Where Do I Start?

Where do I start to talk about all the things that I got excited about listening to "Speaking of Faith: The Spirituality of Parenting?" I missed its original broadcast, but there it was again last Sunday. Listen for yourself or read the transcript through http://speakingoffaith.org. It too asks, where do I start, in relation to spirituality, religion and children we care about. Its insights are applicable well beyond issues of children and parenting, which I guess is as it should be.

Where do I start? I'll take a stab in my next entry.

The Typical Question

If you ask yourself or kids the typical question for this time of year, what are you thankful for, I'm guessing you'll get a mix of three kinds of answers:

1) "I don't know" or "nothing"
2) Things we're thankful for in a logical, mental way
3) Things for which we have heart felt appreciation and gratitude

I'm not knocking #2, but what's more interesting to me is #3. Sometimes I think we don't know how or don't get around to recognizing those things. Sometimes thanks can seem a bit of an abstract concept.

How might we recognize things for which we are thankful? How might we foster deeper appreciation for things we're only logically thankful for? Here are some ideas I'd like to try out more.

• Notice when your kids spontaneously say thanks - beyond the obligatory times. What is it they're appreciating? What are they saying thanks for?
• Notice when you say thanks - the matter of course times and the intentional times. What are you appreciating? What are you saying thanks for?
• Notice what you or your kids really enjoy.
• Practice mindfulness.
• Try playing games that facilitate thinking and talking about the things we like. For example, we have a game called Whoonu that involves players guessing what among several things another player likes best. That player then ranks the things guessed by the other players to be their favorite.
• Make a game of tracing things taken for granted back through the long processes by which they come to us and back to their origins

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the topic, and what happens if you try some of the approaches above.

Hearing When You Least Expect It

At our house we frown on calling other people stupid. In a recent sermon Aron told a story in which he quoted one character calling another stupid. One of my kids, who I had no idea was tuning in at all, was delighted to tell me, "Aron said stupid! Aron said stupid!"

I wonder what else they're hearing that I wouldn't guess.

Children's Bibles

I've never been too taken with children's bibles. One problem was that they aren't really Bibles (this doesn't bother me so much these days.) They seem to have dry archaic illustrations, or laborious text, or more sexism than I can easily swallow, or insert too much moralizing, or whatever.

I thought I had a hit with Read Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K. Lindvall. Colorful illustrations, lyric text...but I choked when the creation story talked about the creation of a daddy and a beautiful mommy. It didn't talk about a beautiful daddy and beautiful mommy, the daddy wasn't cited as handsome, the mommy wasn't intelligent and wise.....but she was beautiful! I tried skipping over those pages....but kids kind of notice that (and it wasn't the right time for a discussion on sexism.)

Maybe I haven't looked far enough for good children's bibles. I've just generated a list of over 100 collections of bible stories from the public library. I didn't expect to find so many! I probably won't go for the Precious Moments Storybook Bible. But, I do have lots to check out: a board book, a comic book, The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, The Taize Picture Bible, The Bible-The Really Interesting Parts....

I'll let you know what I find. Meanwhile I'm curious about your experiences. Do you remember a children's bible from when you were a kid? Have you found some that you & kids you know either like or dislike?

Jumping In

I plan to write about children in church from the perspective of a volunteer children's and family minister and of a parent. I also want to explore what it means as adults to be in community with children, and what Jesus' words about welcoming children and being like them may mean.

Someone encouraged me not to be daunted by the idea of writing for most anyone to read by saying that no one will read this anyway. I'll try to take courage from that, but hope it's not entirely true. I hope this will provide a forum for at least some thought and discussion - (beyond that in my own head!)