People sometimes ask me if they can use my stuff, published material and resources like those on the educational consultant site. I always appreciate that they ask and tell them they are free to use whatever they find helpful for their work or ministry. It’s at least better than the guest lecturer I invited to speak at one of my courses. He distributed handouts to the students apropos to his topic, but the handouts were copies of my material with the copyright tag suspiciously removed, and he used it without attribution.

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Someone recently requested a teaching handout for the concept of the “Identified Patient.” We’re happy to oblige in providing resources if we can. Attached is the handout (a “one-pager” we created:

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When I was in parish ministry one of the things I most enjoyed was planning and leading the summer children’s camp. I doubt I have the energy to do that anymore, but it was a lot of fun. There are two things to keep in mind about planning a weeklong children’s camp: (1) you have to plan for 24 hours a day, and, (2) you need to plan for those rainy days when you’ll need to keep the kids indoors (and you can count on at least one rainy day!).

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Full disclosure and legal disclaimer: I’m not a pet person. I’ve never been a dog owner, don’t have cats, and don’t understand what having pets around the house is all about. The most I’ve tolerated was allowing the kids to have hamsters and gerbils during their tender formative years—partly because those critters tend to have a limited lifespan and so become good opportunities to teach the kids “first lessons” about death. My opinion about dog owners has not been helped by my experience of them on walking trails or jogging lanes, but that’s a rant for another day.

Given that attitude you can understand how puzzled my family is that I’m such a fan of Cesar Milan, “The Dog Whisperer.” Milan has a TV show on the National Geographic channel that I try to catch as often as I can–even the repeats. My kids don’t get my behavior. The typical exchange goes like this:

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Recently someone started a conversation with me by saying, “You were right.”

“What about?” I asked.

He explained that he was having a real tough year in ministry. He was experiencing a lot of frustration and restlessness, with periods of ennui and what felt at times like depression. Often, he said, he felt suffocated in his work. Then, during one day of introspection he realized that this was his fourth year in this ministry setting, and he remembered my presentation on the “Ministry Years.”

“I really didn’t believe you when I heard you say that the fourth year was always the year of discontent,” he said, “but you were right. That’s exactly where I am.”

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A new Lenten art and poetry group study has been posted on the Educational Consultants website (you?ll find it under the ?Resources/FREE Resources? section). The handouts are from a Lenten art and poetry presentation titled, “Poetry, Art, and the Spirituality of Imagination.” The file contains a list of poems related to the passion narratives and handouts with discussion questions for a four-session study.

Print it out and file it away for next year?s Lenten season. You can adapt this study by using your own art and format of study, or just focus on the poems. The poems are easily available from several sources, including the internet, anthologies and in collections of poems by the authors.

The .pdf file contains ten pages that include:
Overview handout
Week 1: Entering the Lenten Season discussion handout
Week 2: Prayer and Betrayal discussion handout
Week 3: The Passion discussion handout
Week 4: Hope and Glory discussion handout.

The attached handout is a comprehensive list of teaching methods by categories. It can be used in several ways, including as a training resource for teachers. Free to use as long as the copyright tag remains on the handout. Share your stuff (.pdf, 2 pages).

A two-page graphics handout on learner retention. Can be used to stress the importance of using interactive methods. Free to use as long as copyright tag remains on handout. Share your stuff. (.pdf, two pages):

These are the handouts from a presentation on “Informal Education” from Educational Consultants. Free to use as long as copyright tags remain on handouts. Share your stuff. (.pdf, three pages):

This “faith journeys map” handout can be used to help people plot out their faith jouney then share their story with others. It can provide for a stand-alone exercise or as part of a group sharing activity. Free to use as long as copyright tag remains on the handout. Share your stuff. (.pdf, one page).