by Bonita Burnham
What to do after retirement? Are you recently retired, and looking for something meaningful to do? How about taking Bible courses?
Does retirement seem like a breath of fresh air, or are you wondering what your purpose is now? What can I do to fill my time, and yet make me feel like I’m still useful?
Some people wonder what they will do after they retire, and often they decide to take courses to help one find a sense of purpose, and to keep our minds sharp. Post-retirement courses can be very self-rewarding. Some people take up painting courses, where they can express their ideas in an artistic way. As a person who enjoys painting, I know the benefits of painting and can vouch for the feeling of accomplishment it can bring. Creating something beautiful can be very enjoyable.
Other people take up various exercise programs in the hopes to remain healthy and as a stress reliever. While I totally agree with the benefits of some exercise, and believe that we should keep active, I often fail in ‘staying the course.” Unfortunately, I never seem to be able to do any amount of worthwhile exercises for any length of time, much to my chagrin.
But what about courses that are not only self-rewarding, but also are taken with a purpose of growing spiritually and then using the knowledge to further God’s kingdom and help others? The bible courses I have taken at Maritime Christian College have helped me stay spiritually healthy and give me a feeling of accomplishment. These are practical courses that I am able to not only grow more theologically, but I am able to actually put in practice what I have learned, especially in the area of disciple-making.
You may think ‘What? I am too old for this!” but you are not! There is no age for learning’ and in God’s kingdom there is no such thing as ‘retirement’. We may stop working for our job, but we never stop working for God. With what you learn at MCC not only will you feel more grounded in your faith, but you will feel like a lot of what you learn needs to be shared. At MCC the prices are affordable and it is all done online, so it is at your own pace.
I have taken many courses over the years, and often found them ‘interesting’ but too intellectual’ in the sense that I didn't feel I could actually ‘do’ anything with the knowledge that would be ‘beneficial’ to God’s kingdom. My head was filled with interesting knowledge, but it was for ‘my use only’ and purely intellectual. The courses at MCC are filled with intellect but also use discussion, reading and self-reflection as a means of anchoring the subjects into our lives. They implement questions that are to be answered in a very practical way. Let me share a few of the courses that I have taken, so it will give you a glimpse of what I mean.
The Old Testament literature course helped me, as a ‘Westerner, to understand the cultural differences that were the reality for biblical times. Without this ‘mindset’ it is difficult to comprehend the events studied in Scripture. This course starts off by showing us the ‘big picture’ of how it is all connected and the Bible is one great ‘narrative’. It helps unravel the covenants and the significance of each. It showed the classical stories of Abraham, and Moses, but also clarifies the rise and fall of the nation of Israel.
You may be asking ‘how’ this is beneficial or practical? Understanding any of the covenants’ purposes gives us a clearer picture of what Jesus did for us. Also, a few of the discussion questions were: Consider how much God values and cares for the women of faith during the biblical times of marginalization. How does this impact the way women are/should be treated in the world/church today? The second along the same line: The book of Ruth provides a uniquely feminine perspective in a time when women's voices were mostly quiet or silent. How does looking for and understanding better the experience and perspective of women in the bible impact your understanding of scripture?
During the women’s bible study group some verses were read, and this question was asked. There are still many women who feel ‘unvalued’--even in today’s society. Some of the women opened up and shared their insecurities and their feeling of ‘not being smart’ enough to ever give their views openly. We, the retired women, can help them know that truth, that God values them and has a purpose for their lives.
While this actual course on Old Testament literature is not uniquely about women, it was useful in showing the women at church that God has no favorites and that women were vital in His purpose for God’s Kingdom and the church.
The New Testament also brings the bible full circle, and goes through the whole book while showing the correlation that exists between both testaments. There were so many interesting questions, that it is difficult to pick one. An example of one of the topics that we discussed and mused over was “Using the book of Philippians, explain what real Christian joy is and how it differs from a worldly joy or happiness. Why is this such a hard concept for
the world and even the church today?"
The discussions are real and down to earth and bring out different aspects from people all over the world. In my particular class, there were people from all over Canada, the United States, and Africa. It was amazing to learn about the difficult viewpoints from all over, not just my little community.
Once again this was a jumpstart for me, and I decided to do an in-depth study on the book of Philippians which I then made into a bible study that I lead weekly with my church group. The interactions and thoughts were amazing, and we all grew more spiritually. The benefits of that course were so eye-opening. One of the participants said, “I always love these classes, and cannot wait for next week’s lesson. I feel I have learned so much. I never seemed to understand it all, but these studies are really helpful and I feel that I am actually ‘growing’ in my walk with God.” What a wonderful honor for God’s kingdom.
I then took 2 different courses at MCC, both dealing with disciple-making. I cannot express the excitement I felt in knowing that this course was something that I wanted so desperately to implement, not only to ‘share’ with others, but to actually mentor others. The bible tells us that our mission is clear, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
These courses helped guide me in the importance of disciple-making but also in the best ways to approach, help, guide and interact with others. The most important involves ‘relationships’. This will require time on your part, but the benefits far outweigh the labor that is required.
When Jesus began His public ministry, He picked 12 men to follow Him, learn from Him and imitate Him. From these 12, He chose 3 to really invest His time in. He knew the importance of guiding them, spending time with them, and building that special relationship with them. Some of the questions we discussed were: What challenges are there for most people living every day with Jesus Christ at the center of his or her life? How are you living every day with Jesus Christ at the center of your life and what challenges are you experiencing? Another interesting question that came up was: Why is it right to say that disciple making is the core mission of the church? This led to a discussion on what that means for us personally also.
After taking this course, I got together with 2 women in the church and invested time and energy into their lives and their interests. After spending quality time together which included the Word, the church and fun, one of the ladies reached out to another, and they have started a bond that I hope continues, as she begins her mentoring process.
I cannot finish this without mentioning another course which ‘blew me away’. It is called ‘Apologetics’. As Christians we need to know why we believe in God and for some non-Christians, simply saying ‘by faith’ is not enough. We have seen that Jesus has given us a ‘mission’ to tell others about Him, but do we know why we believe it ourselves? How can we do this effectively if we don’t really understand why we believe what we are teaching? This amazing course enables us to defend our faith in a reasonable and accurate way, that even
unbelievers must at least find ‘interesting’. While we come to the Lord in faith believing in all that He has done for us, how can we share this with others who wish to find fault with the Bible and God?
This course goes into a sensible and logical reason for why God exists and points us to all the evidence that reveals God. I could go on and on about this course, but I will stop there in hopes that the little ‘taste’ of learning will excite your palate and get you wanting to indulge in a wonderful time of learning, growing and sharing.
Post-retirement never had it so good!!
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