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books, Children, Faith, Gospel, Justice, Kingdom of God, Liturgical Year, Parenting, Uncategorized

Advent Devotionals You Can Start Today

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Did the first day of Advent sneak up on anyone else? Anytime Advent begins just a few days after Thanksgiving I always feel a little behind the ball!

Thankfully there are lots of wonderful authors and creators who *have* been preparing for Advent, and so there are many reflective essays, devotionals, activities, and discussions questions ready for you to download and begin today.

PLEASE NOTE: I did NOT scour the entire Internet for available Advent devotionals, nor did I read through and endorse every word of all of the resources listed. This is simply a compilation of the resources that have come across my radar in the past few weeks either through email or social media from authors and creators that I follow. Not every resource will be relevant or appealing to every person, some of it may not be a good match for your theology (not all of the resources below completely align with mine, TBH), and that’s okay. But if you are looking for an Advent resource, hopefully you will find something that you like. Also, feel free to add your favorites in the comments below!

FOR ADULTS

Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider
“Drawing from liturgical tradition, Tsh provides fresh insights for new and longtime believers alike. Each day includes Scripture, a reflection, a question, and a simple activity to engage the senses, such as lighting candles, listening to music, and viewing artwork both old and new.”
https://bookshop.org/books/shadow-and-light-a-journey-into-advent/9780736980609

Waiting, Accepting, Journeying, Birthing by Sarah Bessey
In Sarah’s own words: “Guided by the Carmelite themes of Waiting, Accepting, Journeying, and Birthing, this devotional offers readers new prayers, scripture, original essays by yours truly, and reflection questions for each Sunday of Advent as we journey towards Christmas….This isn’t a typical devotional designed to make you feel more calm in five minutes or less. Some of these essays grapple with big themes and ask you to lean into difficult conversations. I’m sorry and you’re welcome. Listen, if you can’t talk about patriarchy and white supremacy and liberation at Christmas, when can you? I ask you.”
https://www.sarahbessey.com/shop

Prophesy Hope! An Advent Reflection of Hope, Peace, Love and Freedom by Dante Stewart
“In this season of Advent, in the midst of chaos and confusion, the reader is invited on a journey inside the black American tradition. This tradition offers a rich legacy of faith that—like the crucifixion itself—exists at the intersection of chaos and pain and love. America needs this tradition. Not because it feels good or sounds good, but because they are still here, and they refuse to be silenced. In Prophesy Hope! Stewart leads readers on a 25-day journey through this tradition as they reflect deeply on God’s love and the meaning of Advent. These powerful devotionals invite us to see beyond despair into the hope of a new day. These caged birds are still singing; giving voice to love, peace, and freedom; and still prophesying hope.” https://www.dantecstewart.com/advent-devotional

The Season of Almost by Kate Bowler
Nobody articulates the beauty and pain that is being human better than Kate Bowler, and so that makes her an excellent guide on a journey through the longing and waiting of the Advent season. From the author: “My hope and prayer is that this Advent devotional will be a way for you to make the very act of waiting, holy. And as we anticipate Christ’s birth together, may we experience the stubborn hope of Christmas, joy in the midst of sorrow, a love that knows no bounds, and a transcendent peace amid a world on fire.” https://katebowler.com/advent/

Preparing a Way: Advent Through the Gospels by John Ruehl
“This 4-day (once-a-week) devotional reflects on passages from each of the 4 gospels in preparation for Christmas.” This free devotional can be accessed through Our Bible App, which is a progressive, inclusive faith community. The iOS version of the app needs an update to work properly, which they’ve said should be coming this week, so in the meantime you can read Week 1 at the link below.
https://www.ourbibleapp.com/new-blog/john-ruehl

Starry Black Night: A Womanist Advent Devotional
This is an online Advent devotional by Unbound, an interactive journal on Christian social justice that includes Sunday and midweek reflections. It is written entirely by Black women. https://justiceunbound.org/starryblacknight/

There Will Be Signs: An Advent Astrology Devotional by Chaplain Sarah Knoll and Reverend Lindsey Turner
I love the idea of doing the very same thing the people in the Biblical story were doing as they waited and watched for signs of the Messiah—looking to the sky.
“A 28-day devotional with four at-home candle liturgies for each Sunday in Advent, There Will Be Signs pulls from the Bible, extra-canonical texts, Saint Days, and the sun, moon, and planetary cycles of late November into December. Each day includes a scriptural reference, an astrological transit, a poignant reflection, and a journal prompt. We have also created a Spotify playlist to accompany each day of Advent!”
https://badpastor.me/store/p/there-will-be-signs-an-advent-astrology-devotional-digital-download

Anticipating the Birth of Jesus: An Advent Devotional on Immigration by Rondell Trevino
“Immigration is often a forgotten theme during the Christmas season. However, shortly after the anticipation of Jesus’ miraculous birth, His family flees for safety as Migrants to another land. Therefore, Jesus’ birth and the theme of Immigration are more closely related than we might think during the Christmas season. In ‘Anticipating The Birth of Jesus: An Advent Devotional on Immigration’, we explore this and what the Bible says about immigration in a 25-day devotional from December 1st through December 25th.” You can read this resource on Kindle Unlimited (click the photo) or purchase a copy directly from the Immigration Coalition through the link below: https://theimmigrationcoalition.com/adventbook/

FOR FAMILIES

To Light Their Way: Finding Simple Wonder & Joy in Advent by Kayla Craig
A free Advent guide that Kayla made to complement her beautiful new book, To Light Their Way. In Kayla’s words: “I pray that “To Light Their Way: Finding Simple Wonder & Joy in Advent” guides you to the glittering hope in Christ alone. Each week includes snippets of more comprehensive prayers from To Light Their Way, along with a simple conversation/journal prompt, one tangible practice, & a breath prayer from a Psalm. Each week fits on one page and should hopefully add peace to your season — not add stress to your to-do list!”https://kaylacraig.substack.com/p/your-free-advent-download-is-ready?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cta

An Illustrated Advent for Families: God With Us by Illustrated Ministry
Illustrated Ministry is one of my favorite inclusive resources to use with children.
This digital download includes family devotions, coloring pages, and an advent calendar. (Choose the “personal use” pricing option if you are using this with your family.)
“The stories of Advent are stories for hard times. Jesus was born amid upheaval and historical change and among people who seemed powerless. But when the world feels hopeless, Advent reminds us God is with us: In chaos, God is with us. In suffering, God is with us. In uncertainty, God is with us. In whatever our family endures, God is with us.” https://store.illustratedministry.com/products/an-illustrated-advent-for-families-god-with-us?variant=39431416905826

Ministry
If your children are like mine and balk at sitting down with a traditional written devotional, these videos might be a good alternative. They are cute and funny and ask thoughtful questions about the meaning and practices of Advent and Christmas. You can stream them online with a free account from Redeem TV. (They also have a Roku app.) https://watch.redeemtv.com/whirl-ada-and-leo-s-inspired-christmas-adventures

Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Kit
If you have a Jesus Storybook Bible at home this family Advent resource is made just for you! This free download includes 24 printable Christmas ornaments, a reading plan for each day of December, a Christmas soundtrack, coloring pages, and printable memory cards. https://www.sallylloyd-jones.com/2021-advent/

Little Way Chapel Advent Bundle
“Little Way Advent is a 68-page guide for your family’s Advent journey. It is both a calendar and guidebook, featuring one practice per day to prepare your heart and home for the birth of Christ. The calendar is formatted as strips of paper that can be cut out and either placed inside the doors or pockets of a traditional Advent calendar, or made into a count down paper chain.”
https://www.littlewaychapel.com/printables/littleway-holiday-bundle

Faithful Families for Advent and Christmas by Traci Smith
“100 easy, fun, and meaningful ideas for bringing the sacred back into the season. (It’s) divided into three sections of prayers, practices, and lessons.” You can download it on Kindle through the link below or see if your library has a copy through Overdrive (Libby) or Hoopla.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08DG8PQW9/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1638107309&sr=8-3

Are you going to use any of these Advent resources this season? What are your favorite Advent devotionals to use for yourself or with your family?

church, Faith, Kingdom of God, Vulnerability

A Church Called Revolution (Part 4 of 4)

playwithyourfaith
A grayscale photo of a young girl sitting on a wooden chair in the balcony of a church, peering over the edge to watch the Easter worship service below. The church has stained glass windows and wooden pews.
Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018

For everyone who has been a part of the Revolution community, whether it was for a few months or for decades, I am so very grateful for you.

I have been thinking a lot this week about all the people who had already planted and shaped Revolution before my family ever arrived, some of whose names I know but I’ve never met.

And I’ve been thinking a lot about Westport United Methodist Church, out of and into whom Revolution was born. The many contributions by its generations of members remind me that the story of this faith community lives on.

All of us, across nearly two centuries, in our own imperfect, flawed ways, did our best to show up for our community, to seek God in all the places that God can be found, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Nobody could have asked more than that.

I hope that wherever your path leads you next, you find people and places and rhythms that bring you healing, help you love your neighbor, spark your creative imagination, and provide you with deep, soul-restoring rest.

I hope you know that I am cheering you on and rooting for you to be able to bring the best of Revolution—the people and inclusivity and curiosity—forward with you. I hope that the hard parts of Revolution’s journey help you to grow in empathy and strengthen your ability to advocate for yourself and others.

I hope that we see each other soon and often. But even if we don’t, I hope you know I’ll always be happy to reconnect with you, even if it’s been months or years. I’ll never think it’s weird or that it’s been too long. I want to hear about your new church, your new job, and the new book you are reading. I would be equally honored to be trusted with your prayer requests and to be trusted with your questions and doubts.

I hope that you know that you are made in the Image of God, and that you are enough, just as you are. More than anything I hope that you know that you are so very, very loved.

church, Faith, Kingdom of God, Vulnerability

A Church Called Revolution (Part 3 of 4)

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A portion of a stained glass window featuring a yellow, orange, and pink torch on top of a pink circle with blue dots. The window also features blue, green, and yellow blocks and a thin red rectangular border.
A Stained Glass Window in the historic building of Revolution Church (Westport UMC) in Kansas City, MO

The fact that something ends (a church, a relationship, a business, a life) is never an indication that what once existed wasn’t beautiful and valuable.

Like my husband acknowledged in his prayer yesterday, we know that due to our collective humanity it’s not possible for a church community to always be at its best. As in every community, there were mistakes and harm, misunderstandings and disappointments, and plenty of pride and short-sightedness to go around. But in those moments when Revolution *was* at its best we cultivated a lot that was life-giving, authentic, and good.

We fed hungry people and invited them into community with us. We gave families in need clean diapers and clothing for their children. We danced and bowled and ate and drank to raise money to meet needs in our city and around the world. We served communion at Pride booths and hosted wedding showers for 🏳️‍🌈 friends.

We delivered meals, visited hospital rooms, attended funerals, and mourned losses of all kinds. We celebrated milestone birthdays, weddings, births, adoptions, transitions, and all varieties of new adventures. We gathered for book discussions, game nights, play dates, chili suppers, fish fries, pancake dinners, Easter egg hunts, and fall festivals. We invited children to wonder about God and the Bible with their full imaginations and all of their questions.

We met together to study the Bible, explore what it means to love God and love our neighbors. We learned from, and learned alongside, others who had life experiences and viewpoints that were vastly different from our own as we talked about our hopes, passions, questions, and doubts.

We valued the holy words that are “I don’t think I believe this” and “I don’t know.”

It was beautiful and life-giving and always, always hard.

There was never an abundance of money or staff. Having a small congregation meant the same people were tapped to do the work again and again and again. Our values and priorities sometimes conflicted with our denomination and the results were usually messy and painful.

It wasn’t hard because we were doing it wrong. It was hard because it was hard

church, Faith, Kingdom of God, Vulnerability

A Church Called Revolution (Part 2 of 4)

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Revolution is far from the only congregation that has closed its doors in recent years. Church attendance in the U.S. continues to decline and, rightly, that has spurred on a lot of soul searching about what it all means.

I’ve heard a lot of thoughtful, nuanced, discussions on this topic. Conversations that take seriously the very real harm that religious institutions have caused for centuries. Conversations that honor the journeys of people who are connecting with God in alternative and beautiful ways outside of religious services. I’ve also heard a lot of pretty bad takes.

The point of view that probably upsets me the most, however, is when I hear religious leaders talk about how people just don’t care about spiritual things anymore, about how churches are closing or shrinking because people have become too self-centered, too busy, and too apathetic. That’s never been my experience at any church I’ve been a part of. It was certainly never my experience at Revolution.

I’ve never seen a group of people work harder to build and sustain a faith community than I did at Revolution. I’ve never seen a group of people fight harder to keep alive a vision of what a church could be , even when the odds were stacked against it, than I did at Revolution.

The Revolution community made the difficult decision to close its doors permanently for a lot of complicated reasons, and a few very simple ones, but it was never for a lack of effort, commitment, sincerity, or faith.

Sustaining a small community of millennials and gen x-ers in a historical church in need of big, expensive repairs, in a denomination that was often as inscrutable to our congregation as we were to it, was always going to be an uphill battle. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth the climb

church, Faith, Kingdom of God, Vulnerability

A Church Called Revolution (Part 1 of 4)

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A photo of a wall of rectangular stained glass windows. They are primarily pink, blue, yellow, green, orange, and red.
Stained glass windows in Revolution Church (Westport UMC) in Kansas City, MO

I was annoyed when Scott answered the ad on Craigslist for a part-time worship leader position at a church in midtown Kansas City. I swear it had only been 5 minutes since his last ministry job had ended (somewhat poorly) and didn’t he just want to take a break from working at a church for a little while?

Also, I was already on staff at another church in midtown that I truly loved, and couldn’t we maybe just go to ONE church at a time for a while?

Apparently, we could not.

Scott started working at Revolution United Methodist Church on Palm Sunday of 2010. A few years later I joined him on staff because, despite myself, I’d fallen in love with this quirky, maybe-too-laid-back, inclusive, justice-oriented faith community.

I was won over by this beautiful little church filled with people who didn’t quite know how to church, didn’t really trust churches (for lots of good reasons), but still thought maybe a church where you could practice loving God and loving your neighbor as your full, complicated, beautiful self, was worth the risk.

Today, 11 years and 2 weeks after Scott’s first Sunday at Revolution, the church held its final service and closed its doors.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been a part of a church that has closed, but it’s pretty awful. Watching a church community that you love suffer repeated traumas, and then finally close, is filled with very real grief and pain. Grief for a beloved community that will never meet in this place, in this way, again. Grief for dreams that were unrealized or cut short.

Yes, the Church is universal. Yes, the God of Love is never contained in one building or community or time.And yet the loss is real, and the grief endures.

Because we can’t actually experience the Church universally. We can’t actually experience Love throughout time and space. As humans we can only experience these things in particular places at particular times. I am forever thankful that one of those places that I experienced love, and grace, and community was at a church called Revolution.

Book Review, books, Recommendations, Vulnerability

Book Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Becoming by Michelle Obama will likely be one of my favorite books of 2019. I will readily confess that I was already a big Michelle Obama fan, but this memoir made me appreciate her strength, resolve, kindness, and intelligence even more.

The first two sections of this memoir are beautifully written. The stories of her childhood, friendships, education, career, early relationship with Barack, and journey into marriage and parenthood pulled me along in the same way that my favorite novels submerses me in the characters and places that are described.

I instantly cared deeply about not just Michelle, but also about her family, friends, and community as well. No one was presented as a saint, but nearly every person was depicted in a grace-filled, multifaceted way that made me feel like I knew, or at least knew people that were like, these people I’ve never met.

Michelle Obama owns her story, doesn’t shy away from her own strengths and giftings, but consistently and gracefully gives others credit where credit is due. Her writing is smart, funny, and reflective. I smiled and cheered her on, but also teared up at her deep losses along the way.

The farther into Becoming that I read, however, the more my reading pace began to slow. This memoir is well-written, compelling, and enjoyable to read, and yet I found myself taking my time to read in a way that is unusual for me. Normally a book of this size, that holds my interest (which this did), would take me just a few days to finish, but I read this book slowly, portioning it out in small doses over several weeks.

I didn’t rush through this book, mostly, I think, because I was savoring it, but partly because the closer her story came to catching up with present day the more emotional the experience felt.

In the final section of the book, her recounting of the presidential campaign and life in the White House, I thoroughly delighted in her stories of meeting world leaders like Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela, and soaked in her descriptions (both positive and negative) of what it was like to actually live in the White House. It was her personal recounting of the large and small stories that flowed through the news cycle of the past decade that brought my personal emotions rushing to the forefront, however. She and I had much different access and vantage points to these events (for starters, zero percent of these news stories were about me or my family), but I still had my own deeply personal emotions and memories attached to each, and they frequently came rushing to the surface in ways that I hadn’t expected when I first began reading this memoir.

I’ve read other reviews that said they felt Michelle became significantly more guarded in the final section of the book, where she writes about her life in the midst of the presidential campaigns and in the White House than in the earlier two sections. I agree with this assessment, but I don’t blame her. I wonder if she received the same advice that I often have, to only write (or speak) from your scars, not from your open wounds. There are certainly places where I think speaking completely candidly from your current wounds IS called for, but a sure-to-be best-selling memoir probably isn’t one of them.

I know I had to give myself a reality check often through the final chapters of Becoming, reminding myself that the events she is describing just happened in the past few years, even though they seem like a lifetime ago. Of course, I have no idea what on-going points of pain from the past few years Michelle Obama might be reckoning with, but I know she’s not the only one whose wounds from the trauma of current events don’t yet feel anything like scars.

Maybe down the road she’ll write another memoir with more details and unguarded opinions and personal reflections about her time in the White House and transitioning to life afterward. I would happily read it. For now, I’m happy to watch for glances of her in the media as she works to make a positive difference in our country and in our world, “going high” while it seems like so many others are continually finding new and horrifyingly inventive ways to “go low.”

Her final few paragraphs of this book are a gem: honest, hopeful, and encouraging–a sermon I didn’t know I desperately needed. I am so thankful for strong women like Michelle Obama, and so grateful for this beautiful book.

books, Children, Children's Ministry, Faith, Justice, Parenting, Play, Recommendations

8 beautiful children’s books that promote inclusivity, diversity, and love during Pride month and beyond

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I love a themed library haul, especially for children’s books. I’ve learned through trial-and-error how and when to place holds for books at the library so that I can bring home a stack of my favorite holiday and seasonal books at the right time, because there’s just something so fun and celebratory about coming home with a stack of on-theme books to read with the kids.

Knowing that, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that our library haul this June was decidedly rainbow colored. All month long , both at home and in our children’s Sunday School classes, the kids and I have re-read old favorites and discovered new books we love that celebrate the many beautiful ways we are each uniquely made and in community with one another.

Even though today is the last day of June, marking the end of the official Pride month, I still wanted to share this list of our favorite books we’ve read this month, because, of course, reading inclusive and celebratory children’s books is important all year long.

Below are some of our family’s favorite books that explore LGBTQIA+ history, promote inclusivity, highlight diversity, and celebrate loving families in all their forms.

Thankfully the selection of inclusive children’s literature continues to grow, and so this list is far from exhaustive. In fact through some of my favorite social media follows and blog posts, I’ve discovered several books just in the past few weeks that I can’t wait to check out.

The books below my children and I have read and enjoyed, so I am excited to recommend them to you! Do you have favorites that are missing from this list? Please share them with us in the comments below.

A Church For All by Gayle E. Pitman

Cover of the book A Family is a Family

A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary

Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah and Ian Hoffman

Jerome by Heart by Thomas Scotto

(This book is about the deep love of childhood friendship. The two young boys in this book have a friendship that is simple, joyful, and beyond labeling.)

Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman

Spoiler alert: Every color is for boys (and for girls)!

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders

Sewing the Rainbow Flag: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag by Gayle E. Pitman

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman

Uncategorized

Colorful Weekly Planning Printables

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I love paper planners. (I love digital organization tools, too, but that’s a conversation for another post.) I love trying different brands and layouts, and I’m always on the lookout for the format that works best for my personality and needs. There’s just something about writing my tasks, goals, and schedule on paper that really does help me to visualize them in a way that makes them feel like I can manage them, and more importantly, accomplish them.

I guess the secret is out now.

In my quest to find that perfect-for-me paper planner, however, I’ve learned that sometimes DIY is a great solution. Personally, I need something with a little more visual structure than the blank page of a Bullet Journal, however. What seems to work best for me is a simple printed weekly planning grid. There are many to be found online, but through the magic of Canva, I was quickly and easily able to create one of my own that easily offered me the simple structure that I need + happy rainbow colors that I almost always want.

Having an easily-accessible weekly printable is great for those times when I’m in between paper planners or when I’m just not in the mood to commit to a particular one. In those times this colorful, pre-labled, grid-style planning page helps me to organize my week quickly and it’s nice to be able to just toss the papers in the recycle bin when I’m finished with them–clutter-free paper planning!

But sometimes even my own, pre-selected labels is more structure than I need. Frequently, even when I’m currently using a paper planner I adore, I find myself wanting something that feels a little less “permanent” than a store-bought planner to help me organize my thoughts.

I often reach for the unlabeled version of my weekly printable when I’m thinking through a new way to organize my day (such as block scheduling or the Pomodoro method), or when I’m revising my weekly rhythm for staying on top of cleaning or decluttering. Sometimes I just want a place to do some pre-planning because my week ahead is a little more complicated as usual. It offers me the weekly, vertical grid structure that is a great fit for my planning personality, but the unlabeled sections allow me to personalize each row as needed–from rooms in my house to times in my day!

If any of these scenarios seem relatable to you, I am happy to share both the labeled and the unlabeled versions of these colorful weekly planning printables that I’ve created. You can download the PDF files from Google Drive here:

Labeled Colorful Weekly Planning Printable

Unlabled Colorful Weekly Planning Printable

I’d love to hear how you are using these planning printables, especially if you find creative and helpful ways to use the unlabeled version. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram and let me know how you are putting these to use and what other planning printables you love!

Please use these printables for personal use only. Do not sell or alter them in any way. I’m happy for you to share any of my free printables with others, as long as you do so by linking back to this post. Thank you!

Children, Parenting, Play, To Do Lists

“But, Mo-om, I don’t know what to do!”

playwithyourfaith

It’s been the winter of never-ending snow days here in Kansas City. We’ve hardly had any snow for the past several winters and Mother Nature is trying to make up for all of that right now.  Between regularly scheduled days off from school and unexpected snow days, I don’t even remember the last time my children had a full week of school. November?

We’re all in survival mode right now, so the screen time flows abundantly around this house, but I do make my children alternate between “screens” and “not screens” at regular intervals throughout the day. 

Somehow my children always know exactly what they want to play with during screen time, but when it comes to “not screens,” my smart and creative six-year-old suddenly acts like he’s never played with another toy in his entire life.

“But, Mo-om, I don’t know what to do!” 

My most frequent response? “Well then be bored.”  Boredom is great for kids, as it turns out, so I still maintain that this response is totally legit. But, at least in my house, this phrase doesn’t quickly inspire my children to the kind of independent play that allows me to return to my own work (or much-needed alone time, depending on how many snow days we’ve had in a row). Verbally listing off options has the same (non) effect.

But a few months ago I made these “activity option cards” and they are somehow the magic tools to remind my children how to play.  If I tell them “play with your cars” I frequently get back arguments of “I don’t feel like it” or just grumpy stares. But if the CARDS suggest they play with their cars, suddenly it’s a good idea.

IMG_4176

 

A hastily written list also worked pretty well for my six-year-old, but since I also have a preschool daughter who can’t read, these picture cards allow her to use them, too. Plus the visual and reusable nature of these cards appeal to both of my children, and to me.

Obviously, the cards I made are very specific to the ages of my children (3 and 6), and their particular interests and toys. My very literal preschooler does best when the photos are of the *exact* toys that we have. Older children may do better with more “symbolic” photos. Still, I am happy to share the document I made in case you are able to easily print and use some of them, or maybe they just inspire you to make your own version! 

DOWNLOAD THE ACTIVITY CARD PDF FILE HERE!

kids activity photo

Once you print the cards you can just keep them in an envelope (we move ours from the green to the blue envelope when the activity has been completed), hole punch them and keep them on a binder ring, or even put them in photo pages for easy viewing.

Depending on your child’s personality, you could use the cards in a variety of ways:

  1. Let the child pick out 4 or 5 cards at the beginning of the day to act as a checklist. Once they complete an activity, move it to the back of the pile or into a separate envelope. Repeat until all the cards have been completed. Repeat if necessary.
  2. Choose one at a time. Whenever it’s time for a new activity have the child pick a new idea card from the stack.
  3. Limit options by having an adult pick two or three cards and then letting the child pick from just those activities.
  4. If your child likes surprises and spontaneity, or has a hard time with choices, make it into a game and have them blindly choose a card from the stack. Whatever the card says goes! (Maybe consider giving them one or two opportunities to “pass” if something just really doesn’t appeal.)
  5. Use the cards to earn screen time! Set the number of activities a child needs to do (be sure and set a minimum time for each, too) and then have your child turn in the completed cards in exchange for a screen time allotment.

You know your child’s personality (and your own) the best! Do whatever works best for your family. Whether you are trying to survive snow days, sick days, or just the weekend, I wish you the best of luck, friends! 

katniss

Children's Ministry, Faith, Holiday, Liturgical Year

Lent & Easter Paper Countdown Chain

playwithyourfaith

The season of Lent official started on Ash Wednesday, two days ago.  Lent is a season where we prepare our hearts and our minds to enter into the wonderful Mystery of Easter. It’s a reflective season that often includes taking on or giving up certain practices to help us focus on our faith and relationship with God. It’s an important season, but it’s also one that can get easily get swallowed up by an early jump into Easter. With a little intentionality, however, it can be a meaningful experience for families to walk through together

But if you’re like me, these opportunities for intentionality *always* sneak up on you. It isn’t that you didn’t know the beginng of Lent was around the corner. It’s just that work and school and laundry and someone always being sick because it’s winter ALSO happened, and all of your good plans to pull together a family practice slipped away in the craziness of your ordinary life and, well, now Lent is here and you never actually got anything prepared.  And now it feels like it’s too late.

It’s not too late.

No, seriously, hear me: IT’S NOT TOO LATE!

I’m preaching to myself as much as anyone, because I struggle with this, too. I LOVE a fresh start from what feels like a natural (or an actual) beginning, but my goal for this year is to not let perfection be the enemy of the good. My choices are not do something perfectly or to not do it at all.

That means you CAN start your Advent readings on December 4th. You CAN create charitable giving goals in February (or March, or July!). You CAN start regularly attending church, or the gym, or that community action group in April, even though you meant to start going on January 1. And you can DEFINITELY create a Lent & Easter countdown chain on the 3rd day or 2nd week of Lent (or on Good Friday!) and it’s all good.

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Having a visual way for your family to journey through the season of Lent together can be extremely helpful for kids. The start date for Lent varies widely and other, more commercially notable holidays like Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day, often fall in the middle of it, making the season a little extra confusing for kids.

And because Lent itself has largely NOT been commercially co-opted (which is a good thing!) it also means that Lenten visuals are sometimes hard to come by. You probably aren’t going to find Lenten banners or window decorations at your local Target.

So a Lenten calendar (like this one or any of these!) or a paper countdown chain are easy ways to help mark the time of the connected Lent and Easter seasons.

Did I mention easy?  You probably have most of these materials at your house right now. Basically all you need is paper and glue (or tape or staples work great/even better, too). 

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I created this paper chain for church using the supplies we had on hand in the craft supply closet. Yours can be fancier or simpler than mine.

The season of Lent is 40 days long lasting from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday (Lent does not include Sundays in the counting of the 40 days. Obviously my chain does not have 40 links, but yours certainly can. I went for a quicker route and while some links represent specific holy days, most just represent a WEEK of the season.

Here’s how mine is constructed:

  • Black link– Ash Wednesday
  • 6 purple links–the 6 weeks of Lent (the traditional color for the season of Lent is purple)
  • Black link–Good Friday (or Holy Week as a whole)
  • 7 white links–the 7 weeks of the season of Easter
  • Red Link-Pentecost Sunday

If you wanted to make a link for each chain you would need:

  • Black link– Ash Wednesday
  • 38 purple links–the days in Lent (could intersperse white links if you wanted to mark Sundays)
  • 2 Black links-Good Friday and Holy Saturday
  • 49 white links–the days in the season of Easter
  • Red Link-Pentecost Sunday, the end and 50th day of Eastertide

The dove at the top is just my fancy chain holder and decoration. You could make yours a cross, a flower, a hand-lettered sign, or nothing at all.

I added a loop of string so I could easily hang the countdown chain.

That’s it! To visualize your journey through the seasons, simply tear off a link as each day/week passes or take a clothespin and move it to each link.

Want your countdown chain to help you or your family participate in Lent & Easter faith practices? Consider writing on each link (before you glue the chain together!) and then reading it as you remove each link.

Your links could contain:

  • names of people, please or topics to pray for
  • random acts of kindness to participate in
  • Scripture passages or Bible stories to read together (like this one that uses the Jesus Storybook Bible)
  • a small area of your house to declutter (with the intention to donate excess to charity!)
  • a friend or family member to surprise with a note in the mail (or young kids could draw a picture)

But again, keep it simple. Something is better than nothing. You could always decide on the person to pray for each day and write his or her name on the link AFTER you remove it from the chain. (Or do the same with acts of kindness!) Keep the removed links in a jar or plastic bag and look back over them at the end of the season.

If you make a Lent and Easter countdown chain send me a pic! I’d love to add photos of additional examples to the end of this post!

(Want to do a family faith practice for Lent or Easter but this one just doesn’t appeal to you? Stay tuned. More ideas to come!)