Practice and Inspire Others

When the Apostle Paul was teaching Timothy how to grow as a Christian, both individually and as a leader, he wrote, "Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress" (1 Tim. 4:15).

Paul’s teaching reinforces the educational philosophy behind this course, which is "to learn, read ... to understand, write ... to improve, practice ... to master, teach."

Therefore, this course is designed to give you multiple opportunities to learn by watching videos and reading articles, to reflect on new concepts through writing, to practice relational skills in real life, and to then share with others what you’re learning about relational wisdom.

Time Commitment and Pacing

You are free to set your own schedule and pace for this course. Most people find it easier to maintain momentum if they complete at least one lesson a week, either in one sitting or in shorter daily segments. If you need to go slower, however, or even take a few days or weeks off, you can jump back in at your convenience. There is no limit on how long you take to finish the course.

Each of the 8 lessons typically takes 60-90 minutes to complete (8-12 hours for the entire course), depending on how much optional reading and writing you decide to do. The first lesson is about 10 minutes longer than the other lessons.

As is true with all skill development, the more time you invest in this training, the more likely you are to see significant and lasting changes in your relational skills and personal character.

Evaluate Everything in the Light of Scripture

Acts 17:11 says: "Now these Jews [in Berea] were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

We want you to follow the example of the noble Bereans as you go through this course. Therefore, all of the key principles we teach are supported by specific Scriptures, which we encourage you to read so that you can verify these principles for yourself and gain additional insights from God's Word.

Many people prefer to use their personal Bible to look up these references, but we've also compiled all of these passages in a single document you can download and refer to as you go through each lesson.

Quizzes

Each lesson in the course includes a few short quizzes to help you focus on some of the key principles in the teaching and demonstration videos. You only have one chance on each quiz, so think carefully before selecting the best answer or answers. (Most quizzes have only one correct answer, but a few of them have three correct answers, all of which need to be selected in order for the quiz to be marked correct).

Reflection and Application Questions

Each lesson includes several reflection, application and practice questions, which are also provided in a downloadable Personal Study Notes document. You may answer these questions with as much or as little detail as you choose. One or two sentences are fine, but if you like to write more, go for it!

Learning Individually or in a Group

This course is designed for either individual or group study. In addition to helping you maintain momentum, group study will allow you to share your thoughts and questions with others and benefit from their experiences and insights. There are several ways to study as a group:

• Students complete their work individually and then the group meets weekly or bi-weekly in person or by telephone or video conferencing to discuss their answers to the application questions.
• One person in the group could create a special Facebook group that allows members to spontaneously share their insights or questions throughout the week.

Can you think of one or more friends or coworkers who might benefit from this course? Now's the time to invite them to join you!

Navigating the Teachable Platform

Before you begin the course, we strongly recommend that you visit this Teachable Support page to get a quick overview of how to navigate and view our course content. The few minutes you spend learning how to navigate this system could save you a lot of time and frustration later on. If you want to see this page once you've started the course, just click on one of our FAQ buttons.

The Magic Green Button

When you complete a step in this course, click the green <Complete and Continue> bar at the TOP of the page, which will take you to the next step. If you get stuck at any step and are unable to continue, it's usually because there was a previous step that you did not complete.

If that happens, scroll up on the curriculum list and look for any steps that do not have a check mark beside them. Go to those steps and click the green <Complete and Continue> button at the top of the page, which should allow you to continue with the course.

Movie Clips / Closed Captions

The movie clips shown in this course are used under a special license with Wingclips or pursuant to the "Fair Use Doctrine."

To see closed captions in either English or Spanish, simply click the "cc" symbol at the bottom of a video screen and select the desired language.

Returning to the Course

To make it easy to return to the course, take a few seconds right now to create a bookmark in your web browser to this page. Every time you return to the course, you will be taken to your next uncompleted step.

How to Get Help or Offer Feedback

If you're having trouble accessing or navigating the course, please email us at [email protected]. You may also email us to let us know about any spelling or wording errors you find or to offer suggestions on how we might improve this training.

Personal Support and Advice

If you need advice on how to apply the principles you're learning, we encourage you to meet with your pastor or a spiritually mature friend to seek their counsel, encouragement and prayer support.