Families are formed in many ways, and no doubt your church has done and is continually doing many things to be supportive of the families in your church, regardless of their configuration. (And we all know there are MANY ways a family can look in today's world.) Parenting classes are often offered in many congregations, and family ministries councils are frequently charged with coming up with great ways to connect families and offer them opportunities for fellowship, service, and education. But what about those individuals or couples who do not yet have children but who are considering or pursuing adoption or foster care? Have you considered how their needs and interests may be different from those families that already have children?

Two couples go out to dinner together. At the end of the evening, each person gives an account of the evening. Not surprisingly, although there are similarities between the accounts, each story is different. Details and conversations that are prominent in one person’s retelling may be completely absent or just a minor mention in another’s version. (For those of you who were fans of the TV show "thirtysomething", this storyline was used in one of the episodes during the first season.) Point of view affects the interpretation and memory of events. No two people have exactly the same point of view. Hearing the same story told from different perspectives can help give a more complete understanding of what happened. This process can be used with Bible stories both as a way to gain new insights and as a method of keeping children, youth or adults interested in a story they may have heard many times before.

The winter weather that the Midwest and many other places are experiencing this week, has me thinking about warm food. As I write this, I have chili simmering in the crock pot. While I was making the chili this morning, I was reminded of a ministry idea that a fellow Christian Educator shared with me. (Unfortunately, I don’t remember who shared this idea. If it was you, please post a comment and take credit!) Adapting an idea used by secular organizations, her church hosted a chili cook-off.

Society embraces brevity. Text message – up to 160 characters. Tweet – less than 140 characters. Facebook is generous, allowing 420 characters.

The brevity trend is not new. CliffsNotes began in 1958. Still today, they summarize and deliver knowledge in short bursts.

The Bible contains over 750,000 words. A fifty word summary neglects details, but is quickly read. It invites further exploration.

Today’s ministry idea embraces society’s attraction to knowledge imparted concisely. Use this idea with older children, youth, adults and families.

According to retail stores, Christmas is over on December 26. After December 25, it is time to return unwanted gifts, shop the after-Christmas sales and begin thinking about Valentine’s Day. Of course, if you take your cues from the retail world, you began celebrating Christmas in mid-October. As a church, we have been celebrating Advent since November 29, preparing and waiting to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas. Isn’t the birth of Jesus is deserving of more than one day of recognition? Indeed, Christmas is a season that lasts from December 25 through Epiphany on January 6. There really are twelve days of Christmas! In our curriculum co-op, you will find a resource that will help you and/or members of your congregation acknowledge and celebrate the twelve days of Christmas (even if you take your Christmas tree down).

Christian educators tend to fall into one of two camps: those with organized supply closets, and those who have a more scattershot approach to the "stuff" of ministry. If you're in the former group, bravo! Your teachers undoubtedly are grateful for your obsessive, compulsive approach to storage. (And keep reading for a chance to be rewarded!) If you're in the latter group (as I tend to be), don't fret! We're launching a community-based effort and contest to get your stuff stashed or trashed, labeled, and maintained...with awesome prizes as an incentive to take part.

Everyone can participate! Here's how to enter...

No person has seen Jesus for two millennia, but that hasn't stopped artists from creating visual representations of him in icons, paintings, statues, film, cartoons, and other media. Some of these images, such as Warner Salman's Head of Christ, are burned into the brains of millions of people around the world and simply ARE the face of Jesus for many. Others, like, say, South Park's Jesus, are rather less known. Images of Jesus can inspire, provoke, anger, and generate conversations both passionate and purposeful. Here's an activity that uses images of Jesus to spark such conversations.

Summer of 2010 may seem far away, but to an avid cyclist it's only 248 days until the start of RAGBRAI®, the world's largest bike ride. Some 25,000 cyclists from all over the world come to Iowa and pedal their way across the state. Next year's ride will be held July 25-31, 2009...and I really need to start my training before long!

So why in the world am I telling you about RAGBRAI® in a Christian education-related email? Because it's a great opportunity to...

• meet lots of interesting people (and this is definitely not an understatement)
• care for your body (1000 miles of riding = around 50,000 calories burned!)
• enjoy a unique form of outdoor tourism (Corn. Corn. Soybeans. Corn.)
• engage in long conversations (gotta do something besides look at corn)
• eat a lot of homemade pie (guilt-free...you'll burn it off!)
• build community between your congregation members
• invite non-church friends to join you for a fun week
• and even meet other progressive Christians educators. RAGBRAI® doesn't usually have many church-affiliated teams (the few I've run into are often from conservative seminaries or Christian colleges), but my congregation's team would welcome you with open arms!

At many churches, the Advent season would not be complete without a Christmas pageant/program/play. Whether it is done by children, youth, adults or an intergenerational mix, we enjoy retelling the story of Jesus’ birth through drama. Such events are a wonderfully, visual way to pass on the stories and traditions of our faith.

If your church has a Christmas pageant tradition and you thrive on the preparation, anticipation and enactment of the event, that’s great! If the Christmas pageant at your church provides more anxiety and frustration than anticipation, or if your church does not have an event to reenact the Christmas story, you might want to consider this alternative. Follow the Star is an event that has worked well at the church I attend for over 15 years.

Today’s blog is short and sweet and contains an Advent gift for you! I am sure that you realize that the beginning of Advent is a mere three and a half weeks away. On the Sharing page you will find an Advent calendar ready for you to download and copy.

A unique feature of this particular Advent calendar is that it ties Advent to Easter. Jesus’ birth many years ago is worthy of celebrating! We are fortunate that we also know that Jesus conquered death. To help children (and youth and adults) remember that Christmas and Easter are linked together, this Advent calendar transforms into a cross by Christmas Day.