A Cordless Screwdriver and the Bible

God can surprise us in the most amazing places. I am a senior year at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have spent the last three years intensely studying mechanical engineering, a field that would probably seem as remote from God as one can get. However, my experience has been one of great discovery of God's power, design, and ability to communicate. I will not elaborate on the many teachings that God has related to me through my classes, but rather will focus on the most recent.

This semester I have been involved in a product design class. In a recent session, we were asked to take apart a cordless screwdriver to determine the function of the components inside. We dissemble the screwdriver, remove a component such as the battery, and then try to operate the machine without that component. By removing the component we were able to make observations about what its purpose was. It was an exercise in observation of each of the parts role in the final function of the machine. We had to be careful, so that we could understand why the design of the cordless screwdriver was made. I was struck by the relevance this exercise had to the world outside of the realm of mechanical engineering.

Imagine taking the Bible, the Word of God, and studying it as intently as I was studying that cordless screwdriver. Imagine picking out words and phrases and trying to understand their function within the text. That type of hands on involvement, the process of asking questions, and relying on the text to provide answers brings me to a much higher level of understanding of the Bible. When I approach a text of scripture, and place behind me all my preconceived ideas of what the passage means, I allow the Word of God to speak directly to me. After making my own observations I am able to discern the truth of what others have taught me concerning the passage.

It is my pleasure this year to be the small group coordinator for Intervarsity on campus. I work with six other small group leaders to plan how we are going to empower the students on campus to study God's word. It is my desire for the students that are involved in these small groups would develop a hunger for the Bible and find new relevance to their daily lives. The method of Bible study I briefly described above is what is termed the "Inductive" Bible study method. It is allowing the Bible to be the authority of the study and all conclusions to be drawn out of observations made within that passage. The study is designed to be a group discussion that draws out many ideas and then together begins to glean out important applications to our lives today.

While I want my students and my leaders to learn about Acts this year, it is my more fervent goal that they learn how to study the Bible themselves. It is my joy that out of my six small group leaders, two of them were in my small group the year previously. They are now using the skills they developed last year to teach others. Even as I graduate this coming year, I pray that the small group ministry that we have started this year only grows and spreads at Grand Valley.

Emily Klingenfus is in her fourth year as a HELM Leadership Fellow and is a member of Cascade Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.