Angie's Youth and Young Adult Ministry Blog

State of Mind

I've started my reading for the brain workshop next month. The first book is "Tools for Engagement" by Eric Jensen. Chapter One is about our state of mind as teachers and as learners--the state of mind people are in affects absolutely everything we do. States are what we live for: we live to feel satisfied, we live to have a body in which we feel confident; we live to have sensations of pleasure. So as leaders, we need to get ourselves in a good state and bring along our students/learners/congregation so that they are in good state, too, so that they might hear and learn. There are all sorts of physical and chemical explanations for the states we find ourselves in--there are hundreds of different things that affect how we feel and act at any given time. Getting your audience in a good state is a lot of work--is it worth it? Wouldn't it just be easier to present information and hope that people catch what we're trying to say? Not really. If we do a little extra legwork up front to get people engaged and turned on to what we're doing, they'll get more excited and we'll get more excited and before you know it, everyone will be having fun...and learning and growing, too.

If we are to be great teachers--and preachers--we need to "set the mood" and do everything we do with purpose. Everything. Room temperature. Movement. Introductions. Announcements. Small talk.

Stay tuned for more details...but I'm thinking that all of this "brain stuff" isn't just about the class room. It's about worship, too, and everyday interactions.

What is a Girl's Best Friend?

I think the song says that diamonds are a girl's best friend. The song is wrong.

A dog is a girl's best friend. Contrary to popular belief, dog's aren't just man's best friend. They hang with us women, too. We walk our dogs, talk to our dogs, hold our dogs, play with our dogs and spoil our dogs. My dog Buddy instinctively knows when I need a break--he comes to get me when I've been working too hard around the house. He'll find me wherever I am, grab me by the sleeve and pull me into the living room where he gives me a tug--an indication that I am to sit down. After I'm on the floor, he sits in my lap (he weighs 70 pounds) and we watch TV together until he's tired of sitting on my lap (usually about 5 or 10 minutes). Then he lays down beside me and reminds me that sometimes it's just good to sit together, doing nothing more than enjoying each other's company. A good life lesson for friends of all kinds--human and canine alike. I can't imagine life without Buddy--he's good for my soul.

It is with that in mind that I grieve for my good friend as she says goodbye to her dog this weekend. Halee (the dog) is a beautiful five year old Golden Retriever that loves long walks and big hugs. She also loves her family--she loves to wrestle with them and lay with them and listen to them the way that only a dog can listen. But Halee has cancer and is in a lot of pain--too much pain. So this weekend, keep Halee's family in your prayers as they remember life with Halee and say goodbye to a good friend and loyal companion.

You are a good, good dog Halee. I'll miss you.

Quilting Life Together

Paul and I are now quilting together. We started a quilting class three weeks ago to make baby quilts for Paul's great niece and great nephew. It's been an interesting process: so far we've learned how to select material, cut pieces out of that material, and sew the pieces together to make a quilt top. Last night we pinned our finished top to the quilt back and batting.

But it's been much more than a class to learn basic quilting techniques. We have also learned (and been reminded of) basic life lessons, too: there are shortcuts that can make life a lot easier (a little tool that helps close safety pins, for example--makes the work much quicker and easier on the thumbs); however, there are also shortcuts that will make life a whole lot more difficult (like not taking the time to stop, measure and press pieces along the way).

We've also been reminded that there is no such thing as perfection. If you look at anything too carefully and closely, you will find all kinds of mistakes (seams don't match)...but if you take a step back and look at the quilt as a whole, it's really quite beautiful and the mistakes don't really matter.

Another reminder: people who have been quilting for years still make simple mistakes. They don't give up, though. They learn from those mistakes, correct them when possible, and keep on going to create beautiful works of art in spite of (and sometimes even because of) those mistakes.

Quilting: a great life metaphor.

HeQi Art

While in Stillwater, I met Dr. HeQi (pronounced something like "huh-chee")--the artist who creates many of the beautiful pieces of art for Confirmation and Stepping Stones. It was fun to meet him and even more fun to purchase a piece of art from him to give to Paul for Valentine's Day (I couldn't wait that long, though--Paul got his present right when I got home!).

If you're interested, you can view HeQi's art at: www.heqiarts.com. Good stuff.

Booster Shots

I just returned from a visit with the folks at Faith Inkubators in Stillwater, MN. It was a whirlwind trip, filled with good food, good talks, laughter and dreaming. It was a much needed shot in the arm, a reminder of why I am in ministry: to share stories, create community and be with people as they waddle along their spiritual paths. It's my job to create moments where people can have "a-ha!" experiences--it doesn't always work that way, but I can at least set the mood. Using the resources and materials that come out of Faith Inkubators makes my job a lot easier--and whole lot more fun.

It was a good trip. Too fast, but good. I am now ready to start dreaming again--something that I haven't done in awhile. And I'm ready to share my dreams with others, too--something else I haven't done in awhile. Confirmation, family ministries, worship...all of this will change, I'm sure. Keep your eyes and ears open...

Fickle or Fair?

I've been called a fair weather fan. Wishy-washy. It's probably true. I can't seem to pick a team to root for and stick with them. I grew up an Iowa Hawkeye fan but switched over to the "other side" and began rooting for Iowa State when I hit adulthood. I've remained a Cyclone fan for almost twenty years and don't see that changing...so I guess I'm not completely fickle.

It's the pro-team 'thing' that I can't seem to land on. I was a Packers fan for awhile, then a Rams fan (thanks to Kurt Warner). When Warner left the Rams, so did I. I root for the Packers but don't follow them like a die-hard freak. I tend to watch whoever is on television and root for the team who has the best colors or is least favored to win or has the best looking quarterback (Brett Favre still holds my attention--therefore I'm still a Packers fan). "Real" football fans find people like me incredibly maddening. While they are talking seasonal statistics and the history of the game, making predictions based on reams of information held in their heads from years of study and observations, I can only talk about the athlete's personal life (the Colt player, for example, who was stabbed in the knee by his wife before last week's game), whether or not their new uniforms are a good choice, and how spectacular the big runs and fancy plays look--not knowing, exactly, how they make all of it work but impressed that they make it look so easy.

Why am I bringing this up? Because I just finished watching Pittsburgh win (I picked them over Denver--I think the Steelers have a better attitude toward football and their colors look 'tougher') and now am watching Seattle beat Carolina (I'm pretty indifferent about this game--both of them have team colors better suited for ice skating than football; however, I'm rooting for Seattle because of Seneca Wallace--a former Cyclone). Whether or not I can spew statistics and make an informed decision based on study and observation doesn't seem to matter--I can pick a winner almost as often as those who can.

I don't believe I'm alone in my non-professional, non-scientific approach on who to support. It's a gut-level thing, based on sights and sounds and smells. At this has caught my attention, I'll be watching over the next few days to see how many other decisions I make on a daily basis because of packaging, emotion and perception rather than statistics and facts. Should be interesting.

In the meantime, go Steelers.

Travel and Ritual

On Monday, I get to travel north to Stillwater, Minnesota to visit with my favorite friends at Faith Inkubators--the wonderfully creative and talented crew that brings Head to the Heart confirmation and Stepping Stones resources to Plymouth UCC (they have a few other excellent programs, too--Bible Song Sunday School and Generations in Faith Together. Great resources!). On this trip, I'll get to look at new materials and brainstorm how to make all of their materials a little more UCC-friendly. Should be fun.

Speaking of Stepping Stones, check out this sermon delivered at Plymouth UCC on New Year's Day. David Ruhe (Plymouth's Senior Minister) makes quite a case for the importance of ritual in our lives. Very cool. You can locate the sermon by clicking on this link:  http://www.plymouthchurch.com/worship/2006/sr060101.htm

Money, Money, Money

Although I'm on sabbatical, I have been keeping up on what's happening with Plymouth's budget. It was supposed to be finalized in December. Early projections showed that we would be able to expand our programs, hire some additional part-time staff to run these new programs, and give the staff (yes, that includes me) our first raise since 2003. Exciting times. Yahoo!

As the year drew to a close, though, pledges for next year didn't come in as expected. Not even close. And when pledges don't come in, budgets get slashed...and that's exactly what is happening right now. As of today, the message is: No new staff members. No new programs. Existing programs cut back. No raises for staff...again. Talk about a huge let down.

I am trying to read between the lines here, trying to figure why it is that church members express a desire for more opportunities to connect with others and grow in faith, more resources for youth and families to grow closer to God and each other and then don't make a finanicial commitment (a pledge) to make those ministries happen.

It baffles--and saddens--me.

Detox Update

It's over. 10 days of a "cleansing diet". How'd we (Paul and I) do? Well...

Days 1-4 weren't so bad. Cut out caffeine, sugar, meat and then bread. Not too bad. Days 5-7, though...well...it was a supplemental drink (vitamins and nutrients) along with all of the apples, pears, broccoli and cauliflower we could eat. Not so good. I broke down on the evening of Day 6 and ate sushi--hey, I was fighting and infection and really wanted some mashed potatoes. I figured sushi was a healthier alternative. Days 8 and 9 we started introducing back healthy food and on Day 10 we were officially through with the diet. Now we're trying to eat healthy--a little caffeine, a little meat, lots of fruits and vegetables (yuck--I'm not a big fruit/veggie person), and a little sugar. Everything in moderation. It was worth it.

Spiritual Practice

In this month's edition of Spirituality and Health I ran across this article on the Tao Te Ching written by William Martin (author and teaching guide on Taoist meditation at the Still Point Center in Chicao, California). It struck me as truth, so I thought I'd share.

Talking about a path is not walking that path. Thinking about life is not living. (Chapter 1). ...What we want to do is pay attention to the ways in which we have been conditioned to think and talk. We begin to notice that much of our talk, internal or external, follows habitual patterns that actually cause and perpetuate an experience of resistance and frustration. These conditioned habits keep us locked in a world of ideas, concepts, and stories and separate us from the thing itself. For instance, consider how much time you spend in internal chatter along these lines: "When I get there, this or that will happen. She will say this and I will say that. But what if she says that instead? What will I do then? Maybe I should have called her yesterday. She probably thinks..." All the while, we are absorbed in these stories, life itself is happening right before our eyes--and we miss it! Try gently asking this question of yourself on occasion during the day: "Am I living right now, or am I thinking about living?" See if you can detect the subtle difference.