Six New Things – Week of August 28, 2023
Emotions can be a lot, these days: let your big ‘felines’ take a rest with practices of belonging, awareness, and empowerment for Littles to Leaders and everyone in between.
ONE
Most of us are having ‘all kinds of emotions’. One little girl’s practice of relating her emotions to various types of cats – and learning to recognize when Kaia’s Big Felines (Beaming) become overwhelming – can inspire all of us to take the time we need to ‘rest and reset’.
Find more Emotional Awareness resources in our lib guide.
TWO
Relationship and belonging are additional antidotes to overwhelm. Joe Davis’ poetry collection Remind Me Again: Poems and Practices for Remembering Who We Are, ‘speak[s] to our mind, body, and spirit, to our community, and to our purpose’ with practices to connect themes with everyday life; Rev. Jia Starr Brown’s Remind Me Again Facilitator Guide: 41 Sessions Based on the Poetry of Joe Davis (both Spark House) will help tweens to elders ‘form more meaningful connections [within and beyond] your own community’ – as 10-minute add-ons or hour-long sessions.
Find more Intergenerational Curricula in our lib guide.
Ensure visitors and long-time members experience belonging with Equity-Based Hospitality Study (Faithward), an 11-week course to develop a, ‘biblical practice of welcoming… in… barrier-free ways… so that [friends and strangers] can find space to truly belong… This practice embraces the mutual hospitality of guest and host’.
Find Outreach & Hospitality tips for all ages in our lib guide.
THREE
Lots of big issues are at the root of all those emotions: unearth the history of racist ideology with Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning: Revised Edition (Bold Type).
Find additional History of Race in America resources in our lib guide.
FOUR
Racist ideology lies at the heart of most US social systems – not least of which is healthcare. Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America (Anchor) reveals ‘the toll racism takes on individuals and the health of our nation’.
Relatedly, abortion care – and the growing lack thereof – disproportionately affects women and families of color. You or Someone You Love: Reflections from an Abortion Doula (Atria) explores ‘what we can imagine and build together in a post-Roe v. Wade United States’.
FIVE
Rather than let your ‘felines’ get overwhelming – do something!
Develop a spirit of leadership within the structure of your congregation, because, Leaders Empower All Generations to Lead Worship (LeaderWise).
Expand from that comfort zone grounded in the ‘immersive experience’ of Faith, Lies & Spies: Bonhoeffer and You (Faith+Lead), on-demand learning designed to ‘deepen your sense of purpose, strengthen your awareness of divine guidance…, and prepare you to take deliberate action in the face of so much division and uncertainty’.
Jump all the way out of the box with Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care (Haymarket), ‘a practical and imaginative resource for activists and organizers building power in an era of destabilization and catastrophe’.
SIX
If the root of your overwhelming felines is climate-related, settle into Creationtide with poignant, beautiful resources for Promotion, Liturgy, and Advocacy.
And their Opening (September 1) and Closing (October 4) Ecumenical Online Worship Services should be amazing, too!
