Taking a little break for the Lent conversation today for some random thoughts and site sharing J

So, off and on in the past few years I’ve had thoughts about children’s ministry type things…random I know, since I don’t have kids yet and have no involvement in children’s ministry or that sort of thing. But, I like forming opinions on random topics I guess J …really I just have thought for a long time that I didn’t like how children where handled/treated in the church. I don’t like that church life (at least in most churches) is so segregated by age and as soon as a family walks through the doors of a church everyone goes their separate ways and the kids are corralled away from their parents and the other adults to a segregated room for “nice”, “age-appropriate” prepared lessons. Personally I don’t think it has to be like that… I mean it is natural for people of similar age groups to gravitate towards one another but I think when we put up these walls and separate people so much by age we miss out on something really important – we miss out on sharing life together and learning from each other. Anyway, it’s something that I have thought about off and on and still think about… what would the church look like if we truly engaged in community like a family – if my kids got to spend time with and got to know the older couple who’s been married for 50 years and grew up with them around, and spent time with the college kids who are struggling to find their place in life and were able to watch their struggle so that when they get to that place in their own life they have some guidance to draw from, and got to hang out and share meals with people my age and got to see how these other parents act with their kids and learn from the differences in families….etc etc. Anyway, it’s something I think about sometimes. So, now that I’ve finished my tangent, today’s Roundup starts with two posts on children that I found interesting and thought I would share:

Children, Violence, and Veggie Tales – this first link is a blog by Julie Clawson at Onehandclapping. I have read Julie’s blog from the sidelines off and on for a year now and she has often challenged me and stretched my thinking. I really enjoy reading her blog and thought this blog in particular was worth sharing today.

Teach them to your children – this is a blog that my friend, Tara, wrote a while back which also deals with how to we teach children about God and in a holistic manner using the stories of the Bible.

One Man’s Trash – this is an interesting combination of pictures that take trash and make art from it – it was a good reminder to me that even the most ugly things can be beautiful if looked at in a different light and a good reminder just like this artist God likes to take trash and ashes and make something interesting and beautiful from it.

Chain Factor – this is a random game I discovered today. If you are bored and looking for a random activity online, looking for a bit of a puzzle to stretch your brain this is an addicting diversion once you figure it out.

Well, those are the links (and some random thoughts) for the day. Enjoy!

Rejoicing in the journey – Beth Stedman