What's your Question?

caleb.dillman@mbbc.edu | 5:15 PM | | 0 comments



What Biblical Questions do you have? 

Whatever questions you might have, here is a site where you can ask and I can answer more specifically.

http://yourquestionsmyanswers.qhub.com/invite/

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photo: http://capturingfantasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/questions.jpg

How should we help others learn?

caleb.dillman@mbbc.edu | 12:32 PM | , , , , | 0 comments








"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." 

      - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


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     Many things can be discussed about the effectiveness of another person's collaboration in helping another to make a right decision, but as Christian's our best example was when God sent us his Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross to give us a chance to have our sins forgiven if we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior for what He did for us by paying the penalty of our sins. 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Once this relationship with Christ is established we have the ability to please God with our relationship with Him and others. Our relationship with others can develop in our marriage, friendships and in general, how we treat others. Sometimes, though, our example alone is not sufficient to help someone. This also can be for multiple reasons, but one online article summed it up well when it made the statement that:

When two people working together can discuss their disagreements, two heads can be better than one," explains Professor Frith. "But, when one person is working with flawed information -- or perhaps is less able at their job -- then this can have a very negative effect on the outcome. Being able to work together successfully requires that we know how competent we are. Joint decisions don't work when a member of the team is incompetent, but doesn't know it.1

     Clearly we cannot just do or say anything, we must be genuinely helpful. We must be willing to talk about their problem and ways of fixing it that follow a biblical mindset. How do we fulfill this mindset? We must be selfless in accordance to the Bible. If two people are both seeking self-fulfillment neither will help each other, but when both seek to please God both will be do the selfless thing and try to help to fix each others' problem by the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

    In Conclusion, we should learn to make friends, but also be there when they're in need. Solomon greatly emphasizes the benefits of a true friendship, but we also should never forget, as stated in Prov 18:24b, that  there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, and that person is Jesus Christ.






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1Wellcome Trust (2010, August 27). Two heads are better than one -- with the right partner. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 22, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/08/100826141215.htm

photo: found in Google Images

What do students find helpful in learning biblically?

caleb.dillman@mbbc.edu | 3:24 PM | , , , , | 0 comments




What one student found helpful

     In one my earlier posts "How should teachers influence their students?" I talked mainly on the role of a teacher and so forth. With this post I wanted to expand more so on what other students found helpful. To help me with this I decided to email Sajith Cherian,  a fellow student at my bible college, and this was his response.



Q. Who encouraged you the most to learn biblically? (examples: your school, teacher, parents)
A. I would have to say that my parents are the ones that encouraged my sisters and I the most. From when we were infants, they were constantly teaching us Christian songs & Bible verses, and helping us memorize bible verses. They were the ones that taught us the value of having daily devotions and prayer. My parents made sure that we attended a solid, Bible-believing/preaching church were we could be nurtured in the Word. They themselves upheld the best of testimonies and "practiced what they preached".

Q. As a Christian (student), what advice would you give to other students who are trying to see how to use their education biblically?
A. My encouragement would be to actively seek the Lord's will for their lives. The first step is to ensure that you are walking with the Lord. He will not bless you if you are just selfishly pursuing your own heart's desires. I am living proof of this. I ran from God's will for so long, and it led me on a path of unwise and life-altering choices. Not everyone is called to full-time ministry (i.e. pastor, foreign missionary, evangelist) BUT we are all called to be missionaries in some respect. I do not believe that is wrong or sinful to pursue a secular career. In fact, I would encourage it if that is a particular calling, because we need solid Christians out there in the work-places. This means that the bible classes are just as important to the "preacher boys" as they are to every liberal arts major. My advice is this: learn all you can about WHY you believe what you believe and how to defend the faith. Because once you get out in the real world, "Because my parents and church say so" just will not cut it anymore.

Q. What resources would you suggest to students to look into in helping them understanding things biblically while they are attending secular school
A. My parents have always been the primary source of my Biblical training outside of church. My father graduated from Bible college, so he has been able to explain a lot to me as well. My pastor and teen class Sunday School teacher would be the other primary sources that come to mind. There are messages and lessons that I can still distinctly remember that have helped me when facing various issues.
There are a number of outside sources that I have used as well, both literature and online in origin. Some books that have helped me tremendously are: Changed into His Image by Jim Berg, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge , The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper, The Power of Prayer, Jim Berg's study on Purity, Cross and Crescent by Colin Gilbert Chapman, and several biographies including that of Jim Elliot, Hudson Taylor and Adoniram Judson.
The MacArthur and Ryrie Study Bible notes have been a great help in study and interpretation during devotions, as well as the Life Application Bible and then the study tools and resources offered in the package with the ESV Study Bible.
StudyGodsword.com is my home church's website with a number of bible messages available. Another church here in Wisconsin has great sermons too on fallsbc.org. Biblegateway.com is a great tool for anyone because of the ability to search all of Scripture in a matter of seconds and also has a number of additional resources including commentaries.

Q. How do you use your education for God?
A. God has given me a passion for medicine and I always thought about becoming a medical missionary. I am not sure if this is still the exact path He has for me. I have just switched my major from Biology-Premed to Humanities-Applied Science. After graduation, I am considering staying at MBBC for seminary and getting a Master's in Biblical Studies or Cross-Cultural Studies. Then, Lord-willing, I would be able to go to Physician's Assistant school and get another Master's that would enable me to practice medicine. In addition to academics, I have been able to be a part of various campus ministries as well as heavy involvement in a local church.

       I hope this has helped give you some more practical advice. You may still want to look at "Resources for the Christian Learner" if you haven't already. As always, if you have any questions or would like to add something send me some feedback, I'd be glad to hear from you.

Should Education be Entertaining or Engaging?

caleb.dillman@mbbc.edu | 11:39 PM | , , , , | 0 comments


                                                      Entertainment or Engagement?
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     The answer to this question might at first seem obvious, but in practice it is often confused.If Education were simply entertaining would anything be really learned? Would you get any content that would help you in the near future? Most likely not, but if you were to try to find an education that was simply engaging how long would it take you before you got bored and would lose interest?

This issue doesn't just apply to schools but also effects how we treat business, church issues, science, journalism, and many others. Today in popular culture we can turn on the TV, watch a youtube video on the internet, got to a park. All of which take no more engagement than getting ready for it to begin. There are many websites and blogs that go over the issue of how entertainment has produced a negative effect on society. But, if we already have it, and we already know we can't get rid of it, shouldn't we use it to our advantage or should we try replacing it with learning that is engaging? To have a better answer to this question lets look at....


The Primary Differences1

  
  • Entertainment  is passive (no involvement = spectators vs. entertainers) while Engagement is active (i.e. mentally or physically involved).


  • Entertainment is for enjoyment/amusement (Note: learning can be enjoyable, but not everything that is gives joys gives knowledge and understanding) while Engagement is for learning that is relate to what is being taught.

  • Entertainment tends to be short-lived - what entertaining is today will be different tomorrow - while Engagement has long-term benefits/results (knowledge to use for the future).


  • Entertainment doesn’t require relevance - many examples of movies, commercials, etc can be funny but not relevant to future use, meaning it has little or no value to the student - while Engagement is meaningful and applicable (i.e. shows us hands-on how to do this for future use).


  • Entertainment allows [or encourages] escape from problems while Engagement is about trying to solve problems, in a Christian's case biblically.

  •  Entertainment is using the creativity of others (meaning that you aren’t actively doing something to improve yourself or others) while Engagement is using the creativity of the participant (when you participate with someone both you and the participant learn something from it giving you opportunity to learn and grow from it).

Conclusion?

Much more could be said on both sides, but you can see how engagement tends to more biblical benefits whereas entertainment has a tendency towards complacency and a lack of efficient learning. Should education be entertaining? Yes, but this should not be the main goal. The main goal is that is should engage the student to participate in a learning experience that will improve his way of life so that he/she can better serve God with their abilities. Hope you have enjoyed reading and have also found it engaging. Bye for now.

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photos found @: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhiBL9vwRv_ySplDaMlXaEvcViuMupsFVMNZrbW5DufCOOEkC-NQ, http://sciencefair.math.iit.edu/projects/forces/roller_coaster.jpg,  http://blog.standupandeat.org/image.axd?picture=iStock_000005274124XSmall.jpg


Resources 


1 (See http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2008/1/24/engage-or-entertain.html)

Resources for the Christian Learner

caleb.dillman@mbbc.edu | 10:56 PM | , , , | 0 comments






What resources are out there?


This might seem like an odd question at first, but really it is a question a lot of students would like answered.
It might seem obvious but a Christian's first and most important resource in learning biblically is the Bible itself. In addition to this valuable resource there are many other guidebooks.



  • http://www.answersingenesis.org/: A valuable website for any Christian is having a proper understanding on knowing how everything began. This website helps to show how God's Word answers the basic questions in life: What happens after death?What is the meaning of life?













I hope you find these resources helpful. If you can think of other useful resources out there let me know. I'd be glad to look at them and add them on. Thanks for reading.





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photos found @: http://cdn.darwinsfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/teacher.jpg, http://www.artsjournal.com/bookdaddy/Home_Photo_books.jpg, http://www.sb.fsu.edu/~xray/Images/DellComputer.jpg

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