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December 23, 2010
One Last Christmas Video
You'll shoot your eye out!
All righty -- this may be my last blog post for a while. The O'Neal family is going on an extended vacation for a couple weeks. But I wanted to leave you with one final reminder to be careful this Christmas, and to have fun!
posted by Sam O'Neal at 1:56 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
December 20, 2010
Yet Another Christmas Video
This must have been quite a surprise!
You may have seen this one recently—I saw it in church yesterday morning. Definitely cool, and definitely a lot of applications/connections that can come from this (maybe even in your group).
After showing this video clip, our pastor said: "The food court needs Jesus Christ." Boom, Pastor Walt!
posted by Sam O'Neal at 2:07 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
December 16, 2010
Learning Styles: A Look at Reading/Writing Learners
A brief overview of the third VARK learning style
I hope you have been following along with our continuing series on "Learning Styles in Small Groups," because it has been a good one. We started with a brief overview of learning styles in general, and have since talked about Visual Learners and Auditory Learners.
Now it's time to explore what it means to have a preference for the Reading/Writing learning style.
Gimme an R!
Remember that a learning style refers to the way a person prefers to perceive and process information. And for Reading/Writing Learners, the preferred way to perceive and process information is through...wait for it...reading and writing.
If Reading/Writing learners were assigned to learn something, they would go straight to a book and research the given topic. If they were asked to explain a concept or idea to another person, they would summarize what they have read about that concept or idea. And when they listen to a lecture or sermon, they process that auditory experience by writing down copious notes.
Reading/writing learners even turn to books as a means of artistic enjoyment and expression. They enjoy literature and good prose, and they often collect vast libraries (when they can afford it). They can write both creatively and practically, moving from a grocery list to poetry without any need to change gears.
A Few More Clues
Here are some other tendencies and preferences that may help you identify a Reading/Writing Learner:
- If you ask a Reading/Writing Learner for directions, he will often jot down the appropriate streets and turns in list form.
- When a Reading/Writing Learner orders food at a restaurant, she reads the menu and decides what she wants.
- Reading/Writing Learners place a high value on well-written quotations and clever word games.
- A Reading/Writing Learner would rather email you or text-message you than call your cell phone.
Okay, that's it for now. Check back in a couple days and we will discuss how what Reading/Writing Learners experience in a typical small-group session, as well as what they really need.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 2:05 PM | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)
December 15, 2010
More Christmas Videos!
From my favorite Christmas video to my favorite Christmas song.
Here's a confession, and I hope you will forgive me for it: I'm not a fan of most Christmas music. Or at least, I used to be a fan until all of the cheer was ground out of my by repetition after repetition after repetition after...well, you get the idea.
But here is a song I will never get tired of. :)
And if you're interested in seeing the entire Grinch story, you can find it here. A classic!
posted by Sam O'Neal at 10:49 AM | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)
December 13, 2010
Hooray for Christmas Videos!
Merry Christmas and you are welcome.
I am a big fan of Christmas. And I am a big fan of videos. So, I'm pretty much forced to use this blog as a vehicle for featuring Christmas video snippets throughout the month of December. If that bothers you, I'm very sorry—I just don't see any way around it.
But if your small-group members like Christmas, and they like videos, too, this just might work out well for all of us.
And since I am a believer of starting out with a bang, here is pretty much my favorite Christmas video snippet of all time. Enjoy.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 1:41 PM | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)
December 2, 2010
Converging with Convergence
Take a look at the next stop on the Blog Tour.
I have been grappling/struggling with our video-editing software these past few days in order to get the final set of Convergence Video Bible Studies online on SmallGroups.com—and now it's time for me to join in the blog tour featuring the Convergence studies. Talk about converging!
(By the way, you can check out the Convergence courses that have been uploaded by clicking here.)
If you've not yet heard of Convergence, it is a new and interesting set of Video Bible Studies that are all hosted by Donald Miller. They feature conversations on a whole host of topics between Miller and other thinkers including Lauren Winner, Phyllis Tickle, Randy Alcorn, and more. The whole setup is like a "Who's Who" of Christian authors and theologians.
I had the privilege of re-watching the course featuring discussions between Donald Miller, Dan Allender, and Tremper Longman. Here's how I would describe the course in one word: helpful. And if I had two words, it would be: helpful and provocative.
The first thing I noticed is that nobody in these conversations pulls any punches or shies away from any of the topics that are considered controversial. Donald Miller does a great job of asking questions that include things like:
- Does the Bible consider the man to be the head of the home? (And what does that mean?)
- What does "leaving and cleaving" look like in a marriage?
- What do you do with the presence of contempt in a marriage? Or when one spouse is killing the spirit of the other?
- What are the ways that sex impacts and directs a relationship?
It's great material, and both Allender and Longman tackle the issues head-on with thoughtful, helpful responses and ideas. (Although, I will say that one of the participants dominates the discussion to a pretty high degree. I'll let you watch the videos to figure out which one. :)
All that to say: this video course is a great resource for any small group that features married couples and single folks who would like to be married one day (especially singles who currently view marriage as the cure for all of their problems).
To learn more, check out www.allthingsconverge.com. Also, the first 25 people who visit the Convergence website from this blog will get a free video download. Just use the code ONEAL (valid today only).
Finally, be sure to check out the next (and final) stop on this blog tour tomorrow with Mike Mack and Small Group Leadership.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 11:25 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
