“Go the extra mile to serve a memorable learning experience that will engage the participants and help them to retain what they have learned.”
“Boredom is God’s way of telling us that we are wasting time.” ― Unknown
The Bible is, hands down, the most important words ever written. It is God’s own words – so, those who spend their time teaching it to others should never allow it to be boring.
Add some flavor
Think of it this way: If you like to cook, you probably know the importance of adding the right mix of spices to a recipe to give it just the right flavor. (If you like to eat, you understand this principle even more!) There are several places in scripture where the analogy of food is used to describe spiritual learning and discipleship (1 Peter 2:2, 1 Corinthians 3:2, & Hebrews 5:12-14). If disciples of Jesus should be eating “Spiritual Food”, then you are a “Spiritual Chef”. Are you serving a plain baked potato? No one likes a plain baked potato. Or are you serving one with sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon, salt, pepper, and chives?
As a spiritual chef, your job is to facilitate spiritual growth. Know exactly what you are serving, take time to prepare well, and add some flavor. Go the extra mile to serve a memorable learning experience that will engage the participants and help them to retain what they have learned.
Bible Examples:
Before you discount the importance of adding some flavor to your discussion, consider God’s own words. Scripture is filled with flavor… stories, object lessons, poems, metaphors, and more. Jesus taught with illustrations (Beam in the eye, Salt and Light, Bread of life, Vine and Branches) Paul used sports and military examples (Running, Boxing, and Armor.)
What spices should you add? Try some of these:
- Personal stories
- Movie clips
- Object lessons
- Songs
- Video clips or quotes from other speakers or authors
- Short anecdotes or stories
- Poems
- Quotes from other authors
- Humor/Jokes
Develop 1 or 2 discussion questions based on the added element. Without making it obvious, ask questions to help them connect the element to the points you are discussing from Scripture.
Two Important Notes:
Don’t force it: Work hard at finding a way to spice up your discussion; but you’d be better off leaving it out if it doesn’t fit well.
Don’t overdo it: Too many illustrations and examples can be confusing or distract from the discussion.
Taking a few extra minutes in your preparation to make it interesting will be well worth the effort. Consider the words of G.K. Chesterton “There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.” As a Small Group leader, don’t let that be said of you.
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