October 4 What a fabulous day. We started with the four of us attending worship at Wild Rose United church, another of our United Churches that is flying on God’s Spirit. Filled with friendly people, adults, teens and children who greeted us warmly. The service itself was informal and lively. One member told us…
In June, I led a workshop about Storytelling and Dynamic Worship for Small Rural Churches. Storytelling is fun and it requires detailed preparation. I needed to know my stories off by heart, which means a great deal of practice. As children, we were assigned memory work at school (High Flight) and at church (23rd Psalm)….
Are You Really Okay? (317 words) In “Walk in My Garden,” I read Helen Ripley’s story of returning to teaching after her husband died. When her grade one class was dismissed for recess, Elena remained behind and asked, “Are you okay, Mrs. Ripley?” “Yes, I’m fine,” Helen replied, smiling at the child. The child remained…
Young children sometimes make poor choices. They run across the road without looking. They follow their curiosity down to the lake without supervision. Sometimes, they just plain defy us by picking up a china knick knack they’ve been told not to touch, or a crayon and scribbling on the wall. Occasionally, they throw temper tantrums,…