“In preparation for teaching The Divine Drama®, the audio CDs and DVDs are extremely helpful. They cover the most relevant material from the lesson in a tight, concise manner for each illustration,” says Karen Roed-Rick, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley, Minnesota.
“I especially like the audio CD because I can easily pause or replay sections of the material until my notes are complete. I often listen to the CD one more time during my commute the day I will be teaching. It’s a great way to pull the information to the front of my brain just before I need it! I cannot imagine planning my lesson without this valuable tool.
“My personal teaching preparation routine is to:
-read through the lesson in the manual for its in-depth content,
-listen to the audio CD and make notes on the text illustrations,
-watch the DVD with the text in hand, adding to my notes as needed,
-turn to the Bible . . and read the book(s) from which the lesson is taken.
“Valuable assets of the audio CDs and DVDs are that the presenter (Dr. Wendt) provides specific points that can be found in the corresponding biblical passages, and he also makes general statements regarding the overall thrust of the entire biblical narrative. Therefore, it is easier to identify the themes and specifics, as well as the additional richness that surrounds them, when the Bible is read after working through the study material,” continues Karen.
“In class, our typical format is:
-identification of special prayer needs solicited from the class participants,
-opening prayer, incorporating special prayer requests,
-presentation of the lesson using PowerPoint illustrations,
-break (with snacks provided via a sign-up sheet),
-group discussion of the lesson – which often involves life-application facilitated by a key question from the presenter,
-scripture reading . . . digging into the Bible,
-closing prayer.
“Team-teaching by the pastor and myself has been a very successful and fun approach to our weekly classes (two hours in length). Generally I use the PowerPoint illustrations to teach each lesson, followed by the pastor leading the class through key scripture readings that support the lesson’s message.”
