I was intrigued by overhearing a common phrase last week. Overheard several times was the phrase, “I don’t want to do that.” It’s a common enough phrase (anyone who has ever had a three or four year old around the house has heard a variation of that uttered hundreds of times). What intrigued me was that while the content was the same, the context and source related to where and who uttered that phrase made a world of difference. It was a good example of the importance of focusing on process and not content.

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I used to find it difficult to correct student papers on the computer screen, preferring to print out dozens of pages to correct then with red pen in hand. Over the years my predilection has switched: I’ve come to prefer editing on the computer screen. I rarely print out student work submitted via computer (e-mail or via our seminary online learning system). I correct papers and projects on the computer screen, make annotations, add links to appropriate internet help sites, and then e-mail it back to the student. I’m saving a lot of red ink and paper these days.

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I receive an e-mail from a church staff member about that perennial problem: the pushy parent. It comes in all forms. Parents want allowances or exceptions for their “special” child, their “superior” child, or their “tender” child. They want the child advanced a grade, put in the “smart” class, held back a grade, or, put into the same group with their “special little friends.” Once, when I was a school principle a parent insisted on us putting her twin daughters in the same class all through grade school—and, requested that they always sit next to each other. There was no thought about encouraging individuation on the part of that mom!

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Today’s “Brain Week” feature is a link to the website of the PBS series, “The Secret Life of the Brain.” The series originally aired in 2002. The website includes a summary of the five episodes which take a developmental view: The Baby’s Brain, The Child’s Brain, The Teenage Brain, The Adult Brain, and The Aging Brain.

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We’ve all experienced moments when we’ve misheard something which led to misunderstanding. Like the young boy who was sitting in church with his father when he noticed the flags on each side of the altar. He asked his father what the flags were for.

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Some things should be obvious, but often we require someone to point out the obvious to us. A man walks into a doctor’s office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear.

“What’s the matter with me?” He asked.

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I finally got around to watching a DVD from Netflix that’s been sitting on the coffee table for about a month (thank goodness for that “no late fees” policy!). The movie was House of D. In the movie a thirteen-year-old comes of age through loss, grief, and escape. As an adult, and a father, he returns to the place of his childhood in order to reconnect and move on.

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If you have ever talked to someone about the Christian Year who isn’t familiar with it, then you may recognize the blank stare on their face that you get in return. Use the Seasons of the Spirit’s “The Seasons of the Church Year” poster, and you have a great starting point for this discussion.

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It’s hard to imagine but there are still churches that have no child protection policies in place. That’s just a tragedy waiting to happen. One related issue is that many congregations have adopted child protection policies but fail to ensure oversight for compliance. In the press of circumstances it’s often easier to lean toward what is convenient rather than what is expedient.

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I recently led another parenting workshop for a group of suburban parents. I’ve been doing this workshop for about fifteen years and it’s gotten to the point that I know when to pause to wait for specific questions. No matter the city or the crowd, when I pause at certain points I can anticipate the questions the parents in the room will ask. This time it was no different. At a certain point in the presentation I just paused and waited. A woman raised her hand and asked the question I anticipated. It’s an interesting phenomenon.

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