Six New Things – Week of August 30, 2021

Stories are sources of: refreshment; transformation; inspiration; community-building; friendship; and tradition.

ONE

Stories, “provide mirrors to our innermost selves and open windows to other worlds” – and Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children’s Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls (Broadleaf), invites us to “explore the promise of seven timeless children’s novels for adults living in uncertain times”. Sounds like a balm…

TWO

…for the stories of our current realities. Learn about Preaching the Headlines: Possibilities and Pitfalls (Fortress) and create sermons that “inspire transformative action in our world”.

For a more contemplative approach, consider the Upper Room’s Disciplines 2022: A Book of Daily Devotions, in which 7 devotions for each week include scripture, meditation, and reflective prayer based on texts from the Revised Common Lectionary that relate the ancient stories of the Bible to our lives today.

THREE

Inspire your young ones to lead the way into new stories with Three Lines in a Circle: The Exciting Life of the Peace Symbol (Flyaway) a “bold picture book that tells the story of the peace symbol”, tracing from its 1958 creation – protesting nuclear weapons – around the world to today’s children and adults working for social change; includes historical background and a time line of 20th Century peace movements.

FOUR

Envision – and develop – a more peaceful community with two new resources from Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes: Crisis Contemplation: Healing the Wounded Village (CAC) includes reflection questions and practices to engage individuals and groups. Sustain peaceful transformation with Holmes’ The Cosmic We podcast, which “goes beyond race and racism to consider relatedness as the organizing principle of the universe”, fusing science, mysticism, spirituality, and the creative arts while exploring “unseen futures” grounded in our Divine connectedness.

You might also find help for this journey in Did That Just Happen?: Beyond Diversity – Creating Sustainable Organizations (Beacon) “an accessible guide showing all people how to create and sustain diversity and inclusivity”.

Find additional resources for Leading through Change/Conflict in our lib guide.

FIVE

And since all this inclusivity work begins with love (see Richard Rohr’s recent Daily Meditations on Unveiling the Universal Christ), why not help your young people learn some self-love with Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham’s Real Friends Series, just concluded with the final installment, Friends Forever (Macmillan).

Find additional resources to support healthy friendships in youth in our Bullying & Friendship lib guide.

SIX

And while we’re on the topic of the Universal Christ revealing Divine Love, let’s go ahead and look forward to Advent and Christmas traditions, which may again this year be observed Close to Home (Sanctified Art; currently extending a 10% discount through Sept. 24); though, no matter where they’re celebrated, Illustrated Ministry’s Nativity Stickers are always a hit.

Find additional emerging Advent, Christmas, & Epiphany resources in our Worship and Faith Formation lib guides.

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Please Note: In observance of Labor Day, The Ministry Lab will be closed/off-line. Six New Things will post on Tuesday, September 7, next week. Have a blessed extended weekend!