Spud Lessons

Class went so incredibly well. Saturday evening, I did something I rarely do: I started to go over the lesson with Nelson. I never rehearse. I didn't rehearse my sermons. I do the research. I prepare. And I get up there and deliver.

As I was sharing my lesson with Nelson, I was reading a big long piece I was using as an illustration (my entry entitled "Autopilot). I looked up at him and his brow was all furrowed. Much as he would like to deny it, he was frowning big time. I realized, based on his feedback that I'm a much better extemporaneous speaker than reader of information, that I needed to adjust what I was going to be doing.

I ended up depending very little on my notes. I gave the gist of the autopilot piece and I actually ran out of time. That was one of my biggest fears: that I would run out of material long before I ran out of time. I know, it's hard to imagine me running out of things to say...

The feedback I got was very positive.

So now I'm on to the next lesson. I won't get to teach again until September 23. I'm going to use a wonderful illustration from Bob Benson entitled "The Urn." It's a satirical pieces about the strife between denominations I'm using 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27:
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[f]
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (New Living Translation)

I'm going to use Mr. Potato Head as a hands on illustration. At the very least everyone will be going home with a piece of a Mr. Potato Head to remind them of their place in the body. I've been shopping the Internet and what I would really like to do is purchase enough Potato Head kids that everyone in the class would go home with one. (There are about 50 in our class.) I found a t-shirt and a sweatshirt for sale on EBay with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head on them. I'm getting one and I'll wear it when I teach. I love visuals and I love giving something to the class to tangibly remind them of the lesson.

Well, it's late and I think it's about time for potato head dreams. Sweet ones to you!