Lessons of the Way picks right up where "Adventure and the Way of Jesus" left off. If you have not read this book first, I would go ahead and do that. I blogged about that book at: http://tjm-stillsmallvoice.
Robinson and Rose start out by reviewing some critical questions that lie at the root of our lives in community - our lives in groups. They ask:
What makes a person valuable or important?
What role does feat play in our decisions and actions?
Does my life really reflect a trust in God?
How do we see people around us?
How we answer these questions or live into our beliefs surrounding these questions deeply impacts our identity as an individual and a member of the myriad of communities to which we belong. They share their impressions of these questions and how they see the impact they have on our identity.
Putting these core questions at the outset of the book should help cement the idea in us that communities and groups are diverse and complex. At any given moment you have not only the external reality of the common and shared experience of all of the members, but an interior reality of the many constituent parts of the group - the personal reality of each member.
Helping people to live out a common and shared existence is a grace. The authors go on to share some powerful tools to facilitating this common and shared existence. They help us see that community happens by grace, but that that grace is possible and enhanced in the structure of planned activities. Organization can bear out God's presence and call.
The remainder of the book is divided into six sections. The first five share the same structure: there is a teaching point, scripture, a verbal lesson around the topic, an activity portion, some facilitator notes, reflection questions, some quotes, and a section for personal notes.
The first section is about thinking and the way. The second is about emotions and the way. The third is about sharing and the way. The fourth is about scripture along the way. The fifth is about communion as a shared experience.
The last section of the book is the full collection of the activities with detailed instructions and considerations. The last section is an activity manual absent the context of a full lesson. So, you can really come at the book from two directions. You can use it in it's complete setting and have full-blown lessons that are structured to support the work of the activity, or you could just glean the activities and develop session content on your own.
The whole piece is so well integrated that you would be remiss not to use the book as it was intended: a unified guide to forming and directing the concept of community in groups.
Building community is a spiritual task that engenders far more than simply doing things together. It requires a deep rooted trust that comes from a relationship with Jesus and bringing that relationship into the contracts and activities you share with the people of God. The way you induce, create, and sustain connections to others in the group must match the quality of the life you live in Jesus.
The authors have found the soft spots and tender bruises that emerge in relationships with other people in community. They have purposefully bundled activities that will stimulate a groups ability to navigate these central issues in our common shared experience as humans.
If you are looking for a way to plant, nurture, and grow Christian community in and among a group of people, you need this book. It will help you plan and execute lessons that will bind people together. This book blends the heart, the mind, the Holy Spirit and scriptures into a process of activity and discussion that facilitates unity and growth.
I plan on using it with our youth group to grow into the next portion of our shared experience in Jesus. I know it will provide the space for formation and direction in a balanced way that other materials will not. Grab a copy today!
Robinson and Rose start out by reviewing some critical questions that lie at the root of our lives in community - our lives in groups. They ask:
What makes a person valuable or important?
What role does feat play in our decisions and actions?
Does my life really reflect a trust in God?
How do we see people around us?
How we answer these questions or live into our beliefs surrounding these questions deeply impacts our identity as an individual and a member of the myriad of communities to which we belong. They share their impressions of these questions and how they see the impact they have on our identity.
Putting these core questions at the outset of the book should help cement the idea in us that communities and groups are diverse and complex. At any given moment you have not only the external reality of the common and shared experience of all of the members, but an interior reality of the many constituent parts of the group - the personal reality of each member.
Helping people to live out a common and shared existence is a grace. The authors go on to share some powerful tools to facilitating this common and shared existence. They help us see that community happens by grace, but that that grace is possible and enhanced in the structure of planned activities. Organization can bear out God's presence and call.
The remainder of the book is divided into six sections. The first five share the same structure: there is a teaching point, scripture, a verbal lesson around the topic, an activity portion, some facilitator notes, reflection questions, some quotes, and a section for personal notes.
The first section is about thinking and the way. The second is about emotions and the way. The third is about sharing and the way. The fourth is about scripture along the way. The fifth is about communion as a shared experience.
The last section of the book is the full collection of the activities with detailed instructions and considerations. The last section is an activity manual absent the context of a full lesson. So, you can really come at the book from two directions. You can use it in it's complete setting and have full-blown lessons that are structured to support the work of the activity, or you could just glean the activities and develop session content on your own.
The whole piece is so well integrated that you would be remiss not to use the book as it was intended: a unified guide to forming and directing the concept of community in groups.
Building community is a spiritual task that engenders far more than simply doing things together. It requires a deep rooted trust that comes from a relationship with Jesus and bringing that relationship into the contracts and activities you share with the people of God. The way you induce, create, and sustain connections to others in the group must match the quality of the life you live in Jesus.
The authors have found the soft spots and tender bruises that emerge in relationships with other people in community. They have purposefully bundled activities that will stimulate a groups ability to navigate these central issues in our common shared experience as humans.
If you are looking for a way to plant, nurture, and grow Christian community in and among a group of people, you need this book. It will help you plan and execute lessons that will bind people together. This book blends the heart, the mind, the Holy Spirit and scriptures into a process of activity and discussion that facilitates unity and growth.
I plan on using it with our youth group to grow into the next portion of our shared experience in Jesus. I know it will provide the space for formation and direction in a balanced way that other materials will not. Grab a copy today!
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