The importance of plans
I remember early in my ministry. I'd come in at 3 in the afternoon wondering what lesson I would teach just three hours later.
What followed was an hour of frantically searching scripture, idea books, the Internet and even asking friends for advice. Next came a rapid two-hour lesson preparation, before teaching. Inevitably, I taught the same topics routinely. Often times, I would quote the same scriptures over and over.
That's pretty much how it went for my first two years of ministry. I literally dreaded Wednesday afternoons. I'm not sure my lessons were all that great either. There was not enough forethought into what I was teaching students.
That's when I began thinking about long-term lesson planning. I began to develop a teaching schedule, mainly using my own curriculum or lesson ideas. This time, instead of walking in Wednesday afternoon and figuring out the lesson, I knew weeks in advance what scripture I would teach on and what topics we would cover.
It was such a freeing experience, I've kept it to this day. I now have a year's worth of lesson's planned out. In August, I can tell you what we'll be teaching in May. It sounds like a lot of work, but it makes a big difference in our ministry.
So what does this have to do with anything? Just this: Have a plan when studying God's word. If you're a teacher, have a guide for your lessons, including a schedule. If you're a follower of Christ, have a plan for reading scripture, including a schedule. That insures that we keep consistent in our walk. It enables us to look at scripture we might usually ignore.
Remember: Have a plan.
What followed was an hour of frantically searching scripture, idea books, the Internet and even asking friends for advice. Next came a rapid two-hour lesson preparation, before teaching. Inevitably, I taught the same topics routinely. Often times, I would quote the same scriptures over and over.
That's pretty much how it went for my first two years of ministry. I literally dreaded Wednesday afternoons. I'm not sure my lessons were all that great either. There was not enough forethought into what I was teaching students.
That's when I began thinking about long-term lesson planning. I began to develop a teaching schedule, mainly using my own curriculum or lesson ideas. This time, instead of walking in Wednesday afternoon and figuring out the lesson, I knew weeks in advance what scripture I would teach on and what topics we would cover.
It was such a freeing experience, I've kept it to this day. I now have a year's worth of lesson's planned out. In August, I can tell you what we'll be teaching in May. It sounds like a lot of work, but it makes a big difference in our ministry.
So what does this have to do with anything? Just this: Have a plan when studying God's word. If you're a teacher, have a guide for your lessons, including a schedule. If you're a follower of Christ, have a plan for reading scripture, including a schedule. That insures that we keep consistent in our walk. It enables us to look at scripture we might usually ignore.
Remember: Have a plan.
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