Here’s a new website.
It is just being developed and I think you might find it interesting to watch how faith formation is explored through different “specialists”.

Before my grandpa built his own church, we went to the neighboring town, and it was a white community. You know, up north, mostly middle European people and Indians, Chippewa Indians. We were welcome to that church, but once we got in, they didn’t know what to do with us.

James Earl Jones

I don’t happen to think that our faith communities are better because of social networking. I know that the technically brilliant believe that social networking is the best thing ever. I’ve watched the videos and seen the charts.

Community building takes face time. Like the quote above if you need community you find it, even if they don’t know what to do with you. Mostly we no longer no how to find community. For many years communities gathered around schools and churches. With so many churches, private schools and home schooling, community has changed.

If people aren’t coming to worship at your faith community. Go out and get them. Give them some face time and show them who you are. I think we call that Evangelism.

It’s melting, it’s melting. (See picture above) “I’m melting, I’m melting. (See Wizard of Oz) My grandchild is having a meltdown! (Run for the hills)

Yes, grandchildren have meltdowns. My daughter tells me this happens after too much attention at Grandma’s house. Actually it also happens AT Grandma’s house. When a grandchild has a meltdown, what are the tricks that work? You may want to answer “nothing,” or you may want to run for the hills, but I think grandparents have a unique opportunity when a child melts downs.

We don’t have two other children to watch or laundry to do (who needs clean socks when grand kids are here). We have just one child who has gone beyond their limit. So here’s what we do.
Stop.
Drop to a chair.
Offer a lap.
Let them cry.

Eventually they wind down. Sometimes they fall asleep. Sometimes they cry for hours. Sometimes they are so mad they won’t have anything to do with you. It’s here that I bring out the favorite book. The Spark Story Bible or The Usborne Childrens Bible are great books to use. They have beautiful pictures and lots of cool stories. Let the melted one chose a story.

I’m praying for you!

Sometimes we just get thrust into families. It isn’t easy. We are blessed to have Susan be new to our family. Here she is taking whatever family thrusts into her hands. This time it was the youngest grandchild.

Last week Susan matched at a hospital to do a 3-year residency in Family Medicine. I hear she is excited because several friends got the same place. Friends and family often give me pause. Can a friend be closer than family? Can a friend become family? Is it easier or harder to get mad at friends or family?

And how about these questions? Do families or friends text more? Do families or friends email more? Do families or friends Skype more?

I don’t have any of the answers to these questions. I just know that I feel blessed to have my family continue to increase. I have faith that God will get friends and family over tough times. I have faith that relationships are one way that God celebrates with us each day.

You cannot hear a child learning just like you can’t hear the running water in this picture. We hear best in silence. In the 1960′s it took 200 hours of taping to get an hour of just nature sounds. Today it takes about 2000 hours to tape one hour of nature sounds. What has changed?

Well obviously, we have more noise. For some, this noise impedes their learning. In home school, the noise is usually far less than a classroom of 30.

What you can’t hear in this picture is that water is running down the wall and through the plant. It’s like having an outside fountain. What are the ways you can tell your child is hearing and learning at home school. Think about it!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This is a shamrock. Can you find any leaf with four petals? Think about St. Patrick; the guy who brought Christianity to Ireland. I wonder if he ever imagined the conflict with Northern Ireland.
Blessings on your day.
Christy

My husband took this picture. The sun dog has a scientific name that I won’t bore you with, but the scientific name means beside the sun.. I’m thinking that this reflects the beauty of the sun. The reflection makes both more beautiful.

We need the sun. The reflection reminds us of how important the ‘real sun’ is to our world. God shows love in the creation of the sun and I need to reflect God’s love in my life.

When my children attended public schools, we home schooled everyday. Really! In the summer they chose areas to learn about and we did it together. We did word of the day, math problems at dinner (my husband’s department) and visited museums. All-in-all I believe that public school was the reflection of our very real time of learning at home.

So now you ask, why didn’t I home school. The home school movement was alive and well. My oldest daughter’s best friend was home schooled. I think the answer is that I wanted my kids to experience other caring adults. And quite honestly I worked part time at churches and Christian preschools so I felt I had something to give to the community, too. I never felt it was an either or; home school or public school. I felt my decision was “both, to the best of my ability.” And I think that is what God requires.

My kids turned out pretty well. This week one is buying a first house and one is selling their second house. I think they can each do the math and sign their names. One home schools and one I’m guessing will choose public school. But the biggest gift I gave them is a belief that we need to reflect God’s love into the world. I guess that makes us sun dogs… or sun cats since I like cats better!!!

Resources have long been considered something published. Paper, books, art, music and even websites and blogs are resources. I like to focus on God resources. Resources that are here because of a loving and gracious Creator who takes moments in time and turns them into places for growth.

Think of the human resources God places in our paths. Hands that offer help, stability, love and care. Little hands and big hands that come together for no reason other than love.

As I go through the day, I look for human resources that God places in my life. Try it yourself. Take a look at the day and identify where you see God. I might be in the coming together of two different hands or in the smile or frown of a face. God is with us. Amen.

This is a tropical plant that balances on a thin stem. It is beautiful but when one leaf falls off it can get out of balance. Faith Communities are just like this bloom.

I love working in churches, but this season of Lent that begins tomorrow, always made me feel out of balance. It felt as if the gentle time of humbleness, prayer and fasting resulted in a frenzy of soup suppers, extra services, more need for volunteers. This brought exhaustion and loss of balance.

It wasn’t until I began ministry outside the boundary of the church building that I was able to regain balance during Lent. It is not a time for me when I quit eating chocolate or cake or candy. Lent has become a time when I double prayer, deep breathing and labyrinth time. By adding the good things, I crave the negative less. And by the time Easter comes, there are blooms to this change in focus.

There is an older book that I think was written just before its time. I think we need to be reconnected to it.

Season’s of a Family’s Life

written by Wendy M. Wright, tells the story of families struggling to be contemplative in a world of chaos. Wendy writes well to both parents and those who work in the world of faith formation. In the present time of economic and cultural distress, Wendy’s book becomes relevant again.

Curl up with a good book and if you read it once-read it again. Thanks Wendy for leading us forward as we think of being family and being contemplative.