One of the things we’re working on in my church right now is fixing up dedicated space for children, youth, and intergenerational events. Like many mainline churches, our building is much bigger than the congregation needs right now, which presents both challenges and opportunities. There are so many bulletin boards in hallways and classrooms, and […]
Bulletin Board Idea: Let Your Light Shine! Read More »
There are moments in our lives that transform us and color everything that comes afterward. For author Greg McKeown, author of the New York Times bestseller Essentialism that moment was taking a business meeting right after the birth of his child. His boss assured him he would be rewarded for his dedication, but upon reflection,
Book Review /// Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less Read More »
As she wrote in the foreword to Faithful Families, Rachel Held Evans and I met when we were at a Christian Women’s Retreat in Mo Ranch, Texas. She was the keynote speaker and I was one of many workshop leaders. Together we were the leadership team, and because of this, we had a number of
The following was preached at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church Sunday, February 17, 2019 I have been on a journey I didn’t expect and wasn’t ready for – I’m not sure anyone could be ready for it. Today, I want to tell you where I’ve been the past few weeks and what I’ve been learning and experiencing.
Journey Towards Healing Read More »
We’re at the movie theater in Detroit before I got married. Phil is walking ahead of me with a big tub of popcorn and Diet Coke. I’m trailing behind. He finds a seat — not too close, not too far away. “This good?” he says. “Sure.” He walks in and takes a seat. I
Brief Reflections Remembering Phil Read More »
Last night after the “fall festival” at school, wherein we made spiders out of handprints and a spider’s web out of popsicle sticks and yarn and put google-eyes into slime made out of Borax, I asked the kids if they wanted to swing by McDonald’s for supper. I thought there would maybe be pizza for
#McDonalds, Time to Stop with the Gendered Toy Thing Read More »
For the past few years I’ve offered an advent calendar to churches through my Etsy shop. This year I decided to offer it for free, both as a gesture of gratitude to all those churches and individuals who have supported me and my work, and also in the hopes of promoting Faithful Families. Faithful Families is doing great,
Free 2018 Advent Family Faith Practices Calendar! Read More »
Make Room: A Child’s Guide for Lent and Easter is a primer on Lent and Easter for young children. It’s part poetry, part practice and part storytelling. It’s divided up into four parts, making time, making space, making room and Holy Week. It describes difficult concepts such as sacrifice and emptying in ways that are friendly
I can’t imagine communion without children being present, partaking in the sacrament right alongside adults. I’m always taken aback, then, when I hear of people or churches requiring communion be reserved for children of a certain age, or for children who have completed some “to do” on the checklist, such as a public profession of
Children at the Table: Some Thoughts on Communion and Children Read More »
