Facilitating

This is Walk the Way. Brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. When I was a young youth pastor, I was having a hard time getting my kids to be authentic and really engage with their faith. Time came for our winter retreat. I decided to show one of my favorite movies from my day, “The Breakfast Club,” which explores teenage identity and asks the question, “who are you?” When the film ended, I allowed it to sink in and proceeded to ask one question: “The movie presented a brain, a jock, a basket case, a princess, and...Read more …

My friend who claims to be an atheist still emails me even though I haven’t seen her since we moved out of the area two and a half years ago. In our emails, we catch up a bit but often also write about spiritual questions. Just recently I asked her if she still considers herself an atheist. She responded that she did, giving me some of the reasons. Then I asked her, “What would you want God to do to validate his existence and bring you to belief?” Her response: “I love your question about what it would take for...Read more …

When you get to know Q Place, it doesn’t take long to realize that we are serious about helping Christians facilitate learning rather than pour out what we know. This is our core value of Self-discovery – people grow and learn best when they discover truth for themselves through discussion and study. All of our core values—Scripture, Spirit, Safe Place, and Self-discovery—were integral at the birth of this ministry in the 1960s as Neighborhood Bible Studies. Little did co-founders Marilyn Kunz and Catherine Schell know how essential the value of Self-discovery would become in our culture more than 50 years...Read more …

I have a friend named Bill who loved leading his small group made up of several couples from his church. It gave him opportunities to teach others what he was learning in his Sunday school Bible class. Bill was learning a lot by preparing for his regular presentation to the group. There wasn’t much dynamic discussion or diversity of opinion, as it wasn’t necessary with Bill in the room. He had almost any answer that people needed. The other members of the group didn’t always agree with Bill or get to talk much, but he made it so clear that...Read more …

This is Walk the Way. Brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. I recently saw a video of a Southwest flight attendant turning her safety speech into a comedy routine. She said things like, “Flight attendants are coming by hoping you’ll tell them how good looking they are as they make sure your tables and and seatbacks are in their full upright position.” “As you know, it a no smoking, no whining, no complaining flight.” And toward the end, “Just do what we say and nobody gets hurt.” Awesome. Now I confess I’m sometimes that passenger who checks...Read more …

It was the last morning at our rustic, backwoods bed & breakfast in the Colorado Rockies. My husband and I loved this place and were trying to schedule a return trip during the height of the aspens’ fall colors. As we discussed my work schedule, our host, Jim, asked me what I do. I told him I train people to engage in spiritual conversations about life, God and the Bible with people who believe differently. Jim looked me straight in the eye and asked a great question: “To what end?” How would you answer that question? What is the goal...Read more …

What is our goal as we facilitate a Q Place? Are we trying to convert people? Are we trying to convince them of the truth of Christianity? Exactly how are we helping people in our Q Place find God? When I use my computer to look for the definition of what it means to facilitate, my search turns up this: “to make easier, to make possible, to smooth the way for; enable, assist, help (along), aid, expedite, further, advance, be a catalyst for.” I liken facilitating to enlisting a mountain guide to help you have the exhilarating experience of climbing...Read more …

This is Walk the Way, brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. I’ve visited Israel a few times but my last trip outdid them all. The difference? My guide – one of the premier authorities on Hebrew and rabbinical connections to Christianity. Journeying through the Promised Land alongside him set this experience apart from the rest. Now follow me here: Everyday, all of us encounter dozens, if not hundreds of people on the journey of their lives. We meet them at the coffee shop in the morning, on our commute to work, at the gym while we work out. We...Read more …

Traveling to an unfamiliar place is exciting, but a little intimidating. A multi-billion dollar tourist industry has been designed to cater to the traveler who is ready to discover new places but needs the help of people who are familiar with the chosen destination. If there’s a group traveling together, a good travel agent will often arrange for a knowledgeable tour guide, a skilled bus driver, and a bus to travel to the places you’ll see. In this way you can maximize the enjoyment of your experience, seeing the best sights and learning a lot more. It’s often more fun...Read more …

Back in my Bible teaching days, I continually sought ways to teach students so that the subject matter would stick. I mean really stick—at a level beyond regurgitation. After all, I taught the Bible! And I wanted my high school students not just to come away with facts and knowledge, but an understanding about how biblical truths applied to their lives and could be put into practice. Take the concept of prayer for instance; after years talking about it, I realized even the brightest of my high school kids could take a test on prayer and give me a bunch...Read more …