I am happy to let you know that my first Cokesbury Bible Study for adults has been published and is now available at Cokesbury. It is part of the Adult Bible Studies curriculum and is called “Inspired by God.” There is a teacher guide and DVD also available.

This is a 13-week short term study designed for small groups and Sunday school classes. It organized in three units, making it perfect for your small group needs.

In the first unit, we will look at the careful design of Scripture and its art and poetry, which touch our hearts and minds and invites us to dwell within its reality rather than our current reality. Readings will come from the Law, the Prophets, people’s visions, and the Psalms (4 weeks).

The second unit focuses on Wisdom literature. Living with wisdom affects how we think, speak, act/behave, relate to God, and relate to others. What constitutes wisdom according to the Bible is not conventional wisdom about how to stay safe and healthy or how to prosper in life. Conventional wisdom tells us not to give aid or comfort to an enemy, whereas biblical wisdom teaches us the opposite. Conventional wisdom tells us to store up our grain in barns for tomorrow, whereas biblical wisdom encourages us to share what we have with those whose need is for today. Passages from James, First Corinthians, and Ecclesiastes will be studied. (5 weeks).

The third unit is the most challenging as we study Heroes and Anti-Heroes of the Bible. The men and women of the Bible who “save the day” are not the typical heroes of western mythology. They do not have superhuman powers; they are not mighty warriors; they are not descended from the gods.  They are ordinary men and women who use their status and situation to serve God’s purpose or people in need.  The people who tradition prefers to make into heroes of kings and warriors frequently disappoint us by using their power to serve themselves (4 weeks).

Find out more here.

by Elizabeth Park Haas