The qualities Phillips saw as critical to the Early Church maintaining their faith, hope, love, peace (a partial list of the fruit of the Spirit):
quiet
prayer (confession, prayer to access God's resources for change, intercession)
fellowship
worship
He sees the reading of the letters of the apostles in the churches before the Holy Scriptures were called the Holy Scriptures, as encouragement to continue to read. Interesting. Today we know that the apostles were the apostles. If their day, Jesus, Himself chose them.
He talks about Service and that we need to always look outward. "Coming down to actual practice, the Christian has to ask himself what he can do to express outwardly and effectively his inward spiritual certainty. . .his first duty is to live a Christian life in his home and in his place of work..."
(pg 99)
He asks, what if even half the members gave and hour each week to their church . . . (pg 100) He talks about gifts, too.
"..the real danger to professing Christians lies not in the more glaring and grosser temptations and sins, but in a slow deterioration of vision, a slow death to daring, courage and the willingess to adventure."
Showing posts with label roots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roots. Show all posts
Sunday, December 14, 2014
A Book to Talk About! Actually, Two! IV
Peace. Another quality of the young church - peace more profound than the times in which they lived. Peace with God and with one another. The peace that comes from Hope based on who God is, and the Love He sheds abroad in our hearts, Faith that links our reality with God's reality and helps us line up with Him.
I pray the Lord's prayer more often as I get older, if only to reiterate, "Thy will be done" even if, especially if, I don't know what that is. I don't have to know what it is. I can pray with no doubt that God will accomplish His will. Looking back, when I found myself praying the Lord's prayer more and my own prayers less, maybe to acknowledge that's how Jesus taught His disciples to pray, there were some big, unexpected changes in my life - changes I never expected.
He talks about some of the things that fight with Peace: the need to resolve inner conflict, to share life with God, to accept ourselves as God made us and the resources He provides one day at a time, the need to align ourselves with God's purpose for us however seemingly insignificant.
And remember. There is an individual expression here but perhaps even more important, there was a group of believers learning to stand in awe of God's work - His visiting the earth, sending His son in the flesh, learning to live faith, to live hope, to live love and they became an unassuming force to be reckoned with.
I pray the Lord's prayer more often as I get older, if only to reiterate, "Thy will be done" even if, especially if, I don't know what that is. I don't have to know what it is. I can pray with no doubt that God will accomplish His will. Looking back, when I found myself praying the Lord's prayer more and my own prayers less, maybe to acknowledge that's how Jesus taught His disciples to pray, there were some big, unexpected changes in my life - changes I never expected.
He talks about some of the things that fight with Peace: the need to resolve inner conflict, to share life with God, to accept ourselves as God made us and the resources He provides one day at a time, the need to align ourselves with God's purpose for us however seemingly insignificant.
And remember. There is an individual expression here but perhaps even more important, there was a group of believers learning to stand in awe of God's work - His visiting the earth, sending His son in the flesh, learning to live faith, to live hope, to live love and they became an unassuming force to be reckoned with.
A Book to Talk About! Actually, Two! III
Phillips explores Love in New Testament Christianity. He says, "God Is Love," was a new concept for the people of this era. The passage," ...the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts."(Romans 5:5) was "...stimulated and developed by accepting the love of God as shown in Christ." (pg. 61) Phillips says, "I am quite sure that a great deal of the joyful experience and invincible courage of the Young Church is due simply to the fact that the early Christians believed these words to be literally true." (pg 62) The love of the God of the New Testament transformed lives.
The young church was convinced, he says, despite difficult times, that nothing could ever separate them from the love of God. Phillips explores how we are tempted by that which isn't Love and ends the chapter saying. Ponder "the paramount importance" and "permanence" of Love.
If love is God's nature, ponder how Christ Jesus expressed it and how the early church expressed it. How do we express it? How do we teach children that love is most important and the love of God, the love of God shed abroad in our hearts will outlast everything else? Is the love I share with the people around me, something that will last forever?
What qualities or choices fight with our call to love God and our neighbor, as adults and as children? I seem to remember my kids getting into arguments and saying, "It's not about who's right or who's wrong, it's how you treat each other. If you treat each other badly, you're both wrong." You may feel differently.
I was going to link to a bio for J.B. Phillips. Some circles consider him a heretic yet, apparently the Reverend Billy Graham thanked him for his work.
But this isn't about the translator. This isn't about the man. Every non-original language translation has been given into the hands of men and women in order to make the Living Word of God more accessible to more people. If five people look at the same sunset, which only God can make happen, do they see the same thing? The sunset is beautiful. (I think). You can talk about the science of the sunset but that doesn't mean that God didn't create it. You can write prose or poetry about it. You can photograph or paint it. But we don't change the sunset. And it doesn't wait for us.
Definitely read the intro (Explanation) in the beginning of the book as the writer talks of the scriptures of the New Testament as a Living book like no other.
Trying to look at the New Testament through the eyes, history, and culture of the early Christians just adds another dimension. God's Word is intended to stand generation after generation. As human beings we will always be very Me-centered. God isn't.
Much of what the author is doing is looking at those first Christians who didn't have all of the religious baggage that we have and the themes he saw repeating as he translated. He observing: these are qualities that made the Early Church alive, vibrant, life-changing, world-changing, drawing men and women to God. These qualities are within the grasp of every generation. Why do we focus on other things?
I disagree that we don't really need to read the whole of scripture (Old Testament, too). God gave us all of it for the reasons the scriptures say in I Timothy 3:16. You can pick which version you want to read it in. I think Phillip's point is that if your time is limited, focus on the gospels because they tell of Jesus, who He was, what He did, how He loved God and man - his faith, his hope, his love, how He maintained his connection with the Father, How He served. Read the New Testament because it tells you of those who knew God in the flesh and how they lived after Jesus left His Spirit to dwell in us and continue what He began.
The young church was convinced, he says, despite difficult times, that nothing could ever separate them from the love of God. Phillips explores how we are tempted by that which isn't Love and ends the chapter saying. Ponder "the paramount importance" and "permanence" of Love.
If love is God's nature, ponder how Christ Jesus expressed it and how the early church expressed it. How do we express it? How do we teach children that love is most important and the love of God, the love of God shed abroad in our hearts will outlast everything else? Is the love I share with the people around me, something that will last forever?
What qualities or choices fight with our call to love God and our neighbor, as adults and as children? I seem to remember my kids getting into arguments and saying, "It's not about who's right or who's wrong, it's how you treat each other. If you treat each other badly, you're both wrong." You may feel differently.
I was going to link to a bio for J.B. Phillips. Some circles consider him a heretic yet, apparently the Reverend Billy Graham thanked him for his work.
But this isn't about the translator. This isn't about the man. Every non-original language translation has been given into the hands of men and women in order to make the Living Word of God more accessible to more people. If five people look at the same sunset, which only God can make happen, do they see the same thing? The sunset is beautiful. (I think). You can talk about the science of the sunset but that doesn't mean that God didn't create it. You can write prose or poetry about it. You can photograph or paint it. But we don't change the sunset. And it doesn't wait for us.
Definitely read the intro (Explanation) in the beginning of the book as the writer talks of the scriptures of the New Testament as a Living book like no other.
Trying to look at the New Testament through the eyes, history, and culture of the early Christians just adds another dimension. God's Word is intended to stand generation after generation. As human beings we will always be very Me-centered. God isn't.
Much of what the author is doing is looking at those first Christians who didn't have all of the religious baggage that we have and the themes he saw repeating as he translated. He observing: these are qualities that made the Early Church alive, vibrant, life-changing, world-changing, drawing men and women to God. These qualities are within the grasp of every generation. Why do we focus on other things?
I disagree that we don't really need to read the whole of scripture (Old Testament, too). God gave us all of it for the reasons the scriptures say in I Timothy 3:16. You can pick which version you want to read it in. I think Phillip's point is that if your time is limited, focus on the gospels because they tell of Jesus, who He was, what He did, how He loved God and man - his faith, his hope, his love, how He maintained his connection with the Father, How He served. Read the New Testament because it tells you of those who knew God in the flesh and how they lived after Jesus left His Spirit to dwell in us and continue what He began.
Friday, December 12, 2014
A Book to Talk About! Actually, Two! II
I'm reading and talking about New Testament Christianity by J.B. Phillips. The book Your God is Too Small is also a book worth reading and pondering especially in the context of working with children and youth. It forces us to take a second look at how we see God.
In New Testament Christianity, Phillips is looking at the New Testament and the early church, exploring themes he saw as he translated - surprisingly appropriate for the Christmas season. The nature and purpose of the God of the scriptures and His untainted Word are at the heart of his commentary.
His book isn't a how-to but he draws attention to mega-themes that effect how we think. He talks about God historically visiting a tiny dot in the universe for which we should be eternally humbled and grateful. He talks about faith as a muscle, the bridge between God's reality and our own reality - the reality of living in a physical, social, cognitive world. He talks about faith based on fact.
Then he talks about hope; not hope as wishful thinking or "pious hope" but again, hope based on fact, work, and God's realities. Faith and hope, as he describes them, are based on what is real and true of God's nature and God's purpose, even if we don't know or understand what that purpose is.
He briefly touches the historical context of the New Testament; how brightly the faith and hope of the early Christians shined in such a dark culture. At one point he says, "To the pagan mind to take a man's life was to take his all, but to attack Christians by sword, torture, or the atrocities of the arena was to invite defeat. Even if you killed them they slipped through your fingers to be with their Lord for ever!" ( pg 48) I've read Eusebius. The historic account of the early church is incredulous - humbling and inspiring.
He ventures to say that the New Testament is more about faith than depravity. He shares brilliant metaphors to explain how he understands the relationship between faith, hope, our actions, and God's. He ventures to explore the challenge of living in the world but not of the world - holding to the realities of both the physical and the spiritual (living, working, believing) knowing we're being prepared for the latter.
More to come. I'm about halfway through.
Why do these tiny adult books matter if I'm working with children? Children start off with a faith, hope, and love uncharacteristic of most adults. We are given charge (parents, teachers, friends, family) to nurture faith muscles, hope muscles, and the muscles of godly love. In order to set children up to succeed, they have to learn how to tap into the God of the Universe as revealed through Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit in their day to day life. God help us if we give them what is counterfeit and set them up to fail.
Sometimes we get so caught up in things that don't matter that we miss what really does matter. Check out 1 Corinthians 13:13.
The scriptures tell us of true faith, hope, love founded on the reality of Who God is and His own eternal purpose. We have an obligation to tend and grow what is true to the God of the scriptures - faith, hope, love that will last a lifetime and beyond, not counterfeits that can't stand up to life in this world. Can I tell you where the lines are? No, I've just started pondering this.
How did the early church know they were on target? Their faith, hope, and love stood the test of the world they lived in. God's reality became their reality. Their eyes were always on the Father and their lives and actions reflected that love in tangeable ways that even the world could see. They were different. The God of Creation, the God of the Universe, walked with them.
In New Testament Christianity, Phillips is looking at the New Testament and the early church, exploring themes he saw as he translated - surprisingly appropriate for the Christmas season. The nature and purpose of the God of the scriptures and His untainted Word are at the heart of his commentary.
His book isn't a how-to but he draws attention to mega-themes that effect how we think. He talks about God historically visiting a tiny dot in the universe for which we should be eternally humbled and grateful. He talks about faith as a muscle, the bridge between God's reality and our own reality - the reality of living in a physical, social, cognitive world. He talks about faith based on fact.
Then he talks about hope; not hope as wishful thinking or "pious hope" but again, hope based on fact, work, and God's realities. Faith and hope, as he describes them, are based on what is real and true of God's nature and God's purpose, even if we don't know or understand what that purpose is.
He briefly touches the historical context of the New Testament; how brightly the faith and hope of the early Christians shined in such a dark culture. At one point he says, "To the pagan mind to take a man's life was to take his all, but to attack Christians by sword, torture, or the atrocities of the arena was to invite defeat. Even if you killed them they slipped through your fingers to be with their Lord for ever!" ( pg 48) I've read Eusebius. The historic account of the early church is incredulous - humbling and inspiring.
He ventures to say that the New Testament is more about faith than depravity. He shares brilliant metaphors to explain how he understands the relationship between faith, hope, our actions, and God's. He ventures to explore the challenge of living in the world but not of the world - holding to the realities of both the physical and the spiritual (living, working, believing) knowing we're being prepared for the latter.
More to come. I'm about halfway through.
Why do these tiny adult books matter if I'm working with children? Children start off with a faith, hope, and love uncharacteristic of most adults. We are given charge (parents, teachers, friends, family) to nurture faith muscles, hope muscles, and the muscles of godly love. In order to set children up to succeed, they have to learn how to tap into the God of the Universe as revealed through Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit in their day to day life. God help us if we give them what is counterfeit and set them up to fail.
Sometimes we get so caught up in things that don't matter that we miss what really does matter. Check out 1 Corinthians 13:13.
The scriptures tell us of true faith, hope, love founded on the reality of Who God is and His own eternal purpose. We have an obligation to tend and grow what is true to the God of the scriptures - faith, hope, love that will last a lifetime and beyond, not counterfeits that can't stand up to life in this world. Can I tell you where the lines are? No, I've just started pondering this.
How did the early church know they were on target? Their faith, hope, and love stood the test of the world they lived in. God's reality became their reality. Their eyes were always on the Father and their lives and actions reflected that love in tangeable ways that even the world could see. They were different. The God of Creation, the God of the Universe, walked with them.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
A Book to Talk About! Actually, Two!
Not long ago, I read a very short but loaded book by J.B. Phillips. Yes, he is one of the individuals who translated the New Testament. The book was Your God is Too Small. It truly challenges what we believe about God in the light of what scripture says. A challenging book for a parent/teacher group Bible study. An important book for people ministering to children in Christ-following faith communities.
Now, I am reading New Testament Christianity also by J.B. Phillips. Both are very small (as in short) books: 90-100 pages. I'm reading this on the sly because it's a Christmas present. I wanted to read it first.
The main points Phillips makes are so important, so foundational to how we think. And if they are crucial for us as adult believers, how much more for children?
I admit his introduction is a bit stuffy. He's telling you why he feels compelled to write the book, but hang in there! The rest of the book will keep your attention. These are very short books that should send you back to the scriptures "to see if these things be so."
Chapter 1 "The Angel's Point of View" - a reminder that is it utterly amazing that the God of the Universe chose to visit us. Beyond our ability to even comprehend! Worth celebrating at Christmastime.
Chapter 2 "God Makes News" is another reminder that ties into Christmas: "Emmanuel, God With Us" - God came and lived among us and that was beyond our comprehension and the understanding of those who lived with him. How did His presence with them effect their everyday lives?
We've become so dull to the Amazing that we say with our minds. Of course. I knew that. But maybe such understanding, too wonderful for us, should bowl us over!
Chapter 3 "The Faith Faculty." I'm only half-way through this very short chapter. Phillips approaches this with fresh perspective looking at the visible and invisible world. Faith is in some ways a portal, if you will; in other ways, a muscle to be exercised. If Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door to the Father and faith is what we need to access Him . . . is there anything more important for us to give our children? Is it ours to give? Or only by example and through prayer?
Going back to read more.
Now, I am reading New Testament Christianity also by J.B. Phillips. Both are very small (as in short) books: 90-100 pages. I'm reading this on the sly because it's a Christmas present. I wanted to read it first.
The main points Phillips makes are so important, so foundational to how we think. And if they are crucial for us as adult believers, how much more for children?
I admit his introduction is a bit stuffy. He's telling you why he feels compelled to write the book, but hang in there! The rest of the book will keep your attention. These are very short books that should send you back to the scriptures "to see if these things be so."
Chapter 1 "The Angel's Point of View" - a reminder that is it utterly amazing that the God of the Universe chose to visit us. Beyond our ability to even comprehend! Worth celebrating at Christmastime.
Chapter 2 "God Makes News" is another reminder that ties into Christmas: "Emmanuel, God With Us" - God came and lived among us and that was beyond our comprehension and the understanding of those who lived with him. How did His presence with them effect their everyday lives?
We've become so dull to the Amazing that we say with our minds. Of course. I knew that. But maybe such understanding, too wonderful for us, should bowl us over!
Chapter 3 "The Faith Faculty." I'm only half-way through this very short chapter. Phillips approaches this with fresh perspective looking at the visible and invisible world. Faith is in some ways a portal, if you will; in other ways, a muscle to be exercised. If Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door to the Father and faith is what we need to access Him . . . is there anything more important for us to give our children? Is it ours to give? Or only by example and through prayer?
Going back to read more.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Dr Fretheim says, "A remarkable number of Hebrew words are used with reference to creation, with God as subject...The sheer number of words indicates that Israel's thought about creation was wide-ranging and complex." (p.1)
It would probably be interesting to know what concept Israelites have the most words for. Consider all the names for God.
Years ago, I found a book for kids about the seven Inuit words for snow. Apparently there are more: nouns, verbs - often describing or implying all the nuances that go with such an important presence in the far north. Contrast that to the number of words for snow in native Hawaiian or Caribbean languages. There were so many kinds of snow, context, detail that they needed more words to tell one another what they meant!
I once read somewhere that conquerors will often take away a conquered country's language and require them to learn the language, customs, and stories of the conquorer - to give up not just control of their land but their very identity .
People who speak different languages think differently. I read an article that a girl wrote for a children's magazine years ago. She grew up speaking (if I remember right) four languages. She found that when she thought about ____she used ___ language because of what that particular language allowed her to express.
Who knew! It's just interesting. Such is the beginning of the discussion about our relational Creator and his creation.
It would probably be interesting to know what concept Israelites have the most words for. Consider all the names for God.
Years ago, I found a book for kids about the seven Inuit words for snow. Apparently there are more: nouns, verbs - often describing or implying all the nuances that go with such an important presence in the far north. Contrast that to the number of words for snow in native Hawaiian or Caribbean languages. There were so many kinds of snow, context, detail that they needed more words to tell one another what they meant!
I once read somewhere that conquerors will often take away a conquered country's language and require them to learn the language, customs, and stories of the conquorer - to give up not just control of their land but their very identity .
People who speak different languages think differently. I read an article that a girl wrote for a children's magazine years ago. She grew up speaking (if I remember right) four languages. She found that when she thought about ____she used ___ language because of what that particular language allowed her to express.
Who knew! It's just interesting. Such is the beginning of the discussion about our relational Creator and his creation.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
p. xvi
"It is the Creator God who is understood to be the redeemer of Israel from Egypt."
I think this understanding is foundational for children and faith. In my mind, Creation is all that God's hands have made. In my mind, God as Creator is something concrete!
The author quotes Rolf Rendtorff: "faith in God the Creator was perceived and experienced as the all-embracing framework, as the fundamental, all-underlying premise for any talk about God, the world, Israel, and the individual."
"...the underlying premise for any talk about God..." Apply that to working with children.
"It is the Creator God who is understood to be the redeemer of Israel from Egypt."
I think this understanding is foundational for children and faith. In my mind, Creation is all that God's hands have made. In my mind, God as Creator is something concrete!
The author quotes Rolf Rendtorff: "faith in God the Creator was perceived and experienced as the all-embracing framework, as the fundamental, all-underlying premise for any talk about God, the world, Israel, and the individual."
"...the underlying premise for any talk about God..." Apply that to working with children.
p. xv
The author talks about creation as more than a word study. He reminds us that Israel's understanding of creation was probably influenced by surrounding cultures. Israelite leaders decided matters like boundary disputes. Israel "lived close to the ground, if you will, and the natural world filled their lives. Creation was a lively reality for them prior to the development of specific ideas about creation...it may be that 'blessing' was a basic and early understanding of Israel's God as Creator."
Think of Adam and Eve and where they lived. Think of Abraham's journey, Israel's journey out of Egypt, David hiding out from Saul, Jesus in the wilderness. Where (not geographically but in light of creation) do the various stories of scripture happen?
The author raises a question. Which came first in the development of Israel's faith? God as Creator or God as Redeemer?
The author talks about creation as more than a word study. He reminds us that Israel's understanding of creation was probably influenced by surrounding cultures. Israelite leaders decided matters like boundary disputes. Israel "lived close to the ground, if you will, and the natural world filled their lives. Creation was a lively reality for them prior to the development of specific ideas about creation...it may be that 'blessing' was a basic and early understanding of Israel's God as Creator."
Think of Adam and Eve and where they lived. Think of Abraham's journey, Israel's journey out of Egypt, David hiding out from Saul, Jesus in the wilderness. Where (not geographically but in light of creation) do the various stories of scripture happen?
The author raises a question. Which came first in the development of Israel's faith? God as Creator or God as Redeemer?
Friday, June 22, 2012
p. xiii
"H. H. Schmid...specifies that sedeqah, 'righteousness'...refers to a harmonious world order built by God into the very infrastructure of creation. . . wherever righteousness is practiced by human beings . . . that act is in tune with the creation. . . When humans do not so practice righteousness, adverse effects are felt across all created spheres."
I think of Romans 8:19-22
Rolf Knierim: "Yahweh is not the God of creation because he is the God of the humans or of human history. He is the God of the humans and of human history because He is the God or creation. . .The most universal act of Yahweh's dominion is not human history. It is the creation and sustenance of the world."
I think of Psalms
Fretheim: "God is the God of the entire cosmos; God has to do with every creature, and every creature has to do with God, whether they recognize it or not. . .That the Bible begins with Genesis, not Exodus, with creation, not redemption, is of immeasurable importance for understanding all that follows. . . creation is as basic and integral to Israelite faith and its confession as is the first article of the creed to Christians."
As a child, I just assumed that this was so...
"H. H. Schmid...specifies that sedeqah, 'righteousness'...refers to a harmonious world order built by God into the very infrastructure of creation. . . wherever righteousness is practiced by human beings . . . that act is in tune with the creation. . . When humans do not so practice righteousness, adverse effects are felt across all created spheres."
I think of Romans 8:19-22
Rolf Knierim: "Yahweh is not the God of creation because he is the God of the humans or of human history. He is the God of the humans and of human history because He is the God or creation. . .The most universal act of Yahweh's dominion is not human history. It is the creation and sustenance of the world."
I think of Psalms
Fretheim: "God is the God of the entire cosmos; God has to do with every creature, and every creature has to do with God, whether they recognize it or not. . .That the Bible begins with Genesis, not Exodus, with creation, not redemption, is of immeasurable importance for understanding all that follows. . . creation is as basic and integral to Israelite faith and its confession as is the first article of the creed to Christians."
As a child, I just assumed that this was so...
p. xii
" ...[Claus] Westermann claims that the creation accounts ...are a witness to God's ongoing creative working every present moment. These accounts are understood in terms of ritual actualization in which the word about creation is recited in worship and the Creator is praised as the source of a lively word for ongoing life (and not as a source for intellectual probing)."
p. xiii
"[H.H. Schmid]...strongly emphasizes creation (rather than, say, covenant) as a comprehensive theological . . .framework within which Israel's most basic theological themes are developed and its historical experiences articulated. . . Schmid shows that creation in Israel is understood in terms of both origination and continuing order."
What I surmise from this:
Creation is something God did historically, it is also something He is always doing.
Israel's historical life took place in the context of all that God created.
" ...[Claus] Westermann claims that the creation accounts ...are a witness to God's ongoing creative working every present moment. These accounts are understood in terms of ritual actualization in which the word about creation is recited in worship and the Creator is praised as the source of a lively word for ongoing life (and not as a source for intellectual probing)."
p. xiii
"[H.H. Schmid]...strongly emphasizes creation (rather than, say, covenant) as a comprehensive theological . . .framework within which Israel's most basic theological themes are developed and its historical experiences articulated. . . Schmid shows that creation in Israel is understood in terms of both origination and continuing order."
What I surmise from this:
Creation is something God did historically, it is also something He is always doing.
Israel's historical life took place in the context of all that God created.
Dr. Fretheim cites many theologians - footnotes and all that. I'll give you page # with a quote and person quoted and a couple of comments. You'll have to get your own copy of the book to read all the sources he cites.
pg xi "Rolf Rendtorff makes an obvious but neglected point: 'The Hebrew Bible begins with creation. Old Testament Theologies usually do not...'"
My brain jumped to...how does the New Testament begin? Was God speaking creation into being? Was He creating something from nothing? Was He creating something by just speaking a word? God's Son (Living Word) made flesh, made man.
pg xi "Rolf Rendtorff makes an obvious but neglected point: 'The Hebrew Bible begins with creation. Old Testament Theologies usually do not...'"
My brain jumped to...how does the New Testament begin? Was God speaking creation into being? Was He creating something from nothing? Was He creating something by just speaking a word? God's Son (Living Word) made flesh, made man.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
I've started a book that I've been considering for five or six years now, and guess what! I'll blog as I read. It may be a total bomb or it may be worth our time. It doesn't specifically deal with children or children's ministry. It is about God and creation. I don't know about you but creation played a huge part in my childhood and my child-faith. I don't see how you can bring God and child together without involving all that God has created.
Do you include "outdoor stuff" as you teach about God and faith to the same degree that God originally immersed man in His creation? Man walked with God in the cool of the day - immersed in God's creation. As we open Genesis, God was working. To speak was to create. Man's work - to name the things God spoke into being, to rule over (there's probably a more accurate phrase) and care for them.
God and the World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation by Terence E. Fretheim. Abingdon Press, Nashville TN, 2005. I'm seven years behind! This came out about the time I started blogging.
Do you include "outdoor stuff" as you teach about God and faith to the same degree that God originally immersed man in His creation? Man walked with God in the cool of the day - immersed in God's creation. As we open Genesis, God was working. To speak was to create. Man's work - to name the things God spoke into being, to rule over (there's probably a more accurate phrase) and care for them.
God and the World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation by Terence E. Fretheim. Abingdon Press, Nashville TN, 2005. I'm seven years behind! This came out about the time I started blogging.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Pondering Psalm 78. A long Psalm. The focus is on God and all that He's done, all that we have to praise Him for - but there are also references to children and future generations worth pondering. The American Standard version has cross-references, if you're interested.
Monday, January 05, 2009
TCITB : Chpt 1 Children in the Book of Genesis
Part 1: Texts from the Hebrew scriptures
Chapter 1 "God was With the Boy" (Genesis 21:20)
Children in the Book of Genesis
Terence E. Fretheim
This chapter includes a number of stories about children in Genesis. I'm just posting about the part that jumped out at me. The insights and observations about the other stories are worth reading.
The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son - I agree with the author that it's troubling after all Abraham had gone through that God would ask him to sacrifice this son. We do wonder about Abraham's seeming lack of emotion and "blind faith". Though we might legitimately wonder about the potential emotional trauma to Isaac, I was very taken aback to raise a question of abuse in this story. I think we have to be very careful imposing our own values on another culture and looking at that culture through the lens of our own understandings and our own value system. (The author does discuss historical context.) The question: Was the boy emotionally traumatized. If so, was it abuse? It's a troubling question.
What has always spoken louder to me in this story, louder than questions about abuse, was that it seems that Isaac trusted his father and his father trusted God - despite it all. The question was raised, why doesn't Isaac adamantly question or challenge his father. Not sure it was a culture where children were ever given the option to challenge an adult - something foreign to us. Both Abraham and Isaac may have been filled to the brim with challenging questions and doubts about the nature of God and what seems to us a bizarre request, but the fact of the matter seems to be that God came through for them. He sovereignly provided the sacrificial ram in place of Abraham's promised son. Not only did Abraham continue to walk with God but Isaac also walked with God.
I find Mr Fretheim's comments about no mention of Isaac accompanying his father down from the mountain, no mention of further conversation between Abraham and Isaac after that point, no mention of Isaac being present at his mother's death astute observations and really interesting questions. Because of the trauma or abuse on the alter? It's an interesting question. Still wrestling with the proposed "abusive" nature of that event as an issue here but I can understand how a post-modern generation might see it that way.
This may sound like a contradiction but in the same breath let me say that as I've read this story about God, Abraham, and Isaac over the years I inevitably think of those called to serve God choosing to "sacrifice" their children or their families for the sake of their ministries in little ways, in big ways. Should I explain this or do you know what I'm talking about? While I'm less convinced that the story of Abraham and Isaac borders on abuse (because God provided the sacrificial ram in the story so Abraham didn't have to sacrifice his son) though it may have been traumatic for the boy, I'm quite convinced that withholding from our children the parts of ourselves that they need because we are giving them to God is just as serious an offense. Traumatic? Abusive? "Abusive" may be too strong a word. Maybe it would be more accurate to call it a poor excuse for love.
If you've read or you're reading this book and you want to share something (even if you disagree) feel free to comment!
Chapter 1 "God was With the Boy" (Genesis 21:20)
Children in the Book of Genesis
Terence E. Fretheim
This chapter includes a number of stories about children in Genesis. I'm just posting about the part that jumped out at me. The insights and observations about the other stories are worth reading.
The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son - I agree with the author that it's troubling after all Abraham had gone through that God would ask him to sacrifice this son. We do wonder about Abraham's seeming lack of emotion and "blind faith". Though we might legitimately wonder about the potential emotional trauma to Isaac, I was very taken aback to raise a question of abuse in this story. I think we have to be very careful imposing our own values on another culture and looking at that culture through the lens of our own understandings and our own value system. (The author does discuss historical context.) The question: Was the boy emotionally traumatized. If so, was it abuse? It's a troubling question.
What has always spoken louder to me in this story, louder than questions about abuse, was that it seems that Isaac trusted his father and his father trusted God - despite it all. The question was raised, why doesn't Isaac adamantly question or challenge his father. Not sure it was a culture where children were ever given the option to challenge an adult - something foreign to us. Both Abraham and Isaac may have been filled to the brim with challenging questions and doubts about the nature of God and what seems to us a bizarre request, but the fact of the matter seems to be that God came through for them. He sovereignly provided the sacrificial ram in place of Abraham's promised son. Not only did Abraham continue to walk with God but Isaac also walked with God.
I find Mr Fretheim's comments about no mention of Isaac accompanying his father down from the mountain, no mention of further conversation between Abraham and Isaac after that point, no mention of Isaac being present at his mother's death astute observations and really interesting questions. Because of the trauma or abuse on the alter? It's an interesting question. Still wrestling with the proposed "abusive" nature of that event as an issue here but I can understand how a post-modern generation might see it that way.
This may sound like a contradiction but in the same breath let me say that as I've read this story about God, Abraham, and Isaac over the years I inevitably think of those called to serve God choosing to "sacrifice" their children or their families for the sake of their ministries in little ways, in big ways. Should I explain this or do you know what I'm talking about? While I'm less convinced that the story of Abraham and Isaac borders on abuse (because God provided the sacrificial ram in the story so Abraham didn't have to sacrifice his son) though it may have been traumatic for the boy, I'm quite convinced that withholding from our children the parts of ourselves that they need because we are giving them to God is just as serious an offense. Traumatic? Abusive? "Abusive" may be too strong a word. Maybe it would be more accurate to call it a poor excuse for love.
If you've read or you're reading this book and you want to share something (even if you disagree) feel free to comment!
TCITB: intro
So, as promised, we're starting another book, if I can find my glasses...
Disclaimer: As always, detached questions and comments, purely unresearched personal opinion here. As always, my hope is that if you find this interesting you'll read the book and look at the comments in context. Starting a group to read and talk about it would probably be even better.
The Child in the Bible
Marcia J. Bunge - general editor
Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co
Grand Rapids, MI, 2008
(422 pages + resources)
The authors in this book ask more-profound-than-usual, wonderful questions. One of the more striking elements here is that the authors recognize the fact that so many children in the scriptures lived through turbulent times and among very different attitudes about training and discipline.
The authors were given specific questions and themes to explore recognizing that there are limitations to what we can observe and understand about children and childhood, especially looking into the past and into different cultures. We don't really know what the child experiences and how he/she perceives that experience even today.
Their findings:
1) They find a wide range of terms for "child," "children," and "childhood" in the scriptures. Those terms are also used metaphorically and rhetorically. (TCHITB p, xxii)
2) "[B]iblical views of and attitudes towards children are more complex and multifaceted than readers might assume." (TCHITB p, xxiii)
3) "Adults have obligations to their own and to other children."(TCHITB p, xxiv)
4) "Teaching, training, and disciplining children are sophisticated and multi-layered tasks." (TCHITB p, xxiv) I've not read this part yet. Don't freak out on me.
5) "Children are complex characters, play various roles in families and communities, and bear responsibilities to others." (TCHITB p, xxv)
6) "Children and childhood are integrally connected to other central Biblical themes."(TCHITB p, xxvi)
The intro is much longer than this, informative, and well-written. For our purposes, this gives you an overview.
Disclaimer: As always, detached questions and comments, purely unresearched personal opinion here. As always, my hope is that if you find this interesting you'll read the book and look at the comments in context. Starting a group to read and talk about it would probably be even better.
The Child in the Bible
Marcia J. Bunge - general editor
Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co
Grand Rapids, MI, 2008
(422 pages + resources)
The authors in this book ask more-profound-than-usual, wonderful questions. One of the more striking elements here is that the authors recognize the fact that so many children in the scriptures lived through turbulent times and among very different attitudes about training and discipline.
The authors were given specific questions and themes to explore recognizing that there are limitations to what we can observe and understand about children and childhood, especially looking into the past and into different cultures. We don't really know what the child experiences and how he/she perceives that experience even today.
Their findings:
1) They find a wide range of terms for "child," "children," and "childhood" in the scriptures. Those terms are also used metaphorically and rhetorically. (TCHITB p, xxii)
2) "[B]iblical views of and attitudes towards children are more complex and multifaceted than readers might assume." (TCHITB p, xxiii)
3) "Adults have obligations to their own and to other children."(TCHITB p, xxiv)
4) "Teaching, training, and disciplining children are sophisticated and multi-layered tasks." (TCHITB p, xxiv) I've not read this part yet. Don't freak out on me.
5) "Children are complex characters, play various roles in families and communities, and bear responsibilities to others." (TCHITB p, xxv)
6) "Children and childhood are integrally connected to other central Biblical themes."(TCHITB p, xxvi)
The intro is much longer than this, informative, and well-written. For our purposes, this gives you an overview.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Place
I thought it was just my generation who was disillusioned with church but I'm reading more and more from 20's and 30's who feel the same way. I was surprised because I thought all the changes were appealing to this generation - a driving force for change (in lots of good ways, I'm not being sarcastic). We caught the tail end of the Jesus Movement. Another driving force for change 30-40 years ago. Seems God sends such forces every 40 years or so.
I miss worship most. Fellowship, sometimes. But we don't have young kids anymore. Ours our 19-27 and they'd be finding their way anyway, even if we were still actively involved with a non-virtual faith community. I think I would still want non-virtual faith community for my kids - despite it's imperfections. But we did that and I find my kids feeling the same way about church right now as we do, even though we thought we were pretty careful about our conversations. Our personal wrestlings have less to do with people (nothing to do with specific people) and more to do with ideas and institutions. We gave our kids opportunities immersed in their faith community and opportunities out in the world in equal parts. Some of my kids still have a couple of those relationships. Although I see some of them growing in their personal faith and one recently discovering pastors she enjoys listening to, most of them aren't interested in church right now.
Why do kids need a faith community? To see a diverse group of adults individually and as a community modeling faith. Peers with similar values and experiences. A history together. Opportunity to learn about the history of faith they won't get anywhere else. Traditional history and experiential history. There is no perfect place. There are no perfect people. There are wonderful people and people who drive your crazy no matter where you go. And God is God. God is the same. He doesn't change. Although giving is important I don't even think you can decide based on what you have to give and leave because you think you don't have anything to give but I don't know.
Why do our kids also need to be engaged in the world beyond the faith community? Because the longer you isolate yourself, the harder it is to step outside the door. If you didn't learn to love the world like Jesus does as a child - do you think it gets easier? Somehow, I think not.
Virtual is nice but the hard knocks of real life is what socialization, building confidence and self-esteem is all about. And that's where the scriptures come from and what scripture is for - real life. Hebrew identity wasn't me and mine. Hebrew identity included spouse, family, extended family, community. Even God is three and we are His children. Even God was the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob...and different tribes had different places. You're welcome to explore any of this in scripture and see what God will show you.
People used to keep the call to "not forsake the gathering together of the saints" by gathering with those within walking distance and sharing that life of faith and worshipping together and that was enough. And yes, a rift was eternal (not really but you understand.) You had your neighborhood in common - whoever lived there, whatever happened there during the week and maybe for generations. Today we drive and drive and drive into other towns and neighborhoods to fellowship with people hoping to find a place where we "fit." Some people move. Some people drive. Some people stop looking. That's all I can say because right now we're still among those who have stopped looking. It just surprised me to hear so many families with young children saying the same thing.
I understand the whys but hey....let's worry!
I miss worship most. Fellowship, sometimes. But we don't have young kids anymore. Ours our 19-27 and they'd be finding their way anyway, even if we were still actively involved with a non-virtual faith community. I think I would still want non-virtual faith community for my kids - despite it's imperfections. But we did that and I find my kids feeling the same way about church right now as we do, even though we thought we were pretty careful about our conversations. Our personal wrestlings have less to do with people (nothing to do with specific people) and more to do with ideas and institutions. We gave our kids opportunities immersed in their faith community and opportunities out in the world in equal parts. Some of my kids still have a couple of those relationships. Although I see some of them growing in their personal faith and one recently discovering pastors she enjoys listening to, most of them aren't interested in church right now.
Why do kids need a faith community? To see a diverse group of adults individually and as a community modeling faith. Peers with similar values and experiences. A history together. Opportunity to learn about the history of faith they won't get anywhere else. Traditional history and experiential history. There is no perfect place. There are no perfect people. There are wonderful people and people who drive your crazy no matter where you go. And God is God. God is the same. He doesn't change. Although giving is important I don't even think you can decide based on what you have to give and leave because you think you don't have anything to give but I don't know.
Why do our kids also need to be engaged in the world beyond the faith community? Because the longer you isolate yourself, the harder it is to step outside the door. If you didn't learn to love the world like Jesus does as a child - do you think it gets easier? Somehow, I think not.
Virtual is nice but the hard knocks of real life is what socialization, building confidence and self-esteem is all about. And that's where the scriptures come from and what scripture is for - real life. Hebrew identity wasn't me and mine. Hebrew identity included spouse, family, extended family, community. Even God is three and we are His children. Even God was the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob...and different tribes had different places. You're welcome to explore any of this in scripture and see what God will show you.
People used to keep the call to "not forsake the gathering together of the saints" by gathering with those within walking distance and sharing that life of faith and worshipping together and that was enough. And yes, a rift was eternal (not really but you understand.) You had your neighborhood in common - whoever lived there, whatever happened there during the week and maybe for generations. Today we drive and drive and drive into other towns and neighborhoods to fellowship with people hoping to find a place where we "fit." Some people move. Some people drive. Some people stop looking. That's all I can say because right now we're still among those who have stopped looking. It just surprised me to hear so many families with young children saying the same thing.
I understand the whys but hey....let's worry!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Developmental, Physical, Emotional Differences
[My apologies for not being more familiar with politically correct language. Handicaps aren't always handicaps but they make us different from people who don't share our differences - whatever those differences may be.]
This is a short but profound observation about the handicapped among us from Backyard Missionary.com (May 25, 2008). Click on Mark to see the longer original post. My husband says this all the time. If the church really is inclusive of people from all ages, races, educational, social/economic, physical backgrounds then our congregations would reflect that. The gospel we preach would speak to all of those people. The lives we live would welcome all those people. Just using the language "those people" . . . I repent. . .That's exactly what I'm talking about.
Sometimes it's our physical facilities that need to change. Whether or not neccessary changes are made and how we're willing to spend our time and resources reflect our attitudes and the choices we make may sound perfectly legitimate but they still reflect our attitudes.
Sometimes it's the very gospel we preach, the things we include/the things we leave out, the examples we use, the goals we reach for...The people we don't miss are probably the people we need most.
This passage in I Cor. 12 and 13 comes in the context of spiritual gifts but it still reflects an attitude towards differences. Jesus and His disciples were criticized for the people they ministered to. . . Enough from me. It's a good post.
This is a short but profound observation about the handicapped among us from Backyard Missionary.com (May 25, 2008). Click on Mark to see the longer original post. My husband says this all the time. If the church really is inclusive of people from all ages, races, educational, social/economic, physical backgrounds then our congregations would reflect that. The gospel we preach would speak to all of those people. The lives we live would welcome all those people. Just using the language "those people" . . . I repent. . .That's exactly what I'm talking about.
Sometimes it's our physical facilities that need to change. Whether or not neccessary changes are made and how we're willing to spend our time and resources reflect our attitudes and the choices we make may sound perfectly legitimate but they still reflect our attitudes.
Sometimes it's the very gospel we preach, the things we include/the things we leave out, the examples we use, the goals we reach for...The people we don't miss are probably the people we need most.
This passage in I Cor. 12 and 13 comes in the context of spiritual gifts but it still reflects an attitude towards differences. Jesus and His disciples were criticized for the people they ministered to. . . Enough from me. It's a good post.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Revelation in odd places
I was listening to our favorite dog trainer one day in a class or lecture and he made a profound observation. It was profound as it relates to dogs but even more profound when you think about the kingdom of God. He was working with some people in a shelter in another town. [Picture this in columns] They had bios/case studies for various and sundry dogs, the behaviors that needed to change, the prognosis, and the plan to change the behavior (that's the gist of it, anyway.)
His question to the shelter workers was this - if you tear off the bios/the case study column for each of the dogs and throw it away, will it affect the behavior, the prognosis or the plan to change the behavior that you want to change? The answer was no. His comment was that attaching blame for yesterday doesn't help you fix the problem today - it doesn't change anything. You still have to deal with a recurring behavior that you have to change in order to keep the dog. (Hopefully, you want to keep the dog.) You have to keep moving forward.
If we dwell on the past. It doesn't help us fix today. Yes, we learn from our mistakes. Creatures learn from their mistakes if they're going to survive. But they also move on because they have to survive. We apply it to our own lives and to the children in our care. You do what you have to do to keep moving forward. When learning something determines whether or not you survive, you keep working at it until you get it. If you're afraid, you let God coax you forward until each step, each encounter, gets easier than the one before.
We have to focus on reinforcing and rewarding the behaviors we need today to replace of the old ("old" as in old and destructive not just because they're old) and we have to do it one day at a time. Maybe that's a little of what being a "new creation" is all about. With dogs (and kids, too) praise for a job well done and for making good choices, hard choices - praise goes a long way towards reinforcing the constructive behavior you want.
You can take the idea way out of the realm of behaviorism - the power of patient encouragement and forgiveness helps people move on and grow into new people. God still works supernaturally. I've seen Him do it. Sometimes He changes us on the inside and it shows on the outside, other times changing the outside eventually changes the inside. God is at work, either way. We partner with Him, either way. We praise Him, either way. Why you have to deal with this or that isn't really relevant anymore. You just have to do it. You can call it behaviorism or anything you want to but in the end, both the process and the result look like love to me.
His question to the shelter workers was this - if you tear off the bios/the case study column for each of the dogs and throw it away, will it affect the behavior, the prognosis or the plan to change the behavior that you want to change? The answer was no. His comment was that attaching blame for yesterday doesn't help you fix the problem today - it doesn't change anything. You still have to deal with a recurring behavior that you have to change in order to keep the dog. (Hopefully, you want to keep the dog.) You have to keep moving forward.
If we dwell on the past. It doesn't help us fix today. Yes, we learn from our mistakes. Creatures learn from their mistakes if they're going to survive. But they also move on because they have to survive. We apply it to our own lives and to the children in our care. You do what you have to do to keep moving forward. When learning something determines whether or not you survive, you keep working at it until you get it. If you're afraid, you let God coax you forward until each step, each encounter, gets easier than the one before.
We have to focus on reinforcing and rewarding the behaviors we need today to replace of the old ("old" as in old and destructive not just because they're old) and we have to do it one day at a time. Maybe that's a little of what being a "new creation" is all about. With dogs (and kids, too) praise for a job well done and for making good choices, hard choices - praise goes a long way towards reinforcing the constructive behavior you want.
You can take the idea way out of the realm of behaviorism - the power of patient encouragement and forgiveness helps people move on and grow into new people. God still works supernaturally. I've seen Him do it. Sometimes He changes us on the inside and it shows on the outside, other times changing the outside eventually changes the inside. God is at work, either way. We partner with Him, either way. We praise Him, either way. Why you have to deal with this or that isn't really relevant anymore. You just have to do it. You can call it behaviorism or anything you want to but in the end, both the process and the result look like love to me.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
LCW: not the end...
Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods has a surprise ending as all well-written works should - a surprise, but not.
I found all these blog tags in this book: generations, inspiration, justice, kids in community, language, puppies (because they're creatures), questions, random, relational, resources, pondering, roots, stewardship, story, teaching learning, worship
Paul Gorman: (founder, director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Amherst, MA) "To the extent that we separate our children from creation is the extent to which we separate them from the creator - from God..." (LCW p. 293)
"Just as many places of worship are going green, environmental organizations are increasingly likely to evoke the spiritual...Faith-based environmentalism can create strange bedfellows and powerful unions. . . Potentially, places of worship could be more important institutions than schools in connecting the young with the natural world. 'More and more people of faith, as they grow in their awareness of the connection between nature and religion, are bringing nature into the discussion,' says Gorman. 'But you have to start with parents. First and above all is for parents to understand this connection itself. The future is not about designing curriculum. It's about awakening to creation. Kids have to feel that this connection is vital and deep in their parents. They see through us all the time . . . as the connection becomes more vivid to us, our commitment to it becomes more authentic, and children respond to that authenticity. The most important thing is the awakening. That joy of awakening and discovery is what it's like to be a child." (LCW p. 295-6)
Do you hear the connection? Mr. Louv sites a lot of research to support his position, and you can use research to say whatever you like but there are some interesting observations. I'm more impressed with the wisdom. There's a lot of catch 22 - in order to change this, you have to change that. We don't always know what the consequences will be. I also like the fact that Louv is quick to listen to the other voices who join in the discussion, though he may not agree. He's spoken with lots of parents and children and teachers and leaders of organizations.
There are always cross-roads. There are always choices to make. There's always something we take for granted. It's easier than we think to turn around and discover that the thing we took for granted is suddenly gone. It really wasn't sudden. We made choices and no one warned us - or maybe someone warned us but it wasn't a priority at the time. Maybe it wouldn't be gone if we'd been better stewards - if we hadn't taken it for granted. Maybe whatever we lost wouldn't be gone if only we'd . . .
I found all these blog tags in this book: generations, inspiration, justice, kids in community, language, puppies (because they're creatures), questions, random, relational, resources, pondering, roots, stewardship, story, teaching learning, worship
Paul Gorman: (founder, director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Amherst, MA) "To the extent that we separate our children from creation is the extent to which we separate them from the creator - from God..." (LCW p. 293)
"Just as many places of worship are going green, environmental organizations are increasingly likely to evoke the spiritual...Faith-based environmentalism can create strange bedfellows and powerful unions. . . Potentially, places of worship could be more important institutions than schools in connecting the young with the natural world. 'More and more people of faith, as they grow in their awareness of the connection between nature and religion, are bringing nature into the discussion,' says Gorman. 'But you have to start with parents. First and above all is for parents to understand this connection itself. The future is not about designing curriculum. It's about awakening to creation. Kids have to feel that this connection is vital and deep in their parents. They see through us all the time . . . as the connection becomes more vivid to us, our commitment to it becomes more authentic, and children respond to that authenticity. The most important thing is the awakening. That joy of awakening and discovery is what it's like to be a child." (LCW p. 295-6)
Do you hear the connection? Mr. Louv sites a lot of research to support his position, and you can use research to say whatever you like but there are some interesting observations. I'm more impressed with the wisdom. There's a lot of catch 22 - in order to change this, you have to change that. We don't always know what the consequences will be. I also like the fact that Louv is quick to listen to the other voices who join in the discussion, though he may not agree. He's spoken with lots of parents and children and teachers and leaders of organizations.
There are always cross-roads. There are always choices to make. There's always something we take for granted. It's easier than we think to turn around and discover that the thing we took for granted is suddenly gone. It really wasn't sudden. We made choices and no one warned us - or maybe someone warned us but it wasn't a priority at the time. Maybe it wouldn't be gone if we'd been better stewards - if we hadn't taken it for granted. Maybe whatever we lost wouldn't be gone if only we'd . . .
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Stories and Dialogue 1
Here's a fun discussion at Emerging Parents "What Do These Stones Mean." (10/11/07) Did I already post something about this? Here's more!
In some ways the stones are like the Creche at Christmastime at home and or at church. There are lots of Christian symbols you can use like that: the symbols of Advent, the symbols of Lent...symbols that bring stories to mind.
But the meaning of the stones by the Jordan was more than a corporate memory at the time. They triggered very personal memories. Stories. Experiences.
For the yet-to-be-born they would be hearing, and later sharing, someone else's stories like hearing stories from your parents and grandparents or your parents' friends and telling them to your children.
The "stones" you choose give you opportunity for story and conversation. Now is the time. Now you have opportunity, while your kids are home to share your stories and talk. You can keep simple things around you to trigger those stories. You can change them, rearrange them. In the OT, the stones stayed put. The people moved. We move or stay put. We get rid of "stuff" ... well, most people do ... Don't come to my house. Yes, it's much harder to get rid of all the stuff when there are stories attached...I'm trying to take pictures of story items before I get rid of them (if I get rid of them) but it's not the same.
Did I tell this story? My daughter is home for graduate school she spent the summer helping me clean, clean out, rearrange, paint, etc, etc. We don't know where she came from. [smile] Some ancient relative ... We start to re-arrange things. And one day she looks at me and says with a sigh, (and this was a revelation to everyone) "Mom,I arrange by color, size, and shape. You arrange by story. You put things together because they tell a story..." Yes, she gets quite frustrated with me... but she smiled. It was a cool revelation. Hey, that's what happens when you marry someone, you put the candles on the mantle and he moves them telling you he doesn't like symmetry...
Alot of stuff came home when my husbands parents died. One of my biggest regrets (besides losing them) was realizing when I opened the boxes that I never got to hear the stories...We could guess but it's not the same. [I'm really not condoning hoarding or clutter. I am condoning using the stuff of life to tell stories about life and faith.]
The bigger question here is how do we tell stories that generate dialogue?
In some ways the stones are like the Creche at Christmastime at home and or at church. There are lots of Christian symbols you can use like that: the symbols of Advent, the symbols of Lent...symbols that bring stories to mind.
But the meaning of the stones by the Jordan was more than a corporate memory at the time. They triggered very personal memories. Stories. Experiences.
For the yet-to-be-born they would be hearing, and later sharing, someone else's stories like hearing stories from your parents and grandparents or your parents' friends and telling them to your children.
The "stones" you choose give you opportunity for story and conversation. Now is the time. Now you have opportunity, while your kids are home to share your stories and talk. You can keep simple things around you to trigger those stories. You can change them, rearrange them. In the OT, the stones stayed put. The people moved. We move or stay put. We get rid of "stuff" ... well, most people do ... Don't come to my house. Yes, it's much harder to get rid of all the stuff when there are stories attached...I'm trying to take pictures of story items before I get rid of them (if I get rid of them) but it's not the same.
Did I tell this story? My daughter is home for graduate school she spent the summer helping me clean, clean out, rearrange, paint, etc, etc. We don't know where she came from. [smile] Some ancient relative ... We start to re-arrange things. And one day she looks at me and says with a sigh, (and this was a revelation to everyone) "Mom,I arrange by color, size, and shape. You arrange by story. You put things together because they tell a story..." Yes, she gets quite frustrated with me... but she smiled. It was a cool revelation. Hey, that's what happens when you marry someone, you put the candles on the mantle and he moves them telling you he doesn't like symmetry...
Alot of stuff came home when my husbands parents died. One of my biggest regrets (besides losing them) was realizing when I opened the boxes that I never got to hear the stories...We could guess but it's not the same. [I'm really not condoning hoarding or clutter. I am condoning using the stuff of life to tell stories about life and faith.]
The bigger question here is how do we tell stories that generate dialogue?
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