I am curious about the types of courses available on uncommonpursuit. Which courses are most valuable or interesting? Are there any specific subjects to please share.
I am interested in the community of uncommonpursuit and right now I Learn Cloud Computing. How active and supportive is the community? Have you found it beneficial to engage with other learners and instructors?
Does anyone have any success stories or achievements you have
skilled through Uncommon Pursuit, I would love to hear about them also I am excited to hear your recommendation
You have asked some very good questions. Its always a good idea to learn more about the communities we seek to get involved in and even more so with faith communities. I pray that you find resources and meet mentors in your life to fulfill that desire of growing in intimacy with the Lord. I can share some about my experience as I have been with Uncommon Pursuit for more than two years. I have taken many of the courses and have been a fairly active participant.
I am a regular churchgoer, I partcipate in bible studies, and have been doing it ever since I became a Christian about 30 years ago. I have benefited from the love that some faithful Christians have shown me but it has not always been easy to meet people locally who could respond to my questions on comparative religion, on denominational differences, on apologetics or on living with a zeal for the Lord. UP community through both online discussions and zoom calls helped me make some headway in finding answers. Moreover, it also helped me through a season of loneliness after an out of state move. I can confidently say that setting aside time, about 2-5 hours each week to study/respond to questions in the community has increased my understanding of the Bible and how to go about my doubts.
We now find good answers from expert theologians online for a variety of questions. However, we may want to discuss our understanding further with someone or think of ways of applying the knowledge to our situation, for which UP is very helpful. The discussions have exposed me to reputable resources for study, increased my cultural awareness, helped me grow in confidence, given a desire to serve my local community better, has fostered a sense of unity with those of different denominations and taught me to be open to challenge of my own beliefs. The asynchronous and slower pace of our online conversations allows us to look into a question in as much depth as we desire. I also appreciate the flexibility in time to participate and the safety of this moderated community.
However, I would emphasize that online community cannot and must not replace the local church where we get to know people well, experience friendship in deep ways and serve needs in ways that online community doesn’t allow.
In terms of courses, some courses take just a few minutes per day but some take longer. I personally have found God’s uncommon pursuit, Together and 12 steps to God helpful in growing in consistency in devotions. 12 steps to God also helped reflect on long term goals for my life. The First Love course was helpful in having a greater understanding of the nature of God and helped me deal with doubts. I have also enjoyed The Gift of Advent and Go and Tell for Christmas and Easter devotions with family. Some courses like LookUP are quite short to help the busy Christian begin to have a consistent devotional time. The courses are practical and written in a language that is easy to understand.
I think for the lay Christian, who may not have time for pursuing seminary level courses, UP is a great place to grow in faith throughout the week as it allows for both deeper thought and daily reliance on the Holy Spirit. I think both online partcipation and courses are important to experience growth. As long as we are focused in our approach, I think we will easily see gain with time. God bless!