These are not hard-set categories, as our learning styles will lean into all three modes; they are intended as general guidelines. Information that can help us better understand ourselves, so we can do our best.
I am primarily a kinetic learner – a helpful piece of self-awareness as I engage in sermon preparation - meaning I can often find connection to readings based on movement: I can remember what side of a page a quote is on, I can find a passage in a book by recounting where I was when I read it (was I at the office? Was I outside, and was the sun on my feet?), I can recall conversations by what pen might have been in my hand. It’s a full-on experience.
What seldom happens for me, however, is hearing the words read aloud. This engages a different part of my brain, and uses a different pattern for establishing memory.
This means that our practice of reading scripture aloud during worship grants me a fantastic opportunity to perceive the word in new ways – lines jump out at me, ideas dance through my imagination, visualisations emerge.
As we have the scripture written in our bulletin, it means I can follow along while having this auditory blessing – and I find I mark words or phrases, and at times take notes or create doodles, as something lights up in my cranium as interesting and worth future consideration (while wanting to remain fully in the moment!)
The church has long offered the gift of finding ways to engage a variety of experiential learning opportunities. We can use commentaries and interact with one another in study, we can explore a variety of translations or even immerse ourselves in different language bibles.
Given that we know the efficacy of these many ways to dive deeper in the daily or weekly scripture, I wonder what else might be possible to open the word of God to all that would hear it?
