Merry Christmas!

A Merry and  Blessed Christmas to you all! 

Advent Club 2016 - Week 4

In der letzten Woche zusammen haben wir Weihnachten mit den Einwohnern im Altersheim gefeiert. So wie Jesus das Synagoge verlies, um unterwegs mit den Menschen zu sein, haben wir die Kirche verlassen, um mit Menschen zu feiern, die nicht mehr so leicht draußen gehen können. Our last week together was spent celebrating Christmas with the residents of a local senior center. Just as Jesus left the synagogue to be out among the people, we left the church to spend time with some people who aren't able to leave their homes. 

Die Senioren und Ihre Betreuer begrüßten uns mit hausgemachten Plätzchen, und wir saßen zusammen am Tisch. 
Wir sangen gemeinsam Weihnachtslieder. . . 
The seniors and their staff greeted us with homemade Christmas cookies, and we sat together at long tables to chat. We sang Christmas songs together . . . 

und spielten selber auf der Blockflöte . . . 
and played songs ourselves on the recorder . . . 

Ein Highlight was das Spiel, wo wir mit verbundenen Augen den Stern am Weihnachtsbaum richtig kleben müssten, ähnlich wie "Blinde Kuh". Wir haben's auch letztes Jahr gespielt, und die Kinder von damals, die auch dieses Jahr mit dabei waren, fanden's so toll, und wollten unbedingt nochmal spielen. One highlight was a version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" where we pinned the star in the Christmas tree. We played this last year as well, and the kids who were previously in the Advent Club liked it so much that we decided to play it again. 

Unser Programm beendete mit der Weihnachtsgeschichte. Da haben wir eine Art "Reise nach Jerusalem" gespielt, in dem wir die Krippenfiguren eingepackt haben. Das Päckchen ging herum, und wer es hatte, alls die Musik aufhörte, musste auspacken. Our program ended with the children telling the Christmas story. We wrapped the nativity figures up in packages and played a version of "Hot Potato". The package was passed until the music stopped, and then the person holding it when the music stopped had to unwrap it.

Nachdem jedes Päckchen ausgemacht wurde, hat ein Kind einen Teil der Weihnachtsgeschichte erzählt. After each package was unwrapped, the children took turns telling that part of the story. 

Es war eine wunderschöne Zeit zusammen!

A lovely time was had by all!

Advent Club 2016 - Week 3

Noch unterwegs zusammen in der Adventszeit hörten wir die Worte Jesu in seiner Bergpredigt. Das Baby in der Krippe ist zum erwachsenen Mann geworden, und er hatte ziemlich viele wichtige Dinge zu sagen. Our Advent journey this week continued with Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The baby in the nativity grew into a man who had more than a few important things to say.

"Jesus gab den Menschen Worte für ihre Herzen, und er öffnete ihre Herzen für seine Worte."

"Jesus gave the people words for their hearts, and he opened their hearts for his words."

Das Metaphor in der Bergpredigt von den weisen Mann, der sein Haus auf Fels baute, und von dem leichtsinnigen Mann, der das Haus auf Sand baute, hat die Kinder am meisten interessiert. The children seem particularly interested in the metaphor that Jesus used of the foolish man who built his house on the sand and the wise man who built his house on the rock, citing this as both their favourite and most important parts of the story. 

In Kreativphase gab es ein neues Projekt: einen Sternanhänger mit Farbe und Naturmaterial gebastelt. During Response Time, we added one project: start ornaments decorated with paint and found objects in nature. 

We machten andere Projekte fertig . . . 

We also finished up our other projects . . . 

und spielten mit den Kaplas und Krippenfiguren. Unten sieht man die Heilige Familie umringelt von den Einwohnern in Bethlehem (so erzählten die Kinder), und sie bauten einen großen Stall für die Tiere. 
and played with the Kaplas and nativity figures. Below the Holy Family is in Bethlehem surrounded by the people of Bethlehem (as explained by the children), and the children have built a large stable for the animals. 

Wir haben noch das Programm im Seniorenheim geplant, und feierten ein kleines Fest zusammen.

We also planned our program at the senior center, and ended our time with a small feast.

Die nächste Folge kommt bald . . .

To be continued . . . 

Advent Club 2016 - Week 2

Zwei Kerzen brennen . . . es ist schon Woche 2 in der AdventsAG! 

Two candles are burning . . . it's the second week of Advent Club!

Diese Woche hörten wir eine Godly-Play-Geschichte, "Die Heilige Familie". Die Weihnachtsgeschichte wurde darin mit den Krippenfiguren erzählt, und die Kinder hatten die Möglichkeit zu gucken, mit welcher Person in dieser Gruppe sie am nähesten identifizierten. In dieser Geschichte aber ist zusätzlich eine Figur des auferstanden Christus, die auch auf das Kreuz hindeutet. Damit helfen wir den Kindern auch zu verstehen, was das Baby in der Krippe mit dem erwachsenen Mann, den wir zu Ostern feiern, zu tun hat. This week we heard a Godly Play story called "The Holy Family". It is essentially the Christmas story told with traditional nativity figures. However, in the background there is the figure of the Risen Christ with outstretched arms that also suggests the form of the cross. This story helps children to go deeper into the Christmas story and find out which part of it is most important to them at their current station in life. It also helps them to understand the relationship between the baby in the nativity scene, and the man who died and rose again at Easter, something that it not always obvious or apparent to children.

Am Ende haben wir die Kinder die folgenden Fragen gestellt: 
At the end of the story, we asked the children:

Welche Person gefällt dir am besten? Which person in this story do you like best?

Welche ist die Wichtigste? Which one do you think is most important?

Welche ist am meisten wie du? Which one of them is most like you?

"Jesus, weil ich auch ein Baby war und ich bin ein Junge." "Jesus, because I was a baby and now I am a boy."

"Die 3 Könige, weil ich auch gern anderen Geschenke beim Geburtstag gebe." "The Three Kings, because I also like to give presents at birthdays."

Ein Mädchen wollte auch "Jesus" beantworten, aber es zweifelte, weil Jesus kein Mädchen war. Da haben die anderen Kinder Feedback gegeben, dass das Geschlecht in dem Fall egal war. Das Mädchen ist trotzdem sowie Jesus. One girl answered, "Jesus", but then doubted herself, because Jesus was a boy and she was a girl. The other children reassured her that gender didn't matter here. She was still like Jesus. 


In der Kreativphase haben die Kinder sich frei zwischen unterschiedlichen Angeboten bewegt. Einige haben mit Salztieg-Gestaltungen angefangen. For Response Time, the children had several things to choose from. Some made salt dough creations. 

Andere spielten mit der Heiligen Familie und Kapla-Steinen. Others played with the Holy Family figures and Kapla blocks.

Ein Mädchen hat die Kirchenuhr einsortiert. One girl sorted out the church clock. 

Andere machen die Mosaiken fertig. Der Junge unten erzählte, sein Bild ist von Maria, Joseph, Baby-Jesus, und den 3 Königen in der Nacht. (Das war derselbe Junge, der sagte, die 3 Könige sind ihm am meisten ähnlich.) Others worked on their mosaics. The boy below told depicted the Holy Family at night with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the Three Wise Men. (This was the same child who said he was most like the 3 Kings!)

Wir haben auch den Hintergrund fürs Programm im Seniorenheim gemalt, und wir haben die Lieder dafür geübt. We also painted the backdrop for our Christmas program at the nursing home in two weeks, and we practiced the songs that we will sing.

Bis nächster Woche! See you next week!

Natural Materials in the Godly Play Classroom

One of the ideals of the Godly Play classroom is to surround the children with beautiful, natural materials.

Materials, however, can be use a huge hurdle in beginning a Godly Play program. Natural items, especially wooden ones, can be expensive, hard to make, or even difficult to find. 

I always try to communicate at trainings that materials should not hinder one from starting. You start with what you have. Before I had ever been to any kind of training an had only the books as a guide, I used plastic Playmobil figures to tell the stories. It was certainly not the ideal, but you have to start somewhere.

Then, as I slowly learned more, and had the financial or creative resources, I began to replace the old materials with natural materials. And I am still in the process of doing this.

For a long time, I have used Legos in our Godly Play clubs. Legos are great, and I think that even Maria Montessori would have been a fan. However, this year, I finally had the resources to buy a construction toy that was made of natural materials to replace to the Legos. 

I chose to buy Kapla blocks, which are made of wood. They are simple wooden planks that don't look all that impressive at first, but the creative possibilities are endless. (This is not an advertisement for Kaplas, but you can google them to find examples the amazing things that children build with them.)

And you can see how the children began using them last week . . .

Godly Play is a process and building our classrooms is one as well. Growth doesn't need to be rushed, but we do need to keep the ideals and values in mind. Use what you have in the beginning stages, and then "upgrade" your materials when you can. 

Advent Club 2016 Week 1

Am Montag, den 28.November ging das 6.Jahr der AdventsAG los! Alle Jahre wieder begleiten Melinda und ich gern die Kinder durch diese zauberhafte (aber manchmal anstrengende!) Jahreszeit. Jede Gruppe von Kindern schenkt eine frische Dynamik zu der Struktur, die wir so gut kennen.  Unsere AGs sind immer auf den Prinzipien von Godly Play gebaut, eine Montessori-inspirierte Religionspädagogik. On Monday, November 28, Melinda & I began our sixth year of Advent Club together! We never tire of accompanying children through this magical season of the year, and are always delighted at the how each new group of children bring new life to a structure that we know so well. Our clubs are always based on the principles and structures of Godly Play, a Montessori-based concept of spiritual formation. 

Die erste Adventskerze brennt . . . 
Lighting the Advent Wreath . . . 

Wir stellen die "Kirchenuhr" ein . . .
Setting the "church clock" . . . 

Und dann hören wir eine Geschichte. Wir versuchen in der AG den Kindern einen Kontext für das Ankommen von Jesus zu geben, damit sie verstehen, dass er nicht einfach aus dem Nichts erschienen ist. Wir möchten ihnen helfen zu versehen, warum er gekommen ist, und dass es eine Verbindung zwischen den Alten und Neuen Testamenten in der Bibel gibt. And then the story. One of the things that we often do in Advent Club is to set the context for why Jesus came into the world and help children understand that Jesus did not just appear out of nowhere. We also want them to understand that the Old and New Testaments in the Bible are connected. 

Deshalb fingen wir an mit einer Geschichte aus 1.Mose, "Im Garten Eden". Wir haben uns vorher die Fragen gestellt: Warum kam Jesus überhaupt in unserer Welt? Was ist mit unserer Welt passiert, dass wir Hoffnung brauchen? This year, we began with one of the very first stories in the Old Testament, "The Garden of Eden". We asked ourselves beforehand, why did God come to us in the form of a baby? What happened with our world that we would need God to bring us hope? (Note to my readers already familiar with Godly Play: the story below is not an official Godly Play story, but one inspired by and told in the spirit of Godly Play.)

Es fällt mir immer wieder auf, dass Erwachsene eher auf dem Thema "Strafe" in der Geschichte fixiert sind, aber Kinder sehen die Gnade und Kummer Gottes in der Geschichte. Die englische Heilige, Julian von Norwich, vergleichte den Sündenfall mit dem Bild eines Kindes, der hinfällt und von einem liebevollen Elternteil geholfen wird. Ich denke, Kinder manchmal verstehen das besser als Erwachsene. It always strikes me that adults often focus on punishment in this story, but when I tell it to children, they focus on God's grace. The English saint Julian of Norwich likened this story to when a child falls down and a loving parent picks the child up and helps him go on. I think the children sometimes intuitively understand this better than we adults.

Die ersten Menschen müssten den Garten verlassen, aber Gott hat sie nicht verlassen. Er war immer mit ihnen, liebte sie und kümmerte sich um sie. Und Gott versprach durch die Propheten Hilfe und Hoffnung in der Form eines besonderen Kindes zu schenken. Dieses Kind würde alles verändern und uns zeigen, wie wir leben sollen. The first people had to leave the garden, but God was still with them. There were consequences to their actions, but God still cared for and loved them. And God would send many promises over the years through the prophets that a special child would come into the world, who would be God himself  and change everything.

Nach der Geschichte bieten wir eine Kreativphase an, in der die Kinder Aktivitäten aussuchen um den Advent weiter zu entdecken. After the story, we have a Response Time in which the children can choose can choose different activities to help them go deeper into Advent through play or creativity.

Einige Kinder wollten Mosaik-Bilder mit Filz und Naturmaterial gestalten. Some children chose to make mosaics with nature material and felt.

Andere wollten weiter mit dem Erdsack und Holzfiguren spielen. Ja, das ist echte Blumenerde. Zum Glück hat die Kirche einen Staubsauger!! Others chose imaginative play with the earth bag and wooden figures. Yes, that is real potting soil. It's a good thing that the church had a vacuum cleaner!

Es gab auch die Möglichtkeit mit Konstruktorspielzeuge zu arbeiten. Auch als Vorbereitung auf den Besuch ins Seniorenheim haben wir einen Stall gemeinsam mit Farbe gemalt. In addition, there was a station with building blocks and one to paint a stable for our visit to the nursing home in two weeks. 

In dieser Kreativphase ist unser Hauptziel den Kindern Raum zu geben, die Weihnachtsgeschichte für sich selbst zu entdecken. Deshalb gibt es bei uns wenig "traditionelle" Adventsbastelei, sondern Angebote, wo sie selber Bedeutung durch Spiel und Kreativität gestalten können.  Because we are much more concerned with the children identifying with and making meaning out of the stories they hear, we don't have as many traditional Advent-type crafts. Our aim is to allow open-ended activities that allow the children to explore on their own. 

Wir beendeten die schöne Zeit zusammen mit einem kleinen Fest und Segen! Our time ended with a small "feast" and a blessing!

Woche 2 kommt bald! 

Week 2 coming soon!

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Some Special Symbols

I find symbols very meaningful in my spiritual journey. These are some special symbols that I often wear when I am with the children to remind me of certain spiritual truths.

The Celtic knot above (on the left) has a triangular shape that represents the Trinity, and the interlinking circle represents mankind. I wear this particular Celtic knot, because it reminds me that the Sacred Three-in-One is always near and that we are intricately woven into relationship with this Triune God. 

The second cross is the Tau cross, an ancient symbol named after the Greek letter. It was especially beloved by St. Francis of Assisi, who lived a simple life of service to God and who saw nature as a mirror to God's character. This cross reminds me to cherish the creation and be attentive to how it speaks to me of the Divine. 

And the third is the Maltese cross. This one reminds me that the ability to do both good and evil lies in each one of us. Sometimes we lose our way, but God graciously helps us get back on track. That is the story of the order that designed this cross. 

The Knights of Malta began as servant monks who built hospitals and cared for the sick and dying. Each person in their care was to receive equal medical treatment, whether they were prince or pauper. Sadly, as the Crusades began, the Knights of Malta strayed from their original calling and became a class of warrior-monks, who evolved at one point into little more than pirates, looting and enslaving others in God's name. Their kingdom and power, however, came to an end, and they were forced by Napoleon to leave Malta forever. Today, the Maltese orders have returned to their original purposes and carry out numerous social services for people all over the world. Their story reminds me that should I get lost for a while, the Good Shepherd will lead me back to the fold. 

What are symbols that have special meaning for you?

Revisiting the Blessing

The blessing at the end of a Godly Play lesson is an very important aspect of the overall concept. When we bless the children, we are asking God to call forth all that is good, beautiful, and like the Triune God that is in them. 

I've been thinking a lot about blessings lately, because when I was in Ireland, part of our retreat was to write specific blessings for each member of our family. We also wrote blessings for rooms in our home where community takes place. 

Usually we do a group blessing at the end of our Godly Play blessing before we say good-bye at the door. We do this, because the parents are standing outside the door waiting for us to finish the feast and the children then get in a big hurry to get out of the door. It doesn't always make for a meaningful individual blessing, although I do this with certain children anyway if I notice that they are not in too big of a rush to receive it. 

On Sunday, at the end of our feast, we put on some classical music, Bach's Christmas Suite, and told the children that we were going to do something special before they went home. They were very tired, antsy, and ready to get up. Nevertheless, I explained that I wanted to whisper a special blessing to each one of them in their ear that was just for them and only they could hear. Immediately, a 5-year-old girl asked if I was going to say the same thing to each person or if each blessing would be different. I replied that each blessing would be unique. 

Well, as soon as I started, it was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. Each child sat quietly and eagerly awaited their turn to be blessed. Their faces lit up and beamed as I whispered the blessing into each of their ears. It was truly a holy moment that I will never forget. 

A special thanks to Maxi, my co-teacher, who had the idea to play classical music while we were doing this special blessing. That helped a great deal in setting the tone for what was to come. 

How do you bless the children in your church?

Public Domain Image

First Advent Sorting Game: The Words of the Prophets

On Sunday in Children's Church ("Kinderzeit" is what we call it at our church), we began the Advent Journey with the children. The first part of the Godly Play Advent lesson tells about the prophets who pointed the way to Bethlehem. 

Unfortunately, there is as of yet no German translation of the Bible into children's speech, so the actual words of the prophets can be quite difficult to understand. Even older children who are good readers stumble over the archaic words and struggle to make sense of them. 

Maxi, one of our children's workers, had the idea to make a sorting game with pictures to help the children understand the most important parts of Bible verses. 

We chose the following verses:

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." Micah 5:2

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2

Then, Maxi made cards with with pictures and short phrases (for those who could already read) to help the children understand what the verses were all about. 

During the Response Time after the story, Maxi sat at a table and told the children that if they want to know the actual words of the prophets, they could play this game with her. It was wonderful to see a gaggle of children gathered around, concentrating intensely, and making sense of the the prophet's words foretelling the coming of the Messiah. 

A First Advent Blessing

Today, we begin the journey together to Bethlehem. We await the King who once came, who will one day come to renew heaven and earth, and who somehow comes to us each year again and again.

No matter how many times you have made this journey or how prepared (or more likely unprepared!) you may feel, may the journey to meet the King strengthen and refresh you for the next chapter of your life. 

The hand of a prophet showing the way.

May the prophets show you the way . . . 

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth." Job 19:25

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." Micah 5:2

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2

Advent Nature Table

Wishing you joy and perseverance on this First Advent Sunday!

Caring for the Soul

As Godly Players and people who accompany children on their spiritual journeys, it is important that we pay close attention to our own walk with God and our soul's condition and needs. Like the seasons of the year, our souls also have seasons. 

I had noticed in the past year that I was many times just going through the motions. Life was going at such a fast pace that I wasn't attentive to what was going on inside me. 

When an opportunity arose for me to go on a spiritual retreat with Communitas International, I knew this was something that I needed to do. I chose this particular retreat, because it was in Ireland and focused on Celtic Christian practices. 

Rather than having a book to read on this retreat, we had a "place as text". The "text" was the ruins of an old Irish monastery called Glendalough. While visiting this place and learning about the rhythms of the people who once lived here, we spent time asking God what we could learn from them and apply in our present lives.

The Celtic monasteries had walls, but the first thing you notice about them is that they were very low walls. They weren't meant to keep people or anything else out. Rather they were meant to be space markers, to show that within these walls, there was an alternative way to live. 

I was immediately reminded of the threshold in Godly Play. We cross a threshold into our Godly Play space and come into a place where we meet with God and each other. The walls of the Godly Play space aren't there to keep people outside, but rather to invite them into a special place. 

The Irish monks embraced life and found meaning and fulfilment in normal, everyday work and living among normal people. Children and families lived inside the walls of the monasteries. I loved imagining the laughter and play of children as I walked among these ruins. 

Even as they worked, the Celtic Christians found time to pray at different periods of the day as a way of returning to God and keeping him in their thoughts. I began to think about the rhythms of my day, and how I could take a few minutes at certain times to "return to God" as well. For me, that would mean in the morning as I am drinking my coffee, when I am working out, during my lunch break, and in the evening when the children have gone to bed. 

The Irish monks also lived in an ebb and flow of withdrawing themselves to be alone with God and afterwards using the insight  and energy they gleaned from the time alone to focus outwardly on the world. Glendalough itself was founded after St. Kevin spent an extended time alone with God in a cave in this national park. This made me think about how much I need this in my life, and about what the natural times of the year are when I can and should withdraw. This flies in the face of a society that is always under pressure to "produce", but we need to do this in order to be more creative and productive in the long run. 

The Celtic Christians were also very attuned to the seasons, and how nature reflected the character of God. Glendalough is in the middle of a national park, so we were asked to silently walk around for several hours and observe what God might say to us through our surroundings. 

And, as if God had prepared the Parable of the Good Shepherd just for me, I stumbled up on a flock of sheep. Not many sheep running around in Berlin, so this was definitely interesting to me!



One sheep had gotten lost from the flock and was bleating his little heart out to find the others. I became internally distressed, because as he got closer to the flock, the other sheep plainly heard his bleating, but didn't bat an eyelash. They just kept munching on their grass, as if everything were peaceful and quiet. It made me think about my own reactions when I see that someone is having a difficult time.  Do I ask God what to do, or do I sometimes just keep on doing my own thing, because that is easier?

So many things to think about. Since this trip to Ireland in October, I have been in a process of trying to establish new rhythms that allow me to "return" to God at different times during the day, even if for only a few moments. I have also been trying to pay more attention to the ebb and flow, and recognise and accept when I need to "ebb" rather than "flow". 

Do you have natural rhythms in your day, week or year that help you to care for your soul? If so, what are they?