What I can’t understand is why you all have guns. What did a duck ever do to you to deserve being blasted out of the sky? And several guns? Are you expecting Armageddon?
I’ll take my chances sitting in church next to the guy with the Rolex watch. Unless he’s James Bond I’m safe.
When our children were young we did various after dinner things with them. Sometimes we were making our way through a children’s Bible, interspersed by evenings singing all our favourite hymns from the psalter hymnal. We weren’t a musical bunch so it was quite messy. Our kids ages ranged across 12 years so discussions and levels of understanding varied. We found that reading through books such as Helen Taylor’s Little Pilgrims Progress was beneficial whatever their age, and the older children enjoyed revisiting this book. New insights and more mature questions ensued, all within earshot of their little sisters. We also learned Bible verses, Psalm 100 was a perennial one, and all those lists - fruit of the spirit, Jacob’s sons, Ten Commandments, OT kings and rulers, etc.
Finally someone prayed ‘the long prayer’ which included requests for the salvation of aunties and uncles, care of the sick and the hungry both locally and worldwide, reminders of the birthday gifts they’d like to get, and thanks for sunny days. You get the idea. (The before meal grace was strictly limited to a blessing on the food, otherwise dinner would be cold. “Save it for later, kid.”)
How do churches deal with trauma that the church itself has caused; the abuse that comes from the church leaders themselves and subsequent actions of taking sides against the abused?
In my experience most older people enjoy and welcome younger ones into their churches. Maybe not so much when they’re being pushed out of a job they feel they can still do well.
As we move from doing church segregated by age we will hopefully see a greater acceptance of all ages. Each generation/ability/socioeconomic will grow comfortably together.
Two observations: The claim that youth groups were largely unheard of until 1979. My mother, born in 1926, attended youth club. I still have the photos and her youth club song book.
Secondly, the article argues for all-age church, then proceeds to outline strategies for the youth worker to try in youth groups. If we shouldn’t segregate then why continue to have a church structure that segregates?
When I was a teenager I had the youth pastor I needed. He was also the pastor for the just-arrived, the naughty kids and the good, the new and old parents, as well as single adults, grumpy folks, sweet-natured ones, and annoying wannabe theologians. He was our pastor.
Sarina, you got about as close to that diagnosis as it’s possible to get. These ‘wonders’ don’t help those on the spectrum. Jesus came as a human and that’s all that matters.
Posted in: Christians Clothed in Babylonian Silk
What I can’t understand is why you all have guns. What did a duck ever do to you to deserve being blasted out of the sky? And several guns? Are you expecting Armageddon?
I’ll take my chances sitting in church next to the guy with the Rolex watch. Unless he’s James Bond I’m safe.
Posted in: Traditions for After Dinner Scripture Reading and Prayer?
When our children were young we did various after dinner things with them. Sometimes we were making our way through a children’s Bible, interspersed by evenings singing all our favourite hymns from the psalter hymnal. We weren’t a musical bunch so it was quite messy. Our kids ages ranged across 12 years so discussions and levels of understanding varied. We found that reading through books such as Helen Taylor’s Little Pilgrims Progress was beneficial whatever their age, and the older children enjoyed revisiting this book. New insights and more mature questions ensued, all within earshot of their little sisters. We also learned Bible verses, Psalm 100 was a perennial one, and all those lists - fruit of the spirit, Jacob’s sons, Ten Commandments, OT kings and rulers, etc.
Finally someone prayed ‘the long prayer’ which included requests for the salvation of aunties and uncles, care of the sick and the hungry both locally and worldwide, reminders of the birthday gifts they’d like to get, and thanks for sunny days. You get the idea. (The before meal grace was strictly limited to a blessing on the food, otherwise dinner would be cold. “Save it for later, kid.”)
Posted in: Understanding Trauma in Church Communities
How do churches deal with trauma that the church itself has caused; the abuse that comes from the church leaders themselves and subsequent actions of taking sides against the abused?
Posted in: Understanding Trauma in Church Communities
Not me. An historic case I know of that still has repercussions 30 years on.
Posted in: Breaking the Pecking Order
Two thoughts:
In my experience most older people enjoy and welcome younger ones into their churches. Maybe not so much when they’re being pushed out of a job they feel they can still do well.
As we move from doing church segregated by age we will hopefully see a greater acceptance of all ages. Each generation/ability/socioeconomic will grow comfortably together.
Posted in: Youth Pastors Ditch Gross-Out Games and Help Student Ministry Grow Up
A thought provoking article indeed.
Two observations: The claim that youth groups were largely unheard of until 1979. My mother, born in 1926, attended youth club. I still have the photos and her youth club song book.
Secondly, the article argues for all-age church, then proceeds to outline strategies for the youth worker to try in youth groups. If we shouldn’t segregate then why continue to have a church structure that segregates?
When I was a teenager I had the youth pastor I needed. He was also the pastor for the just-arrived, the naughty kids and the good, the new and old parents, as well as single adults, grumpy folks, sweet-natured ones, and annoying wannabe theologians. He was our pastor.
Posted in: Autistic Jesus
I understand your anger and frustration, however I can’t agree with your assertion that Jesus was autistic.
Posted in: Autistic Jesus
Sarina, you got about as close to that diagnosis as it’s possible to get. These ‘wonders’ don’t help those on the spectrum. Jesus came as a human and that’s all that matters.