Josh Hunt's blog

Laughter and tears. That is a pretty good goal for you as you teach. Make them laugh; make them cry. Make them remember. One of the best ways to teach is the way Jesus taught--through stories. People don't remember ideas and concepts and principles so much that they remember stories. I told a story this last weekend at a conference. One of the people at lunch afterwards had not been in the conference. Someone said to me, "Tell them the story about the. . ." I said, "I am off work and tired of talking; you tell it." They did. It wasn't word for word, but they got the gist right and everyone laughed. Stories are like that. They are transferrable. They are remember-able. They stick. Here is an example of a story I included in a recent lesson and a good example of the kind of story you want to use as you teach. http://www.allinspiration.com/Friendship/Stories/touching_story_of_kyle.html One day, when I was a freshman...

I picked up Neil Cole's new book recently: Search & Rescue: Becoming a Disciple Who Makes a Difference. Great read. I especially like chapter on the power of multiplication and I asked Neil if I could pass it along to you. Want some inspiring reading on the power of doubling groups? Read on: ------------------------- I was not the first lifeguard in my family. My father watched the same beaches I did when he was in his twenties. Before that, even before Los Angeles County lifeguards were established, my grandfather watched the water nearby at a beach club. My kids have competed as junior lifeguards on the beaches of Southern California. We have four generations of lifesaving and surfing in my family. The Coles first came to California in 1849 in search of gold, but what we found was in some ways better than gold; we found a home at the Pacific Ocean. The Coles swim, surf, scuba dive, kayak, and some have even been known to sail. We have salt water in our veins. We have passed o...

What is the one quality that trumps everything we have talked about so far? What one quality is more important than teaching skill or how many people you have involved, or visitation, or giving Friday nights to Jesus or organizational ability or anything else? Spiritual Vibrancy. Spiritual vibrancy trumps just about everything else. As Gomer Pile used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Jesus said it would be true. Here is a verse I am meditating on and re-memorizing (you have to re-memorize after 50!): "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV) If you remain in Christ you will bear much fruit. You can take it to the bank. That is the promise of God. What causes what? One of the issues with statistics is that it cannot prove cause. It can only prove that two things occur together. You can ...

For parts 1, 2,& 3, see: www.joshhunt.com/mail252.htm www.joshhunt.com/mail253.htm www.joshhunt.com/mail254.htm #3 People skills Teachers with good people skills were two and a half times (147%) more likely to be growing than those with bad people skills. People skills matter more than participation in visitation, how many parties you have or don't have, how you spend your time, what your purpose is, or how many people you have on your team helping you. If you have ever read a John Maxwell book on leadership you know this. Turns out, John Maxwell is right. People skills matter. It matters a lot. What are good people skills? It starts on the inside If you want to get along well with people, it helps to like them. Really like them. Not pretend to like them. Not act like you like them. Really like them. Think kind thoughts about them. Think kindly of them. Cultivate a heart that loves them. This...

For parts 1 and 2, see: www.joshhunt.com/mail252.htm www.joshhunt.com/mail253.htm Four things made it into the "this really matters" list. What does it take to make it into the "this really matters" list? I set the criteria at 100% difference between the bottom group and the top. The teachers who practice these practices were twice as likely (or more) to be doubling as the ones who were not practicing these things. #1: Fellowship matters I asked teachers how many fellowships they have. Now, if you have ever heard me speak or read anything I have written, you know the drill: Invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month. I didn't actually ask about that. I didn't ask if the groups invited every member and every prospect; I just asked if they had a party. More specifically, I asked how many parties they have: 4. How many fellowships do you have a year? 0 - 4 ...

I have just completed three months of asking 1031 teachers thirteen question designed to help us understand what makes groups grow. This article is the second in a series of reports on this survey. I divided the findings into four sections: Things that didn't matter hardly at all. (Less than 10% difference in likelihood of growth in the bottom and top group) Things that only mattered a little. (Between 11% and 100% difference likelihood of growth in the bottom and top groups.) Things that mattered a lot. (If you are in the top group in these factors you are twice as likely--or more--to be growing than if you are in the bottom group. Between 101% and 1000% difference in likelihood of growth in the bottom and top groups.) Things that matter most. (If this is true of you, you are almost 11 times more likely to be growing than if it is not. More than 1000% difference in likelihood of growth between the top group and the botto...

I have just completed three months of asking 1031 teachers thirteen questions designed to help us understand what makes groups grow. This article is the first in series that summarize my findings. Before I begin, allow me to say something. (I have always found that line humorous, but you kind of have to think about it.) I don't like some of the answers I found in this survey. I have taught the exact opposite of what this survey reveals at some points. I disagree with some of these findings. But, the facts are the facts and I am going to report them just as they are. If you disagree with the findings, please don't shoot me, I am only the messenger. I asked thirteen questions. The first one was 1. Would you describe your class as. . . declining stable growing growing rapidly This question was used as a point of comparison with all the rest. For example, the next question (which was really four questions) read ...