on Skepticism, Evidence, and Truth, we meet Nick, a college freshman at a state school in Texas. Nick has his spiritual world turned upside-down with what he hears in an introduction to religion class. His questions turn into conversations as he dialogues with professors, friends, and family about the authenticity and authority of the Bible. The other two books in the series: Who is Jesus, Really? and Did the Resurrection Happen, Really? continue the unfolding story at the college campus and the coffee house down the road. (from product description)

Is God Just a Human Invention? And Seventeen Other Questions Raised by the New Atheists
Atheism is making a comeback. From bookstores to bus campaigns, the question of God is up for public debate–and well-known atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are leading the charge. While these authors, who have been dubbed “The New Atheists,” argue against religion in general, they aim most of their criticisms and complaints at the world’s largest religion–Christianity. Why are people reading books that bash God and ridicule faith? And how can Christians respond? The writings of the New Atheists are especially challenging to the emerging generation who are skeptical of authority and have not been given answers to the hows and whys of faith’s honest questions. For these readers especially, authors Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow have penned an accessible yet rigorous look at the arguments of the New Atheists. Writing from a distinctively Christian perspective, McDowell and Morrow lay out the facts so that the emerging generation can make up their own mind after considering all the evidence. Divided into two parts–the first addressing the scientific and philosophical challenges to belief in God and the second dealing with the moral and biblical challenges–Is God Just a Human Invention? will respond to each major argument in a way that is balanced, thorough, and easy to understand. McDowell and Morrow believe that the current religious landscape is both an opportunity and a challenge for people of faith. Now is the time to respond. (from the publisher)

I’d love to hear from you what you think of these resources. Drop me a message in the comments or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. I really hope that at least one of the resources will be helpful to you and your faith journey. My prayers are with you a you…

Seek the Truth.
Humble yourself.
Be Introspective.
Enlist help.
Listen.
Decide to stand!

peace,
Micheal

Best Practices, Leadership, Planning, Preaching, Sermons, Study

Sermon Prep

Over the last few years I have been experimenting with my weekly schedule in order to maximize my time studying, ministering, teaching, and planning so I can then make sure that I am growing personally and relationally in my own faith and with my family. I have to stay on top of things organizationally because, frankly, organization doesn’t come naturally to me. I get a real kick when people tell me they think I am “really good at organization.” Any semblance of order has come from many hours of trial and error, flexibility and expiermentation.

Now that I am having to present a message in the form of a sermon each week, I’ve been playing around with my schedule again trying to figure out how I can adequately prepare for the weekly message and do everything else I need to do. Nelson Searcy says, “Someone pays the price for the sermon preparation. Either the pastor pays the price during the week or the people pay the price on Sunday!” I firmly believe that!

One goal I have set is to have everything for Sunday- outline, presentation, notes, full sermon- ready to go by Thursday afternoon. For the most part, this has happened and I have felt like my schedule and crazy life has really benefitted from this goal.

Having the message finished by Thursday allows for a few thing:

1. Friday is my day off. The last thing I want to do is worry about, fiddle with, and obsess over my message for the weekend. My day off is for me to abide with the Father and spend time with my family. Fridays are Hewson and Daddy days. I owe the Father and my family my attention for the day. Having my message finished by Thursday actually helps me be present where I need to be on Fridays.

2. Everything is ready for the bulletin. Each week, I provide a fill in the blank outline for people to follow along with on Sunday morning. It is my responsibility to make sure that I’m not throwing something together at the last minute.

3. After spending the whole week on my message, stepping away for a few hours helps me internalize the message. This is a personal conviction I have: I believe that standing and reading a script (not-so)subtly communicates to people that “This message didn’t impact my heart enough to make much of a difference in my own life so… yeah.” How sad.  If I can’t remember the message to deliver it, no one who hears it will remember it or apply it tho their life either.

4. I’m not staying up late on Saturday putting together a PowerPoint presentation. When I was a campus minister I had to put together a ppt presentation almost every single day so I’m pretty proficient. Still, that last thing that I want to do is mess with my slides. I want to be running through my message, memorizing, cutting unnecessary tangents, and praying over the words I’ll be saying. Visuals are super important to me but they aren’t what I want to spend the bulk of my time on when the pressure is on.

There have been other benefits to getting everything together by Thursday but these are the ones that I have seen week in and week out. Sure, life gets in the way and the Spirit has challenged me to stray from my outline late Saturday night. However, I have found that when I am prepared I am much more flexible and in a position to react with an open heart and open mind because I’m not rushed and frantic.

This has worked for me. Maybe it will inspire you to find what works for you.

Resources, Spilling Personal Secrets, Study

Give It Away

2 Comments

Some have asked me how I take notes or how I can remember specifics from things that I have read long after the book has been retired to the shelf. Well wonder no more!

I got this from Tim Sanders’ book, Love Is The Killer App a few years ago so I can’t take any credit for this. I implemented this approach since then and began seeing the benefits almost immediately. Maybe this approach will help you as well. Using the last book I finished I’ll show you pictures of what works best for me.

First I jot down notes and references on the inside of the front cover (see picture below). I make sure to write the page number first and then follow it up with the main point, thought, or summation of the idea that I find interesting. Sanders recommends allowing only one line per note but that doesn’t work for me. When finished this becomes an index for all the takeaways and information that you have found helpful, insightful, or just plain interesting. It will serve you as a pretty good roadmap next time you’re tying to remember something you read. Best of all this info isn’t stored on your computer or on a some ratty piece of paper shoved between the pages. These notes will be forever with the book. Pretty handy indeed!

Notes (Front Cover)

After I’ve taken notes on the front cover I then write down quotes and definitions in the back of the book (see pic below). I am not as diligent about writing down full quotes in the back as I am with jotting notes in the front. Typically, if there is a great quote more than likely I’ve highlighted it. Regardless, writing down full quotes helps you internalize the message and aids you in remembering what you found important or interesting.

Notes (Back Cover)

So there you go! Maybe this method of note taking will help you become a better reader or maybe even a better leader.

What do you do to help yourself better understand or retain what you’re reading? Leave your solutions or ideas in the comment section. Let’s help each other learn and lead with greater understanding.

Bible Study, Experience, Mac, Resources, Study

At The Accordance Seminar

Today I’m at the Accordance Training Seminar at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I have used the Accordance software on my Mac for the past 4 years and love it. The software has been an indispensable resource to me for personal study and for professional lesson preparation. I am very much looking forward to finding better and more useful ways to maximize my Accordance experience. Oh yeah… and this seminar is FREE! Woo-Hoo!

Check out the Accordance Software website for more information. If you have a Mac and are looking for the absolute best Bible program look no further.

Live Blog of the Seminar

9:12am: And… here… we… Go!
9:15am: Intro. from Mark Allison. Working with Accordance for 10 years.
9:17am: Latest version is 8.2.1. (I’m up-to-date!)
9:22am: In Accordance the Bible is central. Searching is also central.
9:32am: 4 seconds to search for every word in Bible (for given translation). Hit details and see a concordance for each translation.
9:37am: To amplify. Select/highlight a word in a given translation and choose a new translation or tool (Anchor/Eastons/Dictionary) to find the word in that selection. Super cool.
9:38am: This truly is Instant Access. Everything is linked to everything.
9:40am: Highlight “heavens.” Amplify it to the Hebrew dictionary to find the Hebrew word and definition
9:45am: Geek Out! Amplify “heaven” in a tagged text. Hold option key. Click search and perform an all out search for “shamayim”. Click details and see how “shamayim” is used throughout the text:heaven, sky, highest, etc.
9:50am: Just amplified search “phileo” with the NT range in my NASB. Includes love, kiss, loved. Interesting.
10:03am: Now… on to the Resource Pallette
10:10am: In Parallels you can add a Greek/Hebrew text to compare
10:20am: Each English tool has information under Browser and can be searched alphabetically… or you can just search.
10:21am: oooh… I can do this in my Greek/Hebrew dictionaries too.
10:30am: At break I updated my library to Premier 8 and added the ESV Study Bible. Sweet!
11:30am: Who would have thought I could use the search commands? I can search by Chapter, verse, sentence. I can search a word in one text and display it in another translation.
11:33am: COMPARE TEXTS!!! Wow!
11:37am: CMND Shift _____. Keyboard shortcuts for search commands.
11:45am: Fuzzy Search- you can kinda remember it but not really. Search FUZZY COMMAND and find phrase you were looking for. This will be great when I can’t remember anything but the MJFV- The Micheal J Felker Version.
11:50am: Inference Command. Look at things like similar or exact phrases found in different books. We searched for similar phrases in Micah and Isaiah. Example: compare Micah 4:2 to Isaiah 2:3.
12:15pm: That’s Lunch
1:45pm: Creating charts and graphs on the fly. Searching in 1Samuel of where Saul, David, and Jonathan overlap.
1:50pm: Creating a list of every word in a given translation. Search the entire text. Click details and then click analysis. Can display in alphabetical order or by frequency of use. Example: Inheritance is used 244 in the NASB.
1:59pm: Find all the Greek words you don’t want to memorize by searching in the Greek text by search range Count 1 to find all the words used only once in the Greek. Increase the Count # to see words that are used more frequently- those are the ones you want to memorize!
2:05pm: Ok, I don’t need to get this technical in the original languages. I set up my default windows. My TNIV and ESV are displayed with their respective notes. I have quick access to the Anchor Bible Dictionary. I also have some personal notes and commentaries opened and ready to go every time I launch.
3:20pm: Dozens of ways to search through my various resources. So much information.
3:40pm: I think I’m nearing my information saturation point for the day.
4:10pm: Alright. Great day. I got a ton of new resources and I learned how to use the ones I already had even more! Whew! I am going to be a teaching/learning machine!!! Thanks to the Accordance team for their help and insights today. I’m headed home to help my wife prepare for her dinner party tonight. Peace!

Awesomenessness, Campus Ministry, Collecting Experiences, Leadership, My Life, Study, Youth Ministry

Looking Forward

1 Comment

I am so excited about an opportunity I’ve been given. At the end of the month I’ll be teaching a seminar class at Harding University for the youth ministry department. My seminar will focus on weighing the differences between Campus Ministry and traditional Church Youth Ministry. I’ve titled the class Bringing the Big Man to Campus.

I am super excited about this. It has been a goal of mine to pursue opportunities in public speaking and teaching. This opportunity fell in my lap and I am running with it. One day I would love to travel and speak. I love inspiring people and discussing issues of ministry, leadership, and development. This is a chance to do something different and to work on my skills. This also lets me meet and interact with students who are about to set out and serve teens and their families. This is promising to be a great weekend.

Please keep me in your prayers as I am preparing to teach this class. I’ll be sure to post some content for the weekend here soon. Thanks for your prayers!

Study, The List, Wrestling With Scripture

The List: 10 Levitical Rules That I Follow (Without Really Trying)

I spent 2 grueling days reading and studying through the book of Leviticus this week. As I wrote earlier I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of rules and regulations while also being joyful that the sacrificial system is over and done with. Through out the reading I would pause to study a little deeper into some of the study notes behind certain sacrifices or certain rules. I am proud to say that I found quite a few laws that I have always and (hopefully) will always keep without question. So here is this week’s The List: 10 Levitical Rules That I Follow (Without Really Trying)

1) I have never eaten a camel or a rock badger. (11:4-5)
2) I have never eaten an eagle, vulture, sea gull, or barn owl. (11:13-19)
3) I don’t eat road kill (11:39-40)
4) I don’t make sacrifices to goat demons. (17: 7)
5) I don’t eat blood- I’m a medium well kinda guy. (17:10)
6) I have never — and will never — ever — approach a relative and “uncover their nakedness.” Ewww. (18:1-30)
7) I have never cursed the deaf or purposely tripped the blind. (19:14)
8) I avoid necromancers. (19:31)
9) I have just balances and measures (my tape measure and calculators are fair) (19:36)
10) I will not give my child to Molech. (20:1-5)

Of course these rules are pretty easy to keep. They seem so bizarre and antiquated that is is easy to laugh at them and pull them out as examples of the “old law.” However, let us not poke fun at these rules at the expense of the ones that can be applicable to today. Rules that speak to living holy lives full of justice and mercy dedicated only to the LORD Almighty. Laws about helping the poor, outcast and alien. Laws that make us different from the surrounding culture.

Let us never forget the laws that relate to the pursuit of holy living and honoring the God that calls us to be set apart for his purposes. He alone frees us. He alone cleanses us and makes us his own.

Study, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

Leviticus

5 Comments

I have spent the last few days plowing through the book of Leviticus. When I finished reading Lev. 27:29 yesterday afternoon I was physically and mentally exhausted.

I can honestly say that this was the most intense reading “of the Levites” that I have ever done. I learned a ton of interesting facts and tidbits thanks to my ESV Study Bible but I was left with an overwhelming sense of relief and freedom — and not just because I was finished reading!

Leviticus is the third book of the Pentateuch and it details the rights and rituals of the priests during the Tabernacle period. Right off that is difficult enough to wrap our modern heads around. I found myself (almost for the first time) understanding the enormity of the sacrificial system.

Blood, livestock, fatty organs, fire, dung, water and ashes. Day in. Day out. That was the life of a priest.

Thank God that it is not this way any longer. Thank God for the sacrifice of his Son.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might dies to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we are healed. (1Peter 2:24)

Conferences, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Leadership, Ministry, Planning, Resources, Study

Processing

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The biggest hurdle I have to jump after coming home from a conference is the subtle art of processing all of the information that was just crammed into my cerebellum over the course of 48 hours.

I returned home with 3 books, 13 main session recordings, 27 lab session recordings, notes in two “note-zines”, and a few notes scribbled on my legal pad. I want to be a good steward of these resources and so the last thing I want them to do is rot on a shelf somewhere. These resources are a gift so I must do everything I can to put them to the greatest use in my life and ministry.

Now obviously I won’t need to re-listen to everyone of those recordings and there are some that I’ll probably never get too. So what is my process for processing?

First, I gather together all my notes and type them out. Due to the fact that a one-armed monkey can type faster than me means that this is probably the hardest and most labor inducing step. Once I finish this, I have a better idea of what I missed, what I need to hear again, and the order of need.

Next, I begin importing the recordings into iTunes and create a playlist full of sessions to go through. If you’ve been reading this blog for any period of time you know that am a believer in the iPod. I know that the iPod is the greatest tool for leadership development. Long before universities were giving out iPods and iPhones to their students I had sermons, books, and lectures loaded on my white knight making me a better student and leader. If all you have on your iPod is the latest songs from Top 40 “artists” than get on the ball and help get your lead on with a few challenging books or lessons. Need some ideas? Leave me a comment and I will personally send you some resources.

The Third step in the processing adventure is to Prioritize and Schedule. Since I have already worked through the material typing it out I know what lessons challenged me but, more importantly, I know what lessons are going to have the greatest impact on what I am currently doing. That is a big plus. I can spend an hour being wowed by a great lesson that inspires me to reach for the stars or I can spend an hour listening to a lesson that will help learn how to better turn on the rockets. Do you see the difference? I love and desire and need to be inspired to do great things but sometimes… sometimes I just need to learn to do something more effectively which will enable me to do something more excellent down the road. So I prioritize the lessons based on need. I make out a listening schedule and set aside development time in my planner. This fall I have designated Mondays and Thursdays for development days. (maybe one day I’ll post about what I do on Development days)

Step 4 begins as I listen or re-listen to lessons. I take new notes down on a legal pad and then update my typed notes when I return to my computer. What I am left with is a pretty good set of notes and usually a few actions steps on implementing what I’ve learned. Sometimes, I walk away from doing this and I may not have any action steps. That’s ok. I have the notes and I’ve activated my Reticular Activating System (Thanks Mark). So whenever I’m faced with a problem or idea that was mentioned in one of these talks, because I took good notes and invested time in making sure I understood the content, I’m able to cut my research time in half. G.I. Joe was right: Knowing IS half the battle. Bonus: Part of being a good steward of these resources is that when I know a friend could use the teaching or insight I can be quick to help them out with notes, outlines, ideas, or the recordings themselves. (This is my favorite part!!!!)

Well folks, that’s about it. I was truly blessed by Catalyst 08. I can’t wait for next year!

Speaking of Catalyst 09
Wouldn’t it be cool if me and the 2 of you who read this blog went to Catalyst next year as the Kicking at the Darkness group? I bet we’d be the only blog group there!! Sounds pretty cool to me. If you’re interested let me know. Let’s make it happen! Catalyst 09 is October 7-9, 2009. Mark your calenders!

Collecting Experiences, Ethos, Experience, Guilty Pleasure, Ministry, Resources, Spilling Personal Secrets, Study, Unchained from my Desk, Youth Ministry

The Batcave, aka The Nerdery

Much like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, the Batcave serves as a place of privacy and tranquility where Batman can be himself. – Wikipedia

When I need to get away and do some focused hard-core study for a class or a lesson I pack up all my gear – my notebook, Bible(s), book(s), iPod, pens, and highlighters – and head straight for my new, secret getaway. This place serves my needs because it is away from my desk, it is always quiet, and I avoid distraction from email or phone calls. I call this place of privacy and tranquility…

The Batcave
IMG_0384

This top-secret photo was snapped during my last visit and smuggled off the premises on my iPhone.

So where is the Batcave? I’ll never tell. However, I will spill the beans on what the Batcave is.

The Batcave is an annexed room next to my local comic book shop. The room is often used by groups of people play fantasy games like D&D, Warhammer 40K, and World of Darkness. It’s official name is The Gamers Guild.

That’s right I study at The Nerdery. But as you can see from my picture, in the middle of the afternoon no one is playing anything. The room is almost always completely empty. The people at the comic shop are so cool and so kind to let me use this area to study. I am so thankful to them. Every employee there has teated me so kindly. I love my new study-home.

It is so quiet there that I feel like my productivity quadruples. I just throw on my iPod (or don’t) whip out my pen and notebook and go to town crafting lessons. Very awesome.

Sure, there is no supercomputer or trophy room filled with the spoils of past lessons or retreats and there definitely is no Batmobile waiting in the wings (I do have a black car though) but this Batcave suits me just fine.

Until next time readers. Same Bat-channel. Same nerdy writer.