teachers training at Crossroads

I attending the teachers training today at Crossroads. If it's offered again, I would highly recommend that you all take it. If you lead anything, small groups, Crossroads University Classes, a volunteer team - anything, it's highly applicable.

The scripture they used as the text was Matthew 8: 23-27. We were asked to consider what we would want students to 'know' about this passage and then what they should 'do' as a result of knowing.

As we sat and discussed the text it puzzled me why the disciples would be scared, even with Jesus physically with them. They had already witnessed him healing and doing other miracles. Different times when I have studied over the years I have been somewhat critical toward the disciples wondering how they could possibly doubt this physical Jesus when they saw what He was capable of doing. They said in the passage, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?" As if they were totally surprised!

Then I remember all the times I get scared and try to do things in my own power and wonder if I would have believed it if I were in their shoes (or boat I should say). Probably not. I have been taught these truths over and over, and the the Holy Spirit convicts me over and over, and still I live as if I don't believe at times.

God works in mysterious ways and today as I went to learn better methods for teaching, I was a student who learned much more than I went in expecting to learn!