Fresh Outlook Bible Studies
One of the greatest honors of my life is being able to live among and learn from youth. Their clarity, their energy, and their strength regularly help me see the world through better lenses. I truly appreciate their questions and their low tolerance for garbage. If they see people acting in ways that do not mesh with justice, kindness, and mercy, they do not put up with it. If they know people are not telling the truth or are sidestepping difficult conversations, they do not put up with it. It is rare to come across a curriculum for youth and young adults that dives into challenging topics and encourages questions and conversation among participants, so when one comes across my desk, I drop everything and relish it. Fresh Outlook Bible Studies from Presbyterian Outlook is one of the rare jewels that belongs in the library of everyone who works with youth and young adults.
Fresh Outlook Bible Studies for 2023 comes with three modules: “The Devil You Say”, “Breathe”, and “Badass Women of the Bible”. Each module contains four lessons that center questions and conversation around Scripture, cultural structures, and why we believe as we do as Christians. Each lesson provides ample space for wrestling with conventions and beliefs, has a framework for healthy conversation about these concerns, connects with popular culture, and closes with prayer. Deep attention is given to relevance and honesty, as well as authentic connections to what Scripture teaches us about these challenging topics. The lessons are well written and easy for leaders to use. Plenty of possibilities for conversation are given that one can customize their lessons to the needs of the learners without having to mine through other resources.
There are many different ways you can use Fresh Outlook. Three separate 4 week sessions give you a complete autumn line-up for your youth or young adults. You can use these in a traditional setting; e.g. a classroom of learners led by a teacher/facilitator. The lessons can easily be done in an online classroom, and the conversation will flow just as well if you have some classmates joining online and some in person. If you make course catalogs (which I highly recommend), these course titles will be standouts! I can see this being used by college chaplains, and the lessons spend time with ice breakers, so if you wanted something to use just as the academic year kicks off, it would not be difficult to do with first year students who have not met others in the group. I can also see these lessons used in an asynchronous setting; choose two conversation questions to discuss in a closed group on social media, link to one of the videos from the lesson, and then come together to discuss as a group. But imagine the power of using the whole suite of lessons from one of the units in a retreat setting. People can rotate through the activities and leave with a depth of knowledge and well of connection that they did not have before. I have my eye on using all of these as a weekend Lent retreat for youth. The flexibility and depth of this resource is not to be missed. Add it to your ‘get this’ list.
