Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin!
This past Sunday, I taught my first lesson for my home church in Dallas on giftings for college students!
Personally, I struggled a lot in college on discovering my giftings and knowing how to apply them, so I was blessed to have the opportunity to teach from my experience.
It was fun being able to practice Zoom public speaking (staring at a camera 80% of the time is difficult) as well as apply principles I learned from a book called βCommunicating for a Changeβ (10/10 recommend if you desire to be a theological teacher or pastor), and I hope for more opportunities to teach in the midst of this quarantine! π
If you want to hear how to utilize your giftings for God or learn a biblical perspective of giftings, definitely check out the lesson! (forgive the zoom quality though π)
The truth is, although I donβt get to formally teach often and there are not many subjects I can teach well, I love to teach.
Teaching is a great way to pass on knowledge, see others grow, and most importantly, one of the quickest ways to learn.
In fact, Iβd like to think teaching is a fast track to becoming an expert.
Above is shown the four stages of competence sectioned out in quadrants. Although most people who teach effectively live in the right half of the graph, teaching can happen at almost any stage (the effectiveness is definitely lost the farther left you go).
The place most people struggle in after recognizing what theyβre incompetent in is moving from:
Q2 to Q3 - conscious incompetence to conscious competence through learning & practicing
and
Q3 to Q4 - conscious competence to unconscious competence through experience
For me, I believe the most effective and efficient way to go from Q2 to Q4 is through teaching as you will be able to practice and gain experience at the same time.
You will learn to know what youβre teaching and know it well enough so that others can follow you.
It is a humbling process though.
I remember one of the most embarrassing humbling moments of teaching happened recently when I tried to share the Gospel through a new method, the β3 Circles Gospelβ. (displayed below)
With over 20 years of Christian faith tenure through Vacation Bible Camps, missions. and even leading a life group, I thought the diagram was simple and believed teaching a new format wouldnβt take too long.
But as I went through the process, drawing out each circle and describing the events, I found myself fumbling whilst sharing in real-time about our broken world and even struggled to believe the promises I was sharing.
As fortunate as it was a practice round with a teacher, within 5 mins of attempting to share the gospel to someone who might not know anything about God, I felt exposed in my faith, learned what I took for granted, and found gaps in my understanding of the Gospel.
That experience taught me to recognize the importance of teaching for others so I could teach myself.
βTeaching is learning twiceβ, and though I feel helpless whenever I teach, I welcome the process, as they are moments I am sharpened in so I can be able to learn and teach better for the future.
Anyways, an epilogue for that embarrassing story, I now vlog a lot in order to practice and teach myself the things Iβve learned. You can see my attempt of teaching the three circles gospel shortly after that embarrassing moment here. Hopefully, you can follow along what Iβm sharing through the visual above, and let me know if you want to learn how to draw and teach it yourself! I will gladly teach you so you may be equipped to teach others (as well as redeem myself π )
With that, thanks for checking! Find spontaneous ways to keep in touch with people, seek ways to serve and teach if you can, and I'll see y'all in the next update! π
Weekly Collections
Faith
Ideas Have Consequences - The Freest Love
This devotional was a good reminder of the power of ideas and the effect of what you believe/share brings, especially for Christians needing to be rooted in God's truth.
Productivity
βOne of the effects of social distancing and working from home is that we are left, much more than usual, with ourselves. Who are we when we are no longer reflected in the faces of the people around us? Who are we without all the external recognition? No fancy clothes and cars to project an image. No praise or even rejection. No feedback at all to define us. This can leave us feeling lost. Or, as Keller put it, unsettled. Maybe youβre feeling a little of that?
I know I am. In a day, I feel everything, often inexplicably. Joy and sadness. Thrill and anger. Frustration and ease. And, of course, fear. But also, of course, excitement and connection. To feel it all requires courage. Emotional courage. Which is why, as important and difficult as it is to stay curious about others, thereβs something equally importantΒ β and far more difficultΒ β to do: We need to stay curious about ourselves.
That is what is required of us now, in this new moment. A moment that is not simple, clear, or expected. Being curious about ourselves is how we begin to knowΒ β really knowΒ β who we are. That can be scary. But also, possibly, exciting and freeing. The hardest part? Slowing down enough to actually feel. Do you have the courage to slow down?β - Empathy Starts with Curiosity
Verse of the Week
βLook carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.β
- Ephesians 5:15β-β¬16
Challenging Quote
βYou can treat everyone equally if you're God, but you are only humanβ - Khun from Tower of God