Dr. Howard Hendricks - Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive

TEACHING TO CHANGE LIVES
published by Multnomah Books

1987 by Howard Hendricks

Lesson Plans by Miles Lewis, Ed. D.
Quotations from John Milton Gregorys
The Seven Laws of Teaching (first published in 1884) are from the
1917 edition revised by William C. Bagley and Warren K. Layton, and
reprinted by Baker Book House in 1954.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible, New International Version 1973, 1984 by International Bible
Society, used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House

Other Scripture quotations are from:
The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (Phillips) 1972
by J. B. Phillips and the authors own translation

This book was co-published by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries under the title
The Seven Laws of the Teacher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission.

For information:
MULTNOMAH BOOKS
12265 ORACLE BOULEVARD, SUITE 200 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80921

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hendricks, Howard G.
Teaching to change lives.

1. Christian educationTeaching methods. 2. TeachingReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Hendricks, Howard G. I. Title.

BV1534.H44 1987 268.6 87-11208
eISBN: 978-1-58860-118-6
1-59052-138-2

v3.1_r1

To My Students
my most inquisitive teachers,
my most persistent challenge,
my most enduring fulfillment.

We continually remember
before our God and Father
your work produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love,
and your endurance inspired by
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 T HESSALONIANS 1:3

Howard Hendricks.

Within evangelical educational circles, the very name means Christian Education. Not only has Dr. Hendricks been in the forefront of the modern Christian education movement, but he is a forceful and dynamic Bible teacher whose messages result in changed lives. But more than that for me personally, hes a great friend and challenging mentor.

Our relationship began when I was a student in seminary, and I was captured by the dynamic learning experiences in his classes. Frankly, I majored in Howard Hendricks!

Why did I and so many, many other students take every class we possibly could from this one man? Because he cared. He cared about each one of us as individuals and as future communicators. He cared about the truths we would learn in his classes. He cared about the whole process of excellent communication. Yes, he cared about us, and it showed in every word he spoke and every movement he made. The fact is, he was not so much teaching a course as he was ministering to his students.

Thats why, when I did my masters thesis on using revolutionary teaching methods in presenting an overview of the Old Testament, I relied on Dr. Hendricks as my adviser. You see, every class Dr. Hendricks taught in my four years in seminary was so motivating and helpful that we students used to think that, by the time we were seniors, just maybe once he would be boring. Maybe today hell lay an egg, wed josh with one another. Well, were still waiting.

Toward the end of my final year in seminary, I decided to test Prof Hendricks. I came into the classroom, sat in the back row, and determined not to pay attention. I just looked out the window into the parking lot. I was going to time him to see how long he could cope with a student who wasnt with him.

Well, Prof had a routine in starting every class. He sat behind his desk, and you could watch his leg start bouncing about three minutes before the class started, as if he were getting wound up and ready to go. At the stroke of the hour, he would open his mouth and start speaking. And we were off. And hed sit there for about eight minutes, teaching. At that point, hed get up from his chair, go to the board, and draw a great chart. Then hed tell a pertinent joke and go on with his outline.

This day, I just looked out the window. And he was out from behind his desk in under one minute. He was drawing terrific charts on the board, and I was doing my best not to copy them down. Then he started telling jokes. Lots of jokes. And I tried my hardest to keep from laughing. Then he moved to the corner of the room, directly in my path, gesturing wildly. But still I stared out the window.

At the three-minute-thirty-seven-second mark, he was running down the aisle toward me, screaming, Wilkinson! What on earth are you looking at? So I apologized and started paying attention. And I didnt tell him about my little experiment until years later.

You see, Dr. Hendricks was so committed to seeing his students learn that it drove him to distraction if he was failing in that commitment. And he would do whatever it took to get that one student back on track in the learning process. Thats dedication. No, thats teaching. But, frankly, its a kind of teaching we dont see much of these days.

In schools, churches, sanctuaries, seminarswhatever the teaching situation may be, the name of the game these days seems not to be teaching, but covering material. And as a result, we see unmotivated students who, rather than be engrossed by the lesson and enjoy it, merely endure it at best. Students who couldnt care less about how the truths theyve been exposed to can change their lives.

Because youve picked up this book, that tells me youre the kind of teacher who wants to continue growing in order to see the lives of your students blossom and flourish as God intended.

If thats true, then youve picked up the right book. Because for the first time, Dr. Hendricks has distilled his decades of expertise on the subject of communication into seven practical lawsThe Seven Laws of the Teacher. Theyre designed just for youto help you generate even greater impact in the lives of those you teach.

Dr. Hendrickss seven laws have been captured on videotape just as he presented them before an audience of hundreds of teachers from around the countrypeople just like you who wanted to improve their teaching skills.

These videotapes, which also feature dramatic vignettes, are available for purchase by your church or school group from Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. Along with this book, a colorful course notebook is also available to help you record your notes and insights as you view the videos, as well as encourage you through practical exercises to put the laws you learn to work in your own teaching situations. A leaders guide for group facilitation can also be used to get maximum benefit from this series.

You can use Dr. Hendrickss video series on your own, or as part of a teacher training program in your church or school. Watch each session once a week for seven weeks, or schedule a weekend teachers retreat. Be sure to use the workbook materials to help you understand the law personally and apply it to your own teaching. This book can then serve as a refresher to Dr. Hendrickss video lessonsa source you can turn to time and time again to nail down these exciting biblical truths in your own life.