What it Takes to Be a Life-Changer By Tami Thorsen
“I’ve never played a game of paintball in my life!” I replied to a rather surprised youth pastor after he watched me, a skinny blonde girl, boldly explain to a group of husky teenage guys the game’s rules. This pastor was certain I had played the game a zillion times when, in reality, I had been told the rules on paper just minutes before the first intimidating group arrived to play!
As educators, mentors, coaches, etc. we must never be satisfied that those we serve can retell us content or details. We must commit to being a catalyst, enabling them to move from content-talking (knowledge) to content-playing (application) so that personal transformation becomes evident in their attitudes and behaviors as they live out what they know. This article shares a few insights I have gained from my early years of teaching in a classroom setting and my present learning, as I currently serve as a Gospel-driven life coach. I am eager for more experience to further apply these effectively in my present roles and ministries. This also is my prayer for anyone who reads this.
Honestly, I am scared to play the game, let alone handle the gun! I was merely another youth leader helping at a youth camp, and it just so happened they put me in charge of paintball. No one could see the trepidation I felt inside. From my confident explanation, others assumed I had paintball expertise To be truly effective teachers and, most importwhen, in reality, I could only talk about the game. I had no experience and no real courage for playing it. ant, life-changers, we must constantly evaluate the amount of time we spend on content (knowing lots (And I hope I never will!) of things) versus its application (putting what we This true story illustrates how we can know all about know into personal action). I used to spend many the truth and yet still live a lie. In essence, knowledge fun, yet grueling hours creating, preparing, and disdoes not guarantee life change, just as knowing con- playing the content of my lessons so they would be tent does not guarantee its transforming application. fun, vibrant, and memorable. Whether this presentation involved flashy visual aids, breathtaking bulletin boards, “on the edge of your seat” storytelling, or even attention-grabbing video clips, I reveled in how exciting my classroom or lesson itself appeared. However, I found as great as this sounds, master-teaching uses these mediums only as the vehicle on the road to application, which leads to transformation. In other words, the content we teach is just content if it makes no difference in the learners’ life. The missing ingredients: Personal Discovery and Personal Application. 70 | M AG A Z I N E N A M E PAGE 3 23
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