Resolved: Play...

Last one of the series. Play.

Play is pretty normal for kids. We, the grown-ups of the world, have largely forgotten how to do it. We exercise. We are "active." But we don't "play" very well.

I just read Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and one whole section is devoted to play. This is a business book...learning to eliminate distraction and too much responsibility in order to do what you do well. Part of this healthy best practice is play. The author argues that in the relaxed energy of play you find a creativity that transfers back into the workplace. Our brains are wondrous things when treated well. Play (and sleep, BTW) often lead us to solutions that otherwise cannot be found.

Congregations who have forgotten how to play together are usually in trouble. Same holds true of families. The NPR series suggests that play exposes us to words that build our basis for literacy. I think it exposes us to the relationship and creativity it takes to live this life of discipleship. We adults take ourselves so seriously, we forget the joy of praise, the glorious freedom of grace, and the gift of faith community which nurtures us in so many ways.

Faith practice has been central in my family for generations. My mother tells stories of baptizing cats in the stream (not an easy practice), of taking turns "preaching" and taking up the "offering," of pretending to walk on water or feed five thousand. We did the same. "Playing" with faith words, with or without understanding, lays a foundation.

My cousin used to teach me the words to old hymns. There was one about "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear." We agreed we didn't understand why the cross-eyed bear was in the hymn, but we sang it with abandon now that we knew the words. We also sang the one about fishing... The old rugged cross...where the dearest and bass... (dearest and best if you want the grown up words). I insisted, again, it didn't make sense. She instructed me that it didn't have to make sense...that's what faith was. I was pretty impressed at the number of creatures included in the hymnody of the church.

I love that play is included in the list. It takes it from a to-do to a gift. Who would think in this era of experts and worriers that building faith foundations would be so easy.

I wish for you the most fun talk, sing, read, write, and play ever!

Resolved: Write...

I think people will see this as, by far, the most difficult practice. But, of course, to write this blog, I have to challenge that assumption.

Write how? Certainly not Shakespearean reams of iambic pentameter. Not NYT or WaPo worthy essays. For children, the act of shaping letters helps create the synapse for literacy. There is definitely a practice between our behaviors and our brains. So...write something. 

Kids in worship can draw a picture of what they hear or see or experience. After you get home, or as you are waiting for your restaurant lunch, write two or three words on the picture that help explain it. Leave the picture up on the frig for a week...then replace it with the next picture. You can talk about that experience all week. If you have those wonderful refrigerator letter magnets and do not have one of those subversive stainless steel refrigerators that are not magnetic, you can make other words that reflect the picture. Make it a family activity. Fun.

Adults. We hate to write. (OK...obviously not all of us...but go with me here.) SO, God's gift to you is a smart phone. Open that list app. Write a word or phrase you pick up in worship or a small group on Sunday. Maybe two or three. It will keep you occupied during the sermon...and you will listen better.

Then, several times during the week...say during boring meetings or while waiting in carpool lines...go back and see what you wrote. Spend a couple of minutes thinking about how you are living into those noted lines, or how they are living in you. The next Sunday, delete that one and make a new one. (And, you can, of course, do this on paper...but it is harder to carry that notebook around than it is your phone.)

At the least, you continue your worship practice into your week. Is there really a downside? I can't find one...but feel free to correct me if you want.

But you'll have to write it in the comments...

Resolved: READ...

If you can stop talking and singing for a bit...you can do this next one. READ. Perhaps not as exciting as sharing with God the natural consequences of some of our singing voices, but easy easy as far as resolutions go.  Tell me reading is not more attractive than walking outside in this miserable wet winter weather.

It is utterly proven that reading to our children help them become literate. You can kill two birds with one stone if you spend some of that reading time every day reading Bible stories. There are a million books out there with bible stories for children. (I'll link to a few later today.) You develop your own faith as well...especially if you take the time to hit the real biblical text when you find a story you don't know. Don't angst too much about full understanding. Just let the story sink in. (Talk to someone later with questions or struggles--that will also nurture faith.) Having a library of faith stories in your head seems to grow our faith...another eternal mystery, if you ask me.

Hate to read and don't have kids? Pick a Psalm. Read the first verse. Stop. Having that in your head for the day, along with your grocery list and honey-dos will also nurture faith. Read the same verse every day for a week. Or a month. When it's memorized, choose another. Or try D365. This online devotional is quick, quality, and short. Another trick? Attend a Bible study, listen to others read a passage. Then choose one of those verses for your weekly "read."  But know that if you ignore reading the foundational text that enables conversation between us and God, your faith nurture suffers.

Talk, sing, read. Still a couple more coming...but isn't it nice to know that faith nurture is this simple? I listened to this story on NPR, and realized much of the "magic" is the relationship built because of these practices. Kids learn to love reading because parents love it, and love them. That's the essence of faith as well, being deeply connected to God and neighbor.

And it offers God a brief break from the din....

Resolved: SING...

This is the second of five "simple ways to prepare your child for literacy"...unabashedly co-opted and turned into spiritual literacy...because--they fit. Talk, sing, read, write, play...

Yesterday we TALKed. Today's we SING. Don't stop reading yet. Anyone can sing. In fact, I learned last week during sermon prep that the Hebrew word for "sing praises" means literally a high pitched squeaking sound. So sing away. God set us up to be successful even if we can't carry a tune. Joyful noise, people. Joyful noise.

Teach your kids the hymns sung in worship. Choose one a month. You'll teach them to yourself as well. Your kids will actually teach them to you. They will learn them much faster than you can. Believe me, it is cool to sing without using the hymnal. I've been trying to learn the hymns we sing--glancing at the words, then trying to remember as I look up. I miss words, or sometimes make them up. The ceiling hasn't fallen in and I haven't been struck by lightening. So, go for it.

I don't know what it is about singing that builds faith. But it does. As we age and find ourselves losing most of what we thought made us worthwhile, we seem to hang onto the songs the longest. Try to preach in a nursing home and you may or may not make any sense or get any connection. Sing an old hymn, badly or well, and you will immediately find voices joined with yours.

All kind of music is out there...use it. Learn what you like and what you don't like. (Usually, what we don't like is what we don't know...you may find you like it better when you know it.) Google the old hymns and learn the stories behind them. Many from the reformation were set to pub music...drinking songs with church words...go figure.

I always thought you had to be a really good singer to sing...to lead singing...to teach singing. Then I heard John Bell. He's a great musician. He's written great songs. But he is not a great singer. He would get three X's from the judges for sure. But he sings with passion and he teaches a phrase at a time and he draws me into the community that sings praises...or laments...or drinking songs...

It doesn't get much easier than that...except maybe for tomorrow's. Tune in.

Resolved: TALK...

Forget the workouts and the diets. How about some fun New Year's resolutions?

NPR did a story on preparing children for literacy last week. Librarians are providing space for parents and children to TALK, SING, READ, WRITE, and PLAY. That seems way more fun to me than diet and workout resolutions. So for the next five days...some connections between these five practices and the nurture of faith literacy.

Today...TALK.

This is super simple for little ones. Talk about your faith. More importantly, ask about theirs. Listen. Ask questions. Don't feel like you need to correct them. Let them practice articulating their spiritual experiences. It also challenges us to articulate ours...because they are likely to mimic the practice and ask us questions right back. (Don't panic...answers are far less important than talking together. Saying "I don't know" is perfectly fine...they'll probably teach you the answer.) Some good starter questions might include:

• Did you see God at work today? when? where? how?
• Did you do some work for God today? when? where? how?
• Did you learn anything about God today?  (same follow ups...)
• Insert your question here...the really fun thing about little ones is they don't think this is weird at all...Enjoy it. Your kids will think you weird soon enough. 

Bring God into other conversation, especially with little ones who have not yet mastered the eye roll. We love the little toes that God made. We see the dogs/cats/squirrels that God made and watch how creation works together. We help each other because God helps us....possibilities are simply endless. Even washing dishes or cleaning house provides examples of God's blessing or creation to talk about. 

If you establish this pattern when children are young and faith/God/practice conversations are common, it is easy to transition as your kids get older. My youngest was asked to write "What I did at Thanksgiving" at some point in her middle school years and her essay ended with, "and then we talked about God...because we always talk about God." Her teacher thought she made it up. "No one does that," the teacher insisted. 

Eye roll.  "We do," says my child.

If you haven't established the practice, don't give up before you start. Just begin with you, not them. 

• "I really felt the presence of God during ___ in worship today. It surprised me."
• "I saw homeless people eating out of trashcans today. I wondered what God thinks of us that we live like this."
• "God seems pretty distant to me this week. I wish God was more easily accessible sometimes."

They may not respond at first. Remember, these are invitations to conversation. Mealtimes are good. Car drives are great. (There's something about you keeping your eyes on the road that encourages conversation.) Seeing something as you drive that starts the God conversation works well. (It also keeps God's work and ways in our heads as we carpool. When's the last time that happened?!) Connecting their complaints/joys to their faith journey in brief ways is also good. Make a comparison with a Bible story, or ask how God might expect us to behave and the challenges that brings.

And know this. The lack of a verbal response doesn't mean they are not thinking about what you said. They are. Even if they are thinking that is the stupidest thing you ever said, they suddenly find themselves considering God's role in their immediate world...and that's the point, right?

TALK...remember you don't have to have answers. You only have to talk and listen to them talk. If there's an unanswered question, explore it with others. Make it a game. "You ask your friends, I'll ask mine...meet you back here next week at this time." Encourage them to ask a pastor. I would be ecstatic to get a call or visit from a family struggling to articulate faith. Sometimes we can help...sometimes we are inarticulate together. Always the conversations strengthen us.

Talk...talk...talk. Avoid one thing. Judgment. It's easy to fall into discussing how God wouldn't like this or that, how we are better than those or them, how others should change or improve. Recognize God at work transforming, reconciling, drawing the world to God. Be challenged to find our call in that transformative and redemptive work. But leave the judgment to God. 

There's a great old spiritual titled "Who Will Be a Witness For My Lord?" We won't SING it...that's tomorrow's post. Being a witness is not the five point plan or some other annoying approach to the stranger behind the doorbell. It is, simply, talk. And, though we've talked about kids...this works for adults as well. It's a really cheap app that you don't even need a smart phone for. 

Go for it.