Even as I have been praying for children this week I had the blessing of meeting some of those on the other end of the journey. I was privileged to hear stories from Bernie Alt who is at the Veterans home in Columbia Falls. He comes alive as he speaks of his life with the Forest Service.
While the Children’s Sabbath is important we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of worshipping youth at the expense of those grown. This includes the things we do around the church. Not everything should be geared towards the youngest generation. One of our visitors this past Sunday was a woman who is looking for another church because her home church offers nothing but a contemporary worship music experience.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Learning from Children
As we continue to reflect on the Children’s Sabbath recall this book by Robert Fulghum.
All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:
• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:
• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Children's Sabbath Sunday
Our new website is being fleshed out more each day! Check out our new online calendar link: epworth.yacumc.org
This Sunday we will celebrate Children’s Sabbath. Our new Cherub choir will sing at both services.
Of course we will welcome the children and be glad for their presence but welcoming them is not enough. We must protect them. Let’s start just by being aware of some of the problems:
Each Day in America
2 mothers die in childbirth.
4 children are killed by abuse or neglect.
5 children or teens commit suicide.
8 children or teens are killed by a firearm.
33 children or teens die from accidents.
78 babies die before their first birthdays.
201 children are arrested for a violent crime.
404 children are arrested for a drug crime.
928 babies are born at low birthweight.
1,154 babies are born to teen mothers.
1,240 public school students are corporally punished.*
2,224 babies are born without health insurance.
2,367 high school students drop out.*
2,479 children are confirmed as abused or neglected.
2,583 babies are born into poverty.
4,184 babies are born to an unmarried mother.
4,520 children are arrested.
18,493 public school students are suspended.
* Based on calculations per school day (180 days of seven hours each)
From the Children’s Defense Fund website, http://www.childrensdefense.org/
This Sunday we will celebrate Children’s Sabbath. Our new Cherub choir will sing at both services.
Of course we will welcome the children and be glad for their presence but welcoming them is not enough. We must protect them. Let’s start just by being aware of some of the problems:
Each Day in America
2 mothers die in childbirth.
4 children are killed by abuse or neglect.
5 children or teens commit suicide.
8 children or teens are killed by a firearm.
33 children or teens die from accidents.
78 babies die before their first birthdays.
201 children are arrested for a violent crime.
404 children are arrested for a drug crime.
928 babies are born at low birthweight.
1,154 babies are born to teen mothers.
1,240 public school students are corporally punished.*
2,224 babies are born without health insurance.
2,367 high school students drop out.*
2,479 children are confirmed as abused or neglected.
2,583 babies are born into poverty.
4,184 babies are born to an unmarried mother.
4,520 children are arrested.
18,493 public school students are suspended.
* Based on calculations per school day (180 days of seven hours each)
From the Children’s Defense Fund website, http://www.childrensdefense.org/
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