Sandy Swartzentruber
Resource Coordinator, Faith Formation Ministries
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Posted in: Warmly Welcome and Effectively Enfold Toolkit?
Jeff, unfortunately that course has been out of print since 2008. I'm very sorry that we no longer have it available for you!
Posted in: Devotion Ideas?
Hi Eric! Check out "Ten Ways to Talk with Someone About Their Faith"--a one-page resource from Faith Formation Ministries. It includes ten great questions that prompt people to share faith stories with each other. Asking one or two of those questions in small groups might be all you need!
Posted in: Opinions on "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young
Hi Jenifer,
Eric is right--the CRC doesn't typically take official positions on books like this, but the Challies article is worth a read.
Posted in: Family Devotional?
Hi there! Thanks for this question.
A great resource for your son at this age are the God Loves Me storybooks from Faith Alive. Each book retells a Bible story in simple language that young children can understand, and includes a prayer and suggestions for learning-through-play activities. There are 52 books in the series, and you can purchase them individually or as a set.
When your son is just a bit older, check out God's Big Story Cards and Teach Us to Pray: Scripture-Centered Family Worship Through the Year--both are wonderful!
Posted in: Sheep, Not Superheroes: How Sabbath Helps Us Right-Size
Thanks, Larry! Yes, sabbath can be a struggle, even though it's a great gift! It's our hope that the Faith Practices Project resources will be helpful as people enter into an exploration of how they might come to love and celebrate sabbath more fully. And thank you for your June Network post! I just ran across it and will add it to our sabbath resources--good stuff to ponder there.
Posted in: God's Mercies in a Pandemic
A few days ago the sky was filled with the biggest, brightest rainbow I'd ever seen, and it reminded me of God's love and care for us even as we go through these harrowing times.
Posted in: Retelling Bible Stories: Stop Motion LEGO Videos
This is wonderful, Melissa! I have chills! I'll bet your kids will always remember doing this.
Posted in: Retelling Bible Stories: Stop Motion LEGO Videos
Hahaha...hardly a star! I wrote EFF as part of my work for Faith Formation Ministries, and I'm so glad folks are finding it helpful! Thanks for your kind words.
Posted in: Without Guile
Steve, thank you so much for this writing. What a beautiful way to start my day--by aspiring to live without guile.....
Posted in: Inspire 2019 in Three Words
Convicting, thought-provoking, and amazingly well-organized! (Ok, that's more than three words, but the adjective is important....those who worked to organize this gathering did an awesome job!)
Posted in: What Books Are You Reading in 2019?
I just finished Three Things about Elsie, which I loved. It's kind of a mystery story that takes place in a retirement home, and it has many wonderful insights about how we treat the elderly, what it means to live a meaningful life, and the ripple effect of the things we do in daily life.
Posted in: Toy Story: How We Used Lego in Summer Children’s Ministry
Ha, good catch, Hetty! "Lego" is indeed the plural. We'll fix this.