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Hi Friends,
Happy Easter!
I I thought I would try a little something different for this Director's update. This Spring I’ve been working through a few of the books on my work TBR (to be read) list and I wanted to share with you what I’ve been reading and some of my thoughts. Here’s what I’m reading or have just finished reading recently.
How We Learn to be Brave by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
I listened to this one on audiobook through my local library. I really loved this book. Bishop Budde goes through various decisions that we face in life and how each one can be a way that we learn to be brave. She uses a range of examples of literary characters, people of faith, and her own personal experiences. This was both a challenging and encouraging book for me and I highly recommend reading or listening to it!
Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn’t Have to Heal From by Meredith Miller
I am only a few chapters into this book but I already love it. If you have read Sticky Faith or Almost Christian this book takes some of the same research and Miller’s personal experiences and further research to share a framework for parents on how to weave faith into their family life. Miller’s argument that our faith is more like a web than a wall made so much sense to me and I also love that she does not believe there is a one-size-fits-all framework to family faith life. This book would be a great one for a parent study group!
All Ages Becoming: Intergenerational Practice in the Formation of God's People
edited by Valerie M. Grissom
If you have been thinking, “I want to do more intergenerational formation at my church, but I don’t know where to start or how to get folks on board” then this is the book for you! Each chapter is written by a different author and there are four sections: foundations, reimagining, implementing, and stories. This book is both a guide for ways to do intergenerational ministry and also a framework for why it is valuable and how to talk about it. If you don't have time to read the whole thing right now, I highly recommend starting with chapter 4.
I hope this list was helpful for you! I plan to keep sharing 1-3 things I’m reading or listening to in each quarterly newsletter.
Just one more thing before we dive into summer resources. As you start or continue to plan your summer, I want to give you permission to experiment. If you have been thinking about trying something new, summer is a great time to do this! Folks are already somewhat out of their routines, and it is a designated amount of time, so you can say you’re going to try something for the summer and folks might be more willing to try a new thing if they know it is not forever. What is one gathering or formation thing you’ve been wanting to try? A parent book or podcast study? A family game night? An intergenerational Sunday school lesson? A new youth gathering? Try it and see how it goes! Make sure to ask for feedback so that you can continue to build on the things that work.
As always, I am available via email, text, phone call, zoom, or in-person meeting. I love hearing from you all and hearing how Christian Formation is going in your contexts!
God's Peace,
Suzanna
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