When most people go swimming, they don’t just run to the side of the pool and jump in—although some do. I personally question the sanity of those who jump right in. I, like most people, want to take time to acclimate to pool water before I get all the way into it. In fact, I sometimes take as long as ten minutes to fully submerge myself in particularly cold pools. Of course the insane people who jumped right in are thrashing around and splashing the “freezing” water all over me. But, hey, they’re insane. They can’t help it!

The next time you teach a lesson, imagine that all of your learners are standing on the edge of a swimming pool. Your job is to get them all in the pool and acclimated to the water. You could reach up and grab their hands and pull them all into the pool. That’s fun to imagine! Or you could direct them to go to the shallow end of the pool and slowly wade into the water until they are acclimated enough to submerge themselves. (more…)

Will you help with a dilemma? These Sunday School and Bible study materials are desperately needed in partnering ministries around the world, but they will be recycled. Why? Read more.