"I hate to realise how much time has been wasted in the past... when I think of all the people I talked to and all the hours I spent trying to figure out their problems... It has hit me hard to know we could have done so much more if we’d only been able to ask good questions and help them think of options for solving their own problems and making their own decisions."
Yes, one of the core competencies in life coaching is the ability to ask great questions that help people to process choices and move beyond the places where they feel stuck in their work, ministry or personal life. But it's not only when coaching that questions help to bring perspective, understanding and growth. Knowing how to ask ourselves good questions is one of the ways that we can also help ourselves keep growing in our relationship with God. That's why the use of simple questions forms the foundation of the 2013 Bible Reading Challenge that I've launched for some of our Spanish speaking young people here in Alhaurin.
When I first had the vision to write these little "quiet time journals" for young people, I was seeking to serve a dozen or so pre-teens and young teens that I have contact with here in Spain. I could never have foreseen that such a simple idea (read your Bible 13 times a month... and read from 20 different Bible books in the course of the year) would gain momentum so quickly. Since writing about Challenge 2013 in my January newsletter, I've had emails from nine different countries, from people asking if they could download the booklets for use with their children or young people. And yet the concept is incredibly simple: read a few verses in the Bible, and prayerfully consider a question that will help you draw out God's truth and apply it to your everyday life.
The February booklets are ready now, and you can download them by clicking either of these links. The March/Easter booklet will be available at the end of February.
Challenge 2013 for February: click here for the booklet in English
Reto 2013 para febrero: haz clic aquí para descargar el libro en español
The pages should be printed double sided in landscape orientation, and folded to form an A5 booklet. Hope you enjoy it.
