"Really Tall" Towers

Life can sometimes feel like a tower of blocks that have come crashing down around us. In life we tend to build towers "really tall" just so we can say or feel like we have accomplished something. Then all of a sudden our "really tall" tower come crashing down around us. All we see is brokenness and chaos. Sometimes we have no idea what made it fall. Was it circumstances? Did we knock it down ourselves? Did someone else knock it down? Whatever the reason there we stand frozen with shock for a while.

I don't know about you but when I'm standing in the middle of my pile of blocks looking at the brokenness and chaos that has ensued all I see is devastation and failure. I want to run away and stick my head in a whole and never show my face again. This is especially true when I feel that it is my fault that the tower has fallen. It can feel hopeless and overwhelming.

The "children will lead them"...this past weekend I spent many hours with my two year old niece. She loves to play and build with blocks.  She loves to build "really tall" towers and she built many of them. What I witnessed as I watch her build and rebuild her "really tall" towers was her reaction to the towers crashing down.  In the beginning, each time the tower would fall I would say "uh-oh!" yet her reaction was always the same, "that's okay!" and she would just build it again. Sometimes she would even knock it down herself only to move it in the truck to rebuild it in another place. By the end of my time with her I had all but stopped saying "uh-oh" and just let her response become the norm.

My nieces reaction to "failure" is one of learning and growing not one of devastation. She does not associate failure with a negative reaction or emotion. Now don't get me wrong-failure is hard and can feel devastating. It can make us feel worthless and throw us for a loop. However, I am beginning to really understand that failure is not a symptom of unworthiness but rather part of "showing up" in life. When we are vulnerable, courageous and authentic (authentic=being who God created you to be) we are bound to fail because that how we learn and "THAT'S OKAY!"

Advent Day 15-Rejoice

"Rejoice"

Children are so good at rejoicing with music…we can learn from them…

Friday Photographs-God Sees You

God sees you as you truly are - a holy child of light: 

God sees you strong and whole.  

God sees you blessed and prospered.  

God sees you courageous and confident.  

God sees you capable and successful.  

God sees you free from all limitations or bondage of any kind. 

God sees you as the spiritually perfect being you truly are.

Friday Photographs

"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." 

Matthew 2:18

Lord in your mercy hear our prayer...

(Dedicated to those who are affect by today's school shooting in Connecticut)

Friday Photograph

I love fall-the smells, the vibrant colors, but my favorite thing about fall is walking through the leaves. The sound of crunching leaves under foot makes me smile and makes my heart sing. For years I wondered why this sound made me so happy. I think I have uncovered the reason-it reminds me of the pure joy I felt playing in the leaves as a child. Adults need to play too! It brings me pure joy to play...to walk in the fall with the leaves crunching under foot! 

How do you cultivate play in your life?

It Takes a Village: Mentoring

I recently watched KARE 11‘s special “Be the Change: Mentor”.  They stated that “mentoring is one of the most successful means of improving the lives of young people in [ones] community.”  They also noted that “the statistics say it all-mentored students are less likely to skip classes, use illegal drugs and drink alcohol at a young age. They also perform better in school and are more socially aware.”  In other words mentoring works! The stories of the relationship that are built because of mentoring were inspiring and touching.  

This television program made me wonder mentoring ministries for children and youth are not more prevalent in our congregations.  The saying goes “It takes a village to raise a child!”  It takes the ENTIRE congregation to raise a child.  We affirm this commitment every time a child is baptized.  At its core mentoring is about building relationships.  Christianity is relationally based.  God created us to be in relationship God and with one another.  This said it seems to me mentoring ministries with children and youth is a natural fit for congregations.

Not only is it a natural fit, it is my belief that congregations could greatly benefit from mentoring ministries.  Mentoring ministries with children and youth must focus on building healthy Christian relationships.  These relationships are intended to foster intentional faith-nurturing relationships between children/youth and faithful adults who are available, authentic, and affirming.  Our children and youth thrive when they have adults in their lives who are available, authentic and affirming.  If congregations can encourage and affirm these relationships with in the faith community the community and individuals will greatly benefit. 

What would our congregations look like if we took mentoring children and youth seriously?  Would we see more of our youth continue to attend church?  Would our children see and experience life in a faith community differently?

(More on what this type of ministry might look like and how it might affect congregations in future posts.)