Introduction to Observation

The Basics of Seeing

Learning how to see and express what you see in the biblical text will be a new skill you will be learning. It is an acquired skill that will be wonderfully developed during this class. Think of this module (and the next one) as if you are taking a golf or tennis lesson from a professional. After the lesson, your instructor will say, “Now, go and practice.” I am going to teach you the basics of seeing what is in the text. Plus, to do so on three different levels, (1) Book level, (2) paragraph level, and (3) Sentence level. Then, in the end, I will ask you to go practice these new skills. I often summarize the act of Observation with this phrase, “Observation is addressing the question, “What does the text actually say.” This first video will simply give you a 10,000 foot view of art of Observation.

Making the Unknown Known

For me to grasp a new skill, I love metaphors which I can wrap my mind around. Simply, teach me something "I do not know” but equating it to something I am already familiar with. This video is my humble attempt to make the unknown known by linking it to several familiar items.

A Wider Angle

Please, grab a cup of coffee for this is the longest video in the course. (40+ minutes). Here I will be teaching you how to observe entire books. I will ask you to set aside the chapter divisions and grasp the overall logic or structure which holds entire books together. Just like a well-written movie has a clear logic flow to it…or a good conversation has a theme or structure; so it is with Books of the Bible. They are well crafted literature which when read carefully reveal "how they want to be read.” Simply, the biblical authors want to show you how to interpret their books.

So, in preparation for this video, I would recommend coffee, the 8-page True^North booklet (found on the resource page of this module) and a note pad to jot down things I say that would be helpful to rehearse in your mind. I have also provided you with the Powerpoint I am referring to in the video. Much of this material may sound new when it's applied to the Bible. But in short, this is the way all communication holds together. Well, its how all well-written or carefully-crafted communication works.