Staff/Student year end barbeque: saying goodbye with food and fire

On Sunday night, May 22, instead of our usual meal together here at WOLBI we had a staff and student end of the year barbecue.  All the staff was out and brought yummy desserts!  There were mixed feelings and it was both fun and sad at the same time.  No one likes to say goodbyes and we knew it was the last Sunday night as students here at WOLBI.  After we ate we went down to the gorge for a camp fire.  We all gathered around the flames for a time of praise and then we had sharing time about what God has taught us throughout our year.  The testimonies were so sweet and showed how much God can work in our lives using His Word if we let Him and keep our hearts open to changing.  There was lots of laughing and even some tears as we recounted from the year and talked about our roles this summer at camp.  It was an awesome year that helped us build a foundation for the rest of our lives.  Such a good starting place and now we need to stay on fire for God and continue to grow to become more like Him.

Here are some students comments about the camp fire and things they learned this past year:

"Man is nothing; it is all about glorifying Him."

"I learned God is super-personal and He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives." 

"It was very encouraging and I am proud to be part of the WOLBI alumni (very soon!)."

"I was very encouraged to see all of the spiritual growth among the class."

NW

Learning the Word: Pneumatology

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Marshall Wicks received a BA in Bible from Tennessee Temple University, MDiv and ThM from Grace Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Baptist Bible Seminary. Dr. Wicks is one of the resident professors at our WOLBI campus in Schroon Lake where he teaches both Bible Survey and Systematic Theology in the 1st and 2nd years.
Dr. Wicks taught us Pneumatology - the doctrine of the Holy Spirit - the final week of Spring Semester.  It was a huge blessing to learn about the ministry of God's Spirit throughout Bible times and His unique ministry in the Church today. Without God's work in our lives, we cannot do anything!  What a valuable week of teaching!

Learning the Word: Church History

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Renald Showers graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible with a Bible Major in 1956. He went on to earn a BA from Wheaton College, a ThM degree in Church History from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Theology from Grace Theological Seminary. He has served in the pastorate and as a member of the faculties of Lancaster Bible College, Moody Bible Institute, and Philadelphia College of Bible. Dr Showers is on the staff of Friends of Israel and has authored numerous books and magazine articles as well as produced teaching videos.

"I never realized how much in the little things that the devil tries to overcome God, but God always overcomes and will do the same in my life."

"I loved Dr. Showers!  It was neat learning about our world and that whatever Satan tries to do, God is still sovereign."

"Dr. Showers is the example that we need to follow when it comes to biblical study.  He is an example when it comes to humility and to pushing others toward Christ.  I have never met a more humble and Christ-centered man in my life and a man who has so much compassion toward the Jewish nation."

"It really inspired me to read Genesis and take it as literally and it actually happened.  It was cool to see how it relates to the rest of the Bible."  

Get your own copy of Dr. Showers text for this course "What On Earth Is God Doing?" on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, or from Friends of Israel. 

For more of Dr. Showers' excellent biblical teaching listen online. 

How to Take a Test? (without freaking out!)

Academics is one of the key elements of the Bible Institute. If you have trouble 'freaking out' when it is test time, then this is the post for you.

As a college professor and a lifelong student currently studying with my fourth post-secondary institution, I've written and taken a good share of tests. Let me explain some of the things I've learned and some of the things I encourage my students to do when taking a test.

Before the adventure of the testing experience approaches be sure to study (more on that in a future post). You cannot be effectively tested on material you have not learned so be faithful and diligent to hit the books before the test hits you.

When the chance to celebrate what you have learned through the accountability of a test or exam appears consider these steps to do your best.


STEP ONE Before you Begin - Write name, student number, etc. in appropriate places - this seems like a 'no-brainer' but...

STEP TWO Relax! Then read over the ENTIRE test before you do ANYTHING else. Why? to get the 'big picture' of the test, also to be familiar with all the contents and to know where to find information on the test. Trust me, it's not a waste of time - when struggling over a question you may remember that something about a particular issue was mentioned somewhere else (and may just jog your memory to help you answer the question...but only if you know the content of the whole test!).

STEP THREE  Answer the questions from easiest to hardest. There is no sense struggling with the hard stuff, wasting time, 'freaking yourself out' more and forgetting what you do know under the pressure. Always write down what you know first. Getting the familiar stuff out first may just make enough room in your brain for the answers you think you have forgotten to be freed from their prison of anxiety.


STEP FOUR When in doubt (relax again)... If you get stuck on a question, read the entire test again. The answer, a hint, or something that will jog your memory may be written somewhere else on the test. When in doubt, always go with your gut. Your first instinct is often correct.

STEP FIVE Never Leave a Blank (or fill a blank in with something foolish). As a general rule, writing something is always better than nothing. The teacher can always graciously give you marks for a 'close' answer, if they so choose, but you can never get even a partial grade for leaving something unanswered. Again, re-read the test and take an educated guess.

STEP SIX Check, check, and re-check. Before you hand it in, take a second to clear your head and then re-read the test and check your answers with fresh eyes. Be very wary this time of careless mistakes when you were rushing to get questions answered.


This is a post from the Jon in Real Life blog. Mr. Ward is the professor of Bible Survey here at WOLBI.

WOLBI Bible Survey students:
For extra bonus marks on Super-Celebration 3, write the answers to the bonus question only on the back of the last test page.

Learning the Word: Genesis

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Gary Gromacki teaches Bible exposition and homiletics courses at Baptist Bible Seminary. He also edits The Journal of Ministry and Theology. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Evangelical Homiletics Society, and the Pre-Trib Rapture Study Group. Dr. Gromacki enjoys going on missions trips to teach the word of God and train national pastors and students. Before coming to BBS, Gary served as a pastor for thirteen years and an adjunct teacher at Cedarville University for ten years. Gary has been married to Kim for over twenty five years and they have 3 children: Julie, Gavin, and Allison. Gary and his family are members of Summit Baptist Bible Church.

Dr. Gromacki taught us Genesis 1-11 and gave us so many answers to relevant questions about creation, origins, and the purpose of life from the very beginning!

You can interact with Dr. Gromacki on his Facebook groups:

Biblical Creationism
Bible Preachers and Teachers
Bible Archaeology 

Learning Church History!!

From WOLBRANOS

Dr. Tom Taylor has been teaching Church History for the last two weeks. Dr. Taylor received his BA from Bryan College, MDiv and STM from Faith Seminary and a Doctorate from Philadelphia Biblical University. To quote his own words, "I am “retired emeritus" from Biblical Seminary having held the post of Associate Professor of Church History and Old Testament for 24 years... I have written few books (but lots of articles that were not all wanted!) and have concentrated lately on conference ministry… Married to Ruth with five children and a small army of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I am better known for humor and playing the harmonica than for scholarship but that is just another of the inequities in the world.”