I think Yust succeeds linking faith and religious tradition here. The actual book is much more reflective than the title indicated to me but the title's appropriate.
Interesting material. Her discussion of prayer includes silence, centering on God (as opposed to being easily distracted), meditation, and lament.
Some great suggestions that I think post-moderns would especially like.
About community: "Parents are the principal guides in children's spiritual formation, yet children need a religious community within which to experience God as something other than their own friend or possession. . . Affiliation with a religious community provides children with the kind of extensive and diverse support that no one or two individuals can provide, given the limitations of human time, energy, and experience. As [Anne] Lamott says, a community of faith provides children with a 'brighter light than the glimmer of their own candle' or even the glow from a few family candles held close beside one another." p. 164
A heavy-duty chapter on choosing a community in which to nurture your children . . . This may actually look like what you guys are talking about. The fact that she moved often enough to have a check list for choosing a church means that maybe there are churches like what she describes out there somewhere . . .
Really interesting material. I think postmoderns will be more receptive to this book than most traditional evangelicals...
Aside: Her daughter and I share a favorite book: Audrey and Don Wood's The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. If you find it, check out the very last picture (my copy has it on the back cover) .
Showing posts with label RKRF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RKRF. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Monday, November 28, 2005
More quotes to ponder
"Particularly problematic for children has been the way in which religious educators have used developmental theories of faith development to equate faith with a cognitive understanding of religious concepts." Real Kids, Real Faith by Karen Marie Yust p. 3
"The Jewish and Christian scriptures emphasize this multisensory relationship of the divine with humanity. They repeatedly tell of God choosing to act in ways that highlight a person's or community's inability to make cognitive sense of God's activity." p.7
"Our role, then, as parents and adults who work with children, is to introduce and support spiritual practices that serve to mix and knead faith into the dough of children's lives." p. 10
"The Jewish and Christian scriptures emphasize this multisensory relationship of the divine with humanity. They repeatedly tell of God choosing to act in ways that highlight a person's or community's inability to make cognitive sense of God's activity." p.7
"Our role, then, as parents and adults who work with children, is to introduce and support spiritual practices that serve to mix and knead faith into the dough of children's lives." p. 10
Saturday, November 26, 2005
more Real Kids, Real Faith
Some glimpses of Real Kids, Real Faith by Karen Marie Yust. I'm halfway through. I'd say this is less about engaging culture and more about growing bicultural children. The primary target audience is parents, but there are alot of insights for teachers and pastors.
"...my children are living in two cultures. One...is that of our local community...the other ...is that of our religious community...Both of these cultures contribute to my children's particular understanding of what the world is like, how it works, and who they are in it. But one of these cultures - that of the general community environment-has much greater potential to dominate my children's thinking because, like the commercial icons who represent it, my children encounter it almost everywhere. I don't have to wonder whether this culture will influence my children's lives, my concern has to be with how much power this culture has relative to the second culture - that of our religious community." Her goal for her children is that they become bi-cultural. What's interesting about this is that they aren't denying one for the other but striving to make one just as strong as the other. (p. 28)
She compares this experience with that of ethnic immigrants in a new land. Ethnic immigrants deal with this one of three ways: "1) they withdraw into stronger identification with their ethnic tradition, 2) they relinquish many of their ethnic characteristics through assimilation into the wider culture, or 3) they develop a strong indentification with both cultures." These are the children who become bi-cultural. (p. 29)
She's talks about "creating a spiritual world": environment, culture, holidays. (p. 21) She talks about "stories that draw children into a life of faith." (most of chapter 3) She talks about "Spiritual celebrations for ordinary events." (p. 62-63) She's talks about language - "religious bilingualism". (p. 70)
She's talks about linking the spiritual and the everyday. Example: She and her 3 year old son were playing ball. He perceived that God played catch with them. As the ball was flying into the air God intercepted it and sent it back down. The author says, "I remember thinking at the time that perhaps I should tell him gravity, not God, was responsible for the ball's arc. The words I settled on, however, were that 'God uses gravity to make the ball act that way.' My explanation linked the religious and the scientific in a way that permitted my son to believe in both as active forces in his environment." (p. 91)
She talks about "helping children name God's presence in their lives." When her 9 year old daughter asked why God let her friend get cancer still believing him to be an all-powerful healer, it lead to "conversation about the brokenness of the world and God's grief over the sickness and tragedy... [Her daughter] could imagine becoming a partner with this "new" God, who desired to have the 'hands and feet' of ordinary people in this world working to share God's love in times of health and illness." (p. 91-92)
I'm finishing chapter 4. Her insights and understandings are really interesting. This is a book that's apt to leave you wondering, how can I order my life in such a way that my children see, hear, taste, smell, touch (experience) faith as an integral part of who we are, who they are and who we are as a family.
There are "questions for reflection and discussion" at the end of the book.
"...my children are living in two cultures. One...is that of our local community...the other ...is that of our religious community...Both of these cultures contribute to my children's particular understanding of what the world is like, how it works, and who they are in it. But one of these cultures - that of the general community environment-has much greater potential to dominate my children's thinking because, like the commercial icons who represent it, my children encounter it almost everywhere. I don't have to wonder whether this culture will influence my children's lives, my concern has to be with how much power this culture has relative to the second culture - that of our religious community." Her goal for her children is that they become bi-cultural. What's interesting about this is that they aren't denying one for the other but striving to make one just as strong as the other. (p. 28)
She compares this experience with that of ethnic immigrants in a new land. Ethnic immigrants deal with this one of three ways: "1) they withdraw into stronger identification with their ethnic tradition, 2) they relinquish many of their ethnic characteristics through assimilation into the wider culture, or 3) they develop a strong indentification with both cultures." These are the children who become bi-cultural. (p. 29)
She's talks about "creating a spiritual world": environment, culture, holidays. (p. 21) She talks about "stories that draw children into a life of faith." (most of chapter 3) She talks about "Spiritual celebrations for ordinary events." (p. 62-63) She's talks about language - "religious bilingualism". (p. 70)
She's talks about linking the spiritual and the everyday. Example: She and her 3 year old son were playing ball. He perceived that God played catch with them. As the ball was flying into the air God intercepted it and sent it back down. The author says, "I remember thinking at the time that perhaps I should tell him gravity, not God, was responsible for the ball's arc. The words I settled on, however, were that 'God uses gravity to make the ball act that way.' My explanation linked the religious and the scientific in a way that permitted my son to believe in both as active forces in his environment." (p. 91)
She talks about "helping children name God's presence in their lives." When her 9 year old daughter asked why God let her friend get cancer still believing him to be an all-powerful healer, it lead to "conversation about the brokenness of the world and God's grief over the sickness and tragedy... [Her daughter] could imagine becoming a partner with this "new" God, who desired to have the 'hands and feet' of ordinary people in this world working to share God's love in times of health and illness." (p. 91-92)
I'm finishing chapter 4. Her insights and understandings are really interesting. This is a book that's apt to leave you wondering, how can I order my life in such a way that my children see, hear, taste, smell, touch (experience) faith as an integral part of who we are, who they are and who we are as a family.
There are "questions for reflection and discussion" at the end of the book.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Real Kids, Real Faith
I'm about 3 chapters into Real Kids, Real Faith by Karen Marie Yust. This book is very parent-friendly (c. 200 pages, lots of sidebars!) The thing I'm excited about, (an element that this book brings to the table that I haven't seen addressed before to this degree) is that she tackles "engaging culture". She likens being a faith community in this world to the experience of immigrants moving to a new country raising children with two cultures. She writes in such a way that people of any faith will find insights here.
I'm going to keep reading. I'll also update the resource list. When I have ALOT of time to kill maybe I'll fix all the links :) My computer savy daughter is home so you might get a photo of my 40+ pound, 5 month old puppies.
Sidebar: Because writers of books try very hard to draw some of their livelihood from their book sales, if you like an author and you can afford it, I'd encourage you to buy his/her books. There are also some great second-hand book sites on-line (which doesn't help an author but keeps the book circulating.) If you don't have anyone to borrow from, you can have a book sent to your local library or check the library at your local Christian college or seminary.
Someday maybe Artisan will have a library!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Safe travel.
I'm going to keep reading. I'll also update the resource list. When I have ALOT of time to kill maybe I'll fix all the links :) My computer savy daughter is home so you might get a photo of my 40+ pound, 5 month old puppies.
Sidebar: Because writers of books try very hard to draw some of their livelihood from their book sales, if you like an author and you can afford it, I'd encourage you to buy his/her books. There are also some great second-hand book sites on-line (which doesn't help an author but keeps the book circulating.) If you don't have anyone to borrow from, you can have a book sent to your local library or check the library at your local Christian college or seminary.
Someday maybe Artisan will have a library!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Safe travel.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
returning to the guild idea...
According to the most recent Artisan E-news this is formally the [Artisan] Children's Ministy Guild. The term "Children's ministry" conjures up a wealth of things that Artisan isn't doing right now. Merriam-Webster On- line defines "guild" as " an association of people with similar interests or pursuits; especially : a medieval association of merchants or craftsmen." Well, we're not buying or selling so we must fall into one of the other three categories. Medieval? I think scripture and the early church fathers pre-date "medieval" and I don't think Medieval Kids is where we're going, either. Nothing like defining yourself by what you aren't :-) .
"an association of people" (implying many!) There are actually about 20 people somehow involved with kids at Artisan and/or commenting here. Most of whom are busy working in areas other than "children's ministry."
The short of it: I really don't know where to go with this beyond using this space to share and brainstorm. . .
Book update: 10 pages into Real Kids, Real Faith. Really interesting material. It may be one of the more parent-friendly books I've read with the added bonus of yet another bibliography!
"an association of people" (implying many!) There are actually about 20 people somehow involved with kids at Artisan and/or commenting here. Most of whom are busy working in areas other than "children's ministry."
The short of it: I really don't know where to go with this beyond using this space to share and brainstorm. . .
Book update: 10 pages into Real Kids, Real Faith. Really interesting material. It may be one of the more parent-friendly books I've read with the added bonus of yet another bibliography!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Interesting quote
"Scholars are starting to recognize that the 'cute' things children say about life and God may not match adults' sophisticated belief systems, but they do grow out of the genuine and important processes of making sense of the world and their place in it. . . More and more, experts and parents alike are recognizeing that children teach us, just as we seek to teach them."
"...Nurturing spirituality is not something you do to or for your children; it is something you do with your children. And with your children, you will learn, discover, and grow in ways that you cannot predict or control. It will change you."
Eugene C Roehlkepartain - Director, Family and Congregation Initiatives Search Institute in his introduction to Real Kids, Real Faith by Karen Marie Yust, John Wiley & Sons, Inc - Josey Bass: San Francisco, 2004 (p. xii)
"...Nurturing spirituality is not something you do to or for your children; it is something you do with your children. And with your children, you will learn, discover, and grow in ways that you cannot predict or control. It will change you."
Eugene C Roehlkepartain - Director, Family and Congregation Initiatives Search Institute in his introduction to Real Kids, Real Faith by Karen Marie Yust, John Wiley & Sons, Inc - Josey Bass: San Francisco, 2004 (p. xii)
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