Uphill idealist

This blog post originally was published at: younglutherans.blogspot.com Tara Eastman, Youth & Family Director at First Lutheran in Jamestown, is a contributing writer to an exciting new Sunday School curriculum from Sparkhouse (a division of Augsburg Fortress). Connect is a witty, video-based Sunday school that helps preteens start connecting individual Bible stories with larger biblical themes. Connect is designed to be used with fifth and sixth graders. Each Connect session features a short animated video that unveils the lesson’s theme and its meaning, and sets students up for Bible exploration. Students then use their learner sheets to create a visual and interactive project that relates to the lesson’s theme. During this time, leaders are encouraged to ask questions listed in the Leader Guide to help kids engage their minds and connect with one another. The Leader Guides offer visual cues and brief, clear descriptions to help save time...

Exodus 13:21 New International Version (NIV) 21  By day the  Lord  went ahead  of them in a pillar of cloud  to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Early in June a group of youth and adults from the  ELCA Southwest Conference  will gather for the 2012 Assembly. This year the group will be reading, studying and applying what they learn from the Exodus story (Exodus 13:21) over three days. We will integrate a 9x12 ft. walkable Labyrinth as a prayer tool, create personal travel Labyrinths, and be wearing a seven circuit Labyrinth on our "family" shirts (with the graphic below printed on them) as a reminder that God goes with us wherever we go. It is with a thankful heart that I will be attending Convo as chaplain for this awesome group of youth and adults. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we gather from June 6th-9th, 2012. Connected in ...

Every day I receive an email from "The Writer's Almanac" . With the help of a handy audio link, Garrison Keillor reads a biography of an interesting person as well as a daily poem. Today's poem was so impressive that I just had to share it. I hope it encourages each and every one who reads or hears it to..." Practice your own song. Now." Grace and Peace - Tara Letting Go of What Cannot be Held Back by  Bill Holm Let go of the dead now. The rope in the water, the cleat on the cliff, do them no good anymore. Let them fall, sink, go away, become invisible as they tried so hard to do in their own dying. We needed to bother them with what we called help. We were the needy ones. The dying do their own work with tidiness, just the right speed, sometimes even a little satisfaction. So quiet down. Let them go. Practice your own song. Now. "Letting Go of What Cannot be Held Back" by Bill Holm, from  Playing the Black Piano . © ...

Confirmation Class Idea: Circles of Faith Paint large wood circles with acrylic paint to represent idea "My faith looks like...". In the past when I've led this project, students will paint ways they live out/experience their faith. (See image sample.)  Projects can be looked back on, added to, or used throughout,  and displayed on day of celebration in your tradition's  Confirmation process. The circle will be divided into 4 sections:  Prayer, Worship, Service, People that help my faith growth . (These are four suggested areas to jump start this project to share with your youth.) Please prepare your youth by sharing this information and also have them wear a smock or clothes that can get paint on them.  Some youth choose to paint pictures as icon for each area and some choose to write out their ideas in text. Either approach is fine. Let me know how the project goes for you if you try it. I'll post our youth's proje...

Pause to see, to breathe, to be, something more than what I do - just to be me. Pause to think, to drink, to slink, with contemplation for the deep - just to hear me. Pause to hear, to drew near, to peer, upon what gives life - not just for me, but you too. Push the pause button. Leave it in place. Just for a day, that isn't full with rush and race. Push to pause button. Don't be to busy to rest. Pause makes room for the life-giving to surface - that pause is blessed. T.L. Eastman May 2012

It's amazing what can happen with a little paint, a handful of willing participants, and a lot of dots! At the beginning of the week of continuing education at the  Institute for Youth and Theology at Princeton Seminary  -  the attendees were encouraged to consider, dream and ponder around the idea of:  "What is God creating or re-creating in your life and your ministry?" In response to this question, a group of attendees and our  facilitator, Lynne Farrow ,  worked on a  community mural contemplating this question. The photo of the mural  above was created from a scattering of dots placed on the canvas and the  participants were encouraged to look and see what they  could create from  something that seemed so random. In the end we had trees, water, a cool car, the sun, plants and flowers and some wonderful abstract designs that creating a fantastic collaborative piece that was to adorn a communion table. In ...

Image from Travel Monkey Blog Luke 9:3-5 3  He told them:  “Take nothing for the journey —no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.   4  Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. In the past month or so, I've been getting ready for and planning for two work trips. On Wed. I will be heading to Seattle for the  Inhabit Conference and the following week I (and Ian) have a short intensive  training back at  Princeton Youth Forum .  At both of these trainings I will be learning more about the ways, means and methods (as well as listening for God's leading) for ways to help youth and families to grow in faith and mission.  Quite literally, I am working on traveling light  on these trips (like Luke 9:3-5 suggests.).  It's my goal to take no checked baggage in both a literal and spiritual context. Hands, heart and mind need to be free to r...