Hi Gang of Warriors! (COHORT!)

I hope your Thanksgiving season was a blessed one. We sure had fun. Lots of things to say THANK YOU for in this blessed year of completion, 2011… I hope you did read the Jaeson Ma article (LONG!) I posted on fb, it is amazing how God has fulfilled it throughout the year.

We are looking forward to the Prayer Summit on Saturday, December 3rd, 4:30-9 pm starting with supper. Many of you have said you are coming, so it will be fun. Taco night… bring whatever you think goes with that! Chips? Dip? Your fav soda? Cookies?

I am sending along this really great link to a 24/7 advent worship/meditation/prayer guide. You can subscribe to it and use it to help you get in the real spirit of Christmas, and stay there throughout advent! I love it!

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/24-7-spaces-for-advent-2011/id421841174

And of course, the 24/7 prayer group and their weekly blog is just good to follow, because they help us keep our eyes on the world – where God’s heart beats! Here is a link to a recent posting if you want to get in on their stuff… the last one talked about the biggest prayer meeting in EGYPT in 100 YEARS!!!! Can you imagine?! God is on the move, and we want to be out there moving with him! Wow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ze3pgTiJEo&feature=relmfu

I am busily putting together the theology classes for UR 1-2, January 13-15, 2012. This week I am doing the class about the history of the Bible! I think you will all love it, because it helps us to be so much more in love with God’s Word knowing what people have sacrificed for it throughout the centuries.

I am continually jazzed reading about people all around the WORLD digging into the Bible, and committing themselves to training for a life of service in Kingdom work, whatever that may cost them. NRSD students – you join an elite group in every country and all over the planet willing to invest your lives in the gospel! (I have been reading books from Voice of the Martyrs, can you tell?)

Hope to see you Saturday, December 3!

Joan Tyvoll

November 7th Update

Monday, November 7, 2011

Hail Cohort! It is a sunny November day. Steve and I checked our personal almanac and remembered that last November 11-13 we got a blizzard with 20+ inches of snow. Wow. It could be coming!

Steve and I have been working at connecting with all of you the past 2 weeks or so, and it seems like most of us are plugged in with a coach/accountability person, or getting there. That will be key for your growth and stability in the next 2 years. Who knows? Maybe we will all establish some great patterns for life! Hooray! That is what we pray for!

Put the Prayer Summits on your calendars! Hopefully they will be good for you and any friends you want to bring along! Saturdays: November 19th & December 3rd; 4:30 – 9 pm Supper; then prayer! Recommended reading for Prayer Summits: the 2 Dutch Sheets books.

What you can be working on:

• Putting together a personal “Rule” (a la John Wesley) that fits your life, feeds you adequately and is also challenging your growing edges daily and weekly.
• Please, Please journal! It will be life-giving for this Kairos time of learning and growth.
• I am inviting you to regularly check out my R&BT website. The devos are from my own current conversations with God, and since you and the school are much on my heart these days, I write many if not most of the devos with the cohort and the Tyvoll clan in mind.
• Be sure to be doing the reading assignments because that can provide you with ongoing meat to chew on concerning school and the direction and plan we are going with. It is all good!
• As you dig into the postmodern book by Grenz, try to find concrete examples of postmodern thinking and behavior going on around you every day. Journal them, and bring them with you on January 13th to aid our discussion concerning the spirit of the age: Postmodernism.

What Steve and I are working on:

• A Sys Theo Position Paper form for those of you who requested a way to process the Sys Theo topics…
• A plan for doing Bible study together next retreat so we can learn how, then practice doing word studies, finding our way around reference books, etc.
• Steve and Ben are our go-to guys for practical people helping skills. Pray for them as they put together workshops that will help us help others in practical and wise ways.

Hi Everyone

There have been several requests for Prayer Summit times in between retreats. S & I are just putting them on the calendar for you all and anyone you want to bring along.

RSVP so I know how many to prepare for - we will start with a light supper - soup, sandwich, something like that.

Book: Beginner's Guide to Intercessory Prayer, Dutch Sheets (Optional purchase, we will just be talking about the principles in it)

4:30-9 p.m. Saturday nights

November 19th, 2011

December 3rd, 2011

October 23, 2011

Greetings, Cohort! I have had a good weekend of review, prayer and processing our first retreat experience, your evals, and the schedule that I had initially set for the 2 year certificate program.

The next retreat on January 13-15, 2012 will be fun because we will see how the changes we make goes, and what else we need to tweak.

I will be contacting all of you in the next two weeks to see how you are doing with everything, but if you have questions or concerns PLEASE call, fb, skype or COME OVER. Remember your NRSD is for you, it needs to fit you, it needs to answer needs you have for knowledge, coaching, and a deeper experience with God.

Be proactive in designing your school experience to make sense for your life. Steve and I are available to do all we can to help you do that. Remember our offers for in between retreats Prayer school, Bible study.

• Check the assignment page of the blog for the new books to order, and what you will need to study to prepare for the next retreat in January. The prayer book by Dutch Sheets will change your life, it did mine. I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to journal as you go, underline and make notes in the margins… something that fits for you that will help you personalize and process the teaching.

o Note the journaling exercises I have posted for you to use as you read and apply what you read…

• Grenz’s book on Postmodernism is the best, or at least one of the best out there on the subject. It is a little heavy going, but I hope you can also try to personalize it as you go. You are not assigned chapter 6 as I found that to be the hardest read even though I have had undergrad and sem exposure to these philosophers. You are welcome to read it, I just don’t want you to give up because of chapter 6. Chapter 7 is Grenz’s personal take on the objective overview he has given you in chapters 1-6
• Another point… Several of you want to be able to do a paper to process the Systematic Theology topics. I will make a Position Paper form (outline) and post it on the NRSD blog assignment page as well as attach it to a fb message as a doc.

· Notice that under the “NRSD Assignment Page” here on the blog I am posting several journaling exercises to help you process the prayer book, per your suggestion. Good idea, and I hope we can share some of our observations in January.

· Next retreat we will have more time to do break out discussions and small group projects around Sys Theo and Bible study.

UR 1-1 Review and Praise

Greetings, COHORT!

I am still catching up on my energy and sleep from this past weekend retreat, and still processing all the wonderful things God gave us. I am filled with joy and gratitude for his over the top gifts!

I am in the process of reviewing your evals, and thank you for doing those for Steve and I. Of course, if you think of ideas or comments, keep 'em comin'... we are on a steep learning curve here.

• Some things that pop out at me right off the bat are that we all want to hear more from Steve-O and Ben. We can do that! :)
• Also, more "down time" for personal journaling, breakouts to discuss things together... these are also things that are coming because remember, this first retreat was a unique one because of all the "intros" to this and that. We are just going to jump in next retreat, and there will certainly be more space for talk, walk and journaling.
• I will post the new assignments and book list by next week. For sure finish Sheets' Intercessary prayer book.

I delivered on my promise that these teaching retreats would be PACKED and INTENSE! :) Yowzers.

So, you will hear from me again, soon... I am going to add a page to the blog for student prayer updates, requests, and any blessings etc you want to share with the cohort.

Steve and I are rethinking the video stuff... I am rethinking the coffee deal - We need a better way to have coffee in the "school room" (Drew, it is NOT A DUNGEON!) ... so we have a lot to chew on before UR 1-2...

Here are the dates for the rest of the Unit Retreats for year one: PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK THESE AND GET THEM ON YOUR CALENDARS!

UR 1-2: January 13-15, 2012

UR 1-3: April 20-22, 2012

UR 1-4: July 27-29, 2012

Year 2 will start in October...

That is all for now. Thanks for being a blessing to the Tyvolls!

New Dates for the start of School: October 14-16!

Your To Do List:

• Get your apps in along with first quarter fees
• Subscribe to School Blog
• See the assignments for reading/studying - there is a change in the Matthew Study

Well, that was quite an interesting 48 hours! Thankfully you all were gracious and prompt in responding to our many calls, FB's and texts, and we got the schedule problem figured out!

Actually, many of you applauded the delay of the school's start up retreat, so GOOD! And I have a feeling God's hand was in it all to give those who may be still considering joining the cohort time to do so! I am believing that!

Steve and I are having a good time figuring out all the details of projectors and electronic hook ups, desks, chairs, food - we are getting excited about you all coming!

Since we have an extra month, here is a more detailed assignment for Bible Study in the gospel of Matthew:

Read chapters 1 & 2 of Kay Arthur's book "How to Study the Bible" and apply her steps for study to the book of Matthew. So besides reading it 1 -2 times, you will also launch out into doing the overview that she gives directions for.

Chana is trying to coach me to add pages to this blog, so if I can figure it out, I will have a separate page for assignments which will clean up the home page.

I will try to post at least once a week, be sure to subscribe so you can get notice of new posts in your email boxes.

Reminder: send your school aps as soon as possible, and your quarterly or monthly school payments are appreciated as they will help us get set up here.

The Gathering

Norwegian Ridge School for Disciples, September 9 -11, 2011 begins with a meal, then Prayer Talk!

The big rhema WORD God is giving us right now is "GATHERING"! God is gathering the cohort for our NRSD class! You are the experiment! But what an experiment it will be! We have a lot to learn and experience together for the next 2 years, and it will be so good.

We are praying that each of us would be hungry for more of God, longing for a deeper knowledge of his Word, a deeper and more real experience with prayer and just God's presence. You have a purpose here on earth. God has a plan for your life. He has a place in his Kingdom for you. That is what will become more and more clear as we figure out our gifts, personality, strengths and calling. The knowledge of Bible, study, ministry, and more will equip us to fill our unique place in his Kingdom.

As you all probably know, we have tweaked the schedule for the Unit Retreats to make the school more do-able. We will start with a meal on Friday nights, 6 pm, then have our first class together Friday evening. Those will be important ones, because they are PRAYER TALKS.

Then our regular classes will be all day Saturday and Sunday. Full days! But won't it be wonderful to be digging into God's Word and learning about our world and how to minister to it...

Here is the information you need to be ready for Unit Retreat1-1 (UR 1-1):

Required Texts:

· Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Comprehensive and Readable Theology, Dr. James Montgomery Boice, IVP, 1986.*

· How To Study Your Bible: The Lasting Rewards of the Inductive Method, Kay Arthur, Harvest House Publishers, 1994, Precept Ministries.· Making Small Groups Work: What Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know, Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend, Zondervan, 2003.· The Beginner’s Guide to Intercession, Dutch Sheets, Regal/Gospel Light, 2001.

These books are chosen because of their value in your personal growth in these areas, but also because they are very user friendly, and will be useful in any ministry you might be involved with now or in the future. Here are the reading assignments:

Reading Assignments for UR 1-1:

· Systematic Theology: Boice, Part 1 & 2 – pages 19-98

· Saturday Seminar “How To Lead Small Groups”: Cloud & Townsend,· Prayer Talk: Sheets, chapters 1-5

We will be learning how to study the Bible by studying the Bible. We will use Kay Arthur’s book that explains hermeneutic principles and inductive Bible study methods as we study the gospel of Matthew over the course of NRSD year 1. In preparation for NRSD 1-1, read the gospel at least once through (or more). Familiarize yourselves with Arthur’s book.

· The Saturday Seminar will be on the topic of teaching and the Small Group Ministry. The “Boundaries” guys’ book is a good manual to have in your library because it has the basic principles and rules for successful small groups as well as the giving the reasoning for small groups in a myriad of settings in life. I recommend reading as much of the book as possible in preparation for the seminar on September 10th.

*Some of you already have a Systematic Theology book that you like. (i.e. Wayne Grudem) You may use the book you have if you wish, just find the section that corresponds to our first Systematic Theology class topic: God’s revelation through scripture – Inspiration, Illumination & Authority.

Please get your applications in as soon as possible so we can plan and be ready for you on September 9-11!