Deathbed

Reliant K sings a song titled Deathbed.  It is written by lead singer, Matt Thiessen and sung by Thiessen with Switchfoot's Jon Foreman.  The song is epic (11 minutes) and covers a range of topics including love:

It's easier to be sure you love someone
When a father inquires with the barrel of a gun,

... taste:

 I'd acquired a taste for liquor and nicotine,

... rejection by a father:

Whatever I thought a father should be
I abandoned that thought like he abandoned me

... cars:

if life was a highway, I was drunk at the wheel,

... physiology and engineering:

I smoked until I threw up... like a machine,

... and death:

But this is my deathbed, I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight, I know I'll be home

 At the end of the song, Thiessen's deathbed character reflects,

I can hear you whisper to me, "It's time to leave
You'll never be lonely again"
But this was my deathbed, I died there alone
When I closed my eyes tonight, you carried me home

Home is where the heart is.  The reference in the song to "home" can only mean eternal security in Jesus, as our hearts are inclined to God and we seek eternal fellowship with him.   Whatever your life history consists of, once you have accepted the free gift of salvation that God provides in His Son Jesus, you have been redeemed.   He has purchased you by the blood of Jesus (Rev. 5:9)   There is no risk of God turning His back on the salvation that He has given you after you have been saved; in other words, you can be as sure as the death-bed character that God will carry you home when the time comes!   What security we have in God!

It's great to hide scripture in our hearts that remind us of God's goodness to us, and His promise of a secure eternity.   I want to encourage you to search out scripture that assures you of your salvation, learn the scripture, hide it in your heart, live it and recall it on a daily basis.

Here's one to get started, but there are plenty more:

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  (Rom. 10:9 NIV)

What is your life verse?

Gollum

One of my all-time favourite fictional characters is Gollum, the corrupted hobbit in Tolkein's Lord of the Rings.

Gollum started life as Smeagol, an ordinary hobbit living an ordinary hobbit life.   On his birthday, he went fishing with his brother Deagol, who found a ring in the river.   But when Smeagol saw the One Ring, he lusted after it.   His lust for the ring was a temptation too great for him, and he murdered his brother Deagol for possession.  This was the moment when Smeagol started to waste away and become Gollum.   Gollum degenerated and became a detestable and repulsive character over the course of time as unrepented sin worked on his spirit.

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.  (James 1:14-15)

Someone else also murdered his brother after giving in to temptation:

Cain was very angry...the Lord said to Cain... if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain...You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden.  (Gen. 4:3-14 abridged)

Gollum is a vivid example of the absolute corruption of sin and idol worship.   We are each born with sin nature, and sadly this affects our relationship with God, our Creator.   God created mankind to have perfect fellowship with him, but the relationship was broken when man turned against God in Genesis 3; man desired to "be like God" (v.5).  Another way to look at this is that man desired to be his own god and rule over himself.   In C.S. Lewis' book Out of the Silent Planet, in which Oyarsu represents God, the wise old sorn Augray says about man,

"It is because every one of them wants to be a little Oyarsu himself"

 and

 "They are like one trying to lift himself by his own hair - or one trying to see over a whole country when he is on a level with it - like a female trying to beget young on herself."

I love the way that Edgar Winter has graphically depicted corrupted worship in his book The Tabernacle of David Today.   It shows man's attitude of worship degenerating from true worship in spirit and truth which is what God desires (see John 4:23-24) to idolatry and self-worship.

Just as we see Gollum wasting away in Lord of the Rings, so every individual is wasting away whilst wallowing in sin.   God, in His lovingkindness, drove the man out of the garden of Eden so that he would not eat from the tree of life and therefore live forever in sin.   But it needn't be like that:  God provided for reconciliation through the death of Jesus on the cross:

And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2 Cor. 5:15 NASB)

Gollum is not a favourite because I like him; rather, Gollum reminds us to check in on our relationship with God on a daily basis.

A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  (1 Cor. 11:28)

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  (Ps. 139:23-24)

"The Worship Evolution" graphic used by express permission of Edgar Winter. 

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus by John R. Cross:  A great resource!

John R. Cross has released the 5th Edition of his very popular book, "The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus" which I have read and used as a resource several times.

The book is written from the perspective of what Jesus might have said to the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-27.   It is written as a "walk-through-the-bible" type study with the focus on the person of Jesus and the work of Jesus.  I guess this focus prompted the new cover of the 5th Edition with the added words, "Who was the Man?  What was the Message?"

His writings are very clear and easy to read.   John Cross says in the book,

God came to earth to personally explain how man could be saved from eternal death. Think of it this way. You see a bulldozer clearing a road, but in its path lies an anthill. You know the ants are about to be destroyed, but what can you do about it? The only answer would be to become an ant and warn them in the way ants warn each other of impending danger. …Jesus came into the world to save sinners… 1 Timothy 1:15 NASB

and,

One author, in writing of the Bible’s uniqueness, put it this way:   Here is a book:

1. written over a 1500 year span;

2. written over 40 generations;

3. written by more than 40 authors, from every walk of life— including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars... : Moses, a political leader, trained in the universities of Egypt; Peter, a fisherman; Amos, a herdsman; Joshua, a military general; Nehemiah, a cupbearer; Daniel, a prime minister; Luke, a doctor; Solomon, a king; Matthew, a tax collector; Paul, a rabbi;

4. written in different places: Moses in the wilderness; Jeremiah in a dungeon; Daniel on a hillside and in a palace; Paul inside a prison; Luke while traveling; John on the isle of Patmos; others in the rigors of a military campaign;

5. written at different times: David in times of war; Solomon in times of peace

6. written during different moods: some writing from the heights of joy and others from the depths of sorrow and despair

7. written on three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe

8. written in three languages: Hebrew… , Aramaic… , and Greek…

9. finally, its subject matter includes hundreds of controversial topics. Yet, the biblical authors spoke with harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation. There is one unfolding story…

... and Cross outlines this fascinating story of the redemption of man throughout the book.

It's a book for believers and non-believers, individuals and small groups.   The book is supported with videos and a leader's guide also available.

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus is currently a free ebook download on Amazon.com.au:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Stranger-Road-Emmaus-Who-Man-What-Message/dp/B00200KF62/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1486948860&sr=1-1

Here's the publisher's homepage and book review:

http://www.goodseed.com/the-stranger-on-the-road-to-emmaus.html

Flipping the classroom - a hot topic

When I was in Year 10, I had a terribly boring English teacher.   She liked to teach in a darkened room with the floor-to-ceiling curtains shut because she thought it created "atmosphere".   It also created an opportunity for an enterprising young student to jump out the window and not be missed.  I had some wonderful times during those English classes - walking around the school, socialising, finding a quiet spot in the library to study maths and read interesting books, and going to the cafeteria.   Sometimes we left as a team, and other times, we just left...

In education circles, the topic of a flipped classroom is gaining traction, and it has many strengths that the church should seriously consider.

The flipped classroom is one that moves away from the traditional classroom model where a teacher (supposedly all-knowledgable!) lectures from the front, students take notes, maybe have opportunity to ask questions, then take homework to complete in their own time.  On the other hand, when the classroom is flipped, the teacher provides an opportunity for the learning session in the student's own time, usually by posting a lecture video and sending an invitation.   When the teacher and student come together, they can cover off questions the student has prepared, have discussions and class interaction, or focus on a specific problem the individual is having.   This way, all students work to their own pace, pursue personal learning goals and objectives and have more freedom to use their own learning styles.  

Some of the problems with the traditional classroom include students at different stages of learning, learning difficulties, different learning styles, varying work ethic and concentration span, vastly different personalities, educational history, and preferences and biases learned from experience.   We can certainy see the impact of these problems in our traditional church leadership development!   Classroom learning holds many back from serious progress, whilst it is too fast-paced for others.  We have people who are "up-front" leaders, who want to ask questions, dominate conversations and discussions (but hopefully not debate the teacher...!), and the shy ones who don't even want to speak in class!

I am not certain who coined the phrase, "From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side", but the earliest reference I can find to it is attributed to Alison King in 1993.   I like this quote.

There is certainly an argument for the sage on the stage teaching method, and that's why the flipped classroom is a hot topic.   But there's also an argument for the other style - guide on the side.

Jesus spoke to the crowds and imparted information and knowledge to them.  Paul went to places where the people were; he sought out places of congregation.   Stephen is famous for his speech in Acts 7 to a large crowd.   These examples were not interactive teaching.   These are examples of the "Sage on the stage", and yes, we find such examples in the bible.   More recently, Billy Graham's ministry is an example of teaching from the front, so is Chuck Swindoll's, John F. MacArthur's and Alistair Begg's, but I'm sure these men also disciple others in a small group and individual setting.

Guide-on-the-side is more conducive to the biblical model of discipleship.  Jesus spoke to the crowds, but he spent quality time with the twelve!   He gave the crowds information, but he explained and practiced his teaching with the disciples.   He spent even more time with Peter, James and John.   The guide-on-the-side style doesn't even need to rely on the classroom environment but can be practiced in the field.  It can be activity or assignment-based.  The flipped classroom method has been used successfully by military organisations for centuries.

From a leadership development viewpoint, there are other advantages too.  These include stronger team development, better peer learning and accountabilities, and a more cohesive team.  

Sage-on-the-stage is teacher-centric whereas Guide-on-the-side is learner-centric.   I'd push that analogy a little further and say that in the church, Guide-on-the-side is increasingly Jesus-centric as the learner desires to become more Christ-like through learning, guiding, mentoring and discipleship.

Hopefully this article is just enough to whet your appetite to do your own research (or did you fall asleep in the research methodology lecture...?)

Reference:  
King, A. (1993), From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side, College Teaching 41(1):30-35