This video is some sort of promotional/educational "what a DRE job is, and what skills you need to have to be one."
My question is this. Honestly, do any of you DRE's, (or do the DRE's in your congregation) have desks and offices that are this neat?
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
It all comes together at Christmas -- Embodied Faith, COA, and OWL
The story of Jesus Birth, interpreted by Christian faith, is a story about Jesus as G-d's embodiment on earth. Jesus, according to this belief, was embodied G-d at the very moment of his birth.
My personal belief is in the embodiment of the sacred in all life, and my faith journey leads me to support and promote that sacred spark of life in every way possible. When one holds a baby just born, there is no doubt that there is something sacred about it, a baby is not simply a mass of DNA and tissue and blood that reflexively cries. There is a spark of something intangible yet simultaneously compelling and vivid that produces an attitude of gratitude and awe, or perhaps, recognition.
Of course people were awed at Jesus' birth. Birthing is awe-full.
Human life may be specially situated, because we can reflect upon and share about that embodiment. We reflect on suffering, on joy, on pain, on love. To be cognitively and emotionally reflective about what happens to our bodies and minds is a gift that is, I believe, unique to humanity.
One of the deep deep roots of the theological underpinnings of my job as Director of Religious Education is reflection upon and taking action from a place that takes seriously the idea that the sacred is embodied in human form. This is a touchstone for decision making about programs, policies, interventions, curricular and extra-curricular choices, and the framework of a community within which collective and individual faith development is addressed.
Why do we run Coming of Age programs as a holistic,reflective, intentionally practice-filled faith development experience? Why do we run COA programs with elements of Relationship, Social Action, UU Identity, and Values/Belief? Because latency and teen aged young people are not empty brains to have information poured in, nor are they merely adolescent bodies needing to continually physically externalize their particular internal chaos. They are complex human creatures, at a particular point of development that places incredible intellectual, emotional, and physical demands on them that require guidance and direction. We provide that guidance and structure in these four areas, not because we have the answers, but because we know how to make the path more navigable as they grow -- and because we know that children with structure, boundaries, information and direction, and healthy adult companionship are more likely to develop into healthy adults.
As Embodied Beings from birth, we require certain kinds of guidance, structure, and support. This is why Our Whole Lives, the UUA's lifespan sexuality curriculum, is so important in our congregations. As embodied creatures all the time - we have skin and mind, gender and emotions and spark. Awareness, knowledge and respect for all of these bits of ourselves, as we age and develop, are crucial to making healthy decisions about what we do with our bodies. Personally, I wish we called OWL Our Embodied Selves. But OES is a lousy acronym.
Like COA programs, OWL is based in best practices -- what we know works. We know that simply believing that all the people in our young children's world will maintain appropriate physical and emotional boundaries with them is not sufficient to protect and prepare our children for advocating for their own bodily autonomy. We know that ignoring children's bodies until the sudden onset of puberty does not provide them with the tools to manage the emotional and physical changes of puberty, or ignoring the pulls of sexual attraction will not provide young people with the tools to make careful, healthy decisions about sexual behavior. Our children are beings with bodies with a sacred spark from birth, and from birth we must attend to the sacredness of their bodies, and prepare them to respect, develop, and care for their bodies. We must do so pro-actively, with great attention to developmental appropriateness and milestones, and to best practices in sexuality education.
I sometimes tell parents: There are two things we want our children to hear about from us first -- G-d and Sex.
And right after that, I mention that usually, these are exactly the two things that parents want the most help and support around.
Our religious community is the best suited to provide that help and support, and one way we do it is through the lifespan curricula of the Our Whole Lives program. We don't simply insert it into our "regular" curricula saying "we will return to our regularly scheduled curricula after this brief announcement about sexuality," but as an integrated part of our lifespan faith development programs. Just as the year long COA program is one of many years of RE that build together, (and, imho, is not nearly as successful when a parent comes to the UU for the first time because they want their 8th grader to "have a COA experience,") OWL is also a component of an integrated program. We integrate care for bodies into our curricula, modeling for our children that while we talk about the transcendental and magical, we also talk about the visceral and concrete, that ideas about G-d are explored right next to ideas about babies.
See? It all comes together at Christmas. Babies as the embodiment of the sacred, our sacred responsibility to provide for their care and nurture in ways that actually help them to move along in their development, and our sacred commitment to the work we do and the lives we lead as we tend our own spark.
Or, this year, in my case a little sooner than Christmas. In 44 hours when my twin nieces will be born.
My personal belief is in the embodiment of the sacred in all life, and my faith journey leads me to support and promote that sacred spark of life in every way possible. When one holds a baby just born, there is no doubt that there is something sacred about it, a baby is not simply a mass of DNA and tissue and blood that reflexively cries. There is a spark of something intangible yet simultaneously compelling and vivid that produces an attitude of gratitude and awe, or perhaps, recognition.
Of course people were awed at Jesus' birth. Birthing is awe-full.
Human life may be specially situated, because we can reflect upon and share about that embodiment. We reflect on suffering, on joy, on pain, on love. To be cognitively and emotionally reflective about what happens to our bodies and minds is a gift that is, I believe, unique to humanity.
One of the deep deep roots of the theological underpinnings of my job as Director of Religious Education is reflection upon and taking action from a place that takes seriously the idea that the sacred is embodied in human form. This is a touchstone for decision making about programs, policies, interventions, curricular and extra-curricular choices, and the framework of a community within which collective and individual faith development is addressed.
Why do we run Coming of Age programs as a holistic,reflective, intentionally practice-filled faith development experience? Why do we run COA programs with elements of Relationship, Social Action, UU Identity, and Values/Belief? Because latency and teen aged young people are not empty brains to have information poured in, nor are they merely adolescent bodies needing to continually physically externalize their particular internal chaos. They are complex human creatures, at a particular point of development that places incredible intellectual, emotional, and physical demands on them that require guidance and direction. We provide that guidance and structure in these four areas, not because we have the answers, but because we know how to make the path more navigable as they grow -- and because we know that children with structure, boundaries, information and direction, and healthy adult companionship are more likely to develop into healthy adults.
As Embodied Beings from birth, we require certain kinds of guidance, structure, and support. This is why Our Whole Lives, the UUA's lifespan sexuality curriculum, is so important in our congregations. As embodied creatures all the time - we have skin and mind, gender and emotions and spark. Awareness, knowledge and respect for all of these bits of ourselves, as we age and develop, are crucial to making healthy decisions about what we do with our bodies. Personally, I wish we called OWL Our Embodied Selves. But OES is a lousy acronym.
Like COA programs, OWL is based in best practices -- what we know works. We know that simply believing that all the people in our young children's world will maintain appropriate physical and emotional boundaries with them is not sufficient to protect and prepare our children for advocating for their own bodily autonomy. We know that ignoring children's bodies until the sudden onset of puberty does not provide them with the tools to manage the emotional and physical changes of puberty, or ignoring the pulls of sexual attraction will not provide young people with the tools to make careful, healthy decisions about sexual behavior. Our children are beings with bodies with a sacred spark from birth, and from birth we must attend to the sacredness of their bodies, and prepare them to respect, develop, and care for their bodies. We must do so pro-actively, with great attention to developmental appropriateness and milestones, and to best practices in sexuality education.
I sometimes tell parents: There are two things we want our children to hear about from us first -- G-d and Sex.
And right after that, I mention that usually, these are exactly the two things that parents want the most help and support around.
Our religious community is the best suited to provide that help and support, and one way we do it is through the lifespan curricula of the Our Whole Lives program. We don't simply insert it into our "regular" curricula saying "we will return to our regularly scheduled curricula after this brief announcement about sexuality," but as an integrated part of our lifespan faith development programs. Just as the year long COA program is one of many years of RE that build together, (and, imho, is not nearly as successful when a parent comes to the UU for the first time because they want their 8th grader to "have a COA experience,") OWL is also a component of an integrated program. We integrate care for bodies into our curricula, modeling for our children that while we talk about the transcendental and magical, we also talk about the visceral and concrete, that ideas about G-d are explored right next to ideas about babies.
See? It all comes together at Christmas. Babies as the embodiment of the sacred, our sacred responsibility to provide for their care and nurture in ways that actually help them to move along in their development, and our sacred commitment to the work we do and the lives we lead as we tend our own spark.
Or, this year, in my case a little sooner than Christmas. In 44 hours when my twin nieces will be born.
Monday, December 17, 2007
The Estatic Faith of Rumi
UU's love Rumi.
she says as a ginormous stereotype of UU's, thereby guaranteeing at least a couple of comments about how I don't speak for them
Krista Tippett, over at Speaking of Faith, my favorite radio program (except, I must admit, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me when Paula Poundstone is on,) has a fabulous show on his poetry.
Even if you're not interested in the 53 minute radio piece, click the link just to see the incredible photo/poem.
Speaking of Faith is always linked from my sidebar. This link goes directly to this story.
she says as a ginormous stereotype of UU's, thereby guaranteeing at least a couple of comments about how I don't speak for them
Krista Tippett, over at Speaking of Faith, my favorite radio program (except, I must admit, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me when Paula Poundstone is on,) has a fabulous show on his poetry.
Even if you're not interested in the 53 minute radio piece, click the link just to see the incredible photo/poem.
Speaking of Faith is always linked from my sidebar. This link goes directly to this story.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Communication is Key for Religous Professionals
Another important skill for DRE's is communication. Listening for Understanding and not responding from our own assumptions or misunderstandings is often key to the lifesaving work we do.
(thanks to Berlitz for this...)
(thanks to Berlitz for this...)
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Should be in a DRE's Job Description - Herding Cats
It ain't an easy job, but when you bring a herd into town and ain't lost a one of 'em, there ain't a feeling like it in the world.
Wonder if your vote really matters?
In Longmeadow MA, the Prop 2 1/2 override, (Thanks Mitt Romney for making local municipalities override local property tax limits over and over again in order to fund the schools that you defunded so you could claim to have "lowered taxes" in your Presidential run) designed to level fund their schools, passed by 4 votes. Last time it failed by 10.
In Northampton MA a City Councilor retained his Ward 5 seat by 10 votes, in my opinion, a seat that really mattered were it to be lost.
And here's the kicker. I didn't have to work at all to find these examples. It didn't require hours of searching the internet for evidence of voter importance. These were garnered from my local news.
Hope you voted, and that you understood that no matter how close an election was or was not, your vote mattered.
In Northampton MA a City Councilor retained his Ward 5 seat by 10 votes, in my opinion, a seat that really mattered were it to be lost.
And here's the kicker. I didn't have to work at all to find these examples. It didn't require hours of searching the internet for evidence of voter importance. These were garnered from my local news.
Hope you voted, and that you understood that no matter how close an election was or was not, your vote mattered.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Did you vote?
I return to blogging one year later with this very important happycindy moment.
Did
You
Vote?
Local elections today in Massachusetts. Some contested, some not. All important in terms of...
Say it with me folks...
Our Civic Duty.
Make a Difference. Exercise your right and responsibility.
Even if you live in a town with one person running for re-election for Mayor, and 6 people running for 6 spots on the School Committee.
...For instance.
In Massachusetts you've got another hour and a half to get there.
Go, run.
Did
You
Vote?
Local elections today in Massachusetts. Some contested, some not. All important in terms of...
Say it with me folks...
Our Civic Duty.
Make a Difference. Exercise your right and responsibility.
Even if you live in a town with one person running for re-election for Mayor, and 6 people running for 6 spots on the School Committee.
...For instance.
In Massachusetts you've got another hour and a half to get there.
Go, run.
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