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Chicago UBF

November 19, 2012

Psalm 1:2-3

 "... but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers."

On 10 November 2012, the Daily Bread writer’s team gathered together at the beautiful MacDonald’s Corporation campus in Oakbrook, Illinois, known as Hamburger University. Dr. James Joung organized the event while Shps. Julie Jesmer worked out the details at the venue. Everyone had a good time of learning, discussion, fellowship and eating together. We did not eat McDonald's hamburgers but rather delicious meals prepared by the catering services of Hyatt Hotel. 

The peaceful and natural backdrop was an ideal setting for a seminar on writing Daily Bread devotionals. The following Daily Bread writers were in attendance: Tony King, Kevin Jesmer, Kevin Albright, David Miller, Dennis Miller, Yvonne Timlin, Steve Stasinos, Darren Gruett, and DK. There were three oral presentations: Basic theology, Daily Bread format and the Inductive Bible Study Method.  In attendance was the early pioneer of UBF Daily Bread writing: Msn. Sarah Barry. There were also many other supporters of the publication ministry present. In all, 18 people attended the Daily Bread Writers’ Workshop.

The first lecture was delivered by Dr Augustine Suh who traveled all the way from St. Louis to attend the workshop. He gave us an introduction to theology, based on “Theology: The Basics” by Alistair McGrath. Although none of the writers are professional theologians, he began his lecture by saying that we were all theologians to some degree since we have all studied the Bible intensively. His lecture was helpful especially for laymen writers who do not have time to study theology or attend Bible college. His lecture provided a basic framework to keep in mind as we write Daily Bread. He also took time to answer our questions.

In the afternoon, the second lecture was presented by DK. He presented a brief history of Daily Bread writing in UBF as well as an overview of the format of our current devotional in comparison with other devotionals outside of UBF. We concluded that while there are many good devotional materials, UBF's Daily Bread is unique for being very Bible-text based and systematic in going through the whole Bible in five years. During the Q & A session, he led a lively discussion on how we might move forward to improve Daily Bread format. Some changes have already been made in previous issues of Daily Bread and a few more are forthcoming. Be on the lookout for new changes in the Daily Bread format!

The final lecture was given by Mother Sarah Barry on the importance of the inductive Bible study method. She walked us through the three stages of the inductive method of Bible study: observation, interpretation and application of the Bible passage. She taught us the importance of carefully studying what the text has to say and how God speaks to us through meditation on the Bible passage. When writing Daily Bread, we ought to know the broader themes as well as the details and know how the details fit into the broader themes. Doing this requires prayerful hard work and we were encouraged to renew our commitment to studying the Bible.  Afterward, there was ample time for talking and fellowship which promoted identity and unity among the Daily Bread writing team. We thank and praise Jesus for his grace and truth and his calling to be Daily Bread writers.

As Daily Bread writers, we know the great privilege and responsibility we have in this ministry. We pray to be faithful to Jesus in writing Daily Bread and in providing a helpful resource for all our brothers and sisters worldwide.  We agreed to meet again in six months.

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