Where Are You In The Story?

I had an interesting conversation a few weeks ago with a boy in preschool. I told a story that helps children understand the meaning of the church year and, as is my custom, afterwards we wondered about it.

The story helps children understand how many Christians keep track of time. The year starts with getting ready for and celebrating Christ’s birth. It moves through the life and teachings of Jesus and into a season where we get ready for and celebrate his death and resurrection. It moves then into the celebration of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, which propels the church to redemptive presence and action wherever God sends us.

The “getting ready” seasons for Christmas and Easter are Advent and Lent, respectively. They are both represented by the color purple on the "church clock."

After I told the story, we engaged in wondering about it. I began by asking them, “If you were in any part of the story, which part would you be in?”

It seems like a complex question for a preschooler, but I assure you it isn’t.

My young friend pointed at the series of 6 purple blocks known as Lent and said, “I would be here.”

I said, “I wonder why.”

He said, “Because everybody dies and that is when Jesus died. He died and came back to life so when we die we will come back to life, too.”

Wise words!

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PlayFull offers training in a method of children’s ministry called Worshipful Play. Email Troy if you’d like to explore how PlayFull can help you adopt a similar approach in the spiritual formation of children. 

when kids are free and wonder

I had the privilege of serving as a storyteller and wondering leader this morning with a group of children at church.

At our church we practice a method of children’s ministry which we call Worshipful Play; it’s a combination of stories and methods from three approaches to childhood spiritual development[i]. The method is marked by freedom and, after telling a Bible story, we practice a type of conversation called wondering. Each time a new question is posed, we begin with the phrase “I wonder…” The intent of wondering is not so much to get “right” answers from the children as it is to open them up to approach the Bible with curiosity and imagination. When real wondering happens, the child experiences faith as integrative.

At the beginning of a Worshipful Play session, the children enter the room one at a time, after having passed the peace of Christ with one another and after having been asked by a worship leader, “Are you ready?”

The children are accustomed to entering the room and forming a circle on the floor in the storytelling space, which contains all the stories of Scripture in the form of a diverse array of materials that children can work with personally. The materials look like wooden “toys” but we ascribe high value to each piece by how we work with it and handle it with gentleness, slowly savoring the specialness of God’s Word.  

After we form the circle, we have a phase that helps us “get ready” to hear the story. Depending on the week, and depending on the age group, what we do during this phase can vary, but one thing we always welcome is simple conversation, so we have a chance to hear about what is going on in each other’s lives.

As a storyteller and wondering leader, this is invaluable to me because it helps me pay attention to what might be especially meaningful for each child as we proceed, what questions might come forth and what part of the story might be most helpful to feed their faith.

Sometimes this pre-story conversation is short and sometimes it is long. As a worship leader, I try to remain open and sense what’s important for that particular day. Today was interesting because one young boy wanted to mention two significant things right away. The first was that he was happy because “in four to eight weeks” his little sister whom his family had been waiting to adopt for a long, long time, was finally going to be able to join them.

He pointed out that at first he thought his parents said “forty eight” weeks and was disappointed by that, but when he heard it was only “four to eight” he was so glad!

He went on to share about someone he knew who had a heart attack and I asked if he wanted us to pray for their family friend as well as his sister who was soon to arrive. He decided we'd pray for that later during the feast time, but as it was time to start, he volunteered to pray as we continued getting ready for the story time.

As he bowed his head, the children decided they wanted to hold hands, so we all joined hands in a circle and prayed together.

After that, Bek brought the Christ candle to the circle. The Christ candle is a large pillar candle that we light every week. When we do so, I remind the children that Jesus said he is the light of the world, so we light the candle to remember that Jesus is with us, “even if we think we can’t see him.”

Today, we sat and just enjoyed looking at the light. Then, before putting it back on the shelf (where it would be safe) I mentioned that, even when we are in dark places, the light is always there, even if we think we can’t see it. We talked about two other people the children knew who had a heart attack that week and we talked about one man who had died recently, Ben’s great-grandfather.

Then, we told the story which happened to be the account of the transfiguration of Jesus. The story starts by reminding the children that Jesus and the disciples had come from the towns and villages, spreading the good news. Even though Jesus had been saying along the way who he really was, some of the people still did not understand.

So, Jesus asks the disciples: “Who do people say I am?” They shared different thoughts on that and then Jesus asks them, “And who do you say I am?”

Peter replies that he believes Jesus is “the Christ”, the One they have all been waiting for.

Jesus confirms what Peter said and adds that now he was going to go to Jerusalem where he would be killed, but then on the third day he would come back to life—but, Jesus assures them that before all that would happen, some of them would see the kingdom of God come in power, first-hand.

Well, Jesus spends about six more days with the disciples, alone…teaching them. Then, Jesus goes to a mountain and he takes Peter, James and John with him. While praying, the story says that suddenly the place became filled with heaven’s glory, Jesus’ face shone like the sun and his clothes became radiant. The disciples were startled, fearful as they saw Jesus with Elijah and Moses. The whole place was enveloped as in a cloud and a Voice said: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”

With that the episode ended, the disciples did not know where Elijah and Moses went and Jesus appeared to them as he always had.

The children had some things they wondered about right away. So, the conversation started in earnest. Some of them wondered why Jesus only took three of the disciples with him. Some of them wondered why it was those three.

Another child said, “Maybe it’s because they were brothers.” So, we talked about that and noted that Peter’s brother was Andrew, but he was not there. “I wonder why.”

One child wondered how the disciples who were not there felt and another child wondered how Peter, James and John felt.

Then, I asked, “I wonder…if you were in this story, who would you be?”

One child said, “Jesus!” I looked at him startled, and then he gave a very good explanation: “God sees special things in me, like he did with Jesus.”

To which another child said, “There are special things in everyone, so we all could be Jesus.”

“Yes, that’s right. Everyone has something special about them. That’s right.”

Then another child picked Peter as the person they would be, and still another child picked James, while another picked John, each giving a reason that was meaningful to them. The child who picked James said she picked him because “that’s the name of my dad’s brother”—and we noted her dad’s name happened to be Jon.

Wow, we said, this story is really a story for today, isn’t it?

Meanwhile, Bek stood up a couple of times to say who he would be. When the conversation turned to what he wanted to tell us, he said: “I would be this person”—and he pointed to a large figure of Jesus which we have that is part of another set of materials, for a different story.

I chuckled, thinking he was joking, and said, “That’s funny, Bek, but I wonder what person you would be in this story here.”

But he insisted, “This one.” And, again he held up the figure of the large Jesus from the other story.

He seemed serious about it, so I said, “Okay, let’s bring him here.”

I asked, “I wonder what this Jesus looks like to you?”

He said, “He’s dancing and he never stops. He keeps dancing forever!”

Ben added, “That’s what we say when we tell the story in winter.”

“Yes, at Christmas time we say that. God wants us to dance with him.”

“Yeah!” Ben’s eyes lit up. “We say he’s ‘like a dancer who rests a little while to keep dancing forever.’”

“That’s right. We do say that.”

Then, Esu had something to say: “I think he looks like he’s giving us a hug.”

“He does, doesn’t he?”

Rosie was still enjoying the thought of God dancing with us, so she picked up the figure and started to do a little dance with him.

We all laughed.

“I wonder what else he looks like?”  

One child went over to a shelf where we have figures that tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and took out the figure of Jesus hanging on the cross.

“He looks like that, doesn’t he? This big Jesus is in the shape of a cross.”

The children held the little figure in front of the big figure to show how they were in the same shape.

I said to the children, “I like to think of it this way:”

I held the figure and said, “Jesus died, and that is sad.” Then, I spun the figure around and said, “But on the third day, he came back to life.”

One child asked, “Yes, he came back to life but I wonder why he doesn’t come back to life again?”

After asking the child to explain the question more, we discovered he wanted to know why Jesus couldn’t “come back to life” and be with us again as he was with the disciples.

I said, “I wonder if Jesus is really alive now?”

The children thought about it and said, “Yes, he came back to life.”

I said, “I wonder, if we don’t see him, I wonder how we know if he is really alive?”

Ben stood up and said, “Because he’s with us!”

“Yes, we know Jesus is alive because we see him in us, especially when we are all together.”

We went on wondering:

“I wonder where this Jesus is in the story we told today?”

They made the connection that “this Jesus”, the large one from the other story, was in the story of the transfiguration when Jesus said he was going to die and come back to life.

Then, one child asked, “I wonder why we don’t come back to life when we die?”

And the other children said, “We do!”

“I wonder how that can be possible?”

Well, they noted, in the story the disciples believed in Jesus. They said he was the Christ, the one they had been waiting for. And, they said, when we believe in Jesus even if we die we will live forever.

The children started talking again about Ben’s great-grandfather. How he had died but just before then he said he believed in Jesus. So, we talked about how he wasn’t really dead now; he was with Jesus in heaven, alive.

Ben said, “I can’t wait to die because when I’m in heaven I won’t be allergic to peanuts anymore!” He laughed, but he was serious, too. 

We talked about how in heaven there won’t be any sickness or disease or allergies or anything like that. How wonderful it will be!

We talked about one of the men who had a heart attack, how he thought it was going to be the end, but he was okay with it because he believed in the life Jesus would give him again.

The children wanted to tell Jesus they believed in him, too.

They held hands in the circle and everyone took a turn telling Jesus, “I believe in you.”

Each child had a special reason they believed in him. They weren’t the same.

One child said, “I believe in you because you are so wonderful and you love us.”

Another said, “I believe in you because of all the amazing things you made.”

Another one said, “I believe in you because you made the universe and the multi-verse.” He was serious.

Still another said, “I believe in you and I love you. Thank you that when we die, we won’t really die.”

Now you know why I say it is a joy and a privilege to be with these children. Their faith is genuine. They wonder and give their hearts to each other and to God, without reservation.

This is what happens when children are free and wonder—and it is very beautiful.

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To learn more about the Worshipful Play approach to children’s ministry, contact Troy. We offer training!

PlayFull’s mission is to help people and organizations play from the inside-out. We invite you to like us on Facebook or follow us onTwitter. Thank you for reading.

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[i] The three approaches are:

1. Godly Play by Jerome Berryman

2. Young Children & Worship by Sonja Stewart & Jerome Berryman; Following Jesus by Sonja Stewart

3. PlayFull Faith by Troy Cady

TJ

Lisa, a dearly beloved member of our church, died in early January this year. At her memorial service people could take a small card with a picture of Jesus on it to keep in their purse or wallet. It was something Lisa did. She called it her Traveling Jesus. It reminded her that, wherever she went, Jesus was with her.

This summer the pastor of our church is taking a short sabbatical and the church is mirroring her thematic focus. The expression Shabbat Shalom sums up the intent of this season. It is a blessing that roughly translates as “may you find wholeness in your resting.”

Our children’s ministry has a story about The Good Shepherd that serves as a core element; the children will hear this story a few times over the course of a year, and many times over the course of their lives. We want them to grow familiar with this story, the character of the Good Shepherd, and the various places he leads his sheep. We want them to grow in loving and trusting the Good Shepherd. We hope they will be able to tell the story to others about how the Good Shepherd knows each of his sheep by name—and how he comes to their rescue if they ever get lost.

Essentially, it’s a story about finding rest on the way. Is there any other context in which we find rest, after all? Jesus does not keep us safe in our pen. He calls us out and invites us to follow him. He takes us places, safe places and dangerous places.

In every place the invitation remains unchanged: “Come to me and you will find rest.”

Rest in work and rest in play

Rest in times of plenty and rest in times of scarcity

Rest in day and rest in night

Rest in warmth and rest in bitter cold

He does not promise we will be comfortable but he always promises he will comfort us.

In all my life I have never seen a shepherd so good, so faithful and strong. In him we find true wholeness. There is no skirting pain on a path of healing. With him, we go through all of it. It is not necessarily easy, but it always works out for good.

I invite you to be a little sheep with me this summer. Our church has taken the figure of the Good Shepherd story and encouraged each person to color their own to take with them wherever they go this summer as their Traveling Jesus. To add to the fun, we are taking pictures of our Traveling Jesus in various places (in the tradition of Flat Stanley) and sending them in so we can share with each other where we're finding Shabbat Shalom. 

If you like, write me and I’ll be happy to put in your hands a “Traveling Jesus” that you can color and cut out yourself. Then, take this Jesus with you wherever you go this summer. Know that wherever you are, he is there, leading you, calling you by name, in love. It seems a bit silly for adults to do something like this but I find it’s always good to just be a child now and again.  

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If you found today's post encouraging, hop on over to PlayFull's Facebook page and give us a like. There's more where this came from! Or, if you're on Twitter, we'd love it if you follow us. Thank you for reading. Shabbat Shalom!

Danger and Faith

Faith and danger go hand-in-hand.

Recently, I made a set of materials for a story included in Godly Play’s curriculum. The story is called The Mystery of Christmas. In a series of stories for Advent, Godly Play acquaints children with the prophets (week one), Mary and Joseph (week two), the shepherds (week three) and the Magi (week four). With those pieces as a basis, Godly Play presents a story on Christmas Sunday that rounds out the narrative. The Mystery of Christmas presents aspects of the story that were left out in Advent—and at least one part of the story portrays the “shadow side” of Christmas: the Massacre of the Innocents.

Some days ago, a concerned friend asked me about the inclusion of this part in the story. She was worried it might be too intense for children.  I thought I’d share my response below since I believe you might find it interesting and helpful to you, whether you are involved in children’s ministry or not.

I hope this helps.

--Troy

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Hi, Melissa--

Thank you for asking me about this.

The story on Sunday was an adaptation of a book called The Glorious Impossible by Madeleine L'Engle. It is a picture book that uses paintings by Giotto to tell the story of Christ. The author of Godly Play adapted the book for use in a Godly Play circle. The Godly Play story is called The Mystery of Christmas and it features portions of the Christmas story that are often left out in our normal retelling of Christ's advent. For example, The Mystery of Christmas story includes the part where the angel appears to Mary, announcing that she will conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. This part of the story was not included in our Advent lessons, but it is something that is good for the children to know.

One aim of the story is to introduce children to some classic phrases used throughout church history. (The "liturgical action" genre of Godly Play--of which The Mystery of Christmas is a part--aims to acquaint children with "the language and practices" of our faith).

So, on the first plaque, the phrase featured is The Annunciation. The second plaque features The Magnificat, where Mary visits Elizabeth. The third plaque introduces children to the expression "The Nativity". The fourth plaque tells about The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, introducing the children to Simeon and Anna. The fifth plaque is The Adoration of the Magi. The sixth is The Massacre of the Innocents and the seventh is The Flight into Egypt.

Because the intent of The Mystery of Christmas is to round out the narrative of an already-familiar story, the author of Godly Play included the troubling scene in the telling. So, along with the choice to include the scene, the author wanted to make sure it was done with some propriety. I will mention more on Godly Play's strategies for that later in this email.

One other goal for this story involves something Godly Play addresses throughout the corpus of the curriculum: the author hopes children will engage issues of suffering, pain and death--since he found that children do, in fact, think about these things at very young ages.  The author of Godly Play observed that most children's ministry curricula include stories that have death and suffering as core aspects but these curricula do not necessarily present the stories in ways that would encourage the children to think meaningfully about death.

The problem is, much of our Christian story depends on these themes. The stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, The Passover, David and Goliath, the crucifixion—and more—rely on such themes.   Of course, all children think about death, pain and suffering--but (church-going or not) many children are not nurtured to think respectfully about it because of the way popular media often presents death and violence.

Because of that, whenever the author of Godly Play includes aspects that portray the "shadow" side of our faith the intent is not to avoid it but rather to engage it without glorifying it. That is why the color purple is used frequently in Godly Play stories. It helps children begin to engage with this shadow side. Other aspects in the Godly Play method come into play here as well. For example, when a desert story includes Sarah's death, there is a moment of silence and a gesture of burial. Of course, the crucifixion is another core part of our story. Troubling, indeed. 

In last Sunday's story, telling the part about the death of the babies could not be avoided because it explains how the Holy Family got to Egypt. Hopefully, this part of the story appropriately portrays a sense of danger--in the light of which God’s grace is magnified even more. The danger of sending his Son into our world in the form of a vulnerable baby is what makes this story so amazing. (The desert stories we tell also help children engage with the dangerous side of our faith. "The desert is a dangerous place," we repeat at the beginning of each story. "You could lose your way there and even die there." We include this in our telling of the stories because faith has the potential to grow stronger in the context of danger. Paradoxically, the aim of a Godly Play circle is to provide a safe space where children can reflect on the value of danger.)

So there are a few strategies used in this story to help the children reflect meaningfully on the mystery of pain in the midst of Christ's advent. One strategy is through the usual storytelling method: a slower, quieter, reverent tone.

The second strategy is, of course, the wondering time and the response time in which the children can work out what they think and feel about aspects of the story. The idea is that the leaders observe how the children are responding to the more troublesome aspects of the story and then spiritually nurture them through those issues.

The story's artwork itself represents a third strategy: the various scenes are presented by means of classical art--Giotto's paintings. I can assure you the paintings are not gory nor do they glorify the violence. By using classical art to reflect on this narrative, the children are also prepared to engage with artistic representations they would likely see in the course of their regular, "real world" experiences (in museums, for example). This format is quite distinct from (for example) the David C. Cook approach in which Bible characters often are portrayed in comic book fashion. I've seen children shout, "Cool!" when looking at some of Cook's representations of Old Testament battle scenes. It is simply deplorable that some Christian publishers aim to elicit that kind of response from children to scenes we should find repulsive. That said, the Godly Play approach tries to approach the harder parts of the faith with reverence and due respect.

There is one final strategy that is used in this particular story: the teacher is instructed to talk about that part of the story while holding the plaque in such a way that the picture is hidden for most of the narrative. Only at the very last portion of part 6 does the teacher show the picture to the children and then the story moves on to the Flight into Egypt so as not to shock the children too much.

That said: naturally, some children will remember plaque 6 more than the others because of what it portrays. I do hope, however, that it is not something that is giving the children nightmares or troubling them overmuch. Certainly, this is an instance where children's ministry relies on the partnership of parents to nurture the children through questions they may have.

I will ask the other parents if they had any reactions from their children on this, however. We surely do not want to make our children anxious. For my part, I was pleased to see the 4th through 6th grade class engage with that part of the story respectfully. The children did not make light of it (as often older elementary children do) but nor did they dwell on it.

Thank you for trusting me with this. I truly appreciate it.

Please don't hesitate to call me if you have any more concerns. I would be happy to hear what's on your heart, friend.

Grateful for you,

Troy

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PlayFull offers training and provides resources for a method of children’s ministry that includes the Godly Play curriculum, among others. Write Troy to inquire how we may be able to help you.

Good For Every Soul

In my work as a minister to children at our church, we use a particular approach to ministry which I personally believe is good for everyone—young and old. Let me introduce you to some of the big ideas embodied in this method. As you read these principles, I invite you to consider applying them as you tend to your own growth in faith and mission—or as you serve in nurturing the growth of others.

1. Synergy:

Everything takes two. We grow by relationship. There is “give-and-take” involved as well as “take-and-give”.  

Our relationship with God is synergistic. God comes close to us and we can draw near to God.

Our relationship with others is synergistic. We exchange listening and speaking, expressing and contemplating.

The process of working-together is itself an impetus towards maturity. Our growth depends, then, on how we respond to what faces us and whether we embrace or marginalize those we encounter. Hence, the second principle…

2. Readiness:

There are habits (both internal and external) we can cultivate to put us in a state of “readiness” for genuine encounter. Some of these habits include:

a. Stillness.

It is impossible to encounter the fullness of another person, idea or object when our minds and hearts are preoccupied with other matters. This is why the psalmist wrote: “…give me an undivided heart.” To love another is to fully attend to them. God makes us the “apple of his eye”—that is, he (The Center) has chosen to make us the center upon which he fixes his attention and love. Sounds almost heretical, I know. But, it’s true!

The law of synergy above suggests that God does this so we may return the favor freely. So, God invites us to make him the apple of our eye by stilling our soul, putting to rest anything that would distract us from the object of our love.  The same is true in human relationship.

“Be still and know…”

b. Preparing space.

The practice of stillness represents the preparation of internal space towards genuine encounter.  Sometimes this internal shift leads to a rearrangement of the room around us. Sometimes, however, preparing external space is what helps create this internal space.

A big example: at the top of my street the city tore down an old library so they could build a new one. Why? So neighborhood residents could have a space more conducive to learning.

A small example: This morning, before reading my Bible, I lit a scented candle and put it on a table I could see. I did this so that, if my attention wandered, I would have a visual focus to lead me back to stillness again.

Keep in mind, however, that sometimes the preparation of space serves as no more than a distraction to genuine encounter. Sometimes we get so busy “preparing a space” that we have no time and energy left to engage in that for which we prepared the space in the first place! This is something only you can know for yourself. Strive for balance in this.

Keep in mind, also: preparing space involves getting your body ready for what is to come. You can put yourself in a “posture” of readiness. Kneeling in prayer sometimes helps me embrace a spirit of prayer. Sitting in a position that leans towards someone often helps me be a better listener.

That said, here are some questions you might consider:  How do you prepare space? What kind of surroundings do you like to be in when meeting with a friend or having time with just you and God? When you meet with someone else or with God do you do so with a sense of “ready anticipation”?

c. Preparing time.

I am learning that if I do not take time to meet with God or with a friend (or even with my family), it will not happen. I have to set aside the time.

This is because, with each passing year, the world and its demands grow more and more complex. There are more people to keep in touch with, there are more possessions to steward, more books to read, more things to say. There is more, more, more.

Except time. That is the only thing I will never have more of.

So, it is up to me to steward the time well. This involves a critical choice. Will I take time for others? Will I take time to be with God?

But no sooner do I choose to “take time” than I become aware how counter-cultural it is to do so. It feels strange, this “setting aside of time”! It feels wasteful and slow. It feels inefficient and unproductive. It feels childish and I ask myself, “Is it really necessary to go this slow?”

In my work as a storyteller, I sometimes relate the story slowly and I find that we quickly become fidgety at such slowness—myself included! We incorporate silent moments into the story so we may have time to think or hear something we never heard before.

In almost every instance, we feel compelled to “speed it up, whydon’tchya?” Surely, we know this story already!

But, if we are going to meet with God and others we can only do so in time. So, take time. Set it aside and go slow. You’ll thank yourself.

d. Silence.

The best way to get ready to listen is to be silent and wait. There is no short-cut for this; there are no other alternatives. We cannot listen and speak at the same time. To listen, we must shut our mouth and silence the words in our head—and listen.

But we have so much to say! Yes, this is true.

And that is our problem. For there is far more that we have to receive than what we have to give. We are not the be-all and end-all of it all, after all.

So, we still ourselves,

we prepare space,

we prepare time,

and we practice silence.

Now, we are ready.

3. Tell stories and wonder.

Stories are more complex than propositions—unless we can see the story behind the proposition! There is a story behind Jesus’ command to “love your enemies.” In fact, there are many stories behind that command. The words invite us to live into the proposition. When we live into it, the proposition becomes a story—and in the story we encounter Truth—which is living, personal, and filled with beauty, mystery.

What’s more, there is no exhausting the Truth. We can learn all there is to learn about facts. I heard someone once who memorized the whole Gospel of Mark; he knew it word for word without error. But what impressed me more was that this man seemed to cherish the words he learned. There was a Person behind the words that he grew to love dearly.

That is the difference between true and Truth. Something may be true objectively but when we experience it first-hand (subjectively) it becomes Truth. Stories take true things and relate them to us in such a way that they become Truth. By engaging stories, we also have the chance to explore countless questions that arise. There is always something more to be discovered because our mind and heart cannot hold it all at one point in time. That is why stories are so crucial to one’s process of maturing. They provide occasion to wonder.

There is much more that could be said, but I suppose that is enough to chew on for now. Until later, I invite you to consider how you might appropriate some of these principles in your own life.

I hope this helps you in some way!

Yours,

Troy

PlayFull offers training in a unique approach to children's ministry. Write Troy if you'd like to know more or if you're interested in exploring what a training event could look like for you. In the meantime, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. And thanks for spreading the word, friends! 

Developing the Creation Story

I have been working quite a bit lately on creating the objects and script for the first story in our PlayFull Faith series: the story of creation. The series can be used in many settings, including children’s ministry, but the idea originally came to me out of a desire to create content that could be used in intergenerational small groups—that is, PlayFull Faith is intended to capture the imagination of children and adults alike.

I’ve had the idea to develop this series for many months now, but what prompted my recent burst of work on it was, quite frankly, a deadline. I have to test out the first story this week with a group of upper elementary age children at our church. Over the next three weeks, I hope to test it out with two other groups of children before (possibly) using the materials for a PlayDate with adults I’ll be facilitating in Denver come October.

Working on this project has not been easy. I have an idea and start to move forward with it, only to be confronted with certain “obstacles”. The flow of creativity will stop, or I will be at a loss as to how to tie certain aspects together. So, I’ve had to trust the wisdom of rest when my artistic self feels tired. Resting, I’ve discovered, invariably unlocks small bursts of inspiration. So, the whole experience has been…well, the word that comes to mind is…“captivating”.

As I finalize the first edition of the script this weekend, I thought I’d share with you some of the ideas that inform this particular telling of this primal story:

1. The story is rhythmic. Looking at the biblical text closely, we discover the story of creation comes to us in three sets of three cadences. Like so…

123

456

777

It has the feel of music, with “seven” as a grand finale.

2.  “God dances. Before the world was made, God was dancing.”

3.  The creation story continues.

4. Men and women are royal; they are different and the same. Humans display God’s glory, especially when we “hold hands”. When we divide, it is harder for us to see God’s glory.

5. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all involved in creating.

6. “God created light in color and there is color because of light. Without light, we would have no color; and without color there would be no light.”

7. Some of the objects are painted; some are made of chalkboard—we add the color to them.

8. “We do not rest one day in order to work six days; we work six days so we can rest One Day.”

9. adam means “from the ground”.

10. The story is related through a balance of word, silence, gesture, and participative action. Multiple methods of communication will enable different kinds of people to enter into the story.

11. Certain visual patterns are repeated in this telling of the story so as to help those viewing the story make links we don’t usually make when simply reading the biblical text.

12.  Everything that has been created is in God.

There is much more to write, but this gives you a flavor for what’s in store—and the above thoughts are still “rough drafts”.  There will be more polishing to come! That said, I am convinced there is something in this story for everyone, whether young or old. And I am convinced it will help us live into the play of God. I’m absolutely thrilled to unveil it this weekend.

Feel free to write me if you are interested to find out more. As I develop the materials, I am making them in such a way that I can duplicate them so others can have the stories, too.

--Troy

A Window Into My World Today

I always love hearing from folks who have just discovered PlayFull. Reading or hearing their enthusiastic words of support and encouragement lights my fire!

On Saturday, a person whom I've never met wrote me an email saying they heard about PlayFull from a newsletter sent out by another organization. She said she'd love to hear more!

I was able to answer her query today. Since she'd never heard about PlayFull before this weekend, I gave her a little overview of who we are and what we do. As I wrote my reply, I thought: "Well, I suppose others might find this information helpful, too." So...I thought I'd share a slightly edited version here. (Crazy idea, eh? J )

Hi, D---!

How nice to hear from you…Thanks for expressing interest in PlayFull. It’s always encouraging to know folks are interested in what we do…I’d love to chat with you to hear what struck a chord with you, and to hear what you’re up to. Who knows? Maybe PlayFull could be of help, somehow. J

PlayFull is dedicated to helping people and organizations play from the inside out. As I describe PlayFull to folks who are just getting to know us, I often boil it down to three modes: PlayDates, PlayGroups, and Consulting. 

1. PlayDates: these are one-off events where we gather a group of folks together to explore a given topic through playful activities. For example, towards the end of September we’ll host a PlayDate in Chicago that will introduce folks to the enneagram, a tool that helps people understand themselves and others better. The enneagram presents a freeing approach for personal growth and it’s useful in building healthy teams, too.

In early October I'm planning on heading to Denver to host a PlayDate with an organization that works in some very challenging arenas. One portion of what they do involves hosting inter-faith dialogues with Jews, Muslims and Christians. I'm looking forward to facilitating some playful (theatrical!) activities with them that they can use in their peacemaking work.

Of course, PlayDates could be on almost any topic: prayer, racial reconciliation, marriage, Christian formation, conflict transformation, interpersonal communication, and so forth.

2. PlayGroups: these are small groups of people (numbering anywhere from 6 to 26 folks) that are similar to PlayDates but they meet regularly for a set period of time. For example, a PlayGroup could meet once a month for five or six months or once a week for 3 or 4 months.

An example: PlayFull is developing a series of 12 stories that are taken from the Bible that could be used in intergenerational small group settings. The 12 stories will articulate a theology of play and they’ll include objects and question-prompts to help people wonder about a familiar story in a free kind of way. Through this process called "wondering" participants will see old stories in a new light.

3. Consulting:

PlayFull offers different types of consulting. Here are three examples...

A. PlayFull offers training in a type of children’s ministry that is similar to Godly Play.

B. PlayFull conducts team building events (anywhere from a four-hour workshop to a 3-day retreat). These events help participants understand one another better, establish healthy habits/protocols for teaming, and develop vision together.

C. PlayFull also offers coaching, organizational development and leadership development tools. One tool I particularly enjoy using is a playful process designed to help teams discover their collective core values.

That said, the common ingredient in whatever we do is…play! This is because we see play as one of the world’s greatest untapped resources and we want to do what we can to help folks “play from the inside out”. If we can help cultivate an understanding of the nature and scope of play, we believe folks will apply it to whatever challenges they or their group may be facing.

Let me know if you’d like to talk more. I’m interested to hear what you’re about and why PlayFull struck a chord with you. If you like, we could chat on the phone.  I’ll be happy to arrange a time to talk.

Sincerely,

Troy

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I hope you enjoyed that little window into my world! :) I feel so blessed to be doing what I do.

And, remember: what I said to my new friend goes for you, too! Feel free to drop me a line. Let’s play together…

Keep smiling,

Troy

11 Things I Learned From Being A Minister To Children

I have the privilege of working part-time at our church as a children's ministry coordinator. While serving as a lead pastor in Spain, a particular approach to children's faith formation influenced my approach to pastoring greatly.  Through a quieter, gentler faith-formation process I discovered principles that we adults would do well to take on-board ourselves. I'm sure I could easily list 100 ways kids ministry has benefited me personally but, off the top of my head, here are 11 truths. Which one of these resonate with you? Please share! I'd love to hear from you. -Troy

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11 Things I Learned From Being A Minister To Children

11. Repetition is good.

10. Hurry ain’t helpful.

9. Character is formed in community.

8. We need more wonder so we need to wonder more.

7. Listening takes practice. And silence.

6. These words are mysteriously linked: food, friendship, praise and prayer.

5. There’s no avoiding thresholds. Passage-ways often find us before we find them so move from one space to another in a spirit of reverence. Something special is waiting on the other side.

4. Values are more caught than taught. Stories teach more than propositions—and I have a story about that. You have a story about that, too.

3. Be gentle.

2. We receive the kingdom of God only if we have the faith of a child.

1. Too many adults take themselves too seriously but God became a baby.

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Over the years I've conducted introductions and training in this kind of children's ministry. If you or someone you know would like an introduction to this method, let me know. I'd love to be of help in any way I can! Also, be on the lookout for a series we're developing called PlayFull Faith. The series contains story-scripts and creative objects from 12 key Bible stories that can be used with children or in intergenerational settings. Each story is designed to help participants wonder about themes of joy, play, freedom and hope--among other topics. Write me to ask about any of these. I'd love to talk with you! -Troy

Work and Rest

"I wonder what the best present you ever got is?"

Both young and old looked at me and looked around and searched their minds. A child raised her hand:

"Life."

"Yes, that is a pretty good gift, isn't it? Anyone have something to top that?" I asked.

No, I don't think so. We laughed.

"Sometimes gifts are so big and so special, we don't even realize they are there. So, we have to go back to the beginning to remember them."

That's what we did yesterday. We went back to the beginning: we wondered about the creation story together.

But, this time I told it a little differently. Normally, I would lay the story out in pictures--left to right--day one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And leave it at that.

But light still shines, water still flows, the sky still hugs us, the ground still produces trees, the stars still map the heavens. It hasn't ended. It keeps going.

But we rest.

And then, we go again. Until we rest again. Going and resting, going and resting. It never stops.

So, I laid it out in a circle. I took a large round piece of cloth from another story: The Pearl of Great Price. Now, we can put the days in a circle.

"See? We put rest in the middle, then, six days around it and--

--oh, here's a surprise--

--rest surrounds the whole of creation now. Everything inside of rest!

I wonder what this could mean?"

Well...rest forms both the center and circumference of our lives.

"We do not rest one day so we may work six days. No, we work six days so we may rest One Day."

I wonder how we can rest in the midst of work?