Java with the Judges: Week 1

Java with the Judges
Introduction and The Good Guys; Judges 1-3

Welcome to Week 1.a of the SoulPerSuit Blog group venturing through the book of Judges together.
Before we get into the study itself, let's do a bit of administrative housekeeping.

- We are taking TWO calendar weeks to go through every ONE lesson in Java.

Our schedule for Java with the Judges:
March 3- 16: Introduction and The Good Guys
March 17- 30: The Good and the Reluctant
March 31- April 13: Gideon
April 14- April 27: Jephthah
April 28- May 11: Samson the Conflicted
May 12- May 25: Civil War and Anarchy
May 26- May 31: Wrap- Up


- This SoulPerSuit group is going to be hosted solely on the blogosphere. Don't look for a Yahoo group or the instant messaging studio chats we've done in the past, because you won't find them. All the information this Judges group needs can be found right here on SoulPerBlog and in your personal copy of Java with the Judges.
(That said, if you're on Facebook or another social network and you see other Java participants on-line, by all means, strike up a conversation!)
- If you don't happen to have your own blog but still want to participate, SoulPerBlog is here to accomodate you. Just use the comments section here to share your thoughts on the book of Judges.
- Be sure to visit the other Java participants' blogs to see what they're thinking about the book of Judges. Of course, that means...
- If you're participating in this Java with the Judges study, please let us know when you've written a new blog post relating to Java with the Judges. A simple note of "Hey, I wrote something today, come and read it" in the comments section here is great.

Right here on SoulPerBlog every 2 weeks I'll be posting some Shuffle the Deck activities to kick start your creative thinking. Rhonda will keep us visually motivated on Gallery Wednesdays, and Sandi will offer some additional insights to round out each study with a set of Play Your Hand questions.

(Not sure what any of that means? Click this link for an overview of each aspect of SoulPerSuit.)

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So, without further ado...
I give you...


Shuffle The Deck activities to get things rolling:

1. Create a circular calendar on one sheet of paper representing the four seasons.
Indicate within each season’s decoration- your favorite time of year, your favorite weather, how your mood changes with each season, and/or any family or household events that happen with the cycle of these seasons.
2. Who is an invaluable resource in your life, someone you are glad to know because you can cry to him or her for help? Maybe the son-in-law who’s a computer whiz, a friend who knows how to decorate cakes, the handy-man you have on speed-dial, a babysitter, etc.
Make them an especially creative, elaborate business card. Be sure to list all of their wonderful qualities and why you’re able to depend on them. Decorate it to show how important they are.
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So, what next? If you've already got your Java with the Judges book, begin by reading the Introduction (pgs. ii- xvi). Jot down your first impressions of the culture in which the Hebrew judges operated. Compare and contrast that to your own culture and historical context. Note the things that don't make sense to you or any questions that arise. Get out your map pencils and color code the judges and their corresponding regions or spots on the time line. Try a Shuffle the Deck activity.

Let's roll (like Gideon's biscuits)!