Village Schools of the Bible

Hymn of praise to God
by a Village School student

Father, Son, and Spirit, you are worthy of all my thanks and praise for your faithfulness endures for all time. For so long I wandered through the wilderness of my life pursuing idols that kept me from communion with you. I turned to things that could not satisfy me, not living a life of trust and obedience to you. What I deserved was to be cast out from your presence, but you have not given up on me. You have not withheld your very heart from me as I have repented and changed. You freely grant me forgiveness for my sins and you have brought me back to fellowship with you. You have chosen me and called me to be like you.

Your Holy Spirit sustains me each and every day. Without your help I would not be able to live with any freedom and victory. The challenges with my marriage and family are too much for me to bear. Without your hope and strength I would have given up long ago. Thank you for showing me that life is hard and not meant for me to hang on to. Only through the sharing of your very heart and nature with me am I able to enter into any true suffering at all. Before your revelation, I ran to self-pity and feeling sorry for myself. Even though live is hard, with you by my side, it is a joy to enter into hardship. I praise you Jesus for not only showing me the way to live, but placing your very spirit inside me, which helps me live this way.

Your discipline hurts me at first, but I praise you for loving me enough to clean out the dark parts of my heart. The initial discomfort gives way to a joy in my heart because there is great freedom through your cleansing. What you so lovingly show me is that there is life in you and you alone.

My words alone cannot express my heart towards you. I leave my heart wide open to you and I ask you to search me and know me; show me the way to live, for I desire to follow you. You are my Lord and my God, and worthy of all my praise!

My Testimony
Kristin Curtis
Student at Zion Lutheran Church, Anoka, MN

Prior to embarking on the Village Schools of the Bible journey, I had attempted to read the Bible cover to cover several times and never made it past Genesis. Even though I had a strong desire to grow in my understanding of God’s Word, the Bible left me feeling intimidated, frustrated, confused and bored. However, my attitude and outlook toward Scripture improved drastically when I stated attending the VSB class. My VSB instructor and the course materials made the Bible approachable and understandable, which enabled me to see how interesting the Bible really is and helped me gain a much better understanding of Scripture. Now when I read the Bible, I have the background to better decipher God’s Word. I feel inspired to read the Bible and I actually enjoy reading Scripture.

Much more importantly, VSB has taught me a lot about myself, God, and God’s expectations of me. I have learned the value and beauty of daily communication with my Lord. I feel truly blessed to have gained this knowledge. I am better able to focus on what is really important in my life because I have learned the importance of seeking and listening for God’s guidance. I have grown so much spiritually from the VSB program and am grateful to VSB for laying a strong foundation of understanding of God’s Word in me. This course is an invaluable experienced that I would highly to anyone seeking a better understanding of God’s Word and to deepen their personal relationship with God.

Testimony
By Bryant Loving

Previous to enrolling in the Village School survey courses I was enjoying a small study on the book of John with some friends at a restaurant near the Village Schools office. As we neared the end of this small group I ran into my 8th grade church camp counselor at the restaurant. He had noticed us at the table with our Bibles open and told me that if I really wanted a serious Bible study, I should go across the street to an organization called Village Schools of the Bible. Floyd had apparently forgiven me for stringing the eighth grade girls’ bras up the camp flag pole J.

I should tell you that, at this point in my life, I was (shall we be kind?)… well, eh, struggling. I was in my 3rd year of not putting any mood altering chemicals into my body, but I had not figured out how to live my life, at least freely. But I had a taste of that “Living Water” that Jesus speaks about. So, I went across the street to meet the principal of the school, Mr. Monty Sholund.

There was an instant charm to this man, but he was also scary…. he wanted me to read (a lot) and write papers every week! Also, he was very serious about God’s word. I looked up his website and it said, “This Bible Study is not for wimps”! Wow! Somehow Monty convinced me I’d live through it and I signed up for the classes starting in Genesis.

Ok, now I’ve done it. What in the world did I commit to? Despite all the second thoughts, I showed up for the first class. It got harder. Monty was not there, some new guy from Iowa had taken Monty’s position as the school principal. Monty had decided to retire and I had not done my due diligence on this new guy, Max Frazier!!

Suffice it to say, I have been so blessed to be connected to VSB. The tunnel vision of looking at only portions of the Bible disappeared as I became amazed at how throughout the ages God has worked His plan. My understanding of the Bible increased, but more importantly, my understanding and knowing God increased. The more I knew God the more I wanted to know Him and this continues to be true today. By the way, the more I understand God’s will for me, my struggles become easier and life not so confusing. He also removed the desire I had for a very long time to alter my state of mind with chemicals. And that guy from Iowa? We ended up taking three trips to India and becoming good friends! What a journey with God! I pray that your journey too, is rich with the Word of God.

God’s Blessings,

Bryant Loving

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