Introduction: This seminar, on the Biblical
guidelines for interpersonal relationships, comes to you with a prayerful
desire that it will be helpful to you in all your relationships. It comes after
many hours of prayer and frequent exposure of the material in real-life
situations. These have been in the counseling room as well as in conferences
and seminars in many places in the United States.
The primary source for the content of
this seminar has been the Scriptures. I have done a great deal of reading in
both Christian and secular literature on interpersonal relationships, and where
it is helpful I have used some of these concepts. But primarily the Word of God
serves as the basis for the conclusions presented here.
The seminar consists of five sessions, arranged in a distinctive format. Although an individual may work through this course independently, the greatest benefits come from participation in the study within a small group setting. You prepare the study material before you meet with your group; the value of the seminar is enhanced when you do some thinking and preparation beforehand.
First, each group participant
should obtain a copy of the downloadable Study
Guide. In preparation for the interactive group
discussions and Listening Sessions, each member should complete the
Preparatory Study section of the guide in advance of each group meeting. Then as you meet with your seminar group
for about an hour and a half, you will follow a general format as shown below:
|
10 minutes - |
Discussion
of prepared study, Part 1 |
|
10 minutes - |
Listening
to audio, Part 1 |
|
10 minutes - |
Clarification
of Part I; discussion of prepared study, Part 2 |
|
10 minutes - |
Listening
to audio, Part 2 |
|
10 minutes - |
Clarification
of Part II; discussion of prepared study, Part 3 |
|
10 minutes - |
Listening
to audio, Part 3 |
|
10 minutes - |
Clarification
of Part III; discussion of prepared study, Part 4 |
|
10 minutes - |
Listening
to audio, Part 4 |
|
10 minutes - |
Clarification
of Part 4 and windup |
The purpose for this unique format
is to encourage interaction and dialogue. It avoids having to
listen to a disembodied voice for forty minutes and trying to keep attention
focused on what is being said. It also allows for discussion and clarification
of fresh material, rather than what might have been said thirty minutes ago. So
the vital information about an important subject is broken down into more
digestible segments.
The material presented in this seminar is
intended for use with many groups of all ages. Adults from 13 to 113, in all
categories of life and professions, can benefit from the principles presented
whether they have problems in this area or not; high school students could
profit from the principles involved because this is a critical area in their
lives; even advanced junior high students would find it helpful. Certainly it
could be effective in a collegiate situation and for career singles. These
principles have proved helpful in family relationships, of course, and could be
used profitably with couples and in a total family context.
Not only are these principles
useful to you, but they are reproducible. After you have finished the seminar,
why don't you start a group of your own?
In summary, since these are
biblical principles of relationships, they can be used in any context of
relationships to help people learn to relate more effectively to one
another.
George Sanchez