Do's and Don'ts of Ladies Bible class

I have cried, prayed, been convicted and been gathered in when I was altogether lost. Where?  At a revival?  A gospel meeting?  Some fantastic internet sermon?  Nope.  Ladies' Bible Class. 

I love ladies' Bible class.  I have been a member or a teacher of a class ever since I was an adult. Amazing things happen there.  I have seen women drawn to Christ simply by the fellowship.  I have seen marriages turned around as sisters gathered together to learn how to love their husbands (Titus 2:4). 

Not only that, but I feel that these "Ladies' Bible classes" are an application of Paul's words in Titus 2.  Women are commanded to teach each other-older to the younger.  It's how we learn how to do what we should like love our kids and our husbands, keep our houses to the glory of God, and be kind, sensible and good.  

But how can we have that amazing class?  The kind where we are convicted, repent and are transformed? Let me offer you some "do's" and "don'ts."

Do's

Do be honest.  We've written about honesty before, and the way one person's truth encourages others not only to confess but to feel less alone.  (Truth be told, Truth be told 2) 

Do have a confidential class.  Wednesday night's confession can not be Thursday morning's gossip.

Do study the Bible.  I am not against study books (I have one on sale right now, with a very special bonus just for teachers!).  But no book replaces the Word of God.  Every student needs a Bible open and in use.  Nothing I have to say, nothing any author has to say, trumps the word of God.

Do prepare.  The class will be better if even a few of the members will read ahead.  Make sure you have read the scripture, note down any questions you have, take a few minutes to pray that day for your teacher/class and fill your mind with the Word of God.

Do be open.  Close-knit classes are hard to break into.  Every class needs someone to wave newcomers to an empty seat, find them a Bible, smile and introduce them to others, and welcome them to come back again.  

Do be integrated.  Although our churches have followed our culture by segregating people by age-youth group, young professionals, parents, golden agers etc, women especially need the connection of women older and younger than them. 

Do speak carefully.  "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person," wrote Paul (Colossians 4:6).  He could have been writing to us.  We need to think carefully and speak gently.  This is especially true when sisters have some painful area of their lives (divorce, infidelity, infertility, grief etc) or if we have to correct or confront a sister. 

Don'ts

Don't be negative.  The class must be free from husband-bashing, griping about the elders, running down the minister or general gossip.  Remember Jesus' admonition to deal with problems personally and face to face.

Don't neglect the chance to serve.  I have seen ladies Bible classes do amazing things: send cards, arrange for the care of a widow while her daughter was out of town, send cloth diapers to a missionary with a new baby, and build a church building in South America. Let study naturally flow to action.

Don't forget to pray.  Although I have seen classes devolve into a half hour of chatting and 5 minutes of prayer before the bell rings, I still feel prayer is a crucial part of the process of Ladies' Bible class.  For one thing it is the only opportunity most women have to pray with and for their sisters each week.  For another, it is a private and confidential place to beg for intercession.  

Don't be divided.  Women fall prey to Satan's divide and conquer scheme. We allow competition and envy to defeat us.  We judge each other on issues unrelated to our faith   or even worse entirely related to our Christian freedom.  Satan wins when sisters don't stick together. 

If you are a part of an amazing class, I can't wait to hear all about it!  Tell me what your class is doing, how they are changing, and what they are studying!

Helene

PS  If you are looking for new material for next quarter, or if you feel like your class just needs a reboot, I want to help.  Click here to get to my videos introducing Women of Action:Transformed by Obedience.  

Reading my Bible better

None of us want to live in the desert of spiritual death.  We want to be fully alive in Christ, joyfully growing in Him every day! And to do that we need to...read our Bible.

Now I know what you are about to say.  I totally get it.

You are reading your Bible!  But there has to be a way to get from just "reading" to the transformation God promised.  What on earth are we supposed to do now?

I think I know.  Check out the video below!

Did you miss the first video?  Click here.
Want to see the third video? Click here.

Ready to subscribe so you don't miss the next one? 

 Click here.

Helene

PS. Are you looking for that book we were talking about?  From today until October 6 you can grab it with some special bonuses.  Check it out! 

Linking up at: Salt and Light

Strong Plants and Sculptured Pillars: A book review

A friend called recently to complain about the state of youth in America.  He works in a bank, and he walked past a pair of female tellers barely out of their teens casually saying something so profoundly rude that they blushed when he raised an eyebrow.  He would have liked me to whine with him but this is a side of young people I rarely see.  

Why?

Because my teens are amazing. Although we are a small congregation, on any given Sunday as many as half of those in attendance are under 20.  So our teens are often pressed into service.  Not only as mothers’ helpers in overcrowded pews, but as teachers and evangelists.

They are NOT the future of the church.  They are crucial to our congregation today. 

Sunday School Upgrade

I remember as a teen that I was often very frustrated with the material in my Sunday School class.  It was moralistic (no sex, no drugs, no rock and roll!), psychological (believe in yourself!) and simplistic (good friends are important!).  That was enough to do it for me as a teen.  I loved my teachers but I hated those dumb lessons.   Looking back as an adult, I have an even bigger complaint.  The material did nothing to build faith, encourage independent study, or establish the foundational habits that young people need to follow Jesus.  

However I was recently sent a book, by Mrs. Angela Legg (from The Diligent Woman), to review that I found heartening.  To be a Handmaid of the Lord is a  book aimed at girls 11-16.  It's set up to be equally useful as a Bible homeschool curriculum or as a full term of a middle/high school Bible class. The set includes 28 lessons with a student workbook, teacher's manual, quizzes and a final exam. If that makes it sound like the book could be stimulating, we're on the same page!

Teaching Preschool When You Can't Teach Preschool

Preschoolers are not my gift.  There's no false modesty here.  I suffer from too much pride and not too little.  I know I am a more than passable teacher to adult women and not too bad for teenage girls. But preschoolers need songs (I can't carry a tune in a bucket), crafts (never my strong suit) and constant reminders to sit down and listen (something I promise I never have to say to my Ladies Bible class!). 

How to Have a Fantastic Ladies' Bible Class

I love ladies' Bible class.  I have been a member or a teacher of a class ever since I was an adult.  I think amazing things happen there.  I have seen women drawn to Christ simply by the fellowship.  I have seen marriages turned around as sisters gathered together to learn how to love their husbands (Titus 2:4).  I have cried, prayed, been convicted and been gathered in when I was altogether lost by wonderful women of God. 

Not only that, but I feel that these "Ladies' Bible classes" are an application of Paul's words in Titus 2.  Women are commanded to teach each other-older to the younger.  It's how we learn how to do what we should like love our kids and our husbands, keep our houses to the glory of God, and be kind, sensible and good.  

So this week, I am drawing on more than a decade of teaching and enjoying ladies' Bible classes to offer you some dos and don'ts on how to have a great class. 

There's No Wrong Way

There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's.  Do you remember those old commercials?  I especially liked the one where the vampire sucks out all the peanut butter!  Although there could conceivably be a wrong way to eat a Reese's (an IV drip of chocolate and peanut butter comes to mind), the point is that I can eat a peanut butter cup in many different ways and still be doing it right.  

Diaper Cakes, Flowers, and Little Kids

Everybody has their "thing."  Let me tell you three things that are not mine.  

1. Diaper Cakes: a beautiful idea but entirely outside of my abilities

2. Flowers: plastic or real put a flower in my vicinity and it will die

3. Little kids: love mine, like yours, as a teacher though I am hopeless!

So if you start to read about teaching, studying, reading and growing this month and think to yourself, 'That is not my thing!" I understand. However, I have helped a friend make a diaper cake; I have planted marigolds with my then three year old and I have taught more than one Wednesday night class for kiddos.  Sometimes we HAVE to do things that are not "our thing." 

Whatsoever Teaching

Helene is a talented and very prolific writer. Seriously, she can write circles around me.  She's also a very busy woman.  One day I asked her how she found the time to do all of the Bible study that accompanies the kind of writing we do.  The answer was simple: She's a teacher.

In her life, Helene has done a lot of Bible teaching.  Ladies' Bible class, children's classes, homeschooling, she's done it all. She patiently explained to me that since she is deeply in the Word to teach these classes, much of her study serves a double purpose" to prepare to teach and to write for our humble blog.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

As a mom, I know that I have two ways of teaching my children to make good choices.  I teach them by what I say and by what I do.  I also know that my kids follow my example more than they follow my words.  I think that is one reason that Jesus came to earth.   He knew we needed a perfect example we could follow, someone who would not say, "Do as I say, not as I do."  Jesus taught as he lived, and we can often find examples of his teachings that were exemplified in his life.  The question I have always wondered is, "How was he able to be perfect?"

Gentleness

Do you have a model verse?  Do you have a verse, or verses in the Bible that encapsulate what you strive for or what you struggle with?  I do.  It is 1 Peter 3:3-4: 

Your adornment must not be merely external -braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;  but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

In Memory

What is more precious to you than your own soul?  Simple.  The soul of someone you love.  Paul said that. "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Romans 9:3).  I know what he means.  My husband's soul is to me more precious than my own.  Why do I bring it up?  Because at one time it was in danger.

The Heart of a Teacher

Do you remember how to choose good lettuce?" 
"Yes, you look for one that is firm and heavy."
"Good!  Can you get me a head of lettuce?"
"Yes, Mom"
"Thank you."

I was near this mother and daughter for much of my Aldi shopping trip today.  Their venture was peppered with lessons on how to choose good produce, how to price check, and how they would be using various ingredients.  The mother  was patient in teaching, and the daughter was cheerful in obeying.  She was a real help to her mother.  I'd guess her age to be about ten, and I was impressed.  I wish I had told them how much I admired both of them before they checked out.