Three More Days

Good Morning,

This is the day that many of you will be able to catch up. I realize that when we talked about this last Tuesday night that it may not have registered that we really need to get started. If we are going to be able to have these courses available when we need them, we will need to exercise diligence. The course itself with the weekly logging on will spread this task into manageable chunks. The best thing to do is to log on every day for five days out of the week. Our class weeks run from 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday morning to midnight on the following Monday. Most preachers find this will work with their schedule. Nine posts a week is quite manageable if you log on and post two comments a day on most days. (My actual experience in the past has been that we usually get into the dscussions and find ourselves making many more comments than that.)

The exciting thing about posting is when you start to comment on each other's comments. Somebody please comment on one of Tyler's comments. This week is almost unlimited when it comes to getting used to posting. You do need to post an introduction, but the rest of your comments can be in response to something that has already been posted.

Look to the left at the "Blog Archive." Under "April." start at the bottom post that says "Hello and Welcome to the Preachers' Meeting." Click on those words. Read that post and then work your way back up to this one, by clicking on each of them under the archive. You can comment on any of those along the way. Some of the posts that Tyler and I have made in the last few days will give you help as to how to do this. If you work your way through the list at the left by reading all the posts before you make a comment, return to the post that says, "Randy Carney--Introduction," and click on the comment section at the bottom, and post your own introduction below mine and Tyler's. Then, if you would like, you could return to the comment screen and make some comment on any of our comments--just like I commented on Tyler's introduction. After that, just go to any comment section and make any comments you like.

It would really be good if we got a discussion going under the comments section of "Week 1 Posts," but you can actually make your comments anywhere this week.

If you have the option at the top of your screen to make a new post, I would like to see someone try that. (Again, that may not be possible for you.)

If you are just starting today, Saturday, I would suggest that you make it a goal to post six comments during this session. (Remember a quality comment needs to be at least three sentences long, but the content can be almost unlimited this week as we are getting used to doing this.) Because of the nature of our scheduling, we must cut off enrollment by the end of the second week. If you post six times today, it will be easy to get the other three in by midnight Monday.

Why should you do this? My experience with this type of learning is that one of the greatest values of these types of classes has come from the interaction of the students as they wrestled with the topic. My role as the instructor will be to be sort of a "guide on the side." You will largely be responsible for the direction of the course. I will, however, in these daily posts, sometimes ask us to sharpen and focus our discussions. You will see as we go along.

Here are some questions that might help you to get started if you are at a loss as to what comments to make in addition to your introduction:

Have you been in ministry long?
Have you pastored before?
Have you been in music ministry?
Are you a computer whiz:)?
Do you have any apprehensions about taking this course?
Are you married?
Do you have children?
Grandchildren?
If you are bi-vocational, what other type of work do you do?
What course are you watching the DVD's for?
What book or books will you be reading for this course?
Do you have a question for some of your fellow students?
Do you have a humorous comment that could brighten our day?
And so on......

Have a good day. This will get really exciting if we jump into it,

Bro. Randy