Life, death. Light, dark. August 13, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Adult Formation, Christian Quotes, Discipleship, Mission, The Church, Uncategorized.Tags: Christian education, Christian quotes, discipleship, faith, formation, Jeremy Taylor
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Feast of Jeremy Taylor
Proverbs 7:1-4 John 3:11-21
“My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Passing on the Christian faith from generation to generation is at the heart of the life and work of the Christian church. But this fundamental task requires much more than passing on biblical and doctrinal information. Passing on the Christian faith to others involves the work of the Holy Spirit, who gives birth to trust and confidence in the creative, redeeming, and renewing power of God.
We are called to be witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are called to tell God’s story as we share our own faith stories through our teaching, mentoring, and ministering with and for children, youth and adults in our church communities. And in the year 2011, this is not an easy task. We find ourselves in a culture that is not always open to hear the radical message of Jesus: to wear our faith on our sleeve, our hands, our hearts – outwardly as well as inwardly.
As it was and is to our Jewish brothers and sisters, the Shema is at the core of their relationship to God . . . to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. Marking it on our foreheads and our doorposts. It was probably the underpinnings of Jesus’ religious education as a child in the home of Mary & Joseph. As Jesus grew to adulthood, he deepened and broadened that commandment to include and love your neighbor as yourself. And perhaps almost 400 years ago, Jeremy Taylor, for whose life we mark today, grew up with the same mantra as a child.
Bishop Taylor is remembered as one of the “Caroline Divines,” those Anglican theologians and writers of the mid-seventeenth century who wrote with great passion and belief. He wrote what we might call a manual of Christian practices entitled, “The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living”, published in 1650. Some of his chapter headings resonate as timely topics for us today: Care of our Time, Holy Living, Purity of Intention; the Practice of the Presence of God; Christian Sobriety; Of Christian Justice; of Christian Religion. Some of the actual writings are a bit puritanical, but he spoke to the centrality of putting God at the core of who we are. Isn’t that what we are called to do today?
In many ways, Jeremy Taylor lived in a time similar to ours. Yes, he didn’t have globalization, an unstable stock market, Facebook, sports on Sunday, or a culture that spoke of being “spiritual, but not religious.” But he did live in a time in which the Church (which was also the State) was caught in a political as well as religious struggle. The son of a barber, who somehow was educated at prestigious schools and ordained at the ripe old age of 20, he was known for his preaching. But was also known as a spiritual guide and director, someone people came to see from far and wide for advice and counsel.
The period of history in which he lived was not one of stability. The mid-1600s was a time when the Church was caught in the midst of a Civil War in England. Soon after he was ordained, he was chaplain to Archbishop William Laud and King Charles I. Soon the Puritans came into power forming the Commonwealth; those who were supporters of the king’s cause and the episcopacy found themselves imprisoned. It was an unsettling time full of risk of death for many, depending on “what side” you were on – whether it was with the Puritans or the “papists.”
The context of our Gospel today is also one of tension and taking sides. The verses before our reading is of Nicodemus coming to see Jesus in the middle of the night. What we just heard was Jesus’ response to him. It is a message of light found in the midst of darkness, of new life and new sight. Following Jesus brings us clarity of vision. We are called to be witnesses for Christ.
Taylor was a witness for Christ, and was repeatedly imprisoned for it. Would we follow in his footsteps in our proclamation of the Gospel? How are we imprisoned within ourselves by being hesitant in sharing the Good News of Christ?
A quote that is attributed to Jeremy Taylor is one that we can carry with us today. “A religion without mystery must be a religion without God.” It is what I believe those in our communities (within and outside the church) are hungry for – mystery. We can find just about anything we need to “know” by googling it. But we seek that mystery – that wonder, awe, and mystery that Nicodemus was searching for.
Knowing Christ, we have the peace that passes all understanding. The Christian hope that we will be reconciled to God in Christ. In the meantime, we are called to preach the Gospel and go about the work of reconciliation in the world. Like Nicodemus, and perhaps Jeremy Taylor, we know our days are numbered – but our time is not the same as God’s time. We seek rebirth. We seek to be the apple of God’s eye. And through Jesus we know we are. We are loved. It is what we hope for our children, and our children’s children.
One of the prayers for the Visitation of the Sick as found in the Book of Common Prayer (p 316 in the 1928 American edition) was written by Taylor. It reads as follows:
O God, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered; Make us, we beseech thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let thy Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days: that, when we shall have served thee in our generation, we may be gathered unto our fathers, having the testimony of a good conscience; in the communion of the Catholic Church; in the confidence of a certain faith; in the comfort of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope; in favour with thee our God, and in perfect charity with the world. All which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Homily preached by Sharon Ely Pearson at Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington, Kentucky at the joint Christian Formation Day of the Dioceses of Lexington and Kentucky. August 13, 2011
Sleepless in Suburbia June 22, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Prose & Poetry, Thoughts & Ramblings, Uncategorized.Tags: insomnia, poetry
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Another night of staring at the ceiling
the television button illuminating the room to show the shadows and heaps of laundry waiting to be folded
silent peepers not helping,
as the hum of speeding late night drivers on the parkway filters through the woods
12:45am
The sheet is wrinkled
The pillow is damp
My legs twitch and itch
as a heat rash begins as air bubbles churn through my empty stomach
I should have made a list.
What did I forget? What do I want to forget?
You can do it. Don’t think.
Concentrate on breathing
In and out
What phone calls need to be made tomorrow?
How am I going to make all these deadlines?
There is no balance. All is out of whack.
Control is an illusion.
Did I put the casserole I made in the freezer
or is it rotting on the kitchen counter?
Why did I say, “Yes”?
Things done and left undone
Let it be.
Breathe.
In and out
Scratch.
Toss.
Turn.
Throw off the blanket.
Maybe a drink
Maybe some Tylenol
Now hives. Time for the Zyrtek
1:30am
Creaking down the hall touching each floorboard that is not tacked tight
The glow of the dishwasher ‘done’ light illuminates the kitchen.
Water drunk. Drugs taken.
Make a list? Triage tomorrow?
Instead, sit in front of the glow of Cities and Knights
One game, two
2:15am
Don’t bump into the luggage in the hall
Toe joints crack
Same wrinkled sheets
Lay back
A steady pattern of breathing from the next pillow
Lay still
Things done and left undone
Let it be.
A Prayer for Mothers May 5, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Jesus, Parenting, Prose & Poetry, Seasonal Ideas, Thoughts & Ramblings.Tags: Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, Mother's Day, Mother's Day Proclamation, Mothering Sunday
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My mother, Trinette (b. 1926)
Mother’s Day will soon be here. I am not a big fan of “Hallmark Holidays,” although this one began out of a different tradition. According to “Mothers Day Central” (yes, there is a website called this), celebrating mothers can be traced back to Egyptian, Roman and Greek eras in history.
A later incarnation of a holiday to honor Motherhood came from Europe. It fell on the fourth Sunday Lent (the 40 days of fasting preceding Easter Sunday). Early Christians initially used the day to honor the church in which they were baptized, which they knew as their “Mother Church.” This place of worship would be decorated with jewels, flowers and other offerings. Today we often call this “Mothering Sunday” in the High Anglo tradition.
The first North American Mother’s Day was conceptualized with Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870. Despite having penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic 12 years earlier, Howe had become so distraught by the death and carnage of the Civil War that she called on Mother’s to come together and protest what she saw as the futility of their Sons killing the Sons of other Mothers. She called for an international Mother’s Day celebrating peace and motherhood through a Mother’s Proclamation.
In 1907, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948), a Philadelphia schoolteacher, began a movement to set up a national Mother’s Day in honor of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. She solicited the help of hundreds of legislators and prominent businessmen to create a special day to honor mothers. The first Mother’s Day observance was a church service honoring Anna’s mother. Anna handed out her mother’s favorite flowers, the white incarnations, on the occasion as they represent sweetness, purity, and patience. Anna’s hard work finally paid off in the year 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers.
Mother’s Day can be a difficult day for many. For those who never knew their mothers. For those who cannot have children. For those who had abusive mothers. For those whose mothers have recently died. This year, I will have “one less mother,” as my mother-in-law passed away 8 days ago. My own mother is not the person who she once was, having lost much of her memory and skill of years gone by. I’m a mother of two children who have left the nest, so I won’t be seeing them this Sunday. (I hope they call – hint, hint, if either of you read this).
I offer this prayer, which perhaps can pertain to all of us – who are children of God, the mother and father of us all:
A Prayer for Mothers by Rick Morley
On this day when we remember our mothers, let us offer our prayers to Jesus, the son of Mary.
Because on this earth we are all sons and daughters of Eve, let us pray for the whole world and the church universal, that we might behold each other as brothers and sisters. Lord in your mercy.
Hear our Prayer.
As Rebecca gave birth to Jacob, and in so doing she gave birth to a whole nation, let us pray for our own nation, and for all in authority. Lord in your mercy.
Hear our Prayer.
As Rachel’s son Joseph was mistreated, beaten, and wrongly jailed, we pray for all in this world who are in trouble of any kind. We pray for the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the victims of war and all who live in terror’s wake. Lord in your mercy.
Hear our Prayer.
As Hannah, the mother of Samuel, went to the House of the Lord to pray with earnest integrity, we earnestly pray for those in this community, and especially those celebrating their birthdays this week . . . Lord in your mercy.
Hear our Prayer.
As Naomi took Ruth into her home, we pray for those who act as surrogate, spiritual mothers. We pray with gratitude for all those who give the gift of love and nurturing. Lord in your mercy.
Hear our Prayer.
As Elizabeth gave birth in old age, and as she saw her son John the Baptist carried off to persecution, we pray for all those who are sick, those who are suffering, and those with any need, especially. . . Lord in your mercy.
Hear our Prayer.
And, as the Blessed Virgin Mary stood by the cross and watched her son die, we pray for the dead and the dying. Lord in your mercy.
Hear our Prayer.
Lord Jesus, who wishes to gather your people as a mother hen gathers together her brood, we offer to you our prayers. Accept our gratitude for all who mother, bless all who mother, and give all mothers your comfort and strength. And help all of us, brothers and sisters, to be your family on earth, as we shall be in Heaven. Amen.
Rick Morely is an Episcopal Priest and the rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. He blogs at A Garden Path.
Stones Cry Out April 18, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Jesus, Seasonal Ideas, Thoughts & Ramblings.Tags: Holy Week, Jesus, Lent, Palm Sunday
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Yesterday we proclaimed the arrival of Jesus with “Hosanna” and the waving of palms. And we suddenly are confronted with how easy it is to rejoice, but even easier to walk away – not sticking around for the hard part. How many of us go right from waving palms to Alleluias a week later, skipping over Jesus’ journey to the cross. “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” (Luke 19:40)
Lent has not been a contemplative time for me this year. It has involved lots of travel, lots of ‘feeding’ others through workshops, presentations, and planning. My intentions have been to read reflective texts while at 39,000 feet, but I have fallen back to playing word games on my Kindle or reading a mystery novel. I’ve filled my time with work projects and worrying about tasks undone and the well-being of parents.
Yesterday, I stopped by the hospital to visit with my mother-in-law who has been hooked up to numerous tubes and machines there for a week. She’s 90, now frail and perhaps drawing her last labored breaths. She seems to be at peace, but is still talking up a storm . . . talking to anyone and everything . . . a conversation that only she can comprehend. My daughter and future son-in-law accompanied me yesterday – it was an Ash Wednesday moment for them. A recognition of our mortality. And my husband has patiently sat with her every day since her arrival on “the hill,” even as tax season reached it’s peak.
Before we headed to the hospital yesterday, I met Becca & Jamie at the florist in New Haven; the person who is doing the flowers and centerpieces for their wedding in October. They brought a bag of stones, the bottom tearing open just as we entered the door. They brought them back from Acadia National Park, one of their favorite spots. They have meaning for them, and will be a focal point for their wedding. I collect rocks also – not so many – from my travels. I have a small glass jar with a stone from Iona, one from a beach in Virgin Gorda, one from the Grand Canyon, …. all reminders of places that have touched me with the beauty of God’s creation. (Yes, I know I’m not supposed to have taken them.)
Somehow, all of this has prepared me for Holy Week. I’m not sure how. I wonder, how do airports and hospitals, hotel rooms and dining room tables, stones and trees, earth and oceans cry out? about holiness? about life and death? about violence and peace?
“Never doubt the meaning of Lent. It happened a long time ago, but it happened. Jesus walked this earth. He practiced a ministry of radical inclusivity, drawing to himself all the despised and rejected members of society. He lived what he taught: a life of justice and love, of profound compassion for all people. He lived a life acceptable to you, O God. His death terrifies us, because it reveals how committed the world is to its own way, and the price the world exacts from those whose commitment is to you.”
As we extinguish the light this Friday, we acknowledge the darkness and pain of all God’s children, young and old alike, in the world who suffer in body, in mind, or in spirit.
What we contemplate this week is beyond words, beyond understanding. May the Holy Spirit intercede for us and give voice to what, for us, is inexpressible. Amen.
The above quote and prayers are adapted from several resources: “Before the Amen: Creative Resources for Worship” edited by Maren C. Tirabassi & Maria I. Tirabassi (2007: Pilgrim Press) and “An Improbable Gift of Blessing: Prayers and Affirmations to Nurture the Spirit” by Maren C. Tirabassi & Joan Jordan Grant (1998: United Church Press).
Why Certification? April 5, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Adult Formation, Discernment, Events, Teacher Training.Tags: Christian education, Church School teachers, discernment, discipleship, Episcopal Church, formation
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For numerous years, those who call the ministry of Christian formation and education as their vocation in the Episcopal Church have lamented the lack of equity and standards within our church. When the National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors (NAECED) was formed almost 15 years ago, one of its purposes for organizing was to develop standards for the certification of Christian educators. This past weekend I was privileged to attend a gathering of stakeholders (representing a variety of threads that have been working toward this goal) at Virginia Theological Seminary. I am beginning to have hope.
Our ecumenical partners have long recognized the importance of lifting up and acknowledging the ministry of Christian educators with certification. APCE (Presbyterian Church USA) and CEF (Christian Educators Fellowship of the United Methodist Church) have led the way. And while they have struggled to live into their levels of certification and continuing education requirements for those members who choose to follow this route, they have paved the way for us.
Why certification?
- Validation and Credibility – Are educators valued as equals to other staff members in a congregation? Are their education and gifts accepted?
- This is a Career Path chosen by many – Do we want future generations to find this a rewarding career in which one can earn a living?
- Feeling isolated – Is there a system in which one can turn when searching for continuing education and support?
- Variations across dioceses and polity – Can there be standards for pay and benefits commensurate with education and experience on a national scale?
- Need for consciousness-raising – If the church truly thinks education is important, why doesn’t it treat educators with the same passion?
In 2009, General Convention endorsed the Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation. Theologically trained and experienced Christian educators can help the church live into this vision. Can the church help lift up the ministry of those who are ready to partner and make this vision a reality?
Statistics have shown that churches that focus on lifelong formation have more engaged communities than those that just focus on Sunday School for children. In the Episcopal Church, is lifelong formation an agreed upon norm? Is discernment for lifelong committed Christians the norm? In our post-Christian world, adults are coming to the church without any grounding in faith. For many churches, 6th grade (or Confirmation) is the graduation point; parents who are not formed in faith will not realize the validity of engaging their children into their searching and discerning years. We need to be focusing on discipleship. An “educated” educator in a congregation who has been mentored by respected leaders of the church will continue to grow and learn alongside his or her peers as well as those with whom they share ministry.
The conversation has just begun. But there is definite energy and momentum around a Certificate for Leadership for Lifelong Christian Formation. There is more work to do and many more conversations to be had.
Lord, please let our small mustard seeds of daily service grow into great shrubs of change and trees in whose branches the birds can nest and in whose shade our children can rest and feel safe. Marian Wright Edelman
Heaven’s in My China Cabinet March 27, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Parenting, Thoughts & Ramblings.Tags: Alzheimer's disease, Family
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It’s Sunday, so that means dinner with my parents. Since we moved my mom and dad back to Connecticut from Maryland to be closer to us, Sundays and Wednesdays have become their night to come over for dinner. It’s been an interesting journey these past two years sitting around the dining room table.
As those of you who follow my postings are aware, my mom has Alzheimer’s. She’s now 84 and my dad is 86. Coming here for dinner provides a balanced meal and some respite conversation for my dad. We get into the same loopy conversations “. . . how old am I? . . . what month are we in? . . . I like to jitterbug . . . where is Becca? . . . Oh, she’s getting married? . . . I just like people! . . . what do you do? . . .”
When they arrive we have a glass of wine and talk about the news – lately it’s been college basketball between John and Dad. We try to stay away from talking politics or religion. Or money. But those always seem to come up.
Mom wanders around looking for the cat while I prepare dinner, and I have her set the table. She reads the magnets on the fridge alongside the pictures of Becca, Jamie, and Chris. Dinner conversation is always a bit wacky. There is a lot of reminiscing and asking questions “. . . what was your favorite subject in school? . . . what was your first dog’s name? . . .” Sometimes Mom will start speaking German or French. John is always able to grab a memory out of her. With some “boop-boop-be-doop” always mixed in.
Tonight my grandmother joined us. My mom’s usual seat at the dining room table faces our china cabinet. Full of crystal and china, its back is mirrored. As usual, Mom sat across from Dad, with John and I at either end of the table. But tonight, Edna/Memom was with us. Every time Mom looked up and past Dad, she saw her mother.
“How could she be here? . . . She’s in heaven . . . I think she’s up there looking down at me . . . I miss her . . . She was a good mother to me . . . My father, not so much . . . I know she’s in heaven . . . And when I’m with her, I’ll help you get in too.” She tells my dad she’ll reach down and help him get in too, when it’s time.
I go over and squat down beside her chair so that both of our images are reflected in the mirror. “Mom – that’s you. Look – that’s me.” We laugh . . . daughter has become mother, and mother has become daughter.
And Memom looks “down” upon us and smiles.
Oscar Romero March 20, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Christian Quotes, Christianity, Discipleship, Events, Prose & Poetry, Teacher Training, Uncategorized.Tags: Óscar Romero, Christian education, formation, prayer, Saints
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This week we celebrate the anniversary of the assassination of Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador. On March 24, 1980 he was gunned down while saying Mass in a hospital chapel during that country’s civil war. Once a lightning-rod for criticism because of his support for liberation theology, Archbishop Romero today is seen as a champion of human rights.
President Barack Obama will visit his tomb during his visit to El Salvador this week, a gesture that some say is U.S. recognition of the slain human rights activist’s cause. Romero spoke out against repression by the U.S.-backed Salvadoran army during the Central American country’s 12-year civil war in which at least 75,000 people died. The government and leftist guerrillas reached a peace treaty in 1992. “It’s historic,” said Congresswoman Lorena Pena, a former guerrilla fighter with the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, a rebel group-turned-political party. “It’s a recognition of our pastor who was killed for fighting for justice, for democracy and human rights.” (Washington Post, March 19)
I often like to share the Prayer of Oscar Romero when I speak at events focused on Christian formation. To me, his words resonate the role that we have as Christian educators in our world today:
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
It is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
Of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about,
we plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation.
In realizing that. This enables us to do something,
And to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
But it is a beginning, a step along the way,
An opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
Between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.
Marked by Ashes March 7, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Books Worth Reading, Events, Prose & Poetry, Resources, Seasonal Ideas.Tags: Ash Wednesday, Lent, prayer, Religion and Spirituality, Walter Brueggemann
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by Walter Brueggemann (b. 1933)
Marked by Ashes
Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
halfway back to committees and memos,
halfway back to calls and appointments,
halfway on to next Sunday,
halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
half turned toward you, half rather not.
This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes —
we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
of failed hope and broken promises,
of forgotten children and frightened women,
we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.
We are able to ponder our ashness with
some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.
On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —
you Easter parade of newness.
Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
mercy and justice and peace and generosity.
We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.
For over thirty years now, Walter Brueggemann (b. 1933) has combined the best of critical scholarship with love for the local church in service to the kingdom of God. Now a professor emeritus of Old Testament studies at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, Brueggemann has authored over seventy books. Taken from his Prayers for a Privileged People (Nashville: Abingdon, 2008), pp. 27-28.
Where’s Waldo? February 21, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Events, On the Road Again, Thoughts & Ramblings.Tags: Christian education, Episcopal Church, formation, social media
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It’s been awhile since I’ve written here, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing anything. Today has been a ‘day off’ (Ha – still did laundry, had a couple of phone meetings, and succumbed to check my work e-mail). And I knew posting here has been long overdue. So, here’s a check-in.
Part of my Monday ritual is checking in on the various projects I oversee as I plan the week ahead. This week’s list:
- Travel to Chicago for the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes annual conference. I’ll be participating in the “Smart Network” for Christian formation that will feature Sam Portaro speaking on young adulthood. I’ll also be representing Church Publishing Inc. at our booth, hosting our sponsored luncheon about the Emergent Church with Stephanie Spellers, and facilitating a breakfast table conversation on Confirmation.
- Begin to organize and upload my monthly newsletter, “Living IN-Formation,” due out on March 1st.
- Prepare presentations for my trips to the Diocese of Arizona’s Children’s Ministry Summit (next weekend) and the Bishop’s Conference on Christian Formation in the Diocese of Southeast Florida (the following weekend). And that includes 4 workshop presentations, 1 keynote address, 1 sermon, and sending stuff for display. At least I will be in warmer locations!
- Making sure all the articles for Building Faith are teed up for the next two weeks. If you’re wondering why I’m not blogging so much here on Rows of Sharon lately it’s because I write about four articles a week for that one now!
- Making sure my weekly (at least) reflection on the coming Sunday’s lectionary readings is posted on The Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education’s website.
Mix all that in with caring for my parents and helping plan our daughter’s October wedding, it’s a little overwhelming to think of witty items to post. If something strikes me in my travels, I’ll post them here. But most likely you’ll find them on Building Faith.
I’ll be doing lots of people watching in airports in the coming weeks, but I try not to stand out in a crowd. One of the books my kids gave me for Christmas for my airport amusements is a pocket “Where’s Waldo” book. I’m not usually dressed in red stripes, with a walking cane or a backpack – but I usually have a lime green suitcase in town filed with electronics (laptop, LCD projector, Kindle, i-pod touch).
So if you’re wondering where I’ve been (at least at this web location), hopefully I’ve given you some other avenues in which to follow me.
Literally “Tapping” into Creativity January 28, 2011
Posted by Sharon Ely Pearson in Adult Formation, Children's Ministries, Faith & Culture, Storytelling, Teacher Training, Thoughts & Ramblings, Youth Ministry.Tags: Christian education
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Anyone who is on Facebook has probably seen this YouTube video (The Dreaded Stairs) popping up on people’s pages. I didn’t pay much attention until a fellow Christian educator (thank you Donald Schell) shared it on the NAECED list-serve with the comment, “Engineers offering a startlingly non-verbal invitation to fun, creativity, and play and produce a startlingly large result for behavior change that looks like it may also have provoked an enhanced sense of community and consciousness as well. After I watched it, I was thinking of some the ‘shoulds’ the engineers didn’t touch. ’It would be better for people and for society if more people used the stairs.’ ’We should encourage everyone to use the stairs if they can.’ ’I'm making a new year’s resolution to use the stairs.’ etc.”
Donald concludes, “What chances are we missing to lead change without any ‘should’ at all?”
So I wonder, how do we engage children, youth, AND adults in engaging with the Biblical story and building a stronger relationship to God? Are there ways we can encourage others to try a new set of stairs instead of the easy-way-out of not exerting any energy by taken the escalator?
Sharon Ely Pearson
