------------------------------------------------------------------ Life of Jacob E-Mail Bible Study READY? GET SET! ... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Wednesday, April 15, 1998 Dear Friends, Next Monday we'll begin our study together of the Life of Jacob. Let me explain how this will work. We've had an unprecedented sign-up for this study, over 278 people so far. This many people would create a humungous e-mail overload on each of you, so I've divided the group into four fairly equal groups, study, study1, study2, and study3. (I still have an e-mail overload, but I have an assistant moderator to help me.) Later today, I'll be sending you the questions for next week. I'll also be posting them on our Life of Jacob home page http://www.jesuswalk.com/jacob If you don't see questions posted there, then I just haven't completed them yet, so ... pray for me. ;-) The questions are at three levels: 1. Observation: to help you survey what the text is saying 2. Interpretation: to help you dig for the meaning of the text 3. Application: to help you apply truths to your own life The purpose of this study is not academic -- though we'll probe and learn -- but practical. We want to internalize our learnings so that our lives are affected. We want God to change us through his word. This is how it will work: I'll try to get the questions out to you on the Friday before the Monday when the questions start so you'll have a chance to study over the weekend if you like. Then on Monday, please share with the group your answers to the questions designated for Monday. If you find that someone has already said what you planned to say, feel free to comment on his or her answer. Add something useful that you thought of. Let's try to make this a dialog rather than just question and answer. The questions are designed to stimulate your thinking, and sometimes to provoke you into thinking. ;-) Then let's discuss it together online. I think that respectful, loving disagreement is healthy for learning. It allows us to see several sides of an issue. However, I will not allow disrespect of my own authority as teacher and leader of the group. If you disagree, please disagree respectfully. To send your answers to the list, first figure out from the heading which group you're in: study, study1, study2, or study3. If you're in study3 (JACOB3), for example, you will e-mail your comments to: study3@joyfulheart.com Within the next several minutes your comments will be echoed to all 75 members of your group, which they'll be able to read when they check their e-mail. We've found that about 1/4 to 1/3 will be active participants, so you won't be receiving 75 e-mails a day, though your e-mail load will definitely increase. You'll find that you'll learn a lot from what your fellow students are thinking and sharing, and they'll learn from you. My role is several-fold: 1. During the week I will direct the study primarily through the questions. I won't usually correct "wrong" answers, though you may want to comment where you see that someone may have missed the idea a bit. Be kind! 2. I will "police" the list, especially early on, to "train" the group to operate within the guidelines we have set. If someone is abusing the group or not following the rules, I'll give one clear warning to them personally. If they do it again, I'll unsubscribe them. Life is too short to allow someone with an axe to grind to ruin the study experience for the rest of us. 3. On Saturdays (usually), I'll e-mail out "Summary Comments" on the passage, an exposition of the passage. If you've been confused earlier in the week, I hope that this brings some clarity and resolution. This will also be posted on the Jacob website for future use and review. A couple of other things: For those of you who don't know, I wear two hats. By day I earn a living as a Website and online store designer, and publish two business newsletters each month. I also pastor a small American Baptist congregation, with Bible studies on Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening (one week ahead of this group on the Life of Jacob), and preach on Sunday mornings. So if you see "Wilson Internet Services" here and there, that's still me. Don't be alarmed. If you're interested in the technology of this Bible study, we have set up four unmoderated majordomo lists and divided the group between them in groups of approximately 75. While I will receive all the e-mail, you'll only receive approximately one-fourth of it. I set up an "alias" on my e-mail program to send my comments to each of the four lists simultaneously. I need to ask you to keep on topic. Let's not discuss our mother- in-law's gout when we're studying Jacob's character. Even though you may find lots of interesting and worthy things, please don't send them to the list. This is ONLY a list to study Genesis. If you want to share prayer requests and struggles with others in the group, we'll be beginning a group shortly for that specific purpose, but wait until we get under way. Please DO NOT subscribe your friends to the study. Let them subscribe themselves at http://www.jesuswalk.com/jacob Finally, you can really help me by learning how to unsubscribe yourself from a list rather than asking me to do it for you. Instructions are found at the bottom of every e-mail you'll receive from the list. Incidentally, I don't plan on moving people into their choice of groups. I just don't have the time that such requests would take. I hope you understand. I think that's about it. We'll be starting this coming Monday. Let's be in prayer that God will bless this study. Let's pray together: Lord, you know each of us. We're all the same before you -- needy. Please use this time of study and fellowship to strengthen our faith, and to bring us closer to you. Stir us up where we need stirring. Calm and comfort us where we need peace. And protect us from the destroyer who would like nothing better than to disrupt this Bible study. We put ourselves and each other and this Bible study in your hands. Do with us as you will. In Jesus' name, Amen. May God richly bless all of you, Pastor Ralph