Angie's Youth and Young Adult Ministry Blog

Rituals and security

In her book "Becoming a Wiz at Brain-Based Teaching", Marilee Springer talks about the importance of ritual to help students overcome fear, develop a sense of security, and open up to learn whatever it is you are trying to teach. What kinds of rituals could you do for:

--someone's birthday?

--the opening of class?

--the closing of class?

--when you have a special guest?

--when students lead part of the class?

Think about rituals that will work for you and for the students. Remember: balance is important. Rituals make room for challenge, novelty, and a little craziness which makes learning fun.

Keep in mind that ritual is more than routine. Make your ritual relative and timely.

Turning 40

I missed my 40th birthday. Well, not really. I still had a birthday but I spent it on the couch recuperating from surgery.

I also missed the Iowa State Fair this year. You might be thinking: "Big deal." But to me it is a big deal. I love the fair: the sounds, the colors, the animals, the people, all of the food on a stick.

I guess Paul must have felt really sorry for me because he started working with my friend Jane to plan the coolest 40th birthday party in the whole wide world. It was at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. There were corndogs. And lemonade. And tenderloins. Birthday cake, too. A couple hundred of my favorite people showed up to listen to my favorite band (the Saturday Night Worship band) play some of my favorite tunes, participate in a talent show (ala The Bill Riley Talent Show), and even ooh and aah over the butter cow made by the high school youth from Plymouth. I was even crowned the new Iowa State Fair Queen by the Lieutenant Governor of the Great State of Iowa. Yes, Sally Pederson herself wrote and read a beautiful declaration for my birthday.

Quite a party. Quite a husband. Quite a group of friends. I'm still speechless. My tiara is now sitting on the head of my jackalope in my office. My declaration is waiting to be framed. And photos abound--you can see some of them on this blog site.

Thanks, Paul. Thanks, Jane. You two are sneaky. And wonderful.

I love you.

Marcus Borg

Marcus Borg was at Plymouth UCC this weekend to present two workshops and lead worship. He is the author of two books that have transformed my faith journey: "The Heart of Christianity" and "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time". These books gave me true insight into why I choose to be Christian. They also helped me grow into a deeper relationship with God.

His lectures did the same. As his words and thoughts sink into my psyche and soul over the days, weeks, months, and years to come, I will share my thoughts here. For now, I share one of his observations:

Christianity is not intrinsically about believing a set of statements to be true. To suppose that (Christianity) is about beliefs is to imagine that Jesus' purpose was to bring a true set of doctrines--"Believe these and you'll be saved." Rather, Christianity is about "a way". The earliest post-Easter name of the Christian movement, according to Acts 9.1, is "a way" or "a path" or leading to a transformed life.

The Christian life is about a relationship with God that transforms us. It is about a deepening and transforming centering in God as known in Jesus.

Transformation. Relationship. Centering in God as known in Jesus. That's what this is all about.

Amen.

The Avowal

A poem by Denise Levertov:

As swimmers dare

to lie face to the sky

and water bears them,

as hawks rest upon air

and air sustains them,

so would I learn to attain

freefall, and float

into Creator Spirit's deep embrace,

knowing no effort earns

that all-surrounding grace.

Paradox

A friend passed along some thoughts from George Carlin, all worth repeating but too many for this blog entry. Here are some tidbits:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more but have less. We buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We have more medicine but less wellness. We drink too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've done larger things but not better things. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast food and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

Remember: spend some time with your loved ones. They won't be here forever. Give time to love. GIve time to speak. Give time to listen. Give time to share.

Deep Thoughts

Some deep thoughts about life:

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." --Mohandas Gandhi

"Sometimes the best way to deal with everyday life is to lay down on your mat and take a nap." --Joyce Bartels

"There are only two tragedies in life: One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." --Oscar Wilde

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." George Bernard Shaw

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --Albert Einstein

"Live a balanced life--learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." --Robert Fulghum

"Don't go through life, grow through life." --Eric Butterworth

"Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't" --Richard Bach

100 Years

Confirmation began a couple of weeks ago. 100+ adults and kids are involved this year and all of them were together in one room to talk about stewardship. "Stewardship? Really?" That was the response from most of you. Why talk about stewardship in confirmation--especially at the first get together?

Because stewardship is at the heart and soul of all that we do. "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and soul and mind..." The Shema. The law. Stewardship.

Oh, that's why.

How did it go? It was awesome. We talked about time: how much time we have, how we spend that time, whether or not we honor God with our time, and whether or not we honor ourselves with our time. We listened and sang the song "100 Years" by Five for Fighting ("I'm 15 for a moment...I'm 22 for a moment...I'm 43 for a moment...") and realized that life goes by way too fast. Then we talked about what we want to do with our lives and how we might use them the way God intended.

This week: stewardship of money. It will be great.

Cleaning House

It's been at least a year and a half--almost two years--since I have felt like myself. I have been tired. Exhausted, actually. Burned out. Ready for a change. I thought sabbatical would help--three months resting and reading and meditating and hanging out with friends and family. Great idea. It didn't help. I was sick most of the time. Too tired to hang out. Too tired to read. Then it was back to work. Not good at all. Stress and exhaustion don't make good work partners.

Now, though, after surgery and sick leave, I'm back. I'm really back. The old sense of humor. The old sense of energy and excitement. My dreams and visions have returned, too. And it's good. Very good.

This week I have literally and figuratively been cleaning house. Literally, I completely rearranged and cleaned out my office. Threw out old books, old papers, old clutters, even old chairs. Aaaahhhh. It feels good. This was my most peaceful week at work in a very, very long time. And the most productive, too.

I'm turning my attention to home now. Old things need to go: old clothes, old books, old papers, old junk, clutter. That's what I'm doing today.

Figuratively, I'm still working on the emotional and spiritual clutter of my life. Old ways of thinking, old ways of being. Some of them are good, some of them have to go. I'm sorting that all out.

It's good to be back. It's good to be me. For those of you who have put up with the "non-me" the past couple of years, I apologize. Thanks for hanging in there.