I told him I would pass along what he said to our teaching team (our lead pastor, Roy does the bulk of the preaching, but there's a rotation of live preachers at our two English-speaking campuses). It got me thinking about how I teach and preach, and whether I help people apply God's Word to their own context--whether I help them see how to obediently live out what we're learning in their day-to-day lives.
In response to my conversation with this high school student, I reworked the end of my Sunday high school lesson on Mark 5:1-20 to include a challenge at the end. I gave each student a 3x5 notecard, and asked them to write one thing God had done for them and how he had shown them mercy (just as Jesus had healed the demoniac and shown him mercy). Then, on the other side, I asked them to write one person they would share that with this week, just as Jesus told the healed man to tell his friends how he had been shown mercy.
It was a simple change. I didn't have any different content; I simply followed the advice of a wise student and put the ball in their court. To get in the habit of doing this, each week I teach this summer I will find a creative way to put the ball in the court of the people I'm speaking to, whether it's the high school students or in the main worship service.
QUESTION: What are creative things you've done in your own teaching to "put the ball in their court"?
