Wednesday, January 14, 2009

BSF

WARNING: This post may be boring to many of you, but I just thought some of you may be interested.

I want to take a moment to explain to everyone what I do on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Many of you know I go to bible study, but that's all you know. BSF stands for Bible Study Fellowship. It is an incredible bible study which is a training tool for life using the bible. There are 7 studies total, and we study one entire lesson over 9 months (September through May...just like a school year). This ensures that each topic is studied slowly and thoroughly. BSF is an international program, and each class around the world studies the same study at the same time. There are many "layers" (as we like to call them) in this study. First you do your own study each day at home over a one week period of time. Then you go to class and have a group discussion on the questions you just answered. Then you hear a lecture on that week's lesson, and lastly there are notes that you take home and read. That way you are going through the lesson 4 times in one week.
Why does this take 2 days out of my week?? Because I am privaledged to be a part of the leadership in this program. In fact, I am a children's leader! I know, I can see the shocked faces...ha ha. (There's a children's program??? Yes, I'll touch on that in just a second.) So the leadership meets on Tuesdays to do training and our own version of the group discussion, then we go on Wed to lead groups, or in my case lead a class of children.
Ok, now the children's program. This is NOT a childcare service. The children are taught the same lesson as their parents are learning at the same time. So each Wed while the moms are having their bible study the kids are hearing the bible story being told, singing songs that coordinate with that story, and even having a quiet prayer time. It is amazing to see the kids learning so much. They truly retain the word of God in some incredible ways. Both of my children go on Wednesdays, so it is exciting that they too are learning the same lessons that I am studying. The program on Wed morning is for 2 year olds through 5 year olds. (There is an evening womens class and an evening mens class which teaches kids all the way through 12th grade.)
So that's what takes my time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I just thought everyone might want a better explaination than the one I usually give (which is that I have a meeting or a bible study to go to).