Five Keys for Being Single and Staying Strong

Singles at the Crossroads - Albert y. Hsu - Paperback

Living single can be very tough.  In today's world where morality and marriages have declined and cohabitation has increased, it becomes very hard for the single Christian to fight the fight of faith. Here are some keys that will help those struggling with their singleness.

Pray

Prayer keeps you strong to stand against temptation.  You will need this strength as you navigate through your single life.

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Matthew 16:41

Practice Self Control

"But I keep under by body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." I Corinthians 9:27

Paul says that he keeps his body under subjection. Self control means just that, you, yourself have to practice it. In order to practice self control, you need mind control. You have to keep your mind on the right things. Allow your spirit man to be king. You rule your body...don't let your body rule you.

 Avoid the Scene of Sin 

If you are not in a position to be tempted, you cannot fail. You should avoid anything you know that would cause you to stumble. You can't bring a date to your home and listen to the late Luther Vandross. Don't be caught at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person.

Watch What You Watch

Be careful what you watch. Don't allow the enemy to lure you into tempting Internet sites, or erotic movies and books. Discipline yourself to focus on the right things.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

Spend Time in the Word

You have to feed your spirit daily to keep yourself strong. Just like you feed your physical body, you must feed your spirit man. If you go for days without eating and drinking water, your body will get weak. Being spiritually weak and dehydrated is one of the main reasons you get weak and fall into temptation.

I know it's easier said than done, but with the help of God, all things are possible.  Make your mind up today that you will conquer!

10 Wrong Reasons to Get Married- Part I

Teaching Sunday School Lessons- The Skillful Art of Asking Questions

Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher - Ray Johnston - Paperback Buy Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher by Ray Johnston in Paperback for the low price of 8.77. Find this product in Religion > Christian Church - Church Administration.

Using questions to guide your students' learning is a skill that can be mastered.  Let's take a look at the different kind of questions you can use to make your lessons come alive.

Closed Ended Questions- Yes or no answers. Exact answers.

Open-ended Questions-    Creates dialog and discussion.

WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY?  You have to know w
hat the Bible says before you can know what it means.  These types of questions are good questions to draw out quiet, shy, or introverted people.

Examples:  Who was the demon-possessed man commanded to tell? (Mark 5:19)

How does Paul describe what God has done to us? (II Corin 5:21)

HOW DID THEY FEEL?  When you ask emotion questions, you are not just looking for one answer.  Many times we have mixed feelings. 

Example:  How did the Prodigal son feel as he approached the father near the end of the story?

What was Abraham thinking as he got up early in the morning to take Isaac to be killed?

                

JUMP BALL QUESTIONS- This is a question that can legitimately go either way.  These type questions are asked to create a discussion and interaction with students.

Example- Is Christianity easy or hard? (Matthew 11:30)

                Would God say “no” to someone who asks to know him?

APPLICATION QUESTIONS  Application is the point .We are not out to make smarter sinners, but saints. All roads lead to application.

           

          Example- How can we apply this to our lives?

          How do we go about enjoying God? (Talk about specific things)

ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS- Build discipleship in the class so students know they will be held accountable. If you challenge the class to memorize a scripture, hold them accountable.  

Example – What did we say last week, is God more like a policeman or a father?

Have you had a chance to think about what we discussed last week?

TESTIMONY QUESTIONS:  Testimonies are valuable.  Why not allow three or four students share their story.

            Example:  How has it worked for you?

Overcoming Ineffective Teaching in Sunday School
Using Learning Styles to Become a Better Sunday School Teacher

Visual Learning Activity
Auditory Learning Activity
Scripture Memory

Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher - Ray Johnston - Paperback Buy Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher by Ray Johnston in Paperback for the low price of 8.77. Find this product in Religion > Christian Church - Church Administration.

Teaching Sunday School Lessons- Scripture Memory for the Kinesthetic Learner

The Kinesthetic Learner needs movement in order to learn.  He or she may have low visual and auditory skills and may fail if taught in any other way.  This learner cannot sit still, especially if he or she is engaged in an activity that does not include manipulating materials.  They need methods that involve things they can touch, feel and manipulate (not writing).  They need methods that allow them to move.

Many students do not excel at Bible memory.  We must affirm these children when they don’t, in fact, know what the Bible says.  They have written its words on their heart, even though the exact wording may get a little scrambled.  Once we have found ways to test the heart knowledge of these children, we must celebrate these alternative ways of learning with as much enthusiasm as we applaud traditional memorization.

Here are several ideas instead of the traditional word-for-word recitation that may be effective for your kinesthetic learner:

Living Memorization:

Give students a list of verses that are to be lived.  They must find ways to live those verses, and get a Christian adult to sign a sheet explaining how the student did.

Visual Memorization

Students design and implement an artistic project that illustrates the verse.  As part of the illustration, students may want to include the actual words of the verse.  A student could design a cross-stitch of the verse.  Or, a student may do a pen and ink sketch.  Another may do a collage that visually interprets not only what the verse says, but also what it means to him or her.

Teach the Verse

Students should find a way to teach what the verse means to another group of learners.  For example, they might write a play to show what the verse means, do a video or even an interpretative dance.

Using alterntive methods for scripture memory can not only be effective for the kinesthetic leaner, but all learners.  

The Spiritual Consequences of Premarital Sex

Well it’s time to talk about premarital sex and its spiritual consequences.  Christian singles must realize that there are unseen consequences when they engage in premarital sex.  Before we dive into these consequences, let’s review some scriptures:

I Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Mark: 10:7- for this cause shall man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.

I Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."

I Corinthians 6:18 “Flee fornication.  Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body."          

Your body does not belong to you…it belongs to God.  Look at it this way:  How would you feel if you loan something of value to someone and give them specific instructions on how to take care of it, yet they disregard your instructions and don’t take care of it the way you asked?  You would be upset and hurt.  Think of how God feels, every time we disobey his commands about our bodies.

Relationships are to be built with a foundation of God and friendship and then blossom to add love and commitment.  Sex is not a God-designed component of premarital relationships. God created sex as icing on the cake for a married relationship only.  These days, we jump into the sex without building  a foundation.  Sex is not a solid foundation for a long-term relationship.  Again, it was created as icing on the cake of a strongly built relationship.

There is a reason why God created sex for the married only.  When the physical act of sex takes place, there is also a spiritual union.  Two spirits are being united.  What this union creates is a soul tie. Since God created sex for marriage, then spirits are also marrying when sex is performed.  You are actually marrying the spirit of another person--creating this soul-tie.  Let’s say you break up with that person and start another relationship and have pre-marital sex.  If you have not spiritually divorced the previous person, you have committed spiritual adultery by marrying the spirit of another person.  Every time you have pre-marital sex, your spirit is marrying someone else.  If you haven’t taken the time to divorce that spirit by healing in between relationships, you are creating more and more layers of spirits upon spirits.  Juanita Bynum explains it best in her book “No More Sheets”.  If you have not read that book, please take the time to do so.  Her illustration of wrapping herself in sheet after sheet is a visual imagery of layers of spirits.  

It is important that Christian women realize this consequence.  It is even more important to take the time to heal between relationships and be sure to spritually divorce any previous spirits.  How do you do that? You pray and ask God to cleanse you, to remove any attractions to previous partners, and most importantly, you ask God to be your spiritual husband until He presents your physical husband.  Marry the spirit of God instead of the spirit of someone who is not your husband.

This may be a revelation to many, but it is real.

How Can I Get A God-Sent Husband---Part One
How Can I Get A  God-Sent Husband --Part Two

Teaching Sunday School Lessons- Auditory Learners Activity

Auditory learners are your learners who grasp more by hearing than by visual or kinestheic methods.  (To review the traditional methods of learning, click here).

Some Auditory Learners cannot take notes, because it distracts them from hearing.  They are so in tune with words that they need to pay total attention to what the teacher is saying.  Often when they read silently, they move their lips.  They are mentally making the sound that helps their minds to respond.  Auditory Learners often learn very well in groups.  Our second activity in our series of teaching activities is for your auditory learners and is appropriate for older elementary kids and young teens.

SCORE THE PERFORMANCE

(Older Elementary and Young Teens)

Students will give sports’ scores as answers to questions, encouraging their maturing thinking processes.  They must give reasons for their answers.

Examples:

•       If the effort you put into Bible study were your      bowling  score,  what would that score be?

•        If Moses’ obedience to God were a hockey score, what would  it be?

•       If the disciples’ service to Jesus were a basketball team, what player would be the high scorer?

Assigning a score to a object lesson, theory or story really helps the auditory learner hear the important truth that the lesson is giving.

Visual Learning Activity-Stick Figure Bible Praise

Coming Soon,  Kinesthetic Learning Activity

Teaching Sunday School Lessons-Visual Learning Activity

One of the ways to become an effective Sunday School teacher is to design activities that correspond with the various learning styles in your classroom.  To take it a step further, to enhance the effectiveness, there should be methods that address each style of traditional learning in each lesson.  The three traditional learning styles are: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic.  To refresh your understanding of what each style is, click here.

In this series of blog posts, we will identify an activity to help you build your lessons to address those learning styles in your classroom.  Today we look at the Stick Figure Bible Praise.

STICK FIGURE BIBLE PRAISE

(Children and Young Teens)

Pick a section of Scripture that children would understand, a section that provides opportunity for visual imagery.  Divide the verses into sections and have students draw the different parts of the verse.  For example, children might enjoy this way of celebrating a completed unit on who God is. 

Each would read Revelation 4:11 three times, and then draw a stick-figure picture of the different parts of the verse.

          You are worthy, our Lord and God, (first drawing)

          To receive glory and honor and power, (second drawing)

          For you created all things, (third drawing)

          And by your will they were created and have their being (fourth drawing)

Perhaps the best drawings could be combined, duplicated and used as the basis for a Scripture reading in a worship service in Children's/Kids church.

Stay tuned for more activities for the auditory and kinesthetic learner.

Tips for Teaching Multi-Age Sunday School Children.
Auditory Learning Activity- Score the Performance

Credit Union vs. Banks...Which is better?

Having worked in a Credit Union for over 15 years, I'm often asked what's the difference between the two. Both institutions do the same thing in that they have savings/checking accounts, provide consumer and residential loans and offer investment services. So what is the difference?

Profit vs. Non Profit
Believe it or not credit unions are not-for-profit institutions. Of course they must make a profit to be profitable. Credit unions are exempt from paying pay federal taxes by an act of Congress. However they must still pay payroll, sales and property taxes.

Member Owner vs. Customer
Credit unions are cooperatives. Once you meet the membership requirements be it work-related or community related, you may join by opening the membership account. Once you open the account, you become a member...not a customer. You become part-owner, not a customer. As a member owner, you have voting rights. Each member has equal ownership and one vote. You have a voice in management. You can become a Board Director, who are volunteers and not paid. In the banks, the Board of Directors are driven to make a personal profit, to pay dividends. At a credit union, members' monies are pooled together, to lend to each other and help each other.

Not for Profit, But for Service
Generally, credit unions' deposit rates are higher and loan interest rates are usually lower than banks. This is because credit unions pride themselves on serving members well and not making a profit. "People Helping People" is the world-wide mantra of the credit union movement.