Learning the language of faith

When my kids were little I had a inkling that we should be discussing God and having faith-talks, but how was I to start? I didn’t remember anything from my childhood Sunday school! What was I suppose to say?

Does talking about faith with your family seem foreign?

Are you in this sort of quandary? If yes, might I recommend a seminar I am co-leading on Saturday, March 24th at the downtown FUMC church. It’s part of a workshop called Building a Better Family. Read more about it here. Register on-line here. One of the sponsors of this workshop is the preschool at our church, FUMCN, however that doesn’t mean that only parents of preschoolers need attend! It applies to all ages!

In the meantime… back to the foreign language of faith… and a motto to adopt as you face this dilemma with courage!

I’ll bet you’ve acquired a host of different “languages” along your life journey; some simple, others complex. Back when I started my first “real” job I had to learn the difference between a frappe and a milkshake. (Yeah, I was a soda jerk.) In college I drank in the language of trees and plants; I could present on the pessimistic prospects of a bushy Euonymus alatus vs. rabbits. (This was in the days before concerns about landscaping with non-natives. This plant, otherwise known as the Burning Bush, is now considered invasive in several states!)

Later, after some soul-searching I changed careers and learned more new languages: communicating with computers. COBOL or Fortran anyone? (I guess I just dated myself).

Has your path been like mine? Acquired any new vernaculars along the way?

Since those days, my lifework has changed… again. I’m pursuing another language. It includes a burning bush… but of a different sort. This language includes words that I am often confused about like Incarnation, Annunciation and Atonement. You too?

When my children were little I’m certain that I didn’t try very hard to speak the language of faith because of uncertainty, and embarrassment and a bit of fear.

I don’t want you to repeat my mistake. So here is a motto to repeat to yourself, over and over:

Stumble if you need to.

Go ahead and make a mistake or two or more. It is a process with rich rewards… learning the language of faith… together as a family.