I enjoyed teaching the lesson about Barnabas last week. It had lot’s of elements to it—the geography of the Mediterranean, the history of the Herods, God’s making of a missionary minded church in Syrian Antioch, and the personal challenge to have a positive impact on everyone we meet.
This week’s lesson, “Galatia: Facing Troubles” is no less interesting. It takes up Acts 13:1-14:28, which covers Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey. The LifeWay Extra has an interesting approach to starting this lesson—one based on political polls and candidate rejection. I’ll think about it, but I'll hold my options open to consider other suggestions that occur during this week of preparation.
For example, tumbling around in my head is the idea of missing out on the excitement of a God given opportunity because of some fear, or opposition. Maybe you’ve already got your lesson Intro figured out? If so, post it here for the rest of us to consider.
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I'm going to mention the performance of Donald Braswell on a recent episode of "America's Got Talent." He was a classically trained professional tenor who severely damaged his vocal cords in a freak accident 11 years ago. Despite the odds, he persisted and regained his vocal ability. This was his first performance on stage in 11 years.
The audience at first boos him and berates him, but he continues to sing. After a while, the audience turns around and begins clapping and cheering for him. You can see the clip here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=APBRD1z1K-g
I'm not going to play the clip, but I'm going to tell the story to my class. I'll try to tell it in vivid, engaging detail - and then stop in the middle of the story when the crowd is booing to discuss as a class the feelings that the performer must have been feeling at the time.
Then, I will continue with the story and the happy ending.
I'll probably also integrate the example when talking about Lystra - how it was almost a reverse of the performance. The mob there was going to sacrifice to Paul because they loved him so much, and then soon after they turned and stoned him.
Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it. I agree that you should not play it. For example, I've never seen the show, so when the crowd was making all the noise in the beginning, I didn't know what that meant. The transition from jeering to cheering was unclear to me since I hadn't seen the show.
As a general comment, sometimes things are very clear to me as the teacher, but only later do I realize how difficult it was for a class member to understand my point. I say this in reference to your "reverse the performance" idea. That is very clear to you, but be aware that it may be hard to grasp for a class member who hasn't been thinking about the material as much as you have.
Yeah, excellent points.
Thanks for this site, by the way. It is an invaluable resource for me as I prepare my lessons.
Thanks! Please tell me what is helpful, and what is not helpful. Feedback is very useful.
Appreciate it,
Ronnie
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