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Using Your Time for the Kingdom
Original idea by Lindsay Olesberg and Timothy Lin
Revised and written by Timothy Lin
(comments/questions can be directed to
timothy.lin@alumni.grinnell.edu)
Prerequisite:
An understanding of the purpose of NSO as building relationships widely
with first-year students for Kingdom ministry and an understanding that NSO
occurs during a unique and non-replicable time for first-year students.
Leader:
While NSO is a time of reaching out to new students, there are also many
other things competing for our attention. We have classes to go to, old
friends to catch up with, not to mention homework, dinner, and small group
Bible studies. How do we balance those things with getting to know the
first-years around us? To try to answer that question, we are going to
work on “The Colored Rectangles Exercise.”
Divide the group into groups of 2-3. Give each group a blank schedule and
a set of colored rectangles. Read the instructions aloud with the group.
Give them 7-10 minutes to construct their schedule. Note: students often
ask whether they are supposed to construct this schedule realistically or
idealistically. Invite them to construct their schedule according to how
they think they could best serve first-years during NSO.
Debriefing
Ask each group to share their tallies (which should add up to 23 for each
group.unless groups stacked rectangles, see Q.2 below).
Ask specific questions challenging students’ choices. Use the chart below
to respond to their tallies (you may elect to help students arrive at these
categories inductively as well). What does the distribution of time
suggest about the groups’ priorities?
| Color |
Category |
| Work |
| Fun/Internet |
| Quiet Time |
| First Years |
| Old Friends |
| Homework |
| IV Stuff |
| Exercise/Sports |
| Meals |
1. What was challenging or difficult about this game?
2. (If no group decided to overlap any of the rectangles, use this
question) Are there ways to get over the time crunch problem during NSO-
that is, too little time to do everything and meet new students?
3. How might spending more of our time with first-year students during NSO
produce more fruit in the Kingdom later (be sure to get at the relational
aspect of this question)? What sacrifices and changes to your schedule
might you have to make for this to happen?
Summary
– Time is our greatest commodity during NSO
– How we invest our time during NSO will have Kingdom ramifications
later
– First-year students are most open to relationships and new things
(like Jesus) during their first month at school, making NSO a unique
and non-replicable time
– Challenge is to lay aside other relationships and non-essential things
temporarily for the sake of the Kingdom
– (optional) 100 people challenge. Challenge each person to meet 100
new people over the course of the first 2 weeks of school and to pray
that Jesus would reveal Himself to them. Write each name down on the
100 People Challenge. At a later time, we may have a chance to share
that with one another.
| Day 1 |
Day 2 |
| 8 am |
| 9 |
CLASS |
| 10 |
CLASS |
| 11 |
| 12 pm |
| 1 |
| 2 |
CLASS |
LAB |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 7 |
| 8 |
LARGE |
| GROUP |
| 9 |
| 10 |
| 11 |
The Colored Rectangles Exercise
Instructions:
Pretend that you are at the beginning of New Student Outreach (NSO). As an
upper-class IV student, you are excited about the possibility of making an
impact for Jesus by building relationships with first-year students. How
might you schedule these two days of NSO so that you can fulfill that goal?
Use the colored rectangles to simulate your schedule by placing them in the
appropriate hours to the left. Each rectangle takes up one hour. Some
slots have already been filled in with prior commitments which you are
obligated to be part of.
As you go through this exercise, pay attention to the dilemmas and choices
that you are confronted with. We will talk about that when we are done.
Finally, tally below your rectangles you used by color.
Tally:
| Color |
# of Rectangles |
| Breakfast / |
Breakfast / |
Lunch |
Lunch |
| getting ready |
getting ready |
| 2. |
27. |
52. |
77. |
| 3. |
28. |
53. |
78. |
| 4. |
29. |
54. |
79. |
| 5. |
30. |
55. |
80. |
| 6. |
31. |
56. |
81. |
| 7. |
32. |
57. |
82. |
| 8. |
33. |
58. |
83. |
| 9. |
34. |
59. |
84. |
| 10. |
35. |
60. |
85. |
| 11. |
36. |
61. |
86. |
| 12. |
37. |
62. |
87. |
| 13. |
38. |
63. |
88. |
| 14. |
39. |
64. |
89. |
| 15. |
40. |
65. |
90. |
| 16. |
41. |
66. |
91. |
| 17. |
42. |
67. |
92. |
| 18. |
43. |
68. |
93. |
| 19. |
44. |
69. |
94. |
| 20. |
45. |
70. |
95. |
| 21. |
46. |
71. |
96. |
| 22. |
47. |
72. |
97. |
| 23. |
48. |
73. |
98. |
| 24. |
49. |
74. |
99. |
| 25. |
50. |
75. |
100. |
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