Seasons of Faith Book Review

Last Thursday I wrote a post about Symbols of Faith by Marcia Joslin Stoner and this week I would like to talk about the counterpart of that book Seasons of Faith. This book is a great resource for teaching the Christian Church Year. I use it a lot when I am planning my Children's Church lessons so I can add Christian Traditions and History components to each lesson. It is a great resources for all ages and was written for intergeneration use. The information is not written on a young child's comprehension level but it is easy to take and make it something for that age level, as well as other age levels. It's a wonderful resource and I definitely recommend it for any Christian Education worker.   

Symbols of Faith Book Review

Check out this great book any time you want to include more Christian history and tradition. If you are talking about Easter, for example,  this book can add more to your lesson. It has lots of reproducibles as visuals and for crafts. It has explanations for each symbol and where the symbol came from. It is written on level with children but an adult can learn just as much from this book. It is a great resource for added components of history and tradition.

The Nuts and Bolts of Christian Education

Let me first say that Delia Halverson is amazing. Anyone of her books is a must for any Christian Educators library. This one in particular is a favorite of mine. If you had no idea what to expect when taking a Christian ed job, this book would act as your life vest. If has so many helpful ideas on how to start. It is easy to follow. It has reproducibles in the back for important Christian Ed plans. It really is a must have.

Wonder-filled Weekdays

This book is great resource for anyone who works with preschool aged children. This particular book (there are several in the wonder-filled series) is the one I used to give me ideas and help for our preschool garden camp (you can find a post on garden camp in the archives). They have lots of lesson plans all centered around a simple scripture and they are pretty adamant on teaching the children about the various ecological aspects of God's creation and how we are all supposed to be taking care of it. It is a great book to include in anyone's library!

God, Can You Hear Me? Book Review

I am always amazed at how words and pictures can morph the way a person feels, believes, and even rejects a certain way of life, feeling, believes, see the world. I never noticed how one word could completely change the way you see the word until I was in my Theology in Religious Education class. It all boils down to the definition of the chosen word you use. I find it so interesting. Because I find it so interesting I make sure that the books I give to my children to read are representing the ideas and beliefs I feel are important. Since this class I have yet to find a children's book that I completely whole heartedly felt appropriate for any child in any situation, until last week.

This book by Justine Simmons is a book that I opened up and had to have. I want to find a way to read it to all of the children that come through the door. The illustrations are amazing - no one is left out, it is just done so beautifully. The book itself is a great way to help reassure our children that God is always with us and listening to us. We may be different, scared, angry, confused, but God hears our concerns and comforts us, whether it is a feeling in our hearts, a song, or a hug from a friend. It is a great addition to any library. Children and adults alike need to be reminded that we are loved ALWAYS.

What's in Worship by Delia Halverson

The new Delia Halverson book is awesome. It is a small book with lots of information. She teaches the reader about what and why we worship, why all age groups including children should be included in worship. It explains the order of worship, and talks about the importance of sacraments. She also has a brief chapter over the church seasons and symbols and talks about what you can find in a hymnal. There are also appendixes included to help explain why children should be include, a layout on how to create a worship service, and how to create a children's bulletin. It was a quick read and very worth it. I will be using it as a main source for a presentation I will be helping give to the Oklahoma Conference. It is a great resource for anyone included in the worship planning process or anyone just interested in learning more about liturgical worship.

Doing Girlfriend Theology by Dori Grinenko Baker

I had the opportunity to read a book entitled Doing Girlfriend Theology for a class. It is a small group setting for young women, middle school through high school aged. The book lays out a process of meetings where each girl leads the group with an important story from her life. They then discuss the different theological motifs in the girl's story and help her see God in her story and in all of her stories. It was a way of empowering young women to live their story in the comfort of God's love and grace. The book also makes suggestions on how this can be used in male groups and co-ed groups.
"Addressing the problems of girl teens' missing voice (as a footnote to contemporary theology) Baker identifies feminist theology's 30-year disregard for teenage girls. She admits early on that the research result for this book was "to lead girls to more fulfilling lives because of a connection to their feminist inheritance" (page 20). Girlfriend Theology anticipates assisting marginalized teen girls in reclaiming their God-given humanity." Amazon.com
It's a great read and I will be starting a girls group next week based on this book and will be documenting our process in the following weeks.