Back from Catalina at Serving Bread

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Group Picture

We just got back from our Spring Conference at Catalina Island, and it was fantastic. I enjoyed being in community with my community, and enjoyed teaching and studying God’s word with this group of students.

There are a couple of different ways we can approach teaching scripture–we can either teach information or we can teach people to be excited to study the scripture on their own. Most teachers seem to teach information. This past week, I tried hard to teach students how to study scripture and to enjoy studying the Word of God. What a sight! Students wanted more than I could offer. We were up until 1:30am on the night before we left trying to figure out what the Scripture is saying to us.

Some lessons I have learned and observations of this past week:

Taste and See. Students were wanting more than I was offering. They were delighting (Psalm 1) in the Word of God and they wanted to know what the Scriptures said to them and the implications of what the word says.
Learn the word in Community. A couple of students observed that they would have never learned the Scriptures if they studied it on their own. They recognized their need for others in the room to help them figure out what the Word means.
Apply the word in Community. One student commented that God was convicting him all week, but that there was no way he could do it alone. He said, “Eddy, I need these people to help me apply what I’m learning.”
Build Community. These students liked each other and they realized that they could be in community beyond Catalina. Imagine that!
Get away to go deeper. Getting away with a group of people to grow deeper is so good for our soul. We would have never bonded
Partnership. I recognized my need for partnership in pastoring and leading this community. I felt spent relationally. I lost my voice. I am full of you but very tired. I have a deeper appreciation for partnership.
Tease to teach. This past week teased students to want more. They recognize that they are missing lessons along the way. And they are committed to study the Word further. We are continuing our study week to week.