I’m not sure if this is the correct place to post but here goes. I teach a Senior Adult Ladies Sunday School class in Mobile Al and I have been asked to contact you on behalf of the members of my class. We have used Explore the Bible for a few years now and the new format of the material this quarter is not al all as user-friendly as the previous format. It was always so helpful to have the scriptures printed in the margin next to the explanation in the book. We would like to request that, if at all possible, you would consider returning to the previous format. The content of the material is very good and we would like to continue using Explore the Bible. Your consideration in this matter is greatly appreciated.
If you need to contact me you can email me at the above referenced address.
Thank you so much for your time and attention in this matter.
Sincerely,
Shannon Nelson
Wigfield Court
Mobile, AL 36619
Kris Dolberrysays
Shannon,
Thank you for your feedback. And thank you for serving the ladies you lead. Let me give you the “why” behind the changes we made. When we began to plan for the relaunch of Explore the Bible, we took a hard look at all our resources including the Adult Personal Study Guide. One question with which we wrestled was where to print the Bible text. We looked at it being in the margins next to the commentary, flowing with the commentary, at the beginning, and not including it at all. We knew there would be trade-offs no matter what approach was taken. We sought the counsel of selected church leaders from across the country for insight. The decision was made to print it at the front and here’s why:
1. To Emphasize the Bible text— one goal was to elevated the biblical text. While the comments of scholars help us better interpret and understand, God’s Word should be given priority.
2. To Be Read First— there are some who read only the first page of a session. We wanted to make sure that the first thing they always saw was the Bible.
3. To Reinforce Inductive Bible Study— Inductive Bible study follows the pattern of read, observe, interpret, and apply. The sections in the Personal Study Guide are now organized following this pattern. The Bible text appears first (read) followed by questions about the text (observe). The questions in the Explore the Text section are designed to help people understand the meaning of the passage (interpret) so they can put it into practice using the In My Context questions (apply).
As we began to use the resource ourselves and hear from others, we reconsidered this approach. We discussed our options and determined that we need to print the Bible text both at the beginning of each session and with each verse heading under the Explore the Text section in the Personal Study Guide. By doing so, we continue to reinforce inductive Bible study, make the guide easier to use, and recognize the best practice of reading the text in its entirety followed by studying it in smaller pieces. This change will take place beginning with the Summer 2015 quarter.
Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help you our your class in any way. My email address is [email protected]. Have a great day.
Kris
Laquita Powerssays
I just want to say thank you for your understandable explanation for why you have changed our materials for Exploring the Bible. Some of my class like the new arrangement, and some do not. Perhaps the way you do it this summer will be more accepted.
In the Leader’s Guide I think it would be helpful to use the Plan group time pages within the actual Explore the Text pages along with the verses being discussed. You could either choose to use them or not. This would be easier I believe than finding them all at the end of the lesson.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this suggestion. Sylvia
Kris Dolberrysays
Sylvia,
Thank you for your comment and feedback. We will consider that. We certainly want to create the best user experience possible. Thanks again.
Thoughtful comments – Incidentally , if people is looking for a service to merge PDF or PNG files , I discovered a service here “http://www.altomerge.com/”
I’m not sure if this is the correct place to post but here goes. I teach a Senior Adult Ladies Sunday School class in Mobile Al and I have been asked to contact you on behalf of the members of my class. We have used Explore the Bible for a few years now and the new format of the material this quarter is not al all as user-friendly as the previous format. It was always so helpful to have the scriptures printed in the margin next to the explanation in the book. We would like to request that, if at all possible, you would consider returning to the previous format. The content of the material is very good and we would like to continue using Explore the Bible. Your consideration in this matter is greatly appreciated.
If you need to contact me you can email me at the above referenced address.
Thank you so much for your time and attention in this matter.
Sincerely,
Shannon Nelson
Wigfield Court
Mobile, AL 36619
Shannon,
Thank you for your feedback. And thank you for serving the ladies you lead. Let me give you the “why” behind the changes we made. When we began to plan for the relaunch of Explore the Bible, we took a hard look at all our resources including the Adult Personal Study Guide. One question with which we wrestled was where to print the Bible text. We looked at it being in the margins next to the commentary, flowing with the commentary, at the beginning, and not including it at all. We knew there would be trade-offs no matter what approach was taken. We sought the counsel of selected church leaders from across the country for insight. The decision was made to print it at the front and here’s why:
1. To Emphasize the Bible text— one goal was to elevated the biblical text. While the comments of scholars help us better interpret and understand, God’s Word should be given priority.
2. To Be Read First— there are some who read only the first page of a session. We wanted to make sure that the first thing they always saw was the Bible.
3. To Reinforce Inductive Bible Study— Inductive Bible study follows the pattern of read, observe, interpret, and apply. The sections in the Personal Study Guide are now organized following this pattern. The Bible text appears first (read) followed by questions about the text (observe). The questions in the Explore the Text section are designed to help people understand the meaning of the passage (interpret) so they can put it into practice using the In My Context questions (apply).
As we began to use the resource ourselves and hear from others, we reconsidered this approach. We discussed our options and determined that we need to print the Bible text both at the beginning of each session and with each verse heading under the Explore the Text section in the Personal Study Guide. By doing so, we continue to reinforce inductive Bible study, make the guide easier to use, and recognize the best practice of reading the text in its entirety followed by studying it in smaller pieces. This change will take place beginning with the Summer 2015 quarter.
Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help you our your class in any way. My email address is [email protected]. Have a great day.
Kris
I just want to say thank you for your understandable explanation for why you have changed our materials for Exploring the Bible. Some of my class like the new arrangement, and some do not. Perhaps the way you do it this summer will be more accepted.
Thanks Laquita!
In the Leader’s Guide I think it would be helpful to use the Plan group time pages within the actual Explore the Text pages along with the verses being discussed. You could either choose to use them or not. This would be easier I believe than finding them all at the end of the lesson.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this suggestion. Sylvia
Sylvia,
Thank you for your comment and feedback. We will consider that. We certainly want to create the best user experience possible. Thanks again.
Thanks for your time.
Thoughtful comments – Incidentally , if people is looking for a service to merge PDF or PNG files , I discovered a service here “http://www.altomerge.com/”