Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the... Read more
I had a “single conversion” experience when I was a kid – a moment where I consciously made the decision to repent and follow Christ. And while I do remember it being a cause of celebration, I also remember there being some element of fire and brimstone. It was a clear cut case: humans are intrinsically evil; God is righteous and cannot accommodate our wickedness; Christ was sent to bridge this gap; we must accept his sacrifice or spend eternity... Read more
My newsfeed has been awash with lament over the tragedies occurring all over the country. From the mass shootings in Orlando to the trending hashtags of yet more black men executed on the streets and the subsequent sniper shootings of police officers. Although it’s good to remember the violence isn’t new, it is the smartphone footage and rise of social media that is searing the violence so poignantly into the public consciousness, it seems as though everyone is left grieving,... Read more
*a peek into my school/curriculum planning notebook* Things I want my kids to learn next year. Decolonization – Empires Susan Wise Bauer books Goodreads Critiques of Civilization list Ancient Roman rebellions – Jewish, Boudica affects of empire on cultures and customs of conquered people Medieval African Byzantine Persian Crusades Peasant’s Revolt Central America – Peru/Inca 9 years war – Ulster/Ireland Pontiac’s Rebellion Middle East Modern Spanish-American Ottoman – WW1 – Syria/refugees Russia British US – impact on Latin America... Read more
Image: from Robbell.com SPECIAL OFFER for the readers of Unfundamentalist Parenting! Rob Bell, beloved speaker and author and creator, has newly released a 3 hour audio content called Launching Rockets. It contains Rob giving us 17 observations on parenting and Kristen Bell commenting on those observations. I have listened to the whole thing and it is fantastic. You’ll want to listen with a notepad to jot down all the wisdom in parenting. Rob, in his usual charismatic manner, reveals ways to... Read more
Photo Credit: Dan Cottle – creative commons licence It is easy enough to dismiss a child’s fears about monsters under the bed, but what about when the monsters are real, and hold guns? The Orlando shooting; hate crimes; the constant backdrop of Isil beheadings; political unrest – we wish they didn’t happen, but they do. I live in the UK, and the EU Referendum has just delivered a seismic shock to Britain’s politics and economy. Everyone is talking about it... Read more
When it comes to American Christianity, we often see the worst in ourselves. We’re cynical and pessimistic about our shortcomings, and social media perpetually reminds us of our own spiritual ineptitude. In a consumer-driven culture that thrives upon conflict and controversy, we’re continually reminded of our depravity, and it’s much easier—and more popular—to criticize instead of affirm our corporate spirituality as Christians who live in America. But American Christianity has some great characteristics, and here are a few of them:... Read more
Growing up, I was always interested in world religions. While I accepted Jesus into my heart as a little kid, I was nonetheless fascinated by faiths that were not my own. Some of my favorite books were the D’Aulaires’ books for children on Greek and Norse mythology. I loved the fantastical stories they contained. The images of gods and goddesses fighting and playing filled my imagination with wonder and inspiration. But the Christian evangelical world I grew up in did... Read more
The Spanish version of the original “Curious George” found its way to our bookshelf via hand-me-downs and my three-year-old daughter discovered it after diligently searching for a “new, new, new book that I’ve never, ever read.” It’s not that I didn’t remember Curious George—and have my suspicions about its message—but, I opted to store on our bookshelf since the book is a “classic,” and I had read it as a child. I opened the book and read the first lines... Read more
Most resources help parents and educators talk to children about GLBTQ issues but not very much is directed at kids. I love this video series created by Queer Kids Stuff aimed at exactly that – a video made FOR children. Make sure you follow along for the rest of the series! Read more
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