children
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Talking with a nine-year old about God
I enjoying hearing what children think and feel about religion. Or, to be more specific, I like to think of questions to ask children about religion, and I like to talk with them about their answers. I was in academia… Continue reading
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Children, prayer, and song
Today marks the second day of summer break for my kids, and so for two months they will be much more a part of my daily work- and prayer-life. Yesterday, I met a few parishioners at a coffee shop to… Continue reading
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What do you pass down?
My parish is currently in the process of hiring a new Children’s Education Director. Hiring someone isn’t simply about just finding the right person for the job. It’s also about refining what the job actually entails. In part, this work… Continue reading
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Watching the weather
During the winter, my kids and I watched the snow fall. Now, we watch the rain. What do you think about when you look outside? What comes to your mind unbidden? What do you purposefully look for? What do you… Continue reading
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The Family and Passing on Tradition
A group in my parish is currently working and praying through the Community of Hope International program, and this week we looked at family systems. Technically, family systems is a lens by which a person looks at the assumptions, practices,… Continue reading
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The Psalms, anxiety, and spiritual enemies
I’ve never been that good with keeping to Morning Prayer every morning, but I’d like to be. Getting my children ready for school most mornings, however, doesn’t usually lead to a stable schedule of daily prayer. And so, like most… Continue reading
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Giving voice to every creature under heaven
Children live in an enchanted world. I don’t mean this in a sentimental way, though. I don’t mean that children live as if magic were real and that everything shimmers and shines with unicorns and fairies. Children can be realists,… Continue reading
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Sitting in silence with my daughters
Most of my backyard is a steep hill. Outside the back door, there is a short, flat space of maybe twenty or thirty feet, then the land climbs suddenly at a sharp angle. The hillside is covered in trees with… Continue reading
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Creating a literary journal
I’m going to use this week’s post to advertise a project I’ve been working on. Part of me wants to apologize, but I think this project is really cool and I really want to share it with as many people… Continue reading
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Holding as prayer
Just before my first daughter was born, a friend gave me a small book called “Holding your baby.” It was a book of prayer and devotions to be read by a parent in the first days of their lives. It… Continue reading
Incense and Crayons 