Candles & Conifers is a collection of seasonal resources - prayers, liturgies, poems, reflections, sermons, meditations, stories and responses - written by Iona Community members, associates, friends and others. It offers resources for groups and individuals covering the weeks from All Saints' Day to Christmas Eve, including saints' days, Remembrance Day, World AIDS Day and Advent. There are liturgies for an outdoor celebration with fireworks, a Christingle service and a longest night service, as well as Advent candle ceremonies, personal prayer practices, a series of responses and blessings and a cats' Advent calendar. A companion resource book, Hay & Stardust, covering the season of Christmastide, from Christmas Eve to Candlemas, is also available. In towns and villages In tower blocks and terraces Christ is waiting to be born In palaces and shanty-towns In high streets and back-streets Christ is waiting to be born In the vastness of the universe In the intimacy of our hearts Christ is waiting to be born Come, Lord Jesus Come into our homes Come into our lives Come and stay

Children are born spiritual beings, full of joy, meaning, and possibility. Sadly, hope may be lost for some children by forces that challenge families and society -- stress, brokenness, a loss of community, spiritual poverty.

But there is hope. In her latest book, Christian educator Betty Cloyd reminds parents, "Before we give our children wings, we must give them roots". Cloyd urges parents to reclaim their primary role as spiritual guide for the sake of their children and society. In an affirming tone, the author shows how the whole family and the church are in a sacred partnership to provide the roots children need.

Readers will find examples of how they can introduce children to the presence of God during daily, routine activities as well as in planned devotional times. Questions for discussion and an interactive project and pledge are included to help incorporate Cloyd's ideas into the lives of parents and children.

Parents and Grandparents as Spiritual Guides includes biblical models of spiritual guides along with wonderful, insightful stories from children, medical professionals, Christian educators, and the author's own experience as a parent and grandparent. This is a must-have resource for grandparents, parents, and other child caregivers.

Does God exist? What caused the big bang? What is our purpose in life? Why does pain and suffering exist? Does science free us from religion? Which ‘god’ is the real ‘God’?

Deluded Gods is unique in the simple and concise manner in which it answers some of mankind’s age old questions. The reader is taken on a journey of discovery and is made to lay aside all presuppositions as they venture from the miniscule realm of quantum particles to the vast expanse of astrophysics. From start to end, the book is an exciting journey of discovery which leads to bold and interesting conclusions.

Whilst this book is written from a Christian perspective, it is respectful and considerate to all worldviews. Anyone with an open mind will be challenged to question their unconscious biasness and presuppositions.

Bedingt durch gesellschaftliche Umwalzungen in den alten Bundeslandern und die politische Wende in der ehemaligen DDR ruckte die Frage nach der Begrundung und Gestaltung des schulischen Religionsunterrichts seit den 1990er Jahren verstarkt ins Interesse der OEffentlichkeit. Dabei kamen immer deutlicher auch die von staatlicher Seite an den Schulen eingerichteten sogenannten Ersatzfacher in den Blick. Die Frage nach Verhaltnisbestimmung und Zusammenarbeit des staatlich verantworteten Philosophie- und Ethikunterrichts mit den unterschiedlichen Angeboten von Religionsunterricht macht die Entwicklung schulorganisatorischer und didaktischer Perspektiven noetig. Diese Studie leistet einen Beitrag fur die Gestaltung religioeser und wertbezogener Lernprozesse an der Schule.

This popular, comprehensive Bible-reading program for individuals and group study offers a sweeping introduction to biblical themes and concepts. Complete with a detailed reading schedule for every day of one year,The Year of the Bibleleads participants to a better understanding of Scripture and a greater sense of community within the church. Newcomers to Scripture and longtime Bible readers alike will find their Christian faith enhanced and feel a sense of accomplishment from reading the Bible in its entirety. James E. Davison helps congregations put the program together and keep it going when enthusiasm flags.

We are born into this world with a natural longing to connect to God and other human beings. When children have a listening companion who hears, acknowledges, and encourages their early experiences with God, it creates a spiritual footprint that shapes their lives. How can we increase our capacity to engage children in spiritual conversations? In this book Lacy Finn Borgo draws on her own experience of practicing spiritual direction with children. She offers an overview of childhood spiritual formation and introduces key skills for engaging conversation-posture, power, and patterns-from a Christ-centered perspective. "When we are fully present and open to another, we will be changed," Borgo writes. "Indeed, as you listen to God with a child, the child will lead you into a fuller experience of God's love and acceptance." In this book you'll find: Sample interactive dialogues with children Ideas for engaging children with play, art, and movement Prayers to use together Whether you are a parent or grandparent, pastor or spiritual director, you will find this to be a friendly guide into deeper ways of listening.

This illustrated book for children captures the mindfulness, measured pace, and pauses that children experience in the Godly Play (R) circle or a supplement to any child's bookshelf. Silence is important for children; it is the stillness-both internal and external-that children need in today's frenzied world. Godly Play founder Jerome Berryman offers children (and those who love them) a means to contemplate words and images, to develop a comfort level with silence that creates a foundation for wonder and the creative process. "Contemplative Silence" is a core component of Godly Play as found in all sacred story, parables, and liturgical action lessons presented to children. In each lesson, children encounter silence during entering, the lesson, wondering, art and material responses, the feast, and saying good-bye. This companion to the Complete Guide to Godly Play volumes will find a home in all Godly Play rooms as well as other formation settings for children: homes, churches, Episcopal schools, and hospitals. Age range: 3 - 8 years old

Many of our experiences in life happen when several generations are together - at church, at home, in our communities. Holidays and family events are times for celebration, learning, rituals, food, and fun. This edition of Faithful Celebrations focuses on Advent, the Annunciation, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Los Posadas, Christmas and Epiphany. It includes plenty of activities to learn more about each of these sacred seasons or days in a church setting, at home, camp, or anywhere in-between. These abundance of ideas allow you to create meaningful celebrations within a faith context throughout the months of December, January, and February. Each event to be celebrated includes key ideas, a cluster of activities to experience the key ideas, materials needed, full instructions for implementation, background history and information, music, art, recipes, and prayer resources to use in a small, intimate or large multi-generational group. For children, youth, adults, or any combination of ages any of these activities can take place in any setting. While these celebrations are popular in our secular culture, all ages will reconnect with the sacred roots and traditions practiced by past generations. All can experience new celebrations that have traditionally been intergenerational events in Spanish speaking communities.

Faith formation resource for children on human sexuality. This sexuality education resource from a mainline/progressive denominational prospective aids the leader, child (participant), and parent in learning about their body and using skills that enable them to embrace and affirm the wholeness of sexuality as part of who they are. Session plans address facts about sexuality, vocabulary, decision making, faith and daily life, respect, growth and change, behavior, responsibility, values, prayer, and intentionality in an age appropriate manner for children and their parents. One Leader Guide covers all ages, with three Parent Books (Preschool: 3- to 5-yearolds, Primary: 6- to 8-year-olds, and Intermediate: 9- to 11-year-olds), and two Participant Books (Primary and Intermediate ages). Session topics include: * We are Wonderfully Made * We are Complex * We are Changing * We are Knowledgeable * We are Equipped * We are Called * We are Growing Up

* A sought-after model and guide to a new paradigm for children's ministries * Creative program based on research and personal experience Struggling to offer a children's program that resonates with young families? Finding it difficult to recruit teachers and volunteers for your children's program? Want a children's ministry that is grounded in Christ's foundational teachings and relevant to the experiences of children today? This must-have guide to rethinking your children's ministry is informed and intelligent, with the lighthearted humor so helpful to working with children. Through storytelling, testimonials, and research-based creativity, you'll be inspired and energized to use your church's gifts, your children's interests, and your families' needs to develop a children's ministry that fits your church and the people in it. An appendix includes sample lesson plans, suggested Bible stories and book, and sermons. Colette Potts offers a successful model for a congregation to turn around their children's ministry program to engage the whole congregation in worship, learning, and service while partnering with parents for bridging the formation gap between Sunday morning at church and the rest of the week at home and beyond.

An easily accessible, theologically progressive, mainline Christian education resource on human sexuality for high schoolers. This book is the high school participant's guide to use during each session of the These Are Our Bodies program. It is filled with prayers, scripture, and reflection questions designed to help the participant see the connection between their sexuality and their faith. With lots of space for journaling, a glossary of important terms and words are included, as well as appropriate websites for further learning or help.

Add depth and meaning your family's traditions with these basic Christian practices that nurture and enrich everyone's faith at home. Home and parents are the key mechanisms by which religious faith and practice are transmitted inter-generationally. Recent studies indicate that the single most important factor in youth becoming committed and engaged in their religious faith as young adults is that the family talks about religion at home. However, for many parents in the United States, religious language is a foreign language. Faith at Home helps parents learn this "second language" and introduce it to their children in simple, meaningful, concrete ways. Parents often ask: How do we introduce prayer to our children if we do not necessarily believe prayer changes outcomes? How do we approach reading the Bible with our children when our own relationship with it is mixed or complicated? How do we talk about difficult things and where do we find God in the midst of them? How do we teach our children to make a difference in the world? How do we connect what happens at church to what happens at home? These questions and many more are addressed with talking points, practices, and resources provided for each subject.

Faith formation resource for children on human sexuality. This sexuality education resource from a mainline/progressive denominational prospective aids the leader, child (participant), and parent in learning about their body and using skills that enable them to embrace and affirm the wholeness of sexuality as part of who they are. Session plans will address facts about sexuality, vocabulary, decision making, faith and daily life, respect, growth and change, behavior, responsibility, values, prayer, and intentionality in an age appropriate manner for children and their parents. One Leader Guide will cover all ages, with three Parent Books (Preschool: 3- to 5-yearolds, Primary: 6- to 8-year-olds, and Intermediate: 9- to 11-year-olds), and two Participant Books (Primary and Intermediate ages). Session topics include: * We are Wonderfully Made * We are Complex * We are Changing * We are Knowledgeable * We are Equipped * We are Called * We are Growing Up