The following is a reflection by Sam Donahue, Children’s Ministry Adviser for Diocese of London (and co-Editor of the soon-to-be-released ChildrensWork Magazine) reproduced from their latest Children’s Ministry Newsletter with permission (full credit below):
Fowler’s theory was that at this stage children are beginning to sort stories into those which should be retained as truth and those that are made up and the God ends up sitting on the rejects bench together with the tooth fairy and Father Christmas. They are all dismissed as things that they liked the idea of as children but have rejected now they realise are not true. It’s easy to see what happened to Mr Claus and his fairy friend but why did God suffer the same fate?
For Fowler the explanation is simple; the God the children were taught about doesn’t exist and by eleven they were old enough to work that out. They had been taught about a God who solves all their problems, stops bad things happening, answers all their prayers and arrives at the last minute to save the day if the situation gets really hopeless. To be fair they are right, that God doesn’t exist. Brilliantly Fowler leaves it at this and doesn’t offer any solutions! So I think I will try and think of some as this is all rather depressing right now!
- Be real about your experience of being a Christian. It’s not a matter of everything being lovely all the time and we should resist the urge to try and ‘protect children’ from this. Life is messy and things go wrong and we learn that God is there with us through all of this not just the good bits. So don’t be afraid to tell stories, either Bible stories or stories from you own life where things go wrong.
- Don’t spin the Bible. I’ve said before that the Bible doesn’t need us to ‘spin it’ so that children only see the highlights package. The stories of the Bible are supposed to be a resource to help and support us through good times and bad. It we only give children the good bits the Bible fails them when they need it most as there is no resource for the bad times.
- If it looks like a fairy story it probably is a fairy story. In our efforts to make the Bible more accessible to children we often lose the grit and reality of the stories and make them feel more like fluffy fairy stories and less like things that actually happened. Next time you look at the story of the Exodus why not get a map out and show the children the journey or use some pictures from the Holy Land to illustrate where Jesus was when he was telling his stories. Doing this helps to imbed the stories in the real world and not the fantasy world.
- Beware miracles. I’m not sure how I feel about this but there is a school of thought that says that if we major on miracles understand them to be about magic and then they fall into the fairy tale trap. It is suggested that a more healthy emphasis would be on the motivation for the miracle than the miracle it’s self. For example, rather than concentrating on Jesus’ power to heal focus instead on Jesus’ compassion towards the sick.
Credit: Sam Donoghue is the Children’s Ministry Adviser of the Diocese of London. You can read more from him here.
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Holiness is consecrated closeness to God. Holiness is in essence obeying God, living to God and for God, imitating God, keeping His law, taking His side against sin, doing righteousness, performing good works, following Christ’s teaching and example, worshipping God in the Spirit, loving and serving God and men out of reverence for Christ. In relation to God, holiness takes the form of a single-minded passion to please by love and loyalty, devotion and praise. In relation to sin, it takes the form of a resistance movement, a discipline of not gratifying the desires of the flesh, but of putting to death the deeds of the body. Holiness is, in a word, God-taught, Spirit-wrought Christ-likeness, the sum and substance of committed discipleship, the demonstration of faith working by love, the responsive outflow in righteousness of supernatural life from the hearts of those who are born again.
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Last Saturday the second Youthwork Summit took place in Manchester. I attended along with about about 750 other youth workers/ministers, paid & volunteer, full & part time, along with 20+ speakers, the Rend Collective Experiment, Mark Yaconelli, and the amazing team who put the event together and served us on the day. It will take a while to properly reflect on and process all that was said, all that happened, and the conversations which took place. I met some amazing people – some I’ve been chatting with on Twitter for some time and felt I knew them, but met them in person at #yws11, others I met for the first time.
I spent Friday with 150 other youth workers/ministers on a Retreat day led by Mark Yaconelli – that too will take a great deal of processing and putting into practice what was learned.
At the end of the conference we shared the following powerful liturgy which written during the day by one of the attendees, and is shared here with permission:
It all comes from here*
From an extraordinary God,
capable of ALL things.
From His unfailing love
for ALL that we are.
From a purpose and calling
that He placed on our lives.
From a passion and desire
to change young lives.
We give our time, our energy,
We share our ideas, our lives,
We offer our teaching, our advice.
But we give, we share, we offer
Because we do not love alone,
but with the help of God’s heart.
Because we do not stand alone,
but with the strength of God’s Spirit.
Because we do not fight alone,
but with the power of God’s will.
From a God who loves
all which He has created,
From a God who guides
all who seek His face,
From a God who welcomes
all who come in His name.
It all comes from here*
[written by Julia King (@xjewelzx) // used with thanks...]
Just seen this version of the 10 Commandments, rewritten for kids:
- Put God First: God is number one, everything else comes second.
- Nothing else is more important than God
- Don’t say ‘God’ when you don’t mean it
- Have a restful day – chillaxing every week
- Respect. Treat adults how you would like to be treated.
- Don’t hurt anybody
- Stick together/look after your friends
- Don’t take from anyone without permission
- Always tell the truth. Don’t lie
- Don’t want something others have got.
There’s another version posted there too.
“perhaps true beauty is something that draws our attention at second glance, once the judgement of a first glance has realised it’s mistake”
Last week as part of my end of term activities I took part in a retreat day at the Carmelite Priory at Boars Hill in Oxfordshire. The day was led by Ian Adams, one of the CYM Chaplains, who used the story of Elizabeth, Zechariah and Mary to introduce us to some meditative practices. I arrived early to avoid the traffic and was able to enjoy the sun as it rose over the crisp, frosty fields. I rarely travel without my camera so was able to capture a few shots before everyone else arrived.
The day was divided into three sessions, each providing space for reflection and time to listen for God. During one session I felt inspired to draw (something I never do, and have no talent for) and was moved to reflect on what I’d drawn. A new experience for me, but one which I greatly appreciated and will continue to ponder the notes I made.
We divided into two groups for the final session and were encouraged to use Mary and Zechariah’s example and write either a magnificat or a benedictus based on our context/experiences/feelings. Here’s what we produced in our group:
Thank you God that everything is upside down;
that you don’t see things the way the world sees them.
You accept this generation, though others reject it;
others want to put them down, but you desire to raise them up.Where the world leaves young people empty, only you can satisfy.
Through your love there is so much more.As you draw them near to you we see them longing to be valued and eager to serve;
to accept others in the way that you’ve accepted them.We see your hope rising through this generation.
Thank you for the momentum which flows from and is sustained by your Spirit.Amen
It proved to be a really valuable time of reflection and refreshing – much needed preparation for the two mad weeks which have followed.
Continuing the series:
I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. – Maya Angelou
Continuing the series:
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. – Martin Luther King
Continuing the series:
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. – Mahatma Gandhi
