At the request of my students, I recently started for Youth Sunday School going through the book of Exodus. And if you are like me you always get intimidated going “off book” and writing your own lessons for each week. What do I say? What points can we draw out of it? What questions should I ask!? And I am sorry to say I don’t have answers for all of those. However in leading this study of Exodus I stumbled upon a fantastic podcast I thought I would share with you all. It is called 40 Minutes in the Old Testament.
In the few episodes I have listened to they walk through the old testament passage by passage and talk on context, history, meaning, insights and most importantly how it connects us to Christ. I have found the podcast to be a huge help in preparation. I will listen to the episodes covering the passages I will be teaching on in my car rides to and from work and it has really helped me in connecting personally with the scriptures.
In another blog posted recently by AJ Vega called, “Don’t Teach, Engage” he challenges teachers to engage personally and wrestle with the topic being taught. It seems obvious, but it is harder to do than one would think. Listening to this podcast as a personal devotion has helped me engage with God’s word which in turn has helped me to become a better teacher.
Check out the podcast! Maybe it will help you in your preparation as it has helped me.
You can find the podcast online!
They also have a companion podcast called 30 Minutes in the New Testament. Which I have not listened to, but I would be willing to bet that it is just as good.
Andrew Cordy is the Director of Christian Education at Peace Lutheran Church in New Berlin, WI. There he works with people of all ages. However he specifically has a heart for children and youth. He graduated from Concordia University Texas with a degree in religious education and a minor in theology.