I share the following "goofs" from my own teaching experience to encourage and (likely) to amuse you. Remember, it's not about us, it's about the message!
(1) I started a class with a stern admonition that I was going to confiscate any cell phones which made noises. Several cell phones had gone off the previous week during class and distracted everyone. "Mute 'em or lose 'em!" I said. People dutifully pulled out phones and put them on mute or turned them off, and I began my hook question to start the lesson. Not sixty seconds went by before the cell phone in my hip holster rang. I had not muted my phone.
(2) My lesson was pretty complicated, using passages from a dozen or so places. I had decided to use thick stock cardboard for markers for each passage, with sequential numbers on them to help me teach through them in the correct order. A friend had suggested thick cardboard because it made easy to turn to the right page and pull them out. I started teaching without the Bible in my hands, and no other notes, confident that my bookmarks would carry the day. When I turned and picked up my Bible, I missed the spine and grabbed the front cover. All the markers fell on the floor. I couldn't remember the order of the verses I had selected, and so wound up teaching something else that week! I told my friend, "Yes, the thick cardboard bookmarks really do come right out."
(3) One time I intended to play a song from Twila Paris from a cassette tape, using a portable "boom box." To this day I still do not know how the "Sing Along with Barney" tape got in the boombox, but it sure was a surprise to my senior citizen class!
(4) I was teaching a biographical view of Abram from Genesis 11-13. I read his name as "Abraham" every time, rather than Abram. Apparently I even explained to my class that "God will give Abraham the name Abraham later one, but he was originally called Abram."
(5) Did you know that coffee cups aren't steady on slanted lecterns? Hmmm? I bet you did. What a mess!
What goofs have you made that you're willing to share with the world?
3 comments:
Hi, I prepared for my young adult class which had been on some off the wall subject , when I got to church I had no young adults and was asked to fill in for the teen group. woops. I sat stunned about what to say, knowing they would not be able to grasp where this lesson was coming from or going. I froze but learned a valuable lesson. Let God teach, he knows who will be there that day.
Thanks for sharing, Cjay!
Great post.
Good content always attracts.
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